Author Interview – Felix Francis – Dark Horse

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, Felix Francis—son of the legendary Dick Francis—reveals the real-life inspirations behind his gripping new bestseller DARK HORSE, discusses carrying on the iconic racing thriller legacy with 19 consecutive No.1 hits in 19 years, and teases his upcoming 20th novel set in the shadowy world of high-value art dealing.

Written by JJ Barnes

www.jjbarnes.co.uk

I interviewed Felix Francis about his new book Dark Horses, a heart-pounding tale of a rising female jockey escaping a deadly, controlling ex in a world where jealousy, murder, and high-stakes horse racing collide.

Tell me a bit about who you are.

My name is Felix Francis, and I write the Dick Francis Novels. I am Dick’s son, and I took over writing the franchise in 2006. I have now written 19 novels in 19 years, and I am currently working on number 20. My first job after university was as an Advanced Level physics teacher, which I did for 17 years before moving into business, and then I became a full-time author when aged 53. I live in England with my wife, Debbie, and our two dogs, who are the ones really in charge!

When did you first WANT to write a book?

I grew up in what I consider to be the greatest fiction factory of the twentieth century. I was just eight when my father wrote his first novel, and 47 when he published his last in the year 2000, so it is in the blood. Book writing has been the family business for more than sixty years, so it felt quite natural for me to take over the mantle.

When did you take a step to start writing?

In the summer of 2005, I had lunch with my father’s literary agent. There hadn’t been a Dick Francis book for almost five years and agent told me that people were forgetting about them despite there having been 28 No.1 bestsellers in a row. What we need, he said, was a new hardback to stimulate sales in the backlist to stop them all imminently going out of print. By now, my father was 85 and my mother, who worked with him on the books, had sadly died. So, I told the agent that I would like to have a go at writing one, and the result was UNDER ORDERS, published in September 2006. The book was a hit, rising up the bestseller charts on both sides of the Atlantic. And I have written one every year since.

How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?

About 15 months, which is longer than any of the subsequent ones.

How long did it take you to complete your latest book from the first idea to release?

Each year my manuscript is due on April 1st (who at my publishers thought that was funny??). Then you have edit, copyedits, and proofreading, so it goes to the printers in June. Then I have three months to think of a new story, which I start writing on October 1st. So, I started DARK HORSE on October 1st, 2024, handed it in on April 1st, 2025, and it was published in late September 2025. I am now working on the 2026 novel.

Focusing on your latest release. What made you want to write Dark Horse?

I was contracted to write it. I love writing – or rather I love it when I have finished a good story, and I feel that DARK HORSE is a good story. For as long as I have stories to tell, and people still want to read them, I will go on writing.

What were your biggest challenges with writing Dark Horse?

As always, getting 95000 – 100,000 words done so they all join up and tell a ripping tale that keeps the reader turning the pages is the biggest challenge. Finding new and different stories seems to get ever more difficult every year. Characters are easy – I just watch people at airports and make up stories about them in my head – it is the plots that are more challenging. There is nothing more exciting for an author than to wake up in the night with a new idea to drive the plot forward. Having two ideas is even better.

Who or what inspired you when creating your Antagonist?

DARK HORSE concerns a young up-and-coming female steeplechase jockey who has been living with a coercive and controlling boyfriend, who becomes intensely jealous of her growing success in horse racing. As the book starts, she has just left him, but he is not willing to let her go, and he tells her that he would rather kill her than let her leave him. The inspiration for the story, sadly, are the all too frequent TV news reports of murders between current or former intimate partners. Indeed, the vast majority of women murdered are killed by their partner or by another family member. It seemed like a good opportunity to create a mystery around such an incident.

What is the inciting incident of Dark Horse?

Read the book to find out!!  I’m not giving away the excitement here. Suffice to say, watch out, a murder’s a comin’.

What is the main conflict of Dark Horse?

Between the ex-boyfriend and our heroine, but the conflict expands to include others – and whose side are you on?

Did you plot Dark Horse in advance, or fly by the seat of your pants and write freely?

I loosely plan out the first part, but I find that it is the characters that drive the story forward. I had a good idea for a beginning, so I wrote that. Then I see where it leads. If I don’t know the ending when I write the beginning, there is less chance the reader will see the twists coming.

What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a story?

Make your readers care about the characters. They don’t have to like them – you hope they won’t like the antagonist – but they should care what happens to them. If they don’t, they will put the book down and never pick it up again. Also get someone else to read your work out loud to you – if it sounds like rubbish, it probably is. And, in the words of Winston Churchill, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP.

Can you give me a hint about any further books you’re planning to write?

I’m working on novel number 20. It will involve horse racing – they all do – but it will also be based around the world of high-value art dealing. My books are not about the horses, they are about the people. Racing is simply the canvas against which I paint the human stories, and it is a great canvas – racing is highly competitive, there is plenty of money floating around, much of it in cash, and everyone is trying to tip the odds in their favour, by fair means or foul –  mostly by foul means in my books!

And, finally, are your proud of your accomplishment? Was it worth the effort?

I am hugely proud of the fact that I have continued the Dick Francis tradition of producing a new bestseller every year. I know he was pleased with my work, and I would like to think he still would have been. And, oh yes, all the Dick Francis novels are still in print, right back to the very first one published in 1962. Job done.

Was it worth it? You bet.

Pop all your book, website and social media links here so the readers can find you:

Apple Book: https://apple.co/4itsmQ4

Apple Audiobook: https://apple.co/49KT30u

Kindle: https://amzn.to/4onZWs7

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3KsV4UA

Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/3MbLoyd

www.felixfrancis.com

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