Biography

Alex Gray was briefly a folk singer as a student in Glasgow. Her first job was a visiting officer for the DSS in Govan. She then spent a decade teaching English. Family and career kept her fully occupied, but in the background lay the long held desire to be a writer.

The chance to fulfil her ambition arrived when illness forced her to quit teaching. She joined a local writer's workshop and is still an enthusiastic participant. Eventually she decided to tackle a crime novel. "I wrote a crime novel because I liked to read them", she said. "I've always loved the element of mystery and I'm very interested in people and their motivation - why do people do these terrible things?

"I have come to the conclusion that there really are people out there who are simply evil". She takes her research for her books very seriously and has her own network of contacts in the legal professions to help ensure authenticity. "Strathclyde Police were tremendous and I had help too from one of the country's top forensic scientists".

Alex's Top Tips

Always send an interesting letter with your manuscript. Not facetious or pushy but something with a bit of sparkle which will make you stand out.
Be professional when asking experts for help. Enclose details about yourself, and what you are doing, together with an idea of what you want
Have patience with publishers but don't be too shy to contact them politely after a couple of months if you haven't heard anything. Remember the three P's - politeness, patience and perserverance.