Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
If anyone wants to read my official biography they can pull it up on Goodreads or Amazon. or visit my web site, for example. What perhaps is of more interest is that I did not start out with writing as a long term plan. Indeed, I barely scraped through English at O Level! I am now retired – so it is never too late to become a writer! The turning point for me was reading David Almond’s book “Skellig”, because it was while I was doing so that I realised that the subject matter was not so different to ideas that I had been having. So after that I decided to give it a go and get my thoughts down on paper – and as they say, five “Red Grouse Tales” later!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It is “The Bat” and what inspired it was all the fake news which hit the headlines during and after the US elections a few years ago. When I thought about this (fake news), it struck me that “truth” is actually a very imprecise thing.
We all know that throughout history it has always been the victor who has written the history and hence the looser has always been cast as “the bad guy”. Although we know this cannot have always been the case and that the king at any point in time had to be quite simply the “biggest thug on the block”, we don’t wish to believe it. So is truth more about what we believe, than what actually was, or is the case? And if truth is about belief, religion and “The Truth” has to be considered as well. So I wanted a story that illustrated and addressed these things and I hope “The Bat” does.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Goodness me! I have no idea. What is “usual”?
I research in books and on the Net. I try to get my ideas in some sort of order. Then I endeavour to map out the story in note form. So far so good, because once I start writing in earnest (directly on to my pc) a fair bit of the planning goes out of the window!
As to when I write, I wish it could be regular, but life just gets in the way. Usually I am just grabbing at any spare minute I can get. One of the problems of self-publishing is that way too much time has to be spent on social media, advertising, marketing, and so on, all time which could be far more usefully spent on writing.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have a sneaking suspicion that probably every book one reads influences in someway or the other. Yes, even in a negative sense; eg/ “what a dreadful book, I must avoid writing that that!” However, on the positive side; I have already mentioned “Skellig” by David Almond, add to that “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad, “Darkness Visible” by William Golding, “The Perfect Spy” by John LeCarre, “The Bible” of course, “Paradise Lost” by John Milton and there are many, many more.
I also must add that it is not only books which influence, but also films (“Wings of Desire” by Wim Wenders is superb), music and opera, pure art – both painting and sculpture. All these things can spark an idea, a mood, a concept
What are you working on now?
Right now I am trying to finish off a novel called “The Ghost Moth”. It is in fact two stories, one set in the reign of Henry VIII and the Reformation, and one set in the present, running parallel to each other. Whether one influences the other is something I leave for the reader to decide. And what prompted it? The “#me too movement”, because it struck me that misogyny in the church of those days and the accusing and burning of witches is being mirrored these days by misandrism and the accusing and burning of mens’ reputations. At the same time I thought it would interesting to look into why the Christian Church became so anti-sex and anti-female and of course what the differences are between men and women. Do we honestly think we are going to become “equal” if we exchange pink and blue bath towels? The book will probably be a bit controversial for some, but I hope it makes for an interesting read.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method! You have to be joking. I am hopeless at promoting my books, which is probably why you have never heard of them. Unfortunately I don’t really understand or like social media – it completely defeats me why anyone would want a FaceBook account for personal use, I don’t even want one for business reasons (selling my books)! I started writing stories because I wanted to write stories, not so that I would have to spend hours marketing them! I have only just started with the Awesome Gang, so come back to me in a few months time. If I ever come across “the silver bullet” I’ll let you know.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Give it a go. If you don’t, you’ll look back and regret having not tried. If you don’t become a number one best selling author, never mind, you’ll be in good company and you’ll have had a bit of fun in the meantime. And if you do ….. don’t forget who gave you this advice!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Don’t under sell yourself” coupled with “anyone can give their work away”. And having just said that I am giving away the first tale in “The Red Grouse Tales” on 28 and 29 January. Yes, it will be FREE! It is called “The Little Dog”, and I hope you all will download it and so get a taste of my work and then write glowing reviews! It will be available from Amazon and the Awesome Gang are promoting it (Thanks guys!). I hope you enjoy the read.
What are you reading now?
Herman Hesse’s “The Glass Bead Game”
What’s next for you as a writer?
After this current promotion and completing “The Ghost Moth”, I need to do a little more research and then finish off a tale I have already partially written called “The Blue Horse”. It is a tale which looks at time, and our time upon this earth, and what happens when we die. No, it is not a morbid story, though of course it has a touch of sadness in it, but rather an intriguing one.
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 haven’t the slightest idea. I’d probably just grab three which I haven’t already read. They might have to be biggish ones – something like “War and Peace”? – unless I can find one on how to build an ocean going boat from coconut palm trees, in which case I probably won’t bother with the other two!
Author Websites and Profiles
Leslie Garland Website
Leslie Garland Amazon Profile
Leslie Garland’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account