Today I’m thrilled to welcome author James Woolf to my blog. I met James at the Bristol CrimeFest earlier this year, when we were on a panel about the presumption of guilt, which is a central theme in his books.

Why writing?

Writing can be incredibly satisfying when you create a story and you’re really happy with it. Of course when things aren’t going well it can be the worst occupation in the world. Also, with the possible exception of table tennis, writing is the only thing I have a talent for.

When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?

I was always asked to read my stories out loud at school when I was very small, usually because they were funny. I enjoyed the connection this gave me to other people and the way I was viewed as being slightly different. I began writing plays as I found dialogue very easy. I have had many produced and some broadcast on the radio. But it took a while for me to have the confidence to write prose. I began with short stories and then progressed to novels.

Who inspires you?

Writers of literary fiction are the ones I’m most inspired by. These have recently included Rachel Cusk, Alan Hollinghurst, Maggie Shipstead and Ian McEwan. I’m also a big fan of the New Yorker Fiction podcast and have enjoyed a huge number of stories over the years. If you’ve never listened to any, I’d start with the two read by David Sedaris both of which are brilliant.

What was your most recent published novel?

My second novel which was published on 1^st July 2024 is The Company She Keeps. It follows a successful businesswoman in the late 1970s and early 1980s who is somewhat less successful in her private life. Her on/off boyfriend is a policeman who is part of the huge team attempting to catch the Yorkshire Ripper. It is a psychological thriller and I had great fun writing it.

How long does it take you to write a book?

Both of my published novels took a year to write the first draft. There were then a few rewrites, but each of these took only a couple of weeks. I work full time in the legal sector, so I find time to write early in the mornings and at weekends, and on holidays of course. I don’t tend to have a target, but if I track my weekly word count this is a great incentive. When writing Indefensible, I wrote the last 35,000 words in four weeks – which for me was pretty exceptional!

What does your writing day look like?

I like to go to the British Library and work in one of the reading rooms. I find I’m less likely to get distracted there. And having paid travel fares and treated myself to teas coffees and one of their lunches, I’m more likely to be productive. I now have an agreement with my work that I get a half day for my writing each week as long as I make up my hours elsewhere. This is a great addition to the time I usually manage to carve out.

Do your books have a message/common theme?

So far, the pursuit of justice and the importance of professional ethics. My day job is working in professional ethics (in a legal setting) and inspired both themes. I thought I’d written the first professional ethics thriller with my first novel, Indefensible. It turned out that this was far from being the case! I watched Cape Fear on TV just before it was published, which hinges on a lawyer who, because he thinks his client is guilty, does not use information that could be useful in his defence during the trial process. This would be professional misconduct. The lawyer in the film lives to regret his choice as the client comes to take revenge. In my novel, a barrister becomes overly friendly with a man he successfully defends on a murder charge. He also lives to regret his decision!

Have you ever done a research trip for your writing?

I visited Leeds for The Company She Keeps and visited the library to read copies of the Yorkshire Evening Post. I also worked out exactly where my main character would live. For Indefensible, I tended to use real places from my own life. For example, the flat where the murder was committed is an actual flat I shared with my brother in Hackney. It’s identifiable from the text. I like to think the person who lives there now will one day inadvertently pick up a copy and experience something of a thrill.

What’s the most interesting thing you have discovered when researching a book?

You learn so many great things when researching that it’s hard to give one as an example. But one fact that really tickled me was discovered when researching the legendary barrister George Carman for my book Indefensible. Carman is a minor character, the head of the chambers where my protagonist is based. I discovered he used to love mixing with celebrities and when living in Manchester proudly introduced his wife to George Best who he was representing at the time. George Best and Carman’s wife then proceeded to have an affair, and the rumour goes that Carman, who had some quite unsavoury contacts, looked into having George knee capped as an act of revenge. His revenge never happened and Carman ended up moving to London where he undertook his most famous cases, including successfully defending Jeremy Thorpe on an attempted murder charge, and defending Ken Dodd for non-payment of tax.

What are you currently reading?

I just finished the fantastic Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. I’m currently enjoying In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan.

Author Biography

James Woolf is a London based writer. His job in professional ethics inspired him to write his debut novel, Indefensible, which was published in January 2024. His second novel, The Company She Keeps, will be released in July 2024. Around 30 of his short stories have appeared in magazines and books, including four in the longstanding arts magazine Ambit. James also writes stage plays (about 15 have been professionally produced) and has written radio plays for Radio 4 and LBC.

The Company She Keeps

How many bad men can one woman have in her life?

It’s 1979 and a leading businesswoman is struggling with who she can trust in a deeply patriarchal society. With three very different men craving her attention, and a serial killer on the loose, Rebecca finds herself in a twisted game of cat and mouse. But what do the men around her really want from her? And could one of them in fact be a cold-blooded killer.

The Company She Keeps is a pacey novel set against the real-life backdrop of an inept police force’s attempts to catch the Yorkshire Ripper.

Indefensible

A lawyer gets uncomfortably close to a former client, crossing a dangerous line, in this edgy debut thriller.

Daniel, a criminal barrister, is working all hours on a sensational trial at the Old Bailey, defending a client he believes is wrongfully accused of a grisly murder. Determined to keep Rod out of prison, he begins to neglect his wife—and soon afterwards suspects she’s having an affair.

After Daniel triumphs in court, the bond he’s formed with his newly acquitted client grows even stronger. Then Rod offers Daniel a favour that he really shouldn’t accept . . .

When things take a catastrophic turn, Daniel realises his conduct has veered from unprofessional to indefensible—and that he’s trapped in a nightmare of his own making . . .