
Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself.
Someone who will take on diverse projects and see them through!
This one – Skerrid Mawr, is something I never thought about writing, until a few years ago when a few ideas started to flood into my mind. I tended to have to drive around the South Wales area to see clients, so it gave me somewhere ‘quiet‘ to think and formulate topics and themes. I am a little late to the author party - being sixty-two, but it has been an exhilarating ride for sure!
What inspired you to start writing?
Two things really: one of my A level English teachers and my mother, for very different reasons. Despite not being an influence on my writing, my mother started a travelling theatre company when I was in secondary school ( late 1970’s ) and wrote her own scripts – mainly for primary school audiences. Financially it was a disaster – more arts for art’s sake than profit. She never finished her last project and I had the thought of finishing it for her, but after her death, the partially written script was lost so I never got the chance.
Coincidentally, in 1979 I was in the second year of an A Level English course. However, the Head of English had constantly derided me in front of the class - that I was hopeless and would fail miserably. I think it was because he knew my mother from amateur dramatics and they didn’t see eye to eye. I never found out, but he unwittingly motivated me to prove him wrong. I passed my A Level English that year. Then the thought of writing my own novel would, in my own mind, finally lay that ghost to rest as it were, after all he had never written one, had he?
What made you want to work with Rowanvale and be published.
Having set up my own business working in and around South Wales, I always favoured working with local suppliers wherever possible – to keep the money in the local economy. This was one of the main reasons for working with Rowanvale. I am glad that I did. They have been excellent, supporting my efforts when needed.
When you’re not writing what are you reading?
I can’t profess to read a great deal to be honest. I have tended to head toward interesting
characters, like Frank Skinner or Derren Brown, who are interesting and amusing. The opposite of my A Level English syllabus.
However, The Odessa File, by Frederick Forsyth was definitely an influence on me.
Which work are you most proud of?
I wish I had a proliferation to choose from, but Skerrid Mawr is likely to be my one and only book.
What’s your best advice for writer’s block
Let it go for a while, do something else, mix with different people. It’s amazing how someone different will allude to something that will create a trigger for your writing.
What’s one thing you always have with you when you’re writing? A nice view to look out upon. It can be intense writing, so regular breaks are a must.
Music can help as much as peace and quiet of course.
What is the one book you would take with you if you were stuck on a desert island?
The lyrics to all Beatles songs and those of the fab four individually. They just conjure thoughts and memories like nothing else can.
What’s the best part about being an independently published author?
That you maintain control. Rowanvale have been very flexible and this has eased the process for me without doubt. Ultimately, it will be good to receive heartfelt and positive feedback from readers in due course. If just one person likes it, then it will all have been worthwhile
Whats next for you
Nothing in the pipeline…yet.
Hopefully a follow up is demanded or an offer for it to be made into a film, play or TV series comes along that is. In all honesty I started out with a screenplay in mind, but I realised I didn’t have the skills, so opted to write it as a novel instead. Alan Bleasdale or Willy Russell are you out there…please?
Well done on finishing your first novel, Nick. As you're aware, I knew your lovely mother back in the late 1980s/early 1990s (Newport Writers Circle) so it's wonderful to see you following in her creative footsteps. Just bought a Kindle version of your book in readiness for my forthcoming holiday. I'm looking forward to reading it. All the best. Tracy