KIC - Tell us a little about your story

Colin - Hunting Jack is the story of a 16 year old boy called Jackie McCann. He was adopted when he was 5 after his parents were supposedly killed in a car crash. Eleven years later he finds a letter from them wanting to see him - his adoptive parents (Neil and Sadie) had hidden it from him. This forms the catalyst for his decision to run away because their relationship had become violent over the past couple of years after Neil lost his job and descends into alcoholism.

So he runs off to Scotland to track them down, and when he gets there, he gets caught up in this whole underbelly of society he had only heard about in London. Nothing is quite as it seems, and it turns out Scotland isn't all haggis, sheep and men in kilts. His quest takes him through Glasgow and Edinburgh and it turns into quite a Scottish adventure as he also tries to make it as an actor.

KIC - Give a brief description of the main characters

Colin - Well there's Jackie McCann - he's the main man, or boy to be more accurate. He wants to be an actor and wants to find his family. He's skinny but strong - kind of wiry. He's a bit gullible at times; thinks the grass is always greener on the other side and he trusts people too much, that's his real problem. He can be funny and intimate but finds it hard to open up, until he meets Katie that is.

Katie Shields. She's a very confident and mouthy young girl. She has a way with words and just loves to talk. She has a habit of knowing what other people are thinking and her mind works like an encyclopedia - she knows something about everything. She has a very big secret to her past, which I am not going to reveal; that would ruin it. She has long red hair blue eyes and freckles and is stunningly good looking. Come to think of it, I don't really know what she sees in Jackie!

Paul Brethren - A Glaswegian film and television producer. Did a lot of work through the 80's and 90's but in the last decade has saw his business decline mostly thanks to the poor financing by the Scottish Executive. He sat on his laurels too much and tried to make a move into Hollywood but it failed - no one could understand his Glasgow accent! He is shooting a new film in Scotland when he bumps into Jackie and, well, I can't really say much more other than that….

Stevie Love is a gangster and has a hold on much of Scotland's organized crime network through a front of various nightclubs and bars. He isn't a stereotypical gangster though - no flashy clothes, limousines, willing ladies or any of the glamour you might find in a Martin Scorcese film. He is very low key and actually quite reclusive. He is however, a deadly man and will kill someone for stepping on his foot. How and why he is involved in this story is not for me to say on this forum though. Quite frankly, it's because I'm scared he comes and gets me.

KIC - How did you come up with the idea for your story?

Colin - You know I really can't remember. I had wanted to do something that allowed me to write about Scotland for a while. The novel I am currently writing is based in Glasgow in the late 1990's, but 'Hunting Jack' is based over a larger geographical area and is happening pretty much just now. The idea formed over a period of several weeks as I traveled to and from work in August. At the time, the Edinburgh Festival was in full swing and I got to thinking about how easy it would be for a homeless person to stand on a street corner and say they were performing in The Fringe festival. The idea slowly came around from there, but as to where Jackie came from - I have no idea. Perhaps he has been there all along, like Freddy Krueger, in my head, only without the scary face, unfashionable jumper and ridiculously bad cuticles.

KIC - Who is your favorite character (in your story) and why?

Colin - Probably Jackie although I think I quite fancy Katie ha ha! Jackie's very dark and mysterious, his eyes are always examining and observing, but they have a sparkle to them. I feel as though I know him very well but I probably wouldn't know what to say if I met him in the street. When he first came to mind, he wasn't based on anyone in particular, but I thought I knew who he was until I started writing the story. I have been surprised at how much he has proved to be so reliably unpredictable and I like that about him. He has helped me write the story so I want the best for him, but he's just not savvy enough yet and makes all kinds of errors of judgment. He has a lot of growing up to do, but then, that's all part of his charm.

KIC - Are any of your characters modeled after someone you know personally?

Colin - Paul Brethren is closely based on a real life acquaintance and is also a television and film producer. I should point out though, the real Paul Brethren is nowhere near as devious and dodgy or involved in criminality in any way! His characteristics and profile are the same in fact, the only thing I have changed is his name! If he were ever to read 'Hunting Jack' he would probably recognize himself and then I will have to move to the middle of the Arizona desert where he won't find me.

KIC - When did you first know you wanted to write?

Colin - Well I've always had a thing about writing since my early days in school. I never took it seriously though until after I had graduated and got a job. I quickly realised that talking about writing was no use so I picked up a pen and started to write. I took a correspondence course at the 'Open College of the Arts' which really was one of the best things I could have done. After that, I wasn't sure where my path lay until a friend bought me a book - 'Hand To Mouth' by Paul Auster. That book changed my whole world view on writing.

KIC - What other writing accomplishments do you have?

Colin - This is my first big one. I have had several poems published and a short story in an online magazine this year, but getting 'Hunting Jack' into KIC has been a ground breaker for me. I intend to make the most of it.

KIC - How hard is it for you to write in a serialized format instead of in a novel format?

Colin - I have found it very easy mainly I think because I am so into the story. I know where I want to go with it and the things I want to do, but how I am going to get there is really being done for me by the characters themselves. I am letting them guide me, and I know that sounds corny, but it's true. I've really let myself go on this one and I'm seeing my country (and myself) in a new light all of a sudden. I'm getting to say things about Scottish society that I've always wanted to but not quite known how to put it. I tend to write large chunks at a time, the equivalent of say four or five issues, then I sit on it for a bit, edit it, then chop it into meaningful episodes. It is a joy to do and I am going to miss writing this story when it's done.

KIC - Are you planning on turning your story into a novel?

Colin - My original aim was for the story to be told first and foremost. If it ends up in a novel, so be it, but right now, I am just delighted it is appearing in KIC.

KIC - What do you do when a deadline is approaching and you've got writer's block?

Colin - I have never had a spell of anything I would really define as 'Writers' Block, and I am so far ahead of the deadlines at the moment they have not become an issue with me. But I have had times where I am unsure of where to go to next and the flow grinds to a halt. When that happens I go back through my old notebooks trawling for ideas, or go out for a walk through Edinburgh and take my notebook with me. Scotland is a very inspirational place, and you don't have to look too far to see something so ridiculous happening in the street that you can automatically fictionalise it in a story somewhere. In fact, anyone reading this that has subscribed to 'Hunting Jack' and who lives in Edinburgh or Glasgow, will be familiar with many of the places and type of people Jackie meets.

KIC - Do we get a sneak preview or hint as to what's coming up in your story?

Colin - Well a lot has happened in what I have written so far, but still to come is a murder or two, stage performances in Edinburgh, glamorous parties, a trip to the highlands, booze, sex, drugs and rock and roll! But if you want to know if Jackie finds his real parents, fulfills his dream of being an actor, falls in love with anyone or comes close to death himself - then sorry, you'll just have to subscribe.