Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Yorkshireman through and through, and after travelling to various wonderful and exotic places around the world, I have decided that the place where I live is actually one of the best spots on earth. This is how I got into walking, to experience the beauty of my own backyard at first hand. That this then turned morphed into a book was almost a natural process.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
54 Degrees North was released in August 2020. I had done a couple of long-distance walks but wanted something close at hand but found nothing that inspired me. Alfred Wainwright, who of course devised the official Coast to Coast, always said that you should go your own way, so you could say that I was inspired by the great man himself.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
That’s an interesting question. In a word, yes. I have young children at home so often find it difficult to write there and tend to go to my old university to use their cafes and other facilities. They must be wondering why I seem to have been studying there for so long and when and if I’m ever going to leave!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would say authors such as Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams are the authors I grew up with, and I think their dry humour has rubbed off on me which I try to inject into my writing. I am also a big fan of Bill Bryson and always make sure I grab his new releases as soon as they are out.
What are you working on now?
I’ve just completed another walk along the Cleveland Way, which follows the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, and wrote about it as I went along. I found some fascinating things along the way, including a secret laboratory 3000 feet underground where someone is building something called a low-pressure negative ion time projection chamber, which is obviously a time machine even though they say it isn’t. I’m hoping to have it published before Christmas.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That’s a toughie. I’m quite new to this, but I have to say how impressed I am with the awesome gang. The whole process was easy from start to finish and took a surprisingly short time to do.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just go for it. They say that we all have a book within is, and I have always felt that I had one in me. Now that I have completed my first one, I feel that I have lots of books in me, and wished I had started earlier. So I would have to say my one piece of advice is to just go for it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
One of my university lecturers gave me the best piece of advice that I had ever heard, and although it wasn’t strictly related to writing, it actually relates to anything. He said that if you want to change the world you should start with yourself, which I found quite profound.
What are you reading now?
I’ve just started The Body, by Bill Bryson. My mum bought me it for Christmas but I just haven’t had time to read it, but I am making an effort to read a few pages each evening. To be honest, it isn’t much of an effort as it is very easy reading.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a couple of ideas but I’m not sure which one to take up. I’m going to finish my book about the Cleveland Way and then try something completely different. One of them is a bit close to the bone, though. My son was ill for a very long time and I know there is an amazing story to tell there, but I’m not sure if it is just too soon. We’ll see.
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?
Ha Ha! Well, The Body, of course, because I have just started it and I would like to finish it. Other than that, Bram Stokers’ Dracula would be essential, as I read it a long time ago but would enjoy the luxury of being able to read it again. Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 would definitely be in my bag, as it is one of the funniest books I ever read, and finally, assuming we are going to be on this island for quite some time, I reckon J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, which I could read again and again.
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