Kia ora,

Come on in and get comfy. You’re probably going to need a cuppa or maybe a beer, depending on the time of day. You do you, no judgement here.
Let me introduce you to Bruce Melrose. He’s a friend of mine and an all around good egg. 

What makes you tick, Bruce?
I’m a typical middle-aged kiwi who grew up more interested in running around and having fun than sitting in classrooms. Due to that, I wasn’t the most accomplished in terms of the mechanics of the English language, but I did, and still have, a vivid imagination and fantastic people around me, who proof, edit and peer review my work, so it’s as polished as can be. 

As a kid, I aspired to be an international athlete and spent years training long and hard. One of the things about being an athlete is you’re often tired from the effort. Athletes are like greyhounds. Lazy. If you’re running a 100 miles a week, you need plenty of downtime to recharge, which is where reading, watching movies and TV shows came in for me. Novels, comics, and the screen fed my love of a great story, which served to influence and motivate me. For example, I read Wilbur Smith. Being African, Wilbur’s stories were set there. I also read a lot of British and U.S., authors with all their stories set where they came from, or in geographical proximity, i.e., Russia, if the backdrop was the cold war. I wanted to read the same type of book set in my neck of the woods, but the problem was, New Zealand authors, comparatively, didn’t resonate with me, although I liked Barry Crump, who wasn’t writing thrillers. Few did and while there was the odd thriller, I found the prose and characters stilted and stiff compared to their British or U.S., counterparts, so wasn’t inspired, until Paul Thomas in the 1990’s and more recently Ben Sanders, who have. 

My motivation is to tell entertaining fast paced stories set in the Pacific, since no one else is. Since indie publishing became more accessible, plenty of New Zealanders publish stories set in New Zealand, so while an improvement, a year ago, I did a survey of new releases by Allen & Unwin. I found 90% of their published novels were by Australian authors, writing Australian stories, set in Australia. Of the New Zealand books published by Australian publishing houses, 90% were non-fiction bios of well-known New Zealanders, who were already known, if you cared a damn about them. Around the same time, there was a push for more stories set in Pacifika, by Pacifika authors. While I’m not, the geographical proximity ticked the box of in my neck of the woods, so first came For Past Sins then Coconut Milk Run. 

It amused me last year to hear a suggestion of there not being any decent new movies made in New Zealand over the last decade and a corresponding lack of material produced on which to base new movies. My response was, and remains, that’s because the movie guys aren’t looking in the right paces, right? (yes!)

Favourite genre/s to read or write?
Action-adventure, thriller. 

Please tell us about your latest work: 
My new book is Coconut Milk Run. The story came to me as I sat on a resort beach and thought, what would happen if I woke to find a near dead body outside? What would that story be about? I’d also come across some other  events that leant themselves to developing a story set in the Pacific Islands, such as an island beach getting covered in condoms, thought to have come from a container washed overboard from a passing ship. That was a real event, but let’s make those condoms cocaine.  Add to that, I read an article about how much of the world’s priceless artworks are actually aboard superyachts, to avoid paying tax. Stuff like that went  into the mix to develop the story. While my novel For Past Sins was a nod to the action-adventure stories I grew up with, Coconut Milk Run is my nod to kiss-kiss, bang-bang thrillers of the 1970s, even though it’s set in the present.
There’s a lot of real nefarious things happening in the South Pacific that make for good action packed adventures. For example, a proliferation of drug and people smuggling, along with marine robbery to name two.
My lead character is a New Zealand ex-pat who was a high ranking officer in the Fiji Police force who, because he shacks up with the ex-wife of a friend who’s a police inspector, finds himself accused of taking back handers. Nearing the end of his career, instead of fighting the allegations, he leaves to take a job working as the head of security at a resort where a body surrounded by 42 bricks of cocaine mysteriously appear on his beach.

Do you like chocolate fish? 
Not any more. Too sweet.

What’s your main character like? 
Rebin Elon Beach (simply known as Reb) is aptly named: Rebin means, a pathfinder, and Beach is a guy who can’t let go, even though he’s convinced himself he can and has.
Beach has three loyal (reluctant depending on what’s being asked of them) friends, and a lot of acquaintances, thanks to a long career as a Fijian police officer. As Beach isn’t shy in asking for help when he finds himself in tight situations, everyone’s in bounds, with wildly differing outcomes.

• Would you go to the pub with them?
• I’d go to the pub with Beach as he enjoys a cold beer or three – same as me – and meeting his three mates mid-week to play cards and talk shit. A pub is Beach’s natural habitat away from work.
• Would you have them over for dinner?
• I’d have Beach, (with girlfriend Lena, and his mates) for dinner as the banter would flow, reflecting different backgrounds and experiences, particularly Rav, an ex-investigative journalist/foreign correspondent. We’d eat a main of coconut swordfish curry with plenty of cold beers.
• What music do they listen to?
• Beach is middle-aged, therefore a child of the 80’s, so he’d listen to the likes of Van Halen, Journey, Heart, probably even Huey Lewis and Tears for Fear. His girlfriend, Lena is younger, so likely to be listening to Rihanna, Beyonce with some rap thrown in.
• What type of car do they drive?
• Beach drives a red BMW Z4 soft top coupe, which draws speculation that he got a car like that from taking backhanders.
• Are they a series character?
• Technically not yet. More like a pilot character as Coconut Milk Run introduces Beach. Not until Smuggler is released, can Beach officially become a series character.

What piece of advice would you give a new writer?
Keep writing with a view to refining your craft and set yourself healthy expectations to enjoy what you do. Context is important. I’m told 5 million books are published each year on Amazon alone. I’m also told, and know from personal experience, that 1% of authors make a living from writing. So unless you’re one of the rare breed akin to an Olympic champion, be in it because you enjoy, or are motivated, to craft valid stories, if not only for yourself, then for others to enjoy. Lean in and ask yourself, am I a writer or a storyteller? You don’t need a degree in literature, just ideas. Block out an hour a day to your writing project. Like anything, practice makes easy, right?

What part of writing do you find the hardest? 
Nothing in particular. Just striving to be better. I’m never satisfied with me. Plus I get sick of the story I’m writing and editing because that’s all I’ve got time to read, when working on it, so I get bored of myself.

Have you ever had lolly cake?
When I could eat sugar, I did, but not for the last five years.

Pantser or outliner? And why?
My earlier novels were outlined, but in no great detail, and I often found myself deviating, so had to constantly straighten things out. 
My Novel Coconut Milk Run was definitely pantser. That story started with a single scene in my head, then another as I said earlier, and went from there. Same with Smuggler and the story I’m currently writing. I like going on a journey of discovery, albeit I know where I’m going to end up, just not necessarily how I’m getting there. 

Do you write in silence? If you don’t write in silence do you prefer music and what type of music? 
Often there’s noise around me, but I’m focused. 

Do you like to listen to audio books?
Never. I did think about it once. Thought it might be good to do on a flight to Hawaii. I’d probably nod off anyway.

Have you ever visited New Zealand?
I’ve been everywhere, man. These days I just live here. (In NZ.)

Dogs, cats, guinea pigs, or some other type of pet?
Three cute puppies. Benny, Logan and Raffy. They’re a handful when they want to be.

Where do you write? 

Whenever and wherever I can because I have a 9 to 5 day job, and family responsibilities. Once an ex-athlete, I’ve kept the discipline of blocking out specific times to write, same as if I were still training, which means time is tight and I can’t waste it on doing other stuff like social media, emails, etc. If I’m not writing a story, I’ll use the time to research or explore for an idea, otherwise, I’m not writing.

I usually do 2 x 1 hour slots on writing days. That could be during my lunch break. I’ll write a scene, (very rough and ready), then refine it early next morning at the Colonial Cafe on the Terrace before work. I reckon most, if not all my books, Go Gayle, Spiked and Busted, where written flying between Wellington and Auckland for work. As my work conditions change, so does when I write. The last couple of novels were written in my office, especially during lockdown, and my current novel gets an hour after work. I rarely write in the weekend.

Thank you for playing along!
Good game. Thanks for the opportunity, really appreciate it.

You can reach Bruce and learn more on his website.  
And on FaceBook.