Minotaur: An Interview with Author Simon Cluett
Minotaur, the psychological thriller by Simon Cluett, has been praised for its ruthlessness and brilliance. The spine-chilling book follows novelist David Knight as he enters the fight of his life following the brutal murder of his wife and the abduction of his young son. Now, desperate and failed by the police, he must dive headfirst into the dark world of the sadistic serial killer known as the Minotaur. This gripping novel is an excellent addition to your shelves!
To learn more about the story behind the story, read A Good Book To End The Day’s interview with the author below.
When did your love of writing begin?
When I was eight or nine, a story of mine was read out by the headmistress during a school assembly. It was a version of the Pied Piper but told from the point of view of a rat (the lone survivor of the Piper’s heinous vermin massacre!). Everyone seemed to like it, so I think that was where it all started.
Tell us about Minotaur and the inspiration behind the novel.
Minotaur is a dark and disturbing psychological thriller. When novelist David Knight returns home from a book tour, he is devastated to find his wife is the latest victim of a serial killer known as ‘Minotaur’. But why has the murderer taken David’s young son? And what is the significance of the maze drawn in blood at every crime scene? David’s world is in ruins. The police have failed him, and time is running out. If he has any hope of saving his son, he must enter the killer’s labyrinth. But can he do the unthinkable and submit to the darkness within himself?
I’ve always loved films like The Silence of the Lambs, Seven, and The Bone Collector. I wanted to create a genuinely creepy but nuanced psychopath and set him on a collision course with an ordinary guy who, after being pushed to his limits, has lost his moral compass and is capable of doing anything to save his son.
Do you have a favorite line or passage from the book?
I’m a big believer that the first line in a story is the most important as it must hook the reader in straight away. Minotaur starts with the (hopefully) ominous… “He had been watching the family for weeks.”
How did you celebrate when you finished your book?
I completed the first draft of Minotaur during lockdown, so there wasn’t much I could do at the time. That said, I took my family out for a nice meal on publication day.
What attracted you to the genre(s) you write in?
I generally write in the horror and thriller genres. Exploring the macabre side of human nature can be challenging but is never boring. I’m not sure why I like writing about dark subject matter because I’m a reasonably well-adjusted person, honestly!
Do you have any other projects in the works at this time?
I’m currently writing a murder mystery, the first in what I hope will become a series. It features a quirky female detective and is set against the backdrop of the UK movie industry. I have firsthand experience in that area as my background is scriptwriting and I’ve encountered many interesting, funny, rude, and downright shady individuals along the way.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of editing as you go. This can mean constantly going back on yourself and changing things as you strive for perfection. I’ve learned the hard way that it’s best to keep battling through to the end. Once you have a first draft, that’s when the editing process should start. For me, that’s the fun bit.
What does literary success look like to you?
I made the move from writing scripts to writing books because I wanted more control of my stories and characters. It’s so rewarding when publishers see potential in my ideas and writing style… however dark and twisted it might be.
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