An Interview with David Holman

David is the author of the Amazon bestselling Alex Swan spy thriller series dubbed by The Big Thrill magazine as ‘A Cold War Sherlock Holmes.’ Book seven of the series, Contrail of Vengeance, is out now, and writing under the pen name of Dave Becker comes Fallen Shadows, the first novel of a new action-packed contemporary spy thriller trilogy set in the city of London, combining city police detective DC Sam Hayes with Pippa Homewood, a case officer with the Security Service (MI5).

David is a former lecturer of English and American Literature, lives in Kent in the UK, and is married with three daughters.

His first novel in the series, Wings of Death, was nominated for Best Thriller in an online readers poll in 2016.

Like his favorite authors, he sees research as an essential part of the writing process and enjoys the fieldwork of visiting museums and other relevant places of interest that enable him to produce the historic and technical accuracy found in his novels. An avid reader of the thriller and espionage genre, among his list of chosen authors are Frederick Forsyth, Clive Cussler, Robert Harris, and the spymaster of literature, the late, great John le Carre. From time to time, he also likes to re-visit the classics with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, John Buchan, and Alexandre Dumas his selective choices for sheer escapism. However, David has said he will generally read anything in order to broaden his personal perspective of the written word.

David has appeared on podcast shows such Spybrary and featured in The Big Thrill and Writer magazines. As well as the Alex Swan spy thrillers series, and the recently published Fallen Shadows, David has also written Blitz Boy, a children’s adventure book set in World War II, and Secret Santa, a heartwarming Cold War Christmas spy tale novella.

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What inspired you to start writing this book?

I have always been interested in the famous crimes that have occurred in London, i.e. Jack the Ripper, the body in the suitcase, the first train murder, the poisoned umbrella assassination of a Bulgarian dissident, and the police procedurals to track down the perpetrators.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I wanted to combine a police procedural set in London with a spy thriller element, so thought that as the victims were ex-spies, and as spies are generally known as either spooks or shadows, I decided that I would play on this euphemism so came up with Fallen Shadows.

Describe your dream book cover.

I think my publisher, Rampart Books, really hit it with the cover for Fallen Shadows, with my dual protagonists in the foreground walking along the bank of the River Thames and Tower Bridge as a backdrop. The colours used also really suited the genre.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

I have a few references to songs in the book, one being Toosie Slide by Drake and Viva La Vida by Coldplay. That’s all I can think of at the moment, but if it made film or TV, then I would want a pacing instrumental to suit the mood of the screenplay.

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

I’m reading more on the historical murders that are centred in the book, as this is a trilogy. As for fiction, I like to read across the crime and espionage genre with Ian Rankin, Mark Billingham, and Patricia Cornwell, and for espionage I enjoy Mick Herron, Charles Cumming, and the late greats of Len Deighton, Frederick Forsyth, and John le Carre.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I have been a lecturer of English and American literature in a college and a training consultant.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I used to write non-fiction articles and school literature texts study guides. It was while researching for an article for an aviation magazine that I became embroiled in the political shenanigans of a particular Cold War prototype aircraft, and as I have always enjoyed spy fiction, since I was fifteen when my father handed me a copy of The Day of the Jackal to read, I thought this true story would make a great spy novel. I put this to my editor, and he turned around and said, “Why don’t you write it, David?” So, I did, then came a sequel, and now I’m writing the eighth and final novel in my Alex Swan spy thriller series under my real name.

Where is your favorite place to write?

I have my own writing room/ home office which I have personalised with bookcases and memorabilia related to my novels. I have a 1930s bureau desk and an antique captain’s chair which I go to every morning.

What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?

Read more books on the genre you wish to pursue. You cannot read enough. It is also beneficial to read the classics and books outside the genre from time to time to really get an appreciation for the written word.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

That they want to read more about my work and cannot wait to be reacquainted with my characters again.

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