Setting The Scene…
Author Roger Price is set for a busy 2023 with a new novel, a TV drama script and a BBC documentary
Former detective turned author Roger Price has just released the first of a four-book series and is currently pitching a new drama series that he hopes will be snapped up for TV.
His latest book Inside Threat is inspired by real life events across the North West.
As a retired Detective Inspector working on ‘special ops’, Roger bases his novels on his own experiences in the police force – in 2002 he worked on Operation Nimrod, a Lancashire-wide initiative to tackle street-level drug dealers.
Inside Threat sees an informant going missing after disclosing to fictional DS Martin Draker that a corrupt police official is importing heroin from India. A field analyst is investigating an upsurge in deaths caused by a new drug and a body, believed to be that of the missing informant, is discovered in a burned-out car. As the female field analyst launches a TV appeal warning of the dangers of the drug, dealer Dan Manning realises she could damage the drug market before it gets going.
Before Manning has a chance to stop her, the police must catch him before the body count rises.
“I have always wanted to write, but never had the time when I was working as a detective. So, when I left the police 10 years ago, I started writing and now I write full time,” says Roger.
“I am inspired by real events, but I often go off on fictional tangents then run with them.
“I basically start with a fairly loose skeleton of a plot and go with it. My books include a lot of my personal experience in the police, certain procedures give the plot authenticity but with some creative licence.”
While writing Inside Threat Roger has also been writing a script for a six-part British TV crime drama, which has been an eye-opener in terms of learning new skills.
“It’s been a steep learning curve,” explains Roger, who completed an online script writing course.
“When I write my novels, I particularly enjoy writing dialogue as opposed to descriptive text. I prefer dialogue as it needs to be kept crisp and concise. As scripts are all about dialogue, I have enjoyed writing the TV drama series immensely.”
During his time learning about script writing Roger applied to become a TV extra to experience what it was actually like to be on set, and he went on to appear in an episode of TV drama Cold Feet starring James Nesbitt, John Thomson, Fay Ripley and Hermione Norris.
“It was absolutely fascinating seeing what it was like behind the camera and to learn about ‘setting the scene’ which is really the job of the director. They decide how to ‘dress’ the scene – on the actual script it is normally limited to just one or two lines.
“In novels you have to write extensively to set the scene but in script writing you don’t do any of that.”
Having written the script, Roger says working in TV is even tougher than that of publishing: “If you’re writing novels some mid-level publishers will take books directly from the author but in the top echelons and in TV you have to have an agent,” says Roger, who went to London to meet his agent for his TV work, who then went on to take on his literary work also.
Roger is also due to appear on BBC’s Moment of Proof – a real life TV documentary series airing in January.
“They covered one of my cases when I was working as a DI which was based in Liverpool, Bangkok and Southampton. We filmed for eight hours in Manchester, which was great fun and very interesting – it’s amazing how much footage they film for just a small amount of time on TV,” says Roger, who admits to being very excited as his new novel launches this month.
“Inside Threat has already gone out to other authors and reviewers,” he says. “The accolades that have come back have been fantastic – very encouraging. It’s important to get off to a good start.”
Inside Threat is the first in the four-part DS Draker series and is published by Dark Edge Press
