I am delighted to announce that Edward James features here today.
As you may be aware I asked authors if they would like to appear in a series to find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them.
Please find the full interview below:
So tell us about your writing, Edward.
So far I have written only two novels, although before that there were three non-fiction books which I wrote in whole or part.
The two novels are both historical fiction set in the Tudor era, based on stories published by the Elizabethan chronicler, Richard Hakluyt.
Freedom's Pilgrim is the story of a 13 year old boy, Miles Philips, who signs on to join John Hawkins on his last slave trading expedition to Africa and the West indies in 1567. The English fleet is ambushed by the Spaniards and 200 English sailors are marooned on the coast of Mexico. Miles is one of the few who gets back to England, 17 years later, after an incredible series of adventures. I sub-titled the book 'A Tudor Odyssey'.
I started The Frozen Dream when I left the Civil Service in 1993, but I didn't get down to finishing it until 2007, when I gave up my consultancy when I knew I had cancer, so as not to let down my clients. It focused my mind, as Dr Johnson would have said. The Frozen Dream is the story of England's first contact with Russia. In 1553 a group of London merchants decide to open a new trade route to China by sending three ships over the North Pole. What follows is a tale of tragedy, triumph and ultimately disaster. Much of the story takes place with a Lapp tribe in the Arctic.
Freedom's Pilgrim is currently available only as an e-book with Amazon Kindle. The Frozen Dream is published by Silverwood Books in paperback and as an e-book by Kindle and Kobo.
How do you structure when writing a book - do you start with an outline, plot each chapter or just write and see where it goes from there?
Richard Hakluyt structured it all for me. His Principal Navigations of the English People contains over 120 stories, many, like the story of Miles Philips, taken verbatim from the man himself. I have set out to tell a selection of the stories in modern form, putting in the pieces Hakluyt left out, like all the female characters.
How do you market your books?
Not very well. Silverwood are very helpful and The Frozen Dream was featured at The London Book Fair in April this year. I have a blog, http://busywords.wordpress.com, which features background pieces on my books as well as short stories and even poems and I have a Facebook page and a Twitter account, which II try to use to 'feed' my blog.
Have you ever attended a writers workshop?
I've belonged to several writers' groups over the years, from the Society of Civil Service Authors to Cheltenham Writers' Circle. Some years ago I went on an Arvon course at a farm on Dartmoor, but I think I learned more about cooking than writing.
Have you attended any literary events?
I live in Cheltenham so I go to the Festival of Literature every year and sometimes to the Oxford Literary Festival. This April I visited the London Book Fair at the invitation of my publishers. The Frozen Dream won three literary prizes before it was published (from W H Smith, The Mail on Sunday and Silverwood Books) so of course I went to the Award ceremonies. My most gratifying invitation was this April when I was asked to speak to the old pupils association at the school I left over 60 years ago.
What social media platforms do you mainly use?
As I said I have my blog and my Facebook and Twitter accounts. I've yet to work out how to use Goodreads.
How much do you feel you've improved in the last few years?
I think my second book, Freedom's Pilgrim, is the better book and I learned a lot from writing The Frozen Dream, although as it happened Freedom's Pilgrim was published first. I had written a great deal before my two novels, including many short stories, several of which were published and one of which was read on Radio 4.
As a reviewer for Historical Novels Review I review at least a dozen novels a year, which is probably the best way to learn.
What is your favourite genre?
Historical fiction. I have been a review editor for the Historical Novel Society for the last seven years.
Who was your favourite childhood author?
C S Forester and the Hornblower series. I know they are adult novels but I read them all from our local library as a child.
Who do you act out the scenes in your novels with?
Myself. I act them out in my head as I walk to the newsagent every morning (I could have the newspaper delivered, but then I would lose my exercise and thinking time).
How old where you when you first started writing?
I started writing for my school magazine when I was 15. As a university teacher (I lectured in Social Policy in Britain and America) I produced the usual stream of academic papers and articles and as a bureaucrat (in London and Brussels) and later as an international consultant (everywhere) I lived by writing reports and contributing the White Papers, etc.
I started writing fiction in a small way when I became self-employed and more seriously when I gave up work after my cancer op in 1971.
What is your favourite thing you've written?
I think my favourite is still Shoreham at War, the history of my home village in WW2 - Shoreham in Kent that is, not the port in Sussex - which is based on oral testimonies. Several villagers collaborated on this, but I was the editor and main contributor. It was published by Shoreham Historical Society in 2006.
What's your favourite character archetype of literature?
The lone survivor who wins through against all odds.
What scene in your writing has made you laugh the hardest or cry the most?
My light-hearted pieces are mostly short stories, mainly about my time in Brussels - e.g. An Accidental Virgin and Plus ca Change, both of which you can read on my blog.
The most poignant episode in my novels is probably near the end of The Frozen Dream, when the Tartar princess, Elena, goes on a suicide mission to save her lover on the beach at Peterhead.
What do you think makes good writing?
The sense of being there, of seeing things as your subject sees them and feeling them has he or she feels them.
Do you believe in writers block?
Writers' Block is a luxury enjoyed by writers who have reached the bottom of their in-trays. I don't think I've ever got to the bottom of mine.
Which authors have enthralled you? What book has had the biggest influence on your work?
When my mother's eyesight was failing I used to read to her all the detective stories of the 'Golden Age', Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, et al. They have been an enduring, if often unconscious influence.
What book are your currently reading?
Currently I'm reading The Midnight Watch, a debut novel by David Dyer about the ship which saw the Titanic's distress signals and didn't come to the rescue. It's a sea story that's also a detective story and it's wonderfully written.
Where do you do your writing?
I have a little office looking onto the garden in my Cheltenham home. When I lived in Kent I worked in one of the converted stables of our converted Coach House.
Who is your favourite character of your books and why?
Miles Philips, the hero of Freedom's Pilgrim, an ordinary guy in extraordinary situations who muddles through to glory.
Do you agree with the statement: write about what you know?
No, or else historical fiction would be impossible. I must confess that I've never been on a slave-trading expedition to Africa.
What challenges do you face when writing? Are you easily distracted?
Very. I constantly find other things to do, to put off writing - filing, answering email or completing questionnaires.
What has surprised you most about writing?
How difficult it is to find an agent or a publisher and how many unpublished manuscripts there are - even the postman had one he wanted to show me.
What are the best and worst things about being a writer?
It legitimates day-dreaming, at least to oneself, even if nobody else regards it as serious work.
What is the most exciting experience you've had as a result of writing?
I've had several; my first literary prize (W H Smith 'Raw Talent' competition), selling my first print novel at the Bristol Literary Festival, speaking to my old scholars' association about my books.
What do you like doing when you aren't writing?
Seeing my children and my grandchildren and visiting far away places (my wife and I went camping across the Arabian desert last February).
Last question: what advice can you give to other writers?
It's never too late but it's better to start early.
It's unlikely that you'll ever be able to live by your writing and you will get a lot of disappointment, but it's fun in itself and you meet interesting people.
Thank you for answering my questions and all the best, Edward.
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