GAZING at a grain silo sparked the inspiration for Canberra author Hugh Watson’s new political thriller.

In his second novel, life in the fictional town of Gwydir is turned on its head by a gruesome murder in a grain silo, and a series of mysterious deaths.

“The Silo” tells the story of Barry Kingscliff, a power-hungry politician who appears to be at the centre of it all, and Sydney detective Susan Swift who is tasked to solve the spate of killings.

“It has blackmail, corruption, foreign investment, greed and branch stacking,” Watson says.

“All the stuff that’s going on in politics at the moment.” 

Bega-born Watson, 71, draws on his country upbringing in the story, as well as his political background as a former private secretary to the late Senator Susan Ryan, and former executive on the planning committee for the Sydney Olympic Games.

“This isn’t based on anyone in particular, but I have experienced politics and politicians up close,” Watson says.

“Some [politicians] are nasty and some are nice.”

The idea for Watson’s novel came when he was visiting friends in Wallendbeen, a small rural town near Cootamundra.

“I was watching a truck pull in and an auger was being hooked up to a grain silo,” Watson says.

“My friends were talking about the kinds of dangerous accidents that occur around silos and I thought to myself: ‘Aha, a murder in a grain silo’,”.

Watson, who has enjoyed a wide-ranging career as teacher, academic, public servant and consultant, turned his hand to writing fiction in 2013.

His first novel “Home Grown”, a terrorism thriller set in Canberra, was published in 2015.

“The first novel – which starts with an explosion in the dispatch box at Question Time – had a reasonably nice person at the centre of it,” says Watson.

“So, I thought it would be a challenge to write a second novel with an incredibly despicable person at the centre of it.”

Some central characters in the novel are inspired by female role models Watson encountered in his childhood.

“I was brought up by and around very determined and strong women,” Watson says.

“One of the main characters is a matriarch of a country family who is very strong and intuitive, as is the female detective Susan Swift who suffers the slings and arrows of sexism and misogyny in the police force.”

The grandfather – who writes from his home in Hall – says his passion for writing was sparked by the encouragement he received from a school teacher.

“My second class teacher at Bega Primary School wrote a note on my report saying: ‘Hugh, you are a very good writer, keep it up’.”

Watson is also a songwriter and guitarist with his band Willie and the Correspondents.

“I’ve been writing songs for 30 years, but there’s something lovely about the element of surprise when you write a novel,” Watson says.

“You might be unsure where the story is going and then you’ll wake up at 3am with an idea and know exactly where it’s headed.

“It’s a lot of fun.”

The Silo is available at all major bookstores.