My next interrogation is George Hamilton - the author, not the baked brown American actor.
First
of all, thanks for the opportunity to talk to your audience, Joo, and for the
time you put into your blog and reviewing independent authors like myself.
How do you strike the
balance between writing something you want to write and writing something that
people want to read, in terms of the compromises you make, if any?
Some
of my stories have lived in my head for years. So if I am living with these
stories and characters for so long, I think it’s very important to firstly
write something that satisfies me. But then I need to use techniques to make
the work accessible and enjoyable to the reader. I think most stories, if told
in a compelling way, can, if promoted well, find an audience.
What excites, attracts or appeals to you
about the genre(s) you write in.
Genres are an aspect of writing that I wish I didn’t have to be concerned
with. I think it can often be too restricting. I was reading a blog the other
day that said if the novel is a suspense, then the bad guy should not be known
at the start, but if it is a thriller, the bad guy should be known. I really
prefer to write a scene based on what feels right for it at a particular time,
rather than these fixed ideas. That’s why I’m happy that people are now talking
about multi-genre novels. I’ve published in the historical, drama, suspense
categories so far, but I also have unpublished works which range from thrillers
to comedies. The novel I’m currently working on will probably be a cross
between contemporary, suspense and thriller. I really want to keep the reader
guessing and asking what will happen next, and also hopefully gaining some
further insight into us as human beings.
Do you have a box, drawer, folder etc
where you keep thoughts and ideas for future stories? Such as names you have
come across, bits of dialogue, ideas, characters - even if you have no idea
when you might use them?
I
haven’t got a great memory, so everything has to be stored somewhere. I have
folders thick with research material and megabytes of computer files. Scenes
and research material are added to my specific story idea files as they come to
mind. This may be due to something I’ve seen on TV, overheard or just popped
into my head. If I notice a theme from a current event, I’ll note it down and
try to find a story to match it to. I even have a couple of classic put down
lines from former girlfriends noted to use in future novels. So watch what you
say when I’m around, or else you might just end up in print (or is it digital
ink these days)!
How do you manage plot
bunnies (ideas that invade your mind that aren’t usually helpful to the story
you’re writing but breed like...er...bunnies)?
I
haven’t really experienced plot bunnies. I either set out to write a scene with
a strong or basic idea of what I want to say. In both cases, but especially the
latter, something almost magical happens, where an even better idea starts to
form as I write. Those are the best times. Then I have to sit back and wonder,
where did that come from?
How much of you is in
your characters? Which of your characters is the you that you’d most like to
be? Or be with?
To
date, I have not directly written any book and thought that character is me. But
there are characters who have come up where I’ve thought, that’s similar to
what I’d do in this situation. I can think of Joshua/Nannup from Secrets From
The Dust who was determined to retain a part of himself. Thereza from Carnival
of Hope, who is determined to go after her dreams. But possibly the closest to
me is Olga, Dr Ludmilla Toropov’s daughter in my yet to be published novel The Disease.
The story really developed from the theme of a blog I wrote some time ago about
a risk-taker versus a survivor personality. Olga is definitely an
uncompromising risk-taker. But somewhat surprisingly, reading her frightens me.
Do you become so wrapped
up in your writing that your spouse wonders if they're married to you or one of
your characters?
I am currently single. I don’t think there are many people who would put up with
someone prepared to sell their home to go off and write a novel, which is what
I did for Secrets From The Dust, when I went to live in Australia for 6 months.
Many who know I did this think I’m a few screws short of a brain. But I’m the
type who likes to prove them wrong. Just this last Sunday, I met some family friends
at the shopping centre, and their tone as we talked was you’re not still trying to
become a writer are you? A cousin of mine said, “Wouldn’t it have been
easier for you to write a song about it instead (of spending all that time and money)?” But once the writing bug
gets you, it’s hard to let go, especially when the ideas keep invading your
mind. I now realise that I’m prepared to take big risks to achieve what I want
to, which ties into your previous question about how much of me is in my
characters.
What type of book do you
like reading? Is it the same genre as you write?
I don’t
read as much as I’d like to at the moment, as I’m so exhausted by the end of
the day. I read a wide range of genres, but I don’t think I’m that big on
fantasy, although I did read and enjoy Frank Herbert’s Dune. A short list of
the books I’ve read and enjoyed would probably give a better idea:
The
Road – Cormac McCarthy
The
Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck (and his other books)
Shogun
– James Clavell
The
Help – Kathryn Stockett
Lord
of the Flies – William Golding
Gloria
Naylor books
Toni
Morrison books
The
Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingslover
Atonement
– Ian McEwan
1984
- Orwell
What lengths do you go to
convince us readers that your book has the X factor?
Is this
the question where I admit to walking through the shopping centre wearing
nothing but a placard advertising my books to hide my embarrassment? Well it
wasn’t me! I’m not that desperate, yet.
I
think one of the biggest influences on the sale of Indie books are readers and
reviewers like yourself, Joo. Reviewers provide an independent voice about the
quality of a book to other readers, and the more reviewers a book has, the more
opportunity it has to appear on some of the most influential book blogs. So I
aim to write the best blurb that I can and contact as many reviewers as time
allows to request a review.
How do you feel when a
reader points out the spelling mistake(s) you have made?
Sorry
that I missed it, but grateful that someone has taken the time to point it out
to me so that I can put it right.
What do you like most
about visiting KUF/forums?
KUF
is a very friendly and helpful community to engage in, and I’m happy to have
found it. If I post in the wrong place on KUF, I don’t feel that I’ll be
spanked like a naughty schoolboy by someone who disapproves—the advice is more
gentle.
What is on your near
horizon?
I
recently completed the first draft of my latest novel, provisionally titled The
Disease. I did the main body of research after completing the first draft, a
new approach to make the research quicker and more relevant, which I have
recently blogged
about here. I have just started the second draft, which will incorporate
the research. Here is the draft cover blurb:
Estranged
from her student rebel daughter, Dr Ludmilla Toropov is a holder of the gold
cross as a daughter of her nation. When a deadly virus sweeps the world, wiping
out millions in days, her East European nation, under sanctions from the
international community, becomes the first to develop a vaccine. But with their
antiquated production facilities, they are only able to satisfy the demand of a
small section of their population. Dr Toropov can either watch hundreds of her
patients die, or defy the state that nurtured her by attempting to smuggle the
drug out to the West. One choice will pit her against her daughter, the other
could unearth unpalatable secrets and land her in a gulag jail…
Where can we find you for
more information?
Currently I
can be found in the following places:
