After tracking down the hugely successful author Adam Croft, I put the screws on him about psychological thrillers, Tibetan bowl music, and what life is like as an independently published writer. 

​

With over a million books sold to date, Adam Croft is something of a literary sensation. Writing out of a backroom in Flitwick, Bedfordshire - the 32-year-old has become one the most successful independently published authors in the world. But before we go any further, it’s time for a confession. Despite coming highly recommended by a trusted friend, Croft’s 2015 breakout novel Her Last Tomorrow sat gathering virtual dust on my Kindle until just a few months back. Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing about the premise of the book – or indeed the source of the endorsement - that led to this rather unsatisfactory deferment. But as anyone who studies a literature course will tell you, the syllabus doesn’t always lend itself to picking up books you want to read for reading’s sake.       

Anyway, that’s enough excuses for now. When the hype around his latest offering The Perfect Lie (2018) started gathering momentum, I was keen to make amends. And as a recent convert I’m happy to report that Her Last Tomorrow is every bit as good as the reviews suggest. A taut page-turner that centres around a suitably twisted proposition: murder your wife to save your daughter. As psychological thrillers go, they don’t come much better than this. It’s hardly surprising then, that it sold 150,000 copies in the year of release, becoming one of the bestselling books of 2016. And the good news is, Adam Croft has almost twenty full-length books under his belt. These Range from the Knight & Culverhouse crime thriller series – which, as a box set, knocked J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child off the top spot in Canada in 2016 – to the Kempston Hardwick mystery books.    

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

But it’s Adam Croft’s stand-alone titles that have got our literary juices flowing here at High Tensile. These should appeal to those looking for a more traditional psychological thriller. That said, each to their own. If you’ve read any of the titles in either series, we’d be interested to know what you think. In the mean-time, we had questions that needed answers. I caught up with the man himself to conduct a thorough interrogation.

​

Your latest book The Perfect Lie, is about a woman who is framed for the murder of her father-in-law. Can you tell us where the idea came from?

​

A lot of my ideas come from 'what if' moments. I like to take normal people and normal situations, and then turn everything upside down. This is the sort of thing Stephen King did for horror, and I like to do the same thing with my psychological thrillers. I think somehow it makes it scarier, as the reader thinks this could happen to them. In reality, it could happen to anyone.

​

I think that’s a really good point. For me, it’s that tension between the mundane and the extraordinary that makes psychological thrillers so appealing. Do you think this kind of dynamic is an essential part of the genre?

​

I'm far from an expert, but I think having a situation in which any normal, everyday person could experience the horrors that happen, is key. It makes it so much scarier as a reader when you consider that the situation in the book could easily happen to you. I do still enjoy reading them, but I don't get as much time to read as I used to.

​

I’m glad it’s not just me who’s struggling to find the time to read then. In terms of writing, what is it that attracted you to the genre?

​

I didn't even know psychological thrillers were a thing until I wrote one. The idea for that first book, Her Last Tomorrow, was for the crime to be written from the point of view of the person experiencing it, rather than from the point of view of the police officers. I didn't know it at the time, but it turns out that's pretty much what a psychological thriller is. It turns out they're also pretty popular too, which is handy.

​

That’s definitely a bonus. And your books have certainly proven popular. Particularly since the release of Her Last Tomorrow, which seemed to be a real turning point. While we’re on the subject of successful writers, do you have any favourite authors you’re influenced by?

​

This is a question I get asked a lot, and it's always quite a difficult one to answer. I read all sorts of books in all sorts of genres so it's tricky to narrow it down to one, or even a group of authors. I think everything I read, and experience influences me in some way, but the bills landing on my doormat tend to influence me the most.

​

That sounds like a good enough incentive to me. We’ve already touched on your success - but what is even more remarkable about this, is the fact that you self-publish. The Guardian did a great article about you back in 2016, when things were really starting to take off. Can you tell us what the main differences are between self-publishing and releasing books through a major publisher?

​

I tend to call it independent publishing, because that more accurately describes what involved. It's definitely not just a case of 'self'. I have a whole team working for me, much like any traditional publisher would, except everything is kept in-house. I use the same editors and cover designers as many of the major publishers. My cover designer has designed books for the likes of Stephen King and John LeCarre, and I'm very much of the opinion that the books I put out should be of at least, if not better, quality than traditionally published books.

This, of course, contains many challenges but also a huge number of benefits. I wouldn't have it any other way, and have lost count of the number of traditional publishing deals I've turned down over the past couple of years.

​

You seem to have a great rapport with your followers on social media. This seems to be a fundamental part of how you promote your books. What is it like to have this kind of personal relationship with the readers?

​

This is something that is very important to me. For me, my readers and fans have to come first. They are the reason I write, and without them I wouldn't have anything. I make sure I reply to every comment, email and tweet I receive and spend many hours a day doing this. I really enjoy it and wouldn't have it any other way. When you're sitting in your office all day, in a fictional world and writing books on your own, it's actually really nice to have some human interaction in some form.

​

It’s great to see that kind of commitment and dedication from writers who have already achieved success. As for a temporary respite from the fictional world, unfortunately this next question is designed to take you back there. Do you have any strange writing habits you can share with us?

​

I need complete silence to write. Either that, or I light some incense and listen to some very odd Tibetan bowl music. It's something I did to help me relax many years ago, when I was struggling to write a book. That book was Jack Be Nimble. I think it's one of my best books, and I wrote it in record time. Now, it's almost a Pavlovian reaction when I light the incense and listen to that music, my brain knows it's time to write.

​

I didn’t even know that Tibetan bowl music was a thing. It’s certainly a new one on me. The reflex response to the music and the incense is really interesting. When I’m writing, I tend to go for silence too. Or occasionally a bit of 90s Black Metal turned down low. Don’t ask. With this mind, do you have any tips for aspiring writers who might be reading this?

​

The biggest tip I can ever give any writer is to write more, write more quickly, and write sooner.

​

That seems like great advice, and something I should definitely take note of myself. Finally, do you have an all-time favourite psychological thriller? Something you could recommend for our High Tensile book club podcast?

​

I have many, many favourites, but one which springs to mind is Anything You Do Say by Gillian McAllister. That was such an innovative book, and one which has stuck with me for a long time.

​

We’ll be sure to check that out. Good luck with the release of your own book -The Perfect Lie – which is available now. Not that you’ll need it - the early reviews suggest it’ll be another runaway success. All that remains is to say a huge thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak to High Tensile. And for those of you who enjoy a good psychological thriller – and might be looking for their next fix – do yourself a favour and grab one of Adam Croft’s books here. That’s if you haven’t devoured them all already.  

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​