You’ve spent years listening to and observing people’s life stories; now it’s our turn to listen to yours. Welcome, Heath, and thank you for taking the time to sit down with us today.
On Craft and Background
Question: You read History and English Literature at university and had a varied career across publishing, hospitality and social services before writing full time. How have those diverse professional experiences shaped your approach to building characters and constructing plotlines?
Heath:
In all the sectors I worked in, I employed the same approach – make it person-centred and do it to the best of my ability. In terms of experiences and inspiration for characters and plot lines, hospitality and social services were the motherlode! In my career as a case manager, particularly working with people who had the most extraordinary life stories, I learned how to listen, to observe. Working in hospitality provided mobility, and that too was valuable experience, and allowed me to meet people who would not normally have wandered into my social sphere!
Q: Born in Belfast and having lived in Belgium, Scotland, the USA, Australia and Spain, you are a true global citizen. How does moving between different cultures and places influence your sense of atmosphere and setting when you write?
Heath:
I was always the “newbie”, so I learned very quickly that to assimilate successfully, to become a part of wherever I was, I had to observe, and I had to adapt. All the places I have lived have a palpable “spirit”, and I became adept at tapping into that, learning to belong somewhere quite quickly. It has given me an enhanced capacity for empathy, I hope. I can really “feel” a place. I hope that comes out in my writing.
On the Edinburgh Murder Mystery Series
Q: Your debut novel, Festival of Death, uses the vibrant backdrop of Edinburgh to set the stage for crime and mystery. What drew you to Edinburgh as the primary location for this series?
Heath:
Edinburgh was the first place that I chose to live as an adult. So, it was always “my city.” My late teens were spent in Belfast, at the height of the “Troubles,” when the city was in a state of extreme tension, and sometimes it was actually dangerous to be a young person going out with friends. My first morning in Edinburgh, I walked up Princes Street, went into a beautiful department store, and immediately placed my bag on the ground and raised my hands, waiting to be searched. I stood there for some time, until I realized that Edinburgh was not at war! I remained in Edinburgh off and on for sixteen years, forged lifelong friendships, worked, went to university. I have Scottish ancestry on my mother’s side, so it became home. I was part of the theatre scene for a while, so Edinburgh was a natural choice for setting.
Q: In Dancing with the Dead, the second installment of the trilogy, how do you balance maintaining the familiar tone and characters from the first book while introducing fresh twists and stakes for your readers?
Heath:
It wrote itself. I became so immersed in the characters and plots, the characters developed just as people do. I follow social trends and changes closely, so I developed the plots to mirror what was happening in the city. Working in social services gave me an introduction to the city’s underbelly. I try to reflect the social contrasts.
Q: The third book in your Edinburgh Murder Mysteries trilogy, Death Lies on Her, was scheduled for publication in December 2025. I was really looking forward to it and wanted to ask if there are any updates on its status or if the project has been put on hold?
Heath:
I had to put it on hold due to some life changes. I am chipping away at it. And it will be out in December 2026.
On Galicia and Non-Fiction
Q: You settled in Galicia in 2018 and your popular articles about expatriate life in Spain have resonated with many international readers. How did living in rural Spain spark your inspiration for your prose and poetry contributions to The Good Life in Galicia?
Heath: I don’t think anyone could live here and not be inspired to write! I met the publisher of Good Life not long after moving from Sydney; she is Australian, so we had that in common, too, so we quickly became friends. She encouraged me to contribute and to become a part of the small literary community here.
Heath Savage’s books so far: https://amoz.onl/7bd
