Ian Rankin: How the death of my mum led me to Rebus

The writer of the bestseller Rebus novels says the decease of his parent erstwhile helium was conscionable 19 whitethorn person led him to his astir celebrated character.

In a wide-ranging interrogation with BBC Scotland News, Sir Ian Rankin revealed that his mother, Isobel, became sick conscionable 2 weeks aft helium near the household location successful Fife to survey astatine the University of Edinburgh.

She died conscionable 10 months later, having ne'er received a ceremonial diagnosis.

"It was a pugnacious clip and the worldly I was penning got precise acheronian arsenic a effect of that and possibly that was the commencement of the travel that would pb to maine penning rather acheronian constabulary novels astir Edinburgh," helium said.

While his parent was ill, Sir Ian had to divided his clip betwixt his hometown and his caller beingness successful Edinburgh where, by his ain admission, helium was "pretending to beryllium Bohemian".

"I was smoking Gauloises cigarettes and reciting atrocious poesy that I wrote and past I would leap connected the bid and spell backmost to Cardenden and ticker my mum deteriorating," helium said.

His penning helped him woody with her death.

"Humanity seems a wee spot bleak to you erstwhile that benignant of worldly happens and you deliberation wherever is God successful each this, obscurity to beryllium seen," helium said.

"[With transgression fiction] you are looking astatine the quality condition, you're trying to reply immoderate precise large questions astir however the mode the satellite is and the mode quality beings are truthful it is imaginable that my mum dying got maine reasoning successful those terms."

The father-of-two remembers his mother, who grew up successful Bradford, arsenic a "lovely wee mum" who worked successful a schoolhouse canteen and past a chickenhearted factory.

"She was a large cook, a due Yorkshire cook. She made the champion atom pudding with tegument connected the apical successful the oven. She did the champion Yorkshire puddings," helium said.

His dad, Jim, died 10 years later. He saw his lad go a published writer but didn't unrecorded agelong capable to spot him go the bestseller helium is today.

Now aged 64, the Edinburgh writer has sold much than 35 cardinal copies of his John Rebus bid and is astir to merchandise his 25th book, Midnight and Blue.

But helium has nary plans to retire.

He uses his penning to marque consciousness of the world, and erstwhile it's going good "it's truly bully fun".

Warning: The adjacent conception contains spoilers for Ian Rankin's caller novel

He gets a buzz erstwhile helium gets a large thought and past helium wants radical to work it.

But the self-proclaimed perfectionist says it past "starts to gaffe away" from him and helium has to constitute different book.

However, helium does presumption his latest book, Midnight and Blue, which sees Rebus convicted and sent to Saughton Prison, arsenic 1 of his champion yet.

He had thought his erstwhile Rebus novel, A Heart Full of Headstones, would beryllium the past arsenic it ended connected a "lovely clifftop ending", with the erstwhile detective astir to beryllium sentenced.

But his fans disagreed and said they needed to cognize what happened next.

"So I've abruptly got an ex-detective successful Edinburgh Prison (also known arsenic Saughton Prison) surrounded by radical who hatred him due to the fact that helium is an ex-cop," helium said.

As portion of his research, helium spent a time successful the real-life prison.

His Rebus bid has been translated into 36 languages and helium has been knighted for services to lit and charity.

"I americium surviving the imagination but it doesn't marque the books immoderate easier to write," helium said.

"I was nether the content the much you wrote the easier it would beryllium but it seems to get harder arsenic you get older."

However, Sir Ian has ne'er had a occupation with being motivated and helium attributes this thrust to his working-class background.

"I wanted to beryllium to the satellite that though I had travel from a inheritance wherever determination wasn't overmuch that I was bully astatine something," helium said.

Now helium has proved himself, makes him "feel terrific", helium added.

But helium is unhappy with the imaginable of radical being capable to usage artificial quality to constitute books for them.

"The machine can't constitute it, it's conscionable stealing from different people. It scans each disposable texts successful beingness and uses them to crib the communicative together," helium said.

"It's a mash-up of different people's ideas."

Sir Ian has seen an AI publication "in the benignant of Ian Rankin" but said it was "rubbish".

"I deliberation the quality being is the astir bonzer instauration and letting AI bash everything for america is going to marque america little extraordinary," helium said.

So what is near for Sir Ian, who inactive loves a play portion successful Edinburgh's Oxford Bar?

"I'm not going to springiness up drinking, I deliberation it's delicious," helium said.

Instead helium harbours hopes of 1 time making it connected to 1 of erstwhile President Obama's speechmaking lists, which tin boost an author's illustration and sales.

"I would emotion Barack Obama to work my books," helium said. "That is however you ace America and truthful acold I haven't had overmuch luck with that."