Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I currently live in the city of Kingston Upon Hull, which is in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, with my wife, her two cats, and our son. Reading has been a life long passion for as long as I can remember. I usually read two or three books at a time. I have no particular preference for any genre, I just select what interests me at the time. There is no doubt that reading has led me to writing. I used to write stories to entertain friends when I was a child but it was my wife who encouraged me to write my first novel, The War Wolf, after I bored her with details of the Battle of Stamford Bridge one day when we were returning home from a day in York. That was my first novel and the beginning of the Sorrow Song Trilogy, England’s Saga of 1066. This is a historical fiction series concerning that cataclysmic year. The second book, For Rapture of Ravens, followed but I then took a hiatus from 1066 to write my latest title, a novel that came out of something very personal to me. I am in the process of completing the trilogy, however.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest work is called Eugenica, I was going to use ‘The Maleficent Design’ but Disney beat me to it! It was a difficult book to write and yet I think a necessary one as it contains a lot of themes that I have had to deal with personally. My original intent was to complete my 1066 trilogy but I found that I needed some time away from historical fiction and Eugenica offered me that.
I was born disabled and grew up in a time when children like me where given very little support. Perhaps because my disability is genetic eugenics became a subject of interest to me, which some people might find perverse but really it had more to do with trying to understand why I was often treated differently to my friends who were not disabled.
The theme of eugenics itself is also very difficult to deal with so this proved a very challenging book. Add to that the fact that the central characters all have a disability of one kind or another and it might seem that this is not a story that would attract many readers, however, I wrote it with an underlying spirit of hope. I am an optimist at heart and despite the dark subject matter there is optimism in Eugenica.
Since an early age I have loved adventure stories and there are definite elements of that in Eugenica. I have set the story in the 1930’s, which allows for chases by car, train, and aeroplane. It also allowed me to subvert the history of the day somewhat, not drastically, just in response to the question ‘what if Britain had passed eugenic laws?’ There is also an international element in the shape of a government airship hosting a eugenics conference while it travels to America and Germany.
I have been lucky to have known some very good friends and enjoyed the support of my family during my life so I have used this opportunity to examine the nature of friendship, loyalty, personal courage, and even the need to experience the joy of life no matter what. As I said earlier, Eugenica deals with some dark and difficult themes but it also has a core based on what is best about us as people, especially when my characters find themselves in demanding situations. It is a positive book about a negative subject that is, unfortunately, still with us today.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have become very disciplined in my writing now. Usually I like to write in silence but if I do listen to music it is always ambient, preferably without any lyrics. I have on occasion missed meals because I have become so lost in my work that whole hours can slip by without me noticing. There is one thing that I do that might be termed ‘unusual’ and that is I tend to write an awful lot mentally before committing anything to the blank page. I seem to be able to begin and continue writing like this, which is very useful when I do not have access to a computer as I have a very good memory!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many! I read very widely, all kinds of genres, foreign literature, classics, modern, whatever fires my imagination really. Alexander Dumas’ ‘The Three Musketeers’ and James Fenimore Cooper’s ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ are two novels that I often return to for sheer entertainment. I think that every book I have read has had an influence on me, even those that I did not like so much, and, logically, so have the authors of those books. In developing my own style of writing I am not aware of any one particular example, which I think is good as it means that my work is original and not derivative. For me the story must contain an original idea, a subject that grabs my attention, and this, rather than a dedication to any particular genre or author, has led me down many interesting paths and into many unique worlds.
What are you working on now?
I have two books on the go at the moment. The first is the final part of the Sorrow Song Trilogy and covers the Battle of Hastings. It is getting close to completion and I am very happy with the way that it has gone. The second is actually a fantasy novel, another departure for me in terms of genre. This work has just completed the first draft stage but is currently in suspension while I finish the other book.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
To be honest I am still searching for the answer to this question, as I expect many other writers are. To begin with just being on Amazon Kindle seemed sufficient but recently there has been a significant increase in the number of titles available and it is much harder to get your work noticed. It is this situation that has led me to Awesomegang really, I want to be a book writer, not a book promoter, but I am an independent author and I have to do my own leg work.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Many people tell themselves that they will write a book one day and the ebook revolution has made it seem all so easy but the fact is that only good books really sell and they only come from hard work! Writing is hard, lonely, and often discouraging, but it can also be incredibly rewarding; I will never forget the feeling I experienced when I saw my first book had been published even if it was only in kindle format. If you really want to publish your work then make it as good as it can be, do not take short cuts, do not scrimp, believe in what you are doing. Learn grammar, writing styles, punctuation, how to construct a plot, use of style sheets, it may seem boring but it is the tools with which we work. Find someone to review your work, new eyes will help spot mistakes. Do not rush, when your first draft is complete rewrite it! This might seem like an unnecessary task but it is how you hone your book into the finished product and it really is worth the effort.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To only value the opinions of the people who mean the most to you, ignore everyone else.
What are you reading now?
I am finishing ‘Catcher in the Rye’ and about to start ‘Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee’. I also intend to read some P.G. Wodehouse for a little light relief!
What’s next for you as a writer?
As I mentioned earlier I am straying into the fantasy genre, a decision prompted by my son who loves ‘Game of Thrones’. I never got into it, simply because I am bored of medieval based fantasy so he challenged me to write something different! Challenge accepted and I am quite enjoying the experience of creating a whole new world. After that I have several ideas for other books, none of which are related to the genres I have already written in.
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?
Well, I think ‘The Three Musketeers’ and ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ might be there with me, along with Dr Robert Bakker’s ‘The Dinosaur Heresies’ and Keith Richard’s ‘Life’. I might also consider Tolkein’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ but the first part needs some serious editing, and then there is my love of Shakespeare…can I take my Kindle library instead?
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