‘It’s amazing how many ideas come to me when sitting in my study in Taunton’

You will often find author C.M. Ewan around the top of the bestsellers lists and for Taunton-based Chris, the release of The House Hunt provides another opportunity to hit those heights.
After receiving critical acclaim for his previous novel, thriller The Interview, Chris has told Somerset’s Alive! about what has influenced his latest offering and how Somerset plays a part in his writing.

Chris said: “My most recent thrillers are about everyday situations that have unexpected and deadly consequences.

“This means I spend my time thinking about how those things we do most days, without conscious thought, could go sideways.”

His new book is no different as Chris explains: “For instance, The House Hunt is about an ordinary house viewing that turns into something altogether different.
“It’s amazing how many ideas can come to me when I’m sitting in my study in Taunton, watching ordinary life go on outside.”

So, what does a writing day look like from his study in Taunton? Chris revealed: “Every day differs a little, but most days I’ll drop our children at school, then get back to the house, make myself a coffee and sit down in front of my computer to write five pages of a manuscript.

“On a good day, that might only take me an hour and a half. More usually, it will take me the entire morning.”

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After that, Chris likes to stretch his legs before getting embroiled in the admin.
He continued: “Then I make lunch and go for a short walk in the Somerset countryside or one of the villages close to where we live, leaving myself enough time to deal with emails, research queries or make phone calls in the afternoon.

“Once I’ve finished a first draft of a book, everything changes, and I’ll spend as many hours as I can rewriting and revising a manuscript until a book is finished.

“It usually takes me a year to complete a book.”

With such a commitment to writing books, does Somerset have any influence on where the story goes? Chris admits that the county can often act as his muse.
He said: “It does to an extent, because it’s usually on my daily walks around the country lanes near my house that I solve plot problems or think about new things to write about.

“There are also plenty of excellent libraries and book shops throughout Somerset, and visiting them is always inspirational for me.”

The county can be found in Chris’ storytelling and he added: “Somerset has already featured in my books. Weston-Super-Mare plays a part in my novel, Long Time Lost, and the new book I’m working on is set in the West Country.”

With a new book released, this means that promoting the title will be heavy on his agenda in the coming weeks.
As part of this, there will be evenings at Waterstones Yeovil and Waterstones Taunton where he will discuss his work and let keen readers know about what to expect from The House Hunt.

Chris told Somerset’s Alive! about how he prepares for ‘author talks’: “I usually jot down a few notes of things I might want to say, or stories I’d like to share, but the best part about author events is meeting readers and answering those questions you can’t begin to plan for.

“There’s nothing better than having a reader tell you they’ve enjoyed one of your books.”

You can book tickets to see C.M. Ewan at Waterstones Yeovil on Tuesday 5th September and at Taunton Waterstones on Thursday 7th September, both starting at 7pm.