Ian Rankin has death on his mind. It's not such an unusual state for the Edinburgh-based, internationally best-selling author of 19 Inspector Rebus novels and counting, but it's the passing of those close to home which is of concern right now – particularly the sudden departures of the folk singer Jackie Leven in 2011 and author Iain Banks earlier this year, both friends of his. "It's definitely been niggling at the back of my mind, " he says of their passing. "Banksy was what, 59 when he died? Five, six years older than me. It just knocked me for six. And now Seamus Heaney has died. My wife's dad gave him his first job. " Events have forced him to question his own mortality, he says – and have partly contributed to the break he'll take from his tradition of writing a novel a year in 2014. As well as that, he's been facing an increasing scarcity of ideas – and he's also out of contract with his publisher for the first time since 1987, and wants to enjoy the lack of deadlines. Before that happens, though, he has to deal with the launch of the latest Rebus book, Saints of the Shadow Bible (a quote from Leven's song "One Man, One Guitar") in November; and as we speak, he's enjoying lunch on a break from rehearsing his first stage play, Dark Road, in the studio space across from Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre.
The same year he collaborated with folk musician Jackie Leven on the album "Jackie Leven Said". In 2007, Rankin appeared in programmes for BBC Four exploring the origins of his alter-ego character, John Rebus. Titled "Ian Rankin's Hidden Edinburgh" and "Ian Rankin Investigates Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, " Rankin looks at the origins of the character and the events that led to his creation. Awards and honours Rankin has been elected as a Hawthornden Fellow and won the Chandler-Fulbright Award. He has also won two Crime Writers' Association (CWA) Dagger prizes for short stories and in 1997 the CWA Macallan Gold Dagger for Fiction for " Black and Blue " (which was also short-listed for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for best novel). He won the Edgar in 2004 for " Resurrection Men ". In 2005 he was awarded the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger to mark a lifetime's achievement in crime writing. In 2008 he won the ITV3 Crime Thriller Award for Author of the Year, for "Exit Music". [ cite web|author= Allen, Katie|title= Rankin and P D James pick up ITV3 awards|url= |work= |date= 2008-10-06|accessdate= 2008-10-06] He has honorary doctorates from the University of Edinburgh cite news url= publisher=University of Edinburgh title=University of Edinburgh Honorary Degrees 2002/03 date=28 August 2003]., the University of Abertay Dundee, from the University of St Andrews and, in 2005, from the University of Hull.