Malcolm Rose Author Site FAQs
Do you have any hobbies?
Running, listening to music, growing cacti, walking up hills and collecting stamps that feature fish. But not all at the same time. My recent best for running 10km is 39min 47sec. Not bad for an Over-65. And it earned me a call-up to the England Masters team.
Who is your all-time favourite athlete?
Daley Thompson - by a mile. Two Olympic gold medals in the toughest event - the decathlon, and the the first athlete to hold Olympic, Commonwealth, European and world titles simultaneously in a single event. All that and a mischievous sense of humour.
Is Malc named after you?
Sort of. Almost everyone calls me Malcolm but my wife has always called me Malc. When I came up with a name for the robot in TRACES, I tried to figure out a way of calling him/it Malc. Mobile Aid to Law and Crime seemed to do the job. In other words, it's a joke between me and my wife. The robot Malc became one of my favourite "characters" and I really enjoy writing his contributions to the stories. He's super-clever and yet totally bewildered by us humans.
Have you won any awards?
Yes. I have won the Lancashire Children's Book of the Year Award with a thriller called PLAGUE. The same book won the Angus Book Award as well. I have also won the Angus Book Award with TUNNEL VISION, a thriller with the themes of athletics and racism.
How many novels have you written?
44 and counting...
Do you have any hobbies?
Listening to music, running, growing cacti, walking up hills and collecting stamps that feature fish. But not all at the same time. My recent best for running 10km is under 42min 21sec. Not bad for an Over-65.
If I have trouble buying any of your books, can I buy them via this website?
Yes. I have copies of most of them for sale anyway. Send me an email via 'Contact Me' and I'll see what I can do.
What are the worst things about being an author?
Having to redraft a story again and again when it is much more exciting to get stuck into the next one. Leaving behind my imaginary friends at the end of the process. Still, there's always another fictional family to invent and another story ...
What are the best things about being an author?
The freedom to tackle any topic and the assembling of an interesting cast of characters to populate a new story. At some point in the writing, the sudden realization that a story is really taking shape, and probably not the shape I had planned at the outset.
Why do you write fiction?
As a professional day-dreamer, I can become anyone, go anywhere, do anything in my head. If I want to commit a crime or communicate with an alien, I can and I will! This freedom of imagination allows me to write about any topic that I think is interesting, and hopefully to entertain at the same time.
Where were you born?
Coventry, 1953
Which football team do you support?
Coventry City
Which school did you attend?
Bablake School, Coventry
Which was your best subject at school?
Maths
Which university did you go to?
York
Did you have a career before being an author?
I was a lecturer in chemistry and research scientist
Where do you live?
Just to the north of Sheffield, at the edge of the Peaks
Have you always lived in Sheffield?
No, I've moved around a lot. I have also lived in Coventry, York, Liverpool and Milton Keynes
Do you have a family?
My wife is Barbara (a teacher) and my son is Colin (an architect)
Are you and your thrillers anti-science?
No. I'm a big supporter of science. Books like HURRICANE FORCE and THE DEATH GENE are actually about the misuse of good science and the corrupting effect of politics, religion and money on scientists' best intentions. The conflict does not come from iffy science but its corruption by iffy people!
Where do you get your ideas from?
The news, science, my own interests, and music. Frequently, I am motivated by outrage.
What is your favourite book?
The Owl Service by Alan Garner
Which of your own books is your favourite?
Um. Tricky. Connor's Brain, Body Harvest, Plague, or ... Oh, I don't know. It depends on my mood. It's mostly the one I'm working on at the time.
Which is your all-time favourite group?
Kitchens of Distinction
Who are your favourite groups of the moment?
The Echelon Effect, Bitter Springs, Sigur Ros (their Heima DVD is absolutely magical), Meursault.
Do you have an ambition?
To produce pomegranates genetically modified to grow all year round in Britain
What is your favourite food?
Pomegranates (yes, pomegranates)
