{"id":3018,"date":"2016-10-11T15:09:37","date_gmt":"2016-10-11T14:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lawyerinthemaking.co.uk\/?p=3018"},"modified":"2016-10-11T15:09:37","modified_gmt":"2016-10-11T14:09:37","slug":"olly-jarvis-cut-throat-defence-qa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawyerinthemaking.co.uk\/index.php\/2016\/10\/11\/olly-jarvis-cut-throat-defence-qa\/","title":{"rendered":"Olly Jarvis | Cut-Throat Defence | Q&A"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had the pleasure of being part of the Blog Tour surrounding the latest\u00a0Olly Jarvis’ book, Cut-Throat Defence<\/a> which you can purchase here<\/a>. \u00a0This meant I read the book and was able to ask Olly some questions, and being the law geek I am, I decided to go down a very law related route.<\/p>\n

Here is the brief Q&A:<\/p>\n

Question 1<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Could you briefly explain your background\/legal career?<\/span><\/p>\n

I grew up in London, then travelled the world for a few years before reluctantly coming back to do the Bar Finals. I headed north to Manchester for a second six months pupillage in 1993 and I\u2019ve been there ever since. My practice has been exclusively criminal defence, right from the start. I\u2019m now at Exchange Chambers.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Question 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Have you always wanted to be a writer?<\/span><\/p>\n

Only in my dreams. Then one day I decided that if I didn\u2019t try and make it a reality, it would be my biggest regret.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Question 3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You have a very unique writing style, where has this stemmed from?<\/p>\n

To be honest, I have no idea! When I was called to the Bar we were told that \u2018economy of language\u2019 was the most important attribute of a barrister. Possibly, years of trying to cut to the chase in court has made me write fiction with the same brevity!<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Question 4<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Some of your chapters are very short, one page even, is this writing style preference or do you write chapters based on time?<\/p>\n

I come from a family of actors. When I was a kid I used to draw and colour-in on the back of old scripts \u2013 maybe that\u2019s why I write in a filmic style. I visualize the chapters as scenes in a movie which I hope adds pace to the story and pulls the reader along.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Question 5<\/span><\/p>\n

When are you most inspired to write?<\/span><\/p>\n

First thing in the morning, when I\u2019m fresh \u2013 it doesn\u2019t last long! <\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Question 6<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Working in the legal sector can be very demanding, how do you find time to write?<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a constant battle – work, kids etc, but I try and get the train everywhere nowadays. A long journey to some far-flung court is a great time to write. <\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Question 7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So are any of the characters in the book, “Cut Throat Defence” based on people you have worked with or seen?<\/span><\/p>\n

None of the characters are based on actual people or cases, but I am writing about what I know \u2013 the criminal justice system. It\u2019s impossible to avoid drawing on past experiences and shadows of people I\u2019ve met. <\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Question 8<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How did you come up with the idea for the book?<\/span><\/p>\n

I remember my first appearances in court \u2013 adrenalin pumping, the stress and the fear. I still get nervous, it\u2019s a tough career. That\u2019s what I wanted to get across in this novel.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Question 9<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Did the story change much whilst writing?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, the plot evolved over time and became more complex. After I finished the first draft, I went back to the manuscript, time and time again, weaving in new threads.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Question 10<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What is your most and least enjoyable aspect of writing a book?<\/p>\n

I hate the way it takes over your life, but seeing a great review from someone you\u2019ve never met makes it all worth it. That can make a grown man cry!<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Question 11<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Why did you decide to make this an ebook, when your previous book, Death By Dangerous was paper copy?<\/span><\/p>\n

My first book sold ten times more ebooks than print copies. That\u2019s how crime fiction readers tend to read, I guess it\u2019s cheaper. When I got an offer from my amazing digital publishing specialists, Canelo, it was a no-brainer. They have the industry expertise to sell my stories to a much wider audience. When you\u2019re selling a download, which only needs the press of a button to purchase, there are literally, no boundaries to who you can reach.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Question 12<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Have any skills you have developed whilst practising law helped you as a writer?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, there are so many. Being disciplined, working to a deadline, having a strategy, thinking ahead. <\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Question 13<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Are there any future books?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, the sequel to Cut-Throat Defence, which is called The Unconvicted, also published by Canelo, will be out next year.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Question 14<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, who is your favourite crime writer?<\/span><\/p>\n

No one compares to John Grisham, particularly his earlier novels.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

And thanks for having me on your blog.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Do check out my post later on with a review of the book!<\/p>\n

Rebecca x<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had the pleasure of being part of the Blog Tour surrounding the latest\u00a0Olly Jarvis’ book, Cut-Throat Defence which you can purchase here. \u00a0This meant I read the book and was able to ask Olly some questions, and being the law geek I am, I decided to go down a very law related route. Here is the brief Q&A: Question 1 Could you briefly explain your background\/legal career? I grew up in London, then travelled the world for a few […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"nelio_content":{"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"autoShareEndMode":"default","automationSources":{"useContentSentences":true,"useSocialTemplates":true,"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"followers":[],"suggestedReferences":[],"includedReferences":[],"efiUrl":"","efiAlt":"","highlights":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawyerinthemaking.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3018"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawyerinthemaking.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawyerinthemaking.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawyerinthemaking.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawyerinthemaking.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3018"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lawyerinthemaking.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3018\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3019,"href":"https:\/\/lawyerinthemaking.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3018\/revisions\/3019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawyerinthemaking.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawyerinthemaking.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawyerinthemaking.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}