Michael Jecks: Crime Writer
Job description
I’m a full-time novelist, writing two or three books a year. As well as that I am the deputy chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association, which means lots of time organising competitions and giving talks.
What GCSEs/ O'Levels or equivalent do you have?
O-Levels in Maths, Advanced Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, German, French, English, English Literature, Art.
What A'Levels or equivalent Post 16 qualifications do you have?
A-Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry.
Job path
This is difficult to explain! When I left school, I thought that I’d find it easy to get a good degree, so I went into Actuarial Science (Actuaries are people who find Accountancy too exciting, but they’re paid well!) but I failed every exam in my first two years.
After that, I decided to seek a new career, and went into selling computers. Here I was much more successful, and spent some years with Wordplex, then Wang. Both companies were very helpful, and I was successful, but then the computer industry crashed into recession and I found that I was in a disastrous downward spiral. After thirteen jobs in thirteen years, I decided to try something new and knowing nothing else, I chose to try writing, purely because I loved writing and couldn’t think of another career.
Who or what inspired you to be crime writer?
First and foremost, I love books and reading. If you love books, I don’t think you can ever stop dreaming about being a writer, and I still consider myself enormously fortunate to have been able to forge a career as a writer.
In terms of the writers who inspired me – there are too many for me to be able to list them all, but a short summary would have to include Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, PD James, and Michael Connelly. Those are the crime writers, but on a more general level, I’ve been strongly influenced by writers such as George MacDonald-Fraser and John Masters. Other favourite writers include John Mortimer, PG Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett and Richmal Crompton.
What do you love about your job?
As a writer, I can work the hours I want. I may work a lot of hours each day while I’m on a new novel, but I see my wife and child more than I could in any other career. I like the fact I can stay home with my daughter all day and start work when she has gone to bed. Also, I am now paid to day-dream. There aren’t many people who can say that!