Books / Novel
Charity founder and business leader turned writer Rob Starr releases new book featuring Bristol locations
Business leader Rob Starr has had 30 years of success in the insurance and mortgage world, setting up his company SEICO Insurance & Mortgages “from the end of my bed back in 1991”.
In the last 15 years he has also been Chairman of The Starr Trust, a charity he set up in his late father’s honour.
In raising money for the Trust, Starr is no stranger to an endurance challenge, from cycling up Le Mont Ventoux and Ironman races to swimming the English Channel and completing the 52×52 Challenge (52 Olympic Triathlons in 52 consecutive weeks).
is needed now More than ever
Rob Starr
To date, the charity has donated over £1m to over 4,000 young people who have been given ‘Starr Awards’ to fund a variety of education, sports and arts projects.
However, in his 50s, Starr has undergone something of a pivot. In 2022, he published his first novel, What The Tide Brings Back – a thriller set around a sea-swimming club on Brighton Beach.
And he is shortly to release his second book, The First Widow, in August 2024, a female-led thriller about a fraud investigator who witnesses the most horrifying case of her career.
Rob Starr on Brighton Beach
You have come to writing novels quite late in your career. What inspired you to become an author?
“I started writing back in 1991, when I was about 22. Back then I wrote specifically for theatre. I co-wrote two full-length musicals and a handful of plays, all of which were staged. I absolutely love theatre and seeing my own work being performed was a dream. But around the same time I also went self-employed and I decided to dedicate my time to the business.
“I had a lot of financial responsibility even though I was so young, and I needed to earn enough to be able to support everyone who needed me; my writing was just not doing that at the time. Now however, with my business in its 34th year and having much more time to myself, I decided my passion deserved to be given a chance. And as someone who has their head in a book the whole time I thought I would see if I could write a novel instead of a play.”
The Starr Trust – photo: Rob Starr
How does writing fit amongst all your other charitable and work commitments?
“Yes, I am a busy one. What I find with everything I do, very much including my writing, is that I am most effective when I am busy. So I never split these things up, I just have a single day’s work and during that time I swap and change what I am doing. For instance, I start my day in the sea at 6.30am everyday and then grab an hour in the gym. Then I pop to the office and face whatever emails and meetings I have: these are usually a mix of SEICO work, or my insurance company in South Africa, or the Starr Trust, and I just treat it all as one job and start at the bottom and work my way up.
“During this time I always need a break, so when that happens I move on to my book and start to write creatively instead. As a result, pretty much everyday I find myself writing in between work.”
Rob Starr competing in a charity fundraiser
Can you explain how the idea for The First Widow originated?
“As part of my job I come across insurance fraud; it is inevitable. This can range from property, to cyber, and even life insurance. When this happens we pass it back to the insurer and they take over from there. But ultimately, we always find out what happens with these cases. A few years back such an incident happened when a life insurance policy was highlighted as potential fraud by an insurer we worked with. We personally felt it was genuine and ultimately, we helped the claim get paid. But as someone who loves making up stories, my brain instantly went to work and created this whole mystery where there were a group of women working together to kill their abusive husbands for the insurance money.
“I just loved the fact that whilst we can’t support them for killing, equally we understand why and want them to get away with it. I love that juxtaposition, it really make you think. And with everything I’ve seen over 30 years in this industry I have so many stories for my lead, Kiara Fox, to take on that I can’t wait to write more for her.”
Rob Starr emerges from the sea during a triathlon
How did you select the settings for the novel, and why did you choose Bristol?
“The main settings are Brighton and London. Both are places I love so much. I have lived in Brighton all my life and just love it. And how can you not be excited when visiting our capital city, it’s undoubtedly the best city in the world. But I also wanted the action to take Kiara away from where she lives and works. So Bristol was the obvious place for me.
“My family and I have been visiting Bristol for about 20 years, to see our friends who live there. I always say if I didn’t live in Brighton then I would only live in Bristol. The two cities are so very similar: both are very cosmopolitan, both are so friendly, and both have so much beauty. Brighton has the Sea and the South Downs, whilst Bristol has the amazing waterfront and the incredible architecture. Both just feel like home to me.”
Rob Starr
What is your relationship to the characters you create? How important is it for you to root for them, or is there more of a disconnect?
“My main protagonist is always important to me – everything is done for and because of them. I want to challenge them for sure, and I love putting ordinary people in extraordinary or impossible situations to see if they can find a way out. That’s true about life, too – how relatively ordinary people with no obvious skills or gifts – much like me – just get through the day is an amazing thing in itself.
“I also find that I want my lead ‘baddie’ ultimately to do well. I try to look at life through their eyes and understand why they do what they do, and it is often a case of circumstances that took them where they are rather than a desire to just be bad. As for my other characters, well they are all just cannon fodder!”
Sea swimming off Brighton Beach – photo: Rob Starr
What sort of readers do you think your style of writing would most suit?
“I would describe myself as a storyteller or a writer, rather than an author; I’m not sure I’m clever enough to be an author. So I think my style suits those readers, like myself, who love a mystery, are fascinated by people and want to be forced to turn the page to find out what happens next. I write the sort of books you would want to take on holiday or to use at the end of the day to clear your mind and just be taken on a crazy journey.”
The First Widow by Rob Starr is published on August 29, and available for pre-order now. For more information, visit www.rob-starr.com.
All photos: Rob Starr
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