Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a middle-aged guy living in Hertfordshire who has been writing since the late eighties. I make most of my living by writing for large multinational companies about their products, usually in engineering. It’s a bit dull but I do have a strong interest in science. However, I use the money, and the time between jobs, to write creative fiction and non-fiction. My preferred subject is popular philosophy as applied to modern life, particularly the supernatural and where the boundaries of science and belief might be. I’ve got some pretty weird ideas in my head. After all, not everything that matters in life can be measured with a scientific instrument. At the same time, it’s not a good idea to be dismissive of science, especially when repairing the brakes on your car, just because you want to hold onto comfortable ideas.
I’ve written four books, all related to metaphysics and what people call the supernatural but I’ve tried to present these subjects in ways that remove them from the ghetto of special interest stores and shops that sell crystals and incense. The Hidden Masters and the Unspeakable Evil was an occult novel about four magicians who save the world but have to be finished by Sunday night because they have to be back at work on Monday morning. By presenting these ideas as fiction it gets over the need to decide if you think these ideas are nonsense, in the same way as nobody really believes that Harry Potter can really ride a broomstick.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’m currently working on In SatNav We Trust – A search for meaning through the historic counties of England. It was inspired by the works of Bill Bryson and Robert Persig. This is a return to non-fiction after I wrote the Hidden Masters novel. Instead of wrapping up metaphysical ideas in fiction I decided to present them against a backdrop of life experiences. Driving around the country, one county a night without a plan or any idea where you are going to sleep, forces you into situations that create interesting experiences. These experiences become the anecdotes that we all tell in the pub or across the dinner table. The one county a night thing could easily be travelling with a fridge or searching for the Maltese Falcon. It’s a MacGuffin, a device to force the action to happen. Against that backdrop my personal thoughts and observations emerged. If I was heavily into football my thoughts about the local football team would have emerged and that’s what I would have discussed. I’m not into football so those ideas never emerged. Instead discovering a major feat of engineering led me to think about science or engineering, a cathedral might lead me to think about people of faith but the way the cathedral was built would lead me to think about how the building might affect the beliefs of the people.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to write in the afternoon when I’ve got things done. I can’t write when I know I’ve not sorted out the car insurance or done the shopping. This sometimes leads to me writing into the evening or even longer if I’m on a roll. TV on demand then means that I might stream something after I’ve finished and so my life slowly cycles in and out of sync with the rest of the world.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve always been a huge fan of Robert Rankin and Douglas Adams. I like their absurdity and that gives me permission to have three magicians try to start a broken-down car with magic. I’ll let you decide if that worked. On the esoteric side there are fewer authors who inspire me as the important texts just seem a little out there. I’m not saying I don’t believe but you have to swap into the right mindset and I struggle to do that when I’m reading a non-fiction text. I’ve mentioned Bill Bryson and Robert Pirsig. They inspired me to write the travelogue but that was because I was looking for a new format to write in. Bill Bryson does it every time with his humour and it’s my ambition to follow in his footsteps but they are big footsteps to fill. Is that a mixed metaphor? Otherwise I read a great deal of fantasy in my early adulthood. Everything from Tolkien to Michael Moorcock. I’d like to write serious literature and I can see how people mine personal experiences for inspiration and there’s been plenty of tragedy in my life but I couldn’t bring myself to describe life and death situations or personal tragedies. I just want to entertain people and hopefully make them laugh. I don’t know how successful I am.
What are you working on now?
In SatNav We Trust is coming to the end of its cycle as it nears publication. Search for the hashtag #InSatNavWeTrust for the latest news and some extracts. After that I’d like to return to the Hidden Masters. I have the first half dozen chapters for the second novel written but I really need to apply myself to it. The Travelogue was supposed to a short project, make the trip, make some notes, hand them over to an editor to knock them into shape then return to the fiction. It didn’t work out that way and some years have passed. (I’m not prepared to say how many.) I’d like to write four Hidden Masters novels. In the first one they travel north (Blackpool) and deal with the element of earth, money (casinos). I never planned it that way, I just realised that those two matched. The second would be travelling to the west so there will be an emotional element. I was criticised for having no love interest in the first novel. Not every story has a love interest so I’m not bothered about that but there will be in the second. She’s called Destiny and wears unsuitable shoes. The third novel would be travelling east (so not doing them in any order) and I have some ideas for that. I have no idea what will happen in the south.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My output has been quite slow and social media was in its infancy when I started. I was on MySpace then the Hidden Masters and the Unspeakable Evil came out. In SatNav We Trust has taken years too and I’m only discovering these promo options now. I’ll be looking for advice from other authors on this.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be confident in your own inherent talent but seek out advice as well. If you are writing fiction learn about the three-act structure. I read about film structure which is much the same. And don’t be afraid to do some training. I’ve done some journalism over the years but I wish I’d gone to journalism school when I was younger. I’m too old, and too busy, to get the benefit of it now.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never stick your fingers in an electrical socket.
What are you reading now?
I try to alternate between fiction and non-fiction. I’m currently returning to a hippie text called Be Here Now by Baba Ram Das for the sixties. It’s very, ‘hey man!’ I mentioned it in passing in In SatNav We Trust as it was described to me years ago but I thought I’d better know what it actually said. After that I’d like to read the second Wars of the Roses novel by Toby Clements. I don’t know what it’s called but the first one was very visceral and I’m very interested in the life and times of the late medieval period. The Wars of the Roses are a bit after my preferred period. I wish someone would tackle Richard II and the Lords Appellant.
What’s next for you as a writer?
The Hidden Masters and the Techno Knights is the second novel in the series. I’m desperate to get back to it but In SatNav We Trust is killing me at the moment. The second novel might end up with a different name as I can’t remember exactly how the Techno Knights would fit in (something to do with the Knights Templar, ah the memories are returning!) and I’m not sure I can find my notes. I’ve taken six months off work to get it out of the way and I should earn some money. I’m not sure how all these plans fit together with being able to afford to eat.
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?
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – Robert Pirsig
The Readers Digest Great World Atlas
A History of the World in 100 Objects – Neil MacGregor
The second in the Wars of the Roses series by Toby Clements although I have no idea what it’s called.
Author Websites and Profiles
Jack Barrow Website
Jack Barrow’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account