Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Eye on the Ball is my first book. It was a book I always wanted to write and has taken several years to get together. I am from South London and my first job on leaving school was a professional footballer with Tottenham Hotspur. I was there for 5 years but unfortunately injured my knee and was released at 22. I then played football in New Zealand and back in England for many non-league clubs. It became clear that I was unable to play at the same level as before my injury so I trained to be a teacher which is what I have been doing for the past 20 years! I have mainly worked as a Primary or Secondary school teacher in inner London, but last year I took the plunge with my wife, Sonya, and took a job teaching in China. It has been a great move for us and the extra time I have on my hands allowed me to finish the book.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called Eye on the Ball. It was inspired by my time as a young footballer straight out of school. It was the most exciting time of my life but also the most difficult. A time of huge highs and desperate lows. It is a crazy brutal world and I have so many stories from that time of my life that I have always felt they would make a good book or maybe more.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not unusual, but I do write and rewrite over and over again considering every word almost obsessively!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anthony Horowitz and Roald Dahl are two authors I admire. Funnily a reason I wrote the book was that there is very little of this kind of book out there. I would look for fiction football books all the time as a kid and even as a adult for my holiday reading but could never find anything.
What are you working on now?
I have started the second book following on from Eye on the Ball. I plan to do at least 2 more in the series. At the moment I am just putting more detail into my timeline, I will then start planning the chapters.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is what I am still learning! I am going to do a Facebook add for the end of November ready for Christmas. Then when the book comes out on Kindle I will advertise on Amazon. Living in China, makes it difficult to promote the book so I am looking into as many ways as possible to get my book out there. I am hoping that Awesome Gang will help!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stick with it, it can take a long time getting your book finished. I must have read my book 50 times trying to make it the best I could. If you want it enough, then you will get there in the end.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write in your natural style, don’t try and be something you aren’t. When I first started writing my book I was too wordy. I was trying to hard it flowed much better when I wrote in my natural style.
What are you reading now?
I am actually reading the Judge Dredd graphic novels. It sounds a bit geeky but they actually have some great storylines in them- honest!
What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing to plan and research for the second book. I want to make sure everything is just right before I begin writing it. Also, I want to really push on with getting my book out there. I can’t wait to see people’s reaction to it.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I love the Harry Potter books and would probably take them if not a sports biography as I can’t find any football stories that I can get my teeth into.
Author Websites and Profiles
Anthony Potts Amazon Profile
Anthony Potts’s Social Media Links
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