It is his 11th book so far and Maltese author Gino Lombardi has changed tack. From a constant flow of romantic novels, he has moved on to write a thriller that delves into the human psyche. I meet him for an interview some days after the launch of 'Ħallini Ma!' whose central character Bastjan serves up some intense moments of inner turmoil, a constant heightening of suspense, plus a sidekick of tormented romance.

"I started out to write an anthology of short stories, a genre of writing I had never really attempted before. But this story developed into something more substantial and slowly but surely took precedence, so that I found myself absorbed on its completion, which lasted one entire year."

Coming from a lineage of writers, Gino has the creative and written word in his genes. His great-grandfather was Emilio Lombardi whose excellently prolific writing skills penned a whopping 110 romantic historical novels. They were widely popular back in the days when veteran broadcasters Charles Arrigo and Twanny Scalpello used to read them out on radio to a national audience. Gino's father Elio Lombardi is also a prolific writer who wrote several romantic novels of note, but who also gained popularity as a noteworthy filmmaker of innumerable films - his production of 'Il-Madonna taċ-Ċoqqa' remains memorable. Four generations down the line, Gino has broken with the family tradition of writing historical novels, so that his novels enjoy a contemporary slant. Some of them have been read on radio, whilst 'Grammi', incidentally his first and shortest book, was not only read on radio but also developed into a TV series that featured on a local station some years ago.

"Seeing one of my books enacted as a TV production was extremely satisfying. It was a unique experience throughout. I must say that I was consulted regularly before and during the shooting, so that the film remained very true to the book's original script. I always wonder whether another producer would be tempted to create a film around one of my other books."

So how do his stories develop? Does he have the plot clear-cut in mind from day one? "Typically, I have a book's beginning and ending figured out at the onset. When I start out, I create the characters and then fill in the story-line. All my books have some investigative work involved. In fact, Inspector Grixti is a character who pops up with regularity every time some mystery turns up. His persona is based on somebody I know, a person who once jokingly asked me to include him in a story. I have included him in practically each and every one of them so far."

Contrary to other writers, he never keeps his developing book under wraps. Having people of trust read his writings is a regular occurrence and Gino likes to touch base with these selected readers to garner feedback on issues that need especial attention. "Every chapter of a developing story gets read by a couple of readers. I value all feedback and then discern with extreme care - getting feedback helps me finetune, especially in the editing phase."

Being self-published means each book is a one-man-show, from start to finish so that Gino even shoulders the role of distributing his books around Malta and Gozo. As he speaks, he reminisces on how his great-grandfather personally distributed dossiers of his books to subscribers who sought to collect every issue and have the all bound once the story ends.

"I get a special kick when I find out that faithful readers of my books are waiting for each new publication eagerly, and at times, some bookshops actually have a list of pre-orders waiting in line."

Writing in the Maltese language means the author often makes use of words from the old Maltese lexicon, words that are not part of our day to day discourse anymore. "When I use such words in my text, I like to include footnotes to help readers better understand what meaning is intended.  I pay great attention to characterisation so that each character I create has his or her own vocabulary in line with the personality he or she has been given."

Having written constantly for the past 15 years, Gino believes everybody should find time to read for at least 15 minutes a day. He researches heavily for each book in order to be true to the storyline and its thematic. In the case of 'Ħallini Ma!', he researched the psychological problems that can be triggered by an over-controlling parent, in this case Aloisia who is the mother of Bastjan. The woman's strong character governs the mind of her son who is gullible to her whims and warnings concerning women. The book with its 403 pages of intrigue written in Lombardi's typically fluid style, promises to be another hot seller which may or may not make it to the small screen, but certainly lives up to the expectations of Lombardi's aficionados.