You hear the advice 'write what you know' over and over.

If you only wrote what you knew it would make research a whole lot less time consuming.

I'd say the better expression would be a combination of write what you are passionate about, love to read and are prepared to study... I suppose that doesn't trip off the tongue quite so well but it is what you'll find in my books.

I care about people's motivations, how events change lives, the psychology of crime and the determination of individual's to overcome adversity. I love marriage and family life. I love music, design, British weather, algebra, playing pool and staying up late. I love going out to a gig and sitting in the garden with a cup of tea. I really, really love tea but only the basic stick-it-in-a-mug-with-milk-and-pour-on-the-boiling-water kind. I love taking each day as it comes and having an adventure.

And I love chatting to people who've read my books...

... but this page is about one particular love, MUSIC.


Everyone accepts the concept of a movie soundtrack now but I imagine the idea seemed a little odd when it was first suggested.  'No, the movie's not a musical.  No, the songs haven't been written for it.  No, most of them are not even new.  But yes, we're going to put a copy of the movie poster on the front and sell it as a new product.'

Odd but most of us own and love at least one of these gems, could be anything from Pulp Fiction to Dirty Dancing to the Wedding Singer...

When I write a book I find there are songs that ‘keep me company’ at various points. By the time I finish I have a playlist that belongs to that book alone. Maybe the concept of a book having a soundtrack seems a little odd, but that’s how it works for me.  My first love is 1950's music, predominately rockabilly, doo-wop and old r 'n' b and blues but once in a while other things creep in too.  Here are my selections to accompany the first two Goodhew books.

The Soundtrack to Cambridge Blue

Back to Black – Amy Winehouse
Better than Nothing - Restless
Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Dreaming – Blondie
Lovers’ Lane – Jacen Bruce
Miserlou – Dick Dale
School Days – Chuck Berry
Summer of ’69 – Bowling for Soup
Tonight, Tonight – The Mello-Kings
Torn – Natalie Imbruglia
Tornado – The Giants
Wild Saxophone – The Stray Cats

The Soundtrack to The Siren

Hey Girl – Hot Boogie Chillun
I Drove All Night – Roy Orbison
Ice Cold – Restless
In the Still of the Night – The Five Satins
Nobody But You, Babe – Hot Boogie Chillun
Rampage – The Planet Rockers
Send Me Away – Jacen Bruce
The Sun Refuses to Shine – Richard Hawley
The Thrill of Your Touch – Elvis
The Whole of the Moon – The Waterboys
Tonight the Streets Are Ours – Richard Hawley
Valentine – Richard Hawley