You originally started writing to help with Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder. There’s growing research and evidence that writing can
significantly improve physical and emotional health. How do you think writing
benefited you, as part of your PTSD management?
Yes, writing is becoming a more recognised and popular form
of therapy for PTSD. My understanding on the way it works is this:
Talking about the causes, effects and symptoms of the
condition can be a very emotional experience, sometimes overwhelmingly so. But it is a way of achieving acceptance and bringing unconscious memory under
control. So, the more you talk about it, the less it upsets and the less of a
burden it becomes. Writing is a way of helping someone who really struggles to
express themselves verbally, either through lack of the words to articulate
their experiences or through being overwhelmed when trying to speak about them.
Writing gets you to focus and to record. It acts in a cathartic way and seems
to work as if it were the equivalent benefit achieved by talking, but
multiplied many times.
Wicked Game was originally self-published. Now it’s
published by Orenda Books. Do you think you have grown as a writer through your
experiences of the different publishing processes? If so, how?
I
often read comments by self-published authors regarding the more satisfactory
level of control they have over the whole process concerning the production,
the design and the marketing of their book. I respect that, but for me, I have
found that signing with a highly motivated and skilled publisher has brought
huge dividends. I was given the opportunity to work with an editing team who
were very instrumental in developing me as a writer. I have learned a great
deal from them. My writing is raw, it’s me, and that means I have a style of my
own, but I still had a lot to learn to polish it up ready for the commercial
market. The Orenda team gave me a fast-track education in creative writing and
I freely admit that the end result is a much improved version of my original
story.
Other
things have come about as well. The jacket design for the book was incredible
and had no input from me, and that is a good thing, as I now realise just how
creative are the people that produced such work. In terms of marketing, the
book has reached vendors, readers and places that I would have never thought
possible and which I could have never achieved when self-published. Also, I’ve
been interviewed on radio and television, invited to speak at numerous literary
events and festivals, and had a launch at Waterstones flagship store with over
a hundred people in attendance. All this has only been possible because of the
professionalism and experience of Orenda.
Wicked Game is an action thriller based on your own
experiences. How easy/challenging has it been to write a book that’s so ‘close
to home’?
Not too easy. But, if writing a book was easy, everyone
would be doing it! Add to that the emotional engagement that my writing
produces and, yes, I sometimes struggle and I do find that there are times when
I have to stop and take a break. I do research, but a lot of my writing draws
on personal experience. As I write, memories return of times long-forgotten and
some of those recollections are not too pleasant. But, I think that emotion
helps me write and I hope it comes through in the result.
Wicked Game has
been long-listed for the CWA John Creasy New Blood Dagger Award 2016. What was
the first thing that went through your mind when your name was announced?
You were there! It caught me completely by surprise. Firstly
because there were hundreds of entries and, secondly because I thought the book
had been nominated under a different category. So, when the ‘debut’ author list
didn’t include me, I thought that was it. So, there I was, chatting to author
Zoe Sharp and not really paying attention when the announcer read out my name
and the name of the book. My first feelings were ones of surprise, then
slightly confused when so many people came up to me to extend their
congratulations. Within minutes, I had a text from Peter James. I then began to
realise that this might be quite significant – let’s not forget that I’ve only
been exposed to the publishing world for a couple of months – and so I went and
gave Karen, my publisher, a kiss. Wicked Game was the result of a team effort
and I felt pleased on her behalf, as I know how much she ploughs into her
authors and it was nice to also see the name of Orenda up on the screen as
well.
Looking at your website, you’ve had a busy year so far, with
your book launch, blog tour, events, book festivals, interviews and articles.
So what’s coming up next? And do you get much free time?
With the amount of hobbies and interests I have, I need free
time, believe me! I watch very little television, preferring to read and to
listen to the radio and the hobbies range from riding the Harley through to
bee-keeping. I’m retired from full-time work now, so writing is my priority.
Most of my working day is spent on social media, research and writing. I have
two more scheduled literary festivals, at Crickhowell and Berwick, and an
interview at Harrogate Crimefest to do with Peter James for his new YouTube
channel. I now do talks with Armed Services Veterans at Combat Stress, so I’m
also looking forward to doing these and I’ve just been taken on by a
public-speaking agency to do talks. The audio book of Wicked Game comes out in
August so I’m just about to record an interview for that production as well.
And, of course, I am writing. Book two, the sequel to Wicked Game, is now with
Orenda for editing. I am 20K words into my third. This will complete the
trilogy that is the story of Robert Finlay, but he will be back, trust me!
Describe your writing style in 10 words or less?
Raw, authentic and, to quote Ran Fiennes, engaging.
Looking back to your teenage years, what advice would you
give your younger self?
I would tell myself to study now, chase the girls later. I
really should have focused on my studies more than I did. I would ignore the
advice, of course. Teenagers need to learn for themselves and, with the way my
life has panned out, I’ve no complaints.
If you were writing a book about your own life, what would
the title be?
One life, live it.
What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
That’s very kind – calling me an author. Just a few short
months ago I wouldn’t dared have whispered the word. I’m very new to this, so I
think the best advice I could pass on would be two pieces of advice that were
given to me.
1. Don’t even think about becoming an author if you don’t
enjoy writing. You’ll spend many hours at the keyboard, suffer self-doubt and
frustration and experience seemingly endless rejections. If you don’t enjoy the
act of writing, you will never stick it.
2. Writing is a craft that you can start at any age – don’t
be in a hurry. Many authors start quite late in life as it is only by that time
that they have something within them worth writing about.
And lastly, why should people read Wicked Game?
Mostly I would say read it so that you can tell me what you
thought of it. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the wide range of reading
tastes it seems to appeal to. Now, the plug…
‘Wicked Game’ will appeal to many readers as it is a story
about family secrets. Every family has one, some have many, but not every family
faces the threat of being murdered if it is exposed.
Robert Finlay is a husband with a secret. It is hidden from
not just his family, but from almost everybody he is now connected to.
But secrets are like seeds. Although they can stay buried
for a long time, eventually they send up shoots, surface, and give themselves
away.
And so begins ‘Wicked Game’, a game of cat and mouse, where
Finlay’s family, his friends, indeed his very existence is under threat from a
determined and unidentified enemy.
An enemy that will stop at nothing to see them dead.
