Ross-shire debut author's delight as crime book rockets up Amazon's crime charts amid strong reviews
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A DINGWALL first-time writer would like nothing better than to see his new action-packed book become a film like the Quentin Tarantino movies that first inspired him.
For retail manager Steven Cormack the first ideas for his five-star crime comedy The Crossover came from watching Reservoir Dogs and other Tarantino classics.
“It was just me trying to have my own little movie in my head!” he laughed.
The book has reached the top four in Amazon’s crime charts and has attracted five-star reviews.
And the 42-year-old retail manager – and now author – said: “I am heavily influenced by film and people like Quentin Tarantino. I’ve read all his screenplays and my inspiration for writing came specifically after watching Reservoir Dogs for the first time.”
Steven, who manages Cormacks & Crawfords on Dingwall’s High Street, tells the story in The Crossover of two down-on-their luck students in Glasgow who receive a winning lottery ticket in the post.
It has been sent from a long-lost uncle in America who is in serious trouble with the mob. The students set off for America on a crazy journey dodging bullets in a world of greed, revenge and murder to claim their prize.
Steven used the experience of a trip to America as the basis for the students’ journey, but makes clear that otherwise The Crossover is complete fiction.
“The book is quite rude and violent in parts, but I wanted to write something fun people would enjoy – and not be too offended by!”
Life took over for a few years, Steven said, but the unfinished book “niggled”, so he completed it.
He then opted for the now popular self-publishing route and found an agency to prepare the book to go online.
“I had quite a clear vision of what I wanted. The cover is my design and the blurb on the back. I just wanted to hold the book in my hands – which I’ve achieved. Anything else is a bonus.”
The book has been described as “fantastic”, “addictive” and “very entertaining” by online reviewers who are already calling for another novel.
Steven – who is working on something new – said: “It has been really well-received and I’m quite surprised. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Members of my family loved it and some of my pals, but they are going to be biased!”
Steven would love The Crossover to become a film.
“All joking aside, I would love to see it as a movie. I’d even be open to scripting it, if it got that far. That would be cool. But I’m a realist and I know it’s very unlikely!”
The Crossover by Steven Cormack is available on Amazon, in both paperback and Kindle formats. Find Steven on Facebook@stevencormack
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