Get to know S.R. Masters the author of The Killer You Know

U.S. Cover

Meet S.R. Masters

Recently I had the opportunity to chat with S.R. Masters about his suspense filled debut novel The Killer You Know. I personally have read it and I can tell you it is a unique, twisty spun tale that held my interest right from the start. I am looking forward to seeing what this author has in store for us next! So sit down and let's get to know S.R. Masters.

Tell us about your debut novel, The Killer You Know.

Well it's just come out on ebook through Redhook and is due in paperback in May 2019.  The story starts with an adult reunion of some childhood friends, one of whom doesn't show up. He just happens to be the same unusual guy that joked he'd grow up to be a serial killer...So while talking about the old days, the group look online for some of the crimes he said he'd commit and find very recent matches eerily similar to what he described. They then start to worry he's playing some sort of sinister game with them, one that harks back to their time as kids in the small village of Blythe. 

Are there any parts or characters of this book that were influenced by your real life experiences growing up?

Oh, undoubtedly. I grew up during the 90's in a small village not unlike Blythe, and just like the gang in the book I would pass the time listening to music, reading books, watching films and making up silly games. Fortunately my own gang of friends didn't have the same peculiar chemistry as the gang in my book, and not only did we manage to refrain from murder, we are still good friends to this day. 

You reference 90's rock bands quite a bit, especially Nirvana. Are you a fan or was this research for the book?

I grew up in the West Midlands which is right in the middle of England. That accent that Ozzy Osbourne has? That's a West Midlands accent.   The West Midlands gave birth to loads of great rock acts (Judas Priest, Electric Light Orchestra, Sabbath, and even Robert Plant to name a few), so rock has always been a big part of my life. When I was a kid I was really into US rock, particularly US punk rock. Green Day and Nirvana were gateways into that world, and I loved both those bands and still do. 

What authors would you say have influenced your writing style?

I'm a huge fan of Stephen King, and like so many other authors around my age I wouldn't be a writer (or possibly even a reader!) if not for his books.  Stylistically I love writers like Ian McEwan and Jonathan Coe. I'm also a really big admirer of what Gillian Flynn has done in her three books. Possibly one of the most influential writers on me is Larry David- I just adore the way Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes are put together. 

What book are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading Flight or Fright, a collection of short stories about flying put out by Cemetery Dance. It's got the original Richard Matheson story Nightmare at 20,000 feet- the one that they made a very famous Twilight Zone episode from. The story is even better than the two adaptions. Matheson is another of my favourite writers-and hideously underrated.

Do you currently have another novel in the works?

Yes, I'm currently editing a second book that I have a first draft of. It's another standalone book which I can't say too much about at the moment. However, it is set in the village next door to Blythe, and set just after the events of The Killer You Know-so a few familiar places, and even people pop up in book 2.

Tell us one fun fact that the readers do not know about you.

Well, as The Killer You Know's protagonists is a movie podcaster, a fun film fact about me is I spent a year or so in a child acting group alongside Felicity Jones from Star Wars.

Wow, that is a surprising fun fact! Thank you so much for sitting down and chatting with me from all the way across the pond. I am sure the readers will enjoy getting to know you and your debut novel The Killer You Know. I am so excited to hear that you have another novel in the works. I look forward to reading that. 
 

If you have not checked out The Killer You Know, you need to! It is available in both the UK and the US.

UK Cover

 

 

 

 

Basic Masters

S R Masters studied Philosophy at Girton College, Cambridge. He is a regular contributor to UK short fiction anthology series The Fiction Desk, having won their Writer’s Award for his short story Just Kids. His story Desert Walk was included in Penguin Random House USA’s Press Start to Play collection, published last year, and he continues to have short fiction published in a variety of magazines.

When not writing, Simon works in public health for the NHS in Oxford, where he lives with his wife, Helen.

The Killer You Know is his first novel.