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FIND OUT MOREAAM: Why are you supporting queerupnorth? VM: Manchester has been at the centre of gay and lesbian culture for years and I think it's important for queer artists who live here to support a festival like this.
AAM: Are you not offended by the term 'queer'? VM: No, not at all. The word 'queer' is all embracing and defying. By describing ourselves as queer we reclaim a word that was used as an insult.
AAM: You've been known to sing and play the guitar - will you be doing either of these at Matt & Phred's Jazz Club this month? VM: True, I have been drawn into performing on a number of occasions, but not this time. I'll be appearing at Matt & Phred's as part of queerupnorth to talk about my books and to try to explain why crime fiction is so attractive to gay and lesbian writers.
AAM: So how do you explain the genre's appeal to queer writers? VM: Traditionally a detective is seen as a person on the outside looking in and the queer writer is also seen as an outsider.
AAM: Where does the darkness in your novels stem from? VM: I've always read and enjoyed crime novels, so I guess I was influenced by all those books. I'm not a dark, miserable, twisted person. I'm actually very cheerful. But I'm interested in character, I like to explore why people do what they do. A crisis is like a hotline to who people are and there is nothing more critical than death.
AAM: You're currently working on a new book. Can you tell us a bit about it? VM: I'm finishing off my fifth Tony Hill and Carol Jordan novel, called Beneath the Bleeding, which is coming out in August.
AAM: You split your time between Manchester and Northumberland, so you obviously spend a lot of time here. What is it about Manchester that inspires you as a writer? VM: Manchester is a very dynamic place to work because it is undergoing such a remarkable transformation. I find the hustle and bustle of the city very inspiring, but I also love the less frenetic pace of the surrounding countryside.
AAM: Which one of your novels would you recommend to a novice reader? VM: My work spans the genre, so there's probably something that will appeal to every reader. If you want a dark, hard crime novel then I recommend one of my Tony Hill/Carol Jordan novels. If you prefer to follow the adventures of a wise-cracking Manchester-based private eye, then start with the Kate Brannigan novels. For a more traditional English whodunit book with a bit of a twist, go for the Lindsay Gordon novels, where the heroine is a gay journalist. The book that most people say is their favourite is a standalone novel called A Place of Execution, which is a taut psychological suspense thriller.