Blog | Ian Sutherland
On Writing the Dreaded Second Novel – An Interview
An interview with Ian Sutherland on writing Taking Up Serpents, his second thriller novel and how he overcame 'second novel syndrome'.
Announcing the Second Brody Taylor Thriller
18 months since the release of Social Engineer and Invasion of Privacy, I am delighted to reveal the title and jacket description of the third Brody Taylor thriller!
Book Covers: Redesigning to Fish in a Bigger Pond
A case study showing the redesign of two crime thriller book covers to make them far more appealing to a much wider audience.
7 Things You Don’t Know About Me as a Writer
Here's 7 things you probably don't know about me as a writer. Whether you want to know is another question!
When Fiction Becomes Reality: Cutting Edge Thriller Predicts Webcam Spying Hack
How my cutting edge thriller predicted the webcam spying hack recently exposed by The Mail on Sunday!
The Undercover Soundtrack – Ian Sutherland
Read how music not only influenced the way I write, but also what got written on the page in my[...]
“All in all this an accomplished thriller”
A balanced and in-depth review of Invasion of Privacy by Roweena Hoseason of the prestigious crime and sci fi blog site, Murder, Mayhem & More.
Can Indie Authors Dispense with The Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook?
I’d like to share the guest blog post I recently wrote for The Alliance of Independent Authors [ALLi]. It went[...]
Wattpad and the Unpublished Author Hell-Bent on Being Published – Part 2
The pros and cons of Wattpad for the yet-to-be-published author
Wattpad and the Unpublished Author Hell-Bent on Being Published – Part 1
For the unpublished author truly serious about publishing their first novel (the category I fall into at the time of[...]
5 Ways Computer Hackers Remain Anonymous
The hacker characters in my cybercrime thriller Invasion of Privacy are incredibly secretive of their real world identities. This is because[...]
My Jeffery Deaver Moment
I’ve just drafted a chapter that’s very visual and action packed with mini-cliffhangers in each section. I’m an avid fan of Jeffery Deaver, the absolute master of suspense writing, and, for me, I’ve always known writing this chapter was going to be 'My Jeffery Deaver Moment'.
The Indie Author’s Second Responsibility to Their Readers
The first responsibility any author has to their readers is obvious: write and publish a great book. That means it[...]
Lessons Indie Authors Can Learn From Single-Estate Winemakers
I just bought a bottle of wine solely based on its label. According to old guard wine connoisseurs I’ve just[...]
3 reasons why Stornoway is currently a focal point for UK crime fiction
Has Stornoway - most famous as the town displayed at the top of the BBC weather map (usually covered in[...]
5 Different Applications of Narrative Motif Using the Simple Example of ‘Coffee’
A classic writing device is to replay a high level concept, or narrative motif, in multiple ways throughout a novel. Such creative repetition can offer the humble novel richness and depth. It plays to theme. It can elevate a story to a higher plain. Authors strive for such thematic greatness. Not all achieve it.
Have I invented a whole new fiction genre?
Invasion of Privacy is in a new rising sub-genre: cyber-crime thriller!
How I created an authentic flawed hero for my novel while dodging cliches and stereotypes
Hackers in movies these days are ultra-cool. Everyone wants to be like them. Geek is now chic. But it's so unrealistic. How can someone who spends the majority of their time interacting via a computer develop such mature social skills. And even if they somehow did, a real hacker would never make the time needed to shop for the latest fashions, exfoliate their skin every morning, go to the hairdressers for a beard trim and, worst of all, put up with a fashion model for a long-term girlfriend.
IP Address Tracing is Not As Easy as Dan Brown Makes Out
Today, I've been reading Dan Brown's latest thriller, Inferno. In the early part of the book the bad guys, trying[...]
Is Your Cellphone Voicemail Still Wide Open?
There is a scene in my novel where I needed the protagonist, a computer hacker called Brody, to gain access[...]
Anonymous Banking for Cybercriminals
Black hat hackers do what they do for a variety of reasons.  Some do it for the fun of the[...]
Is Ethical Hacking Actually Ethical or even Legal?
There are three main generally accepted categories of hacker, each represented by a hat of a different colour: white, grey and black.[...]
How to Practise Safe Java
While writing my novel Invasion of Privacy, where the main protagonist is a computer hacker, I discovered that hackers like Java.[...]