Simon Bower – Global Living Leads to his Debut International Crime Thriller

Canadian and British writer Simon Bower has spent his adult life living in various continents. In 2018, his debut fiction work Dead in the Water was published in paperback and eBook by Middle Farm Press. Simon currently lives in France, near the Swiss border, where outside of writing, his young family, the mountains, acrylic paint and a capable bike him in regular mischief. As our Author of the Day, Bower tells us all about his crime thriller, Dead in the Water.

Please give us a short introduction to what Dead in the Water is about.

Three American women, three British guys, thrown together on a catamaran in the Mediterranean Sea. What could go wrong? Well, in time, pretty much everything. Dead in the Water begins with the grizzly discovery of a corpse floating in the harbor water, near Cannes in France. It’s one of the six. These are regular, outwardly respectable people, the sort you know yourself; how did they end up pairing up on vacation together and what motive could one of them have to end another’s life? This hybrid novel initially comes across as a contemporary lifestyle story, then moves into murder mystery, before turning into an action-adventure. Dead in the Water is a whirlwind global mystery-thriller, with the only staple being the unexpected.

What inspired you to write about six friends and a suspicious death on a catamaran?

The main inspiration for the story was a ten night voyage that I made on a 40 foot catamaran with some choice travelling companions. The experience presented such a deep wealth of material for a book, whether it be the open skylights to the cabins below, or the lounging nets and smorgasbord breakfast. I thought: how would I behave, if there were no laws and no moral standards? Would that lead to murder? I selfishly wrote the book that I wanted to read, intrigue, plot twists and some satirical humor.

Who is Agent Fournier and what makes him tick?

Agent Georges Fournier wants to do right by the world. He’s an honest cop who’s spent his career failing to impress the higher echelon in the French Police. Suddenly, a death occurs on his patch on the Côte D’Azur, and his superior gives him less than 24 hours to prove his hunch that it should be treated as suspicious before she wraps it up as an accident. Fournier desperately wants to get to the bottom of it, but the five remaining friends are less than cooperative, and Fournier’s lifestyle induced health problems are not helping the situation.

You have spent a lot of time living in other countries. How has this changed your world view and your writing?

In the past twenty years, I have lived everywhere but ‘home’, wherever that is. For the best part of ten years I lived and worked in North America, regularly visiting places like Laguna Beach and New York, that both feature in the book. Most of the other ten years I have spent in Europe, where, among other places, I’ve lived in Holland and France, and worked in Switzerland, which again are locations the reader might recognize. When I read a book, I look for authenticity and realism to be intertwined with the storyline. That’s what I hope I’ve achieved with Dead in the Water. My outlook is definitely global; the more places you experience, the fewer places are unknown.

How much of your own experiences have you written into this book?

I am known for being candid, and I make no exception here. The first draft of Dead in the Water had a significant number of own experiences providing backstory in the book. While this provided my desired realism, it allowed the tightness of the story to waver. Fortunately, my experienced and relentless editor trimmed off the fat and left the core story. That said, when Charlie searches for a taxi in Manila airport, when Scott races through the streets of Amsterdam, when Agent Fournier is wandering along the harbor near Cannes, or when Ana is serving skinny macchiatos in Laguna Beach – these settings are based on real experiences!

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I think everyone has tricks up their sleeve, and if I don’t blurt mine out now, you will never know mine! Here are a couple: I’m a keen painter, whether it be landscapes, abstract or the kitchen wall. I love acting, and treasure my experiences acting as an extra next to household names, notably in a Spielberg production. I’m also incessantly tenacious, and this has manifested itself in sporting accomplishments such as marathons and triathlons.

Was there a single defining moment or event where you suddenly thought, 'Now I'm an Author,' as in—this is now my career?" 

As an author, one spends a disproportionate number of hours on one’s own. Following on from that, the most surreal “this is it” moment for me was the first time being interviewed on live radio. Despite trying to be serious, I found myself laughing, because I kept starting every response to the interviewer’s question with, “Indeed…”, which is normally a word I use sparingly.

Did you base any of your characters on people you know? 

Ha ha, that’s the tricky question! Yes, there are certainly influences in there. I find characters have far more depth if I have someone, or multiple people, in mind when writing. However, I am not going to name anyone publicly!

Is Dead in the Water available in eBook only, or can it be bought in the high street?

Dead in the Water is available in some specialty high street stores, however, the lion’s share of its success has been through Amazon in print or Kindle format.

Do you have any interesting writing habits, what is an average writing day like to you?

I was adamant to finish Dead in the Water on schedule, I did not let hospitalization for an operation on my back stand in my way. In fact, I wrote a few thousand words during each of the four days I was in hospital. I joke, with some truth, that this period – where I was regularly topped up by way of a morphine drip – created some of the crazier chapters of the book.

What are you working on right now?

A production company contacted me about a movie version of Dead in the Water, which is exciting to imagine the six friends coming to life on the screen. I’m also working on a new story, unrelated to Dead in the Water.

Do you have a social media presence?

I love interacting with readers. My contact is @simonbowerbooks whatever the social media mainly Twitter, Facebook page, Instagram. You can also connect with my publisher @middlefarmpress and find my author pages on Goodreads and Amazon.