Words with... Carole Foley Bellacera

Thanks to Carole Foley Bellacera for this interview

What is your day job or are you lucky enough to write for a living?

I’m lucky enough to have a husband who supports me so I can write. Well, kind of. Actually, I also work as a writing instructor at Long Ridge Writers Group, a correspondence course out of Connecticut.

What books have you written so far?

I’ve written seven novels, BORDER CROSSINGS, SPOTLIGHT, EAST OF THE SUN, WEST OF THE MOON, UNDERSTUDY, CHOCOLATE ON A STICK, TANGO’S EDGE and LILY OF THE SPRINGS (forthcoming).

 
What works in progress do you have?

I’m working on a novel about a combat nurse in Vietnam titled INCENSE & PEPPERMINTS.

How long did it take you to write your book/s?

Oh, God. With each book, it’s taken longer. It used to take me about a year; now, with all my competing interests (jewellery making, karaoke, instructing) it takes me 2-3 years.

Do you write linear, or jump back and forth? Do you plan or write by the seat of your pants?

The only way I can write is in a linear way. To me, the story has to unfold, just like I’m watching a movie. I have a friend who jumps around from scene to scene, and I don’t know how she does it. I plan out my novels with a detailed outline. It serves as a road map for me, although I often veer off it.

Why do you write?

I write because it’s in my blood. I was born a writer, I think, or at least a born storyteller. When I was a teen, I used to put myself to sleep at night by making up a story in my head.

How long have you been writing?

I wrote my first ‘novel’ in 5th grade and illustrated it.

Where and when do you write? ¬ Do you have set times?

Mornings are my most creative time, so I try to get at least an hour in each (weekday) morning on my novel before I turn to my student assignments.

Which character from your books do you like most / are most like?

I admire Velma the most, I think ¬ my elderly woman in CHOCOLATE ON A STICK. She’s spunky, and blunt and pugnacious ¬ still a lot of life in her in her 70s. I want to BE her someday. I think I’m most like Kerry, my heroine in TANGO’S EDGE. I’m not a figure skater (although I’ve had vivid dreams that I was just that), but her personality kind of mirrors my own. She’s a bit of a rebel, not one to cleanly fit into a niche. She often feels like an outsider. She puts up a tough front to protect herself from rejection and hurt. An attack first or be attacked mentality. I understand that. She wants to trust people, but experience has made it difficult, so she kind of keeps apart to protect herself. I do think there’s a little bit of myself in all my characters though. That’s inevitable, I guess.

What/who inspired you to write and still inspires you?

No one inspired me to write. But the story does ¬ the one that needs to be told. It’s the same way now. My only inspiration is the story. Having said that, the idea for my next novel, LILY OF THE SPRINGS, due out in February, was inspired by my late mother (so I guess I just contradicted myself). She grew up in the 1940s in Kentucky and, like many young woman, married too early and didn’t have the chance to explore what she really wanted to do with her life. Thus, I’ve given Lily that chance.

What do you think is the ideal recipe for a good novel or story?

Suspense. And I’m not talking about a thriller kind of suspense, but the ordinary, everyday suspense that keeps the reader turning pages, wanting to know what’s going to happen next. That can, and should, happen in any novel, no matter what the genre.

Have you ever based a character on someone from real life?

I think there’s a lot of my mother in Lily in LILY OF THE SPRINGS. Or maybe I just turned Lily into the woman I thought my mother could’ve been if circumstances had been different for her.

Fave things: animal? food? drink? film? colour? band? song?

Favourite animal? A tie between my 13-year-old cat, Ruby, and my three-year old lab/husky mix, Cooper. 

I have a LOT of favourite foods. I love to eat! But I guess when it comes right down to it, I’d have to say a big slice of gooey, cheese and pepperoni-laden New York pizza.

My favourite film for the past few years is O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? I’ve seen it probably six times, and I still laugh as hard as I did the first time.

My favourite band these days is probably David Cook. But my musical tastes are varied ¬ here’s a sample of musicians I love: Pink, Adele, U2, Carole King, Patsy Cline, Stevie Nicks, Journey, Eddie Vedder, Luka Bloom, Guns ‘N Roses, Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, Mary Fahl… oh, I could go on and on. I have a quite extensive music library.

No way I can narrow down a favourite song, but the first one that comes to mind is BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER.

 
You’re walking in the forest and you bump into an alien librarian from Mars. He wants five book recommendations from you…

THE RUSSIAN CONCUBINE by Kate Furnivall
THE BOLEYN INHERITANCE by Philippa Gregory
CAGE OF STARS by Jacqueline Mitchard
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
THE JOY LUCK CLUB by Amy Tan

Who is your favourite character from any book and why?

Hands down, Scout from TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.

Which book do you wish you had written?

I honestly don’t ever wish I’d written someone else’s book. I just enjoy them.

Which three authors would you like to take to the pub?

Stephen King because I bet he’d be fun, Amy Tan because I admire her so much, and Sophie Kinsella because I know she’d make me laugh.

Are you published or self-published? What is your experience?

My first four novels were published by a major New York house (Tor/Forge). After I was orphaned, my career suffered a decline, and I turned to the small press for publication. With TANGO’S EDGE, I’ve taken the reins into my own hands and self-published through Amazon’s CreateSpace. It’s nice to feel in control of my own career for once.

How do you find the marketing experience? Any advice for other writers?

For me, marketing is a necessary evil. I’d much rather be writing. But you have to do it, so I just bite the bullet and do what I can. Advice? If you want your book to sell, you have to market your ass off. No short-cuts. You just have to realise in this age of publishing that your publisher, even if it’s a major one, won’t be going out of their way to promote you. It’s all up to you, so you might as well accept it and get busy.

Do you have a blog? What do you blog about?

I guess you could call it a blog. I call it an old-fashioned newsletter, which I send out to my fans each month. I write about my life, my grandsons, my vacations, my fights with my husbands… you name it. Whatever is going on with me at the time, I spill. I just have to be me, and my life doesn’t revolve around my writing career… not any more anyway. One day I realised that there was more to life than my career, and I’ve been much happier since. So, if you join my newsletter group, know that you’ll get to know me “upfront and personal”.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bellacera/

What other hobbies do you have?

I sing karaoke, and have done well in some local competitions. I also sing in my church choir and at our annual talent show. Check out my videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlwV6bPQpB4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0zb6u-8lgQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLvTLUaujBk
I also make semi-precious stone jewellery, which I sell on Etsy and at craft fairs.
www.beautifuleveningbead/etsy.com

What would you like to achieve in the next five years?

All I want to achieve is to have my books available for my readers. Of course, I’d love the movie deal… but I’ve been down that road, and it didn’t work out. (Julia Roberts loved one of my scripts, but not enough to option it.) Still, it’s a dream to see one of my books come to life on the big screen.

If you won the Lotto or a major publishing contract, what would you do with that dosh?

Two different things. If I won the Lotto, I’d buy a home on a beach in Hawaii and enjoy life, travel, cruise, sit on the beach and read. If I won that major publishing contract, I’d probably majorly stress out and churn out that book. I’d rather win the Lotto.

Complete one of these stories in 100 words or less…

There was once a wee worm called Fred... who crawled out of the deep, darkest reaches of the dank forest and decided to change the world. He started by changing his name to Charlotte.

What question do you wish I’d asked and, of course, what is the answer?

What kind of wine am I drinking right now? Viura from Spain.

Carole Bellacera

Author of TANGO’S EDGE

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=tango%27s+edge&x=19&y=13

www.CaroleBellacera.com

Sample Sunday: The Weird Tattoo

She sits at the bar
A leg descended
Shifting her skirt
Tapping a foot
To the music
That eels its way
Across the room

The scales circle
Rounding her ankle
Running upwards
Snaking a path
That twists
And turns
Moving unnerving
On the tapping foot

Gliding and wriggling
The weird tattoo
Of a biting snake
Awaiting its prey
Scales of blue
Green, brown, red
Eeling its way
Up the pale skin

She taps her foot
As the music wails
Shifting her weight
On the bright red stool
Asks for another
From the barman
Who chatters away
Wiping glasses
 

One missed beat
And the red wine spills
Across her lap
A blood red trail
Eeling down her leg
Into the waiting
Mouth of the
Hungry snake

This sample poem is from Kaleidoscope, a book of 119 poems:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/51234
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004SY5VZ8

Kiwi and the Living Nightmare - a sneak peek

This except from my book - the third one in the Kiwi Series - appeared on Stephen Hise's blog at http://www.indiesunlimited.com - check it out for news, views, interviews and some funny stuff!

“Let’s try upstairs,” suggested Kiwi.

“Ok,” said James, looking back at the window. The animals in the stained glass remained still. Cats, a forest, birds and a lake. Very colourful and beautiful. The cats had happy, smiling faces, the forest was very green, the lake sparkled in the sun and even the birds looked happy. All of them were robins with little red breasts.

“Come on,” said his sister. “We’re probably just a little bit tired. Maybe we can have a nap upstairs. There are bound to be lots of beds in this big house.”

James’ eyes lit up. Sleep. Yes, he could do with a nap after all of that walking and some munchies. He stopped and fiddled with his rucksack seeking… chocolate. What else? He grinned and grasping the silver-wrapped bar in his hand, he scampered after the others.

“Hope you’ve got one for me!” whispered Amy.

“Of course,” grinned James. “I’ll find one when we get up there.”

Kiwi had stopped on the stairs for them to catch up. A thick, green carpet trailed up the staircase, which was made of a very dark wood. Most of the wood in the house looked old and heavy, and dark. The wallpaper was quite expensive looking, and looked like drawn swirls of red on a white background. Looking closer, Amy could see that there were thousands of branches with little birds hopping around. The lady of the house sure liked nature and animals. Amy guessed she would have liked her.

“Quick! Let’s go up,” winked Kiwi, “we haven’t got all night!”

“Hello…”

“What was that?” whispered Amy, stopping dead in her tracks. “Was that you joking around?”

“No hmph,” mumbled James, trying to speak through the sticky chocolate in his mouth.

“It wasn’t me either,” mewed Kiwi. She looked up, but there was nothing to see. “Maybe it was your imagination… it has been a long day…”

“Maybe,” whispered Amy, looking back down the stairs. The hallway was empty.

Whooooshhhhh, a cold chill of air rushed past them. Amy hugged her arms around her waist. The hairs on her neck stood on end. “You must have felt that!” she whispered, her eyes wide.

“I did,” mewed Kiwi.

James pushed the remains of his chocolate bar into his pocket and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Something cold had rushed past his hands. He rubbed them together. “What is it Kiwi?”

The little black cat stood still with her ears pricked up. Her tail stood on end. She sniffed the air. It was warming up again. Whatever it was had rushed up the staircase. “Maybe we should go back?” she said softly.

Suddenly, a heavy breathing sound could be heard, right in front of them on the next step up. Amy jumped and James banged into her. She gripped her brother’s hand tightly. Kiwi backed into them, protecting them as she looked around. There was nothing on the staircase. But the breathing continued. It was low and heavy, but unmistakeably there. Was the house haunted?

“This is a little bit scary,” whispered James, forgetting that he was trying to be like James Bond whenever they went on an adventure with Kiwi.

The little black cat nodded.

“I think so too,” whispered Amy. “But what you can’t see can’t hurt you… I think…”

Kiwi winked. “Let’s go back down…”

Amy and James nodded. “Phew…”

But, before they could turn around another blast of cold air rushed between their legs. Kiwi’s fur stood on end and she shivered slightly. Suddenly everything went dark.

“Look!” James pointed to the window right by them on the staircase. Outside, it was night-time. The sunshine had disappeared all of a sudden, like a light being switched off, and there was solid darkness out there. No stars, no moon, just black night. The whole house took on a different look. It seemed cold and spooky. The hallway and the stairs were dark, but they could see just about. The dark wasn’t complete.

“Look at the window,” pointed Amy.

In the stained glass window there were no longer smiling cats, but dark shadows with piercing yellow eyes. Instead of robins flying there were dark black ravens. The green forest was now jagged, spectre-like trees and the lake was frozen with black ice. Outside, the wind was beginning to howl.

“What now?” whispered Amy.

“Just follow me down the stairs slowly,” whispered Kiwi. “Don’t look at the windows and just follow me very quietly.” The black cat jumped softly down the staircase, followed by the two children. Amy gripped her brother’s hand tightly and pretended that she wasn’t scared at all. Behind her rib cage her heart beat louder and louder. They crept down the steps one by one. In the air the darkness seemed to be getting darker, but they were not sure if it was just a trick of the light. James dare not look at the stained-glass window and the shadowy creatures it now beheld. After what seemed an eternity, they reached the bottom of the staircase, careful not to make a sound, holding their breath and breathing through their noses. Kiwi’s senses were on alert. She sensed that they had to get out of here as soon as possible. Maybe this adventure wasn’t such a good idea. They began to cross the ‘Welcome’ mat with the friendly looking cats.

“Welcome!” boomed a voice as they trod on the mat.

James jumped and looked down and wished he hadn’t. On the mat, the smiling cat faces had become jagged snarls and their eyes glared a bright red colour. Gulp!

“They’re not real,” whispered Amy, noticing where James was looking. “It’s our imaginations.”

Kiwi wasn’t so sure. She looked around.

“Welcome to my home little kitty… so glad you could make it… I’ve been waiting…”

The voice seemed to come out of the walls. It floated in the empty air around them. Kiwi frowned.

“What or who is it?” whispered Amy.

Kiwi waved her head. She didn’t know. She backed into the children and looked around.

“Follow me!” She mewed and ran towards the corridor. “We must get back to the zebra picture… remember?”

Amy jolted into action and pulled James along behind Kiwi. They charged behind her into the corridor.

“Where are you going? Leaving so soon kitty cat?” shouted the voice, loud and menacing. But it was no longer just a voice. Kiwi skidded to a halt, and James slammed into Amy as she stopped all of a sudden behind their cat. In front of them he roared.

Book links:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/95345
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UF4V6E

Words with... Paul M Schofield

                                                                                                     Nice kitty! :)

Thanks to Paul M Schofield for this interview 

 

How long have you been writing?

I took a creative writing class in 1991, and wrote sporadically for two years. Everything was put in a drawer until the summer of 2009. I started again in earnest and finished Trophy in January 2010.

Do you have a day job or do you write for a living?

I wish I could write for a living but it hasn’t happened yet. I still have my day job as an architectural designer, but at least now it’s part time.

What do you feel is the ideal recipe for a good novel/story/poem?

Five percent flash of inspiration – 95 percent perspiration. It’s hard, repetitive work and you better be willing to stick to it.

What/who inspired you to write and still inspires you?

I love to create, whether it is with music or words. I write because I love to write. As Lord Byron said: “I write to empty my mind. Otherwise I will go mad.”

What books have you written? Do you stick to one genre?

My first novel is Trophy. I am nearly finished with the first sequel. The genre is future-fiction, action-adventure with a sci-fi edge, and I have tried to make it fun and refreshing to read. I would like to write humor some day, but it would probably turn out to be a cure for insomnia!

How long did it take you to get published? Did you take the traditional route or DIY?

I tried the traditional route, but after 60 rejection letters we formed our own publishing company, Galactic Publishers, and did it ourselves using Lightning Source as our POD printer. They are affiliated with Ingram Publishing.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers/those just starting out?

Write about what you love and know. Do your best, and then rewrite and edit your work. Do not get in a hurry to publish until it’s done and polished. Professional help and editing is a must!

Do you have any works in progress?

I am nearing completion of the first sequel in the Trophy Saga. I have two sequels and two prequels planned for a total of five books to complete the Saga.

Which character from your book do you like most/are most like?

My favourite character is Panther, the great black cat. He is a partial android, with cybernetic enhancements. His power, speed and loyalty are awesome.

Where and when do you write – do you have set times during which you write or is it just when the mood takes you?

I try to write every day, usually in the morning, even if it’s only a few paragraphs – write or edit.  Forget mood; writing is hard work and you have to keep at it. As the fighting instructor Gurney Haleck in the novel Dune said: “Mood is for lovers, you may have to fight at any time, whether you are in the mood or not.” Writing is the same – just do it.

Marketing – the bane of self-publishers – how do you find the experience? Do you have any marketing advice for other writers? Do you use a blog or twitter, etc?

Marketing is difficult, relentless, and time consuming – but absolutely necessary. Get help if you can. My wife shoulders the majority of it so I can write. The whole publishing industry is in a great period of flux right now and difficult to know exactly what to do. Use as many resources such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs as you realistically can handle.

Some of your fave things … 

 Animal? Food? Drink? Film? Colour? Band? Song? Place to chill out?

Cats, of course.

Cooked-on-the-stove popcorn and Guinness.

The first Star Wars movie.

Green.

The Byrds.

Turn! Turn! Turn!

I love to chill out in my observatory with my telescope watching the stars, fireflies and bats while listening to the screech owls, crickets and whippoorwills.

Which book do you wish you had written?

Lord of the Rings.

Who is your favourite character from any book and why?

Elizabeth Bennett from Pride & Prejudice. I love her spunk, tenacity, decency and fluency with the English language.

Which three authors (living or not) would you like to take to the pub?

Tolkien, Austen and Hemingway.

What other hobbies/interests do you have or has writing taken over?

Spending time with my family, including my cats, volunteer work, amateur astronomy, walking in the woods around my home.

What would you like to achieve in the next five years?

Retire so I can write more, finish the Trophy Saga, stay healthy and enjoy life, stay alive…

If you won the Lotto, what would you do with it all?

Give it all away and keep living simply. The vast majority of people who suddenly gain a lot of wealth are miserable and chronically unhappy.

Now for the creative bit … please finish this story in 100 words or less … there once was a small gecko called Fred ...

There once was a small gecko called Fred. But Fred was depressed, and clinging to the ceiling wasn’t curing his doldrums.

“Why did my cousin Dinton have to leave? We were so happy – getting along great – catching flies – hanging out. Then this big man takes him. Peculiar bloke – talked funny. He said he liked Dinton’s accent.”

Fred drops to the remote, the flat-screen turns on.

“(Sigh) … there he is again, living it up. Even has his own motorcycle. You think he’ll ever remember me now that he’s working for that big insurance company?”

Finally, what question do you wish I’d asked and, of course, what is the answer?

Do you like to read your own work?

Yes, I get a real kick out of it. Sometimes I’ll ask myself how I ever came up with a particular passage or description. I really don’t know. That’s the beauty of being creative. It’s just plain fun.

Your book/website/blog/twitter links…

www.paulmschofield.com

www.facebook.com/trophysaga

www.twitter.com/trophysaga

 

Words with... Jim Murdoch

Thanks to Jim Murdoch for this interview

How long have you been writing?

Forty years. I started with poetry when I was twelve. I was sixteen when I started to see those poems in print, and I’ve continued to write and publish poetry ever since. I wrote my first two novels in my early thirties, back to back. I had no aspirations of being a novelist – I didn’t even write short stories at the time – but I hadn’t written a poem in three years and thought that I was done pretending to be a writer. Then one day, in the middle of a serious bout of depression of all things, I sat down and just started writing with no idea where it was going. A couple of weeks later I had the draft of my first novel done.

Do you have a day job or do you write for a living?

For most of my life I have had the kind of job that you couldn't just leave in the office, and so all my writing was done in the evenings and at weekends, and it’s surprising just how much one can get done in that time. Nowadays I stay at home to look after my wife. To be fair, at the moment she doesn’t need a lot of care and attention, and so effectively I’m a full-time writer these days.

What do you feel is the ideal recipe for a good novel/story/poem?

My poems are nothing like my stories and my stories are nothing like my novels. Certainly, as far as prose goes I’m with Fitzgerald: “Character is plot, plot is character.” On the whole, though, I’m basically opposed to anyone who says there is an ideal anything or a certain way you should be doing things. There are always exceptions. Look at the current establishment, whether that be writers, artists. musicians or even comedians – a few years ago, Michael Palin CBE FRGS was best known as a member of the groundbreaking comedy team Monty Python and Roger Daltrey CBE was hoping he would die before he got old. New gets old very quickly. Moulds get broken only to be replaced by newer moulds.

What/who inspired you to write and still inspires you?

I was sitting in a cold classroom on a dreich Tuesday afternoon. Our teacher handed out roneoed copies of Philip Larkin's poem Mr Bleaney. There were no similes, no metaphors, no alliteration, no onomatopoeia, no babbling brooks, no blokes sitting in fields full of daisies. Suddenly I realised what poetry was and all the rest was window-dressing. It was nothing less than an epiphany. 

Later I discovered William Carlos Williams, Richard Brautigan, Alan Bennett and Samuel Beckett. 

Sadly, most of my heroes, for want of a better term, are now dead and I’m afraid there aren’t many living writers whose work I would buy on its day of release. This doesn’t mean there aren’t many great writers still alive, but none who have had the same effect on me as those listed above.

I dislike the term ‘inspiration’ because I feel it tends to get romanticised – needless to say I’m not fond of the term ‘muse’ either. As far as I’m concerned, inspiration is nothing more than a good idea, plain and simple, and if you don’t have a good idea then run with any ol’ idea.

What books have you written? Do you stick to one genre?

I have written five novels: Living with the Truth and its sequel, Stranger than Fiction, The More Things Change, Milligan and Murphy, and Left. 

I like to think of myself as a literary author and I define ‘literary fiction’ as the kind of writing where how something is written is more important than what is being said. Now I have seen some authors who have gone too far and produced books that are essentially unreadable, and I don’t see the point to that. At the same time I’m not especially interested in just telling a story: books that are simply entertainment irritate me. I like to make my readers think.

I gave up a long time ago trying to categorise my books. Living with the Truth includes the character of Truth, who literally is the personification of truth, but other than that everything takes place in the real world. So, yes, in absolute strictness it’s a fantasy novel, but I doubt most people who are fans of that genre would class it as such. The author Kay Sexton described it as follows:

“In all, this is one of those novels that bookshops must hate: not 'hard' enough to be spec fic, not 'weird' enough to be fantasy, too realistic for the humour section and yet too humorous to shelve easily with the lit fic. And that, I suspect is going to prove to be its charm; for those who do read it, it's a singular take on the world…”

Milligan and Murphy is actually a metafiction. Left is essentially a mystery in its structure, but I can guarantee that lovers of Agatha Christie’s mysteries will probably be very disappointed by my approach to the problem.

How long did it take you to write your book/s?

I’ve written five novels in about eighteen years so we’re talking about four years apiece on average. Left took longer because I fell ill in the middle of it and didn’t touch it for two years. There was also a two-year break in the writing of The More Things Change, which I filled writing a collection of themed short stories.

Do you have any works in progress?

Probably the most honest answer to that is: I don’t know. I know a lot of writers feel guilty if they’re not scribbling away on a scrap of paper or rattling away on a keyboard, as if one can only be a writer when engaged in the physical act of recording words, but I’ve started to appreciate the need to not write, to allow ideas to gestate and see what comes to the surface naturally. That doesn’t mean I’m not busy. My blog certainly keeps me occupied. If you’ve not read my blog before, I do a lot of in-depth book reviews and literary articles, essays if you will. There is always new stuff to learn and so I pick a topic, research it and write about it. I average about 1000 words a day.

Which character from your books do you like most / are most like?

I don’t actually like many of the characters I write. Most of them aren’t especially likeable. There are no evil bastards or anything like that, but I tend to focus on rather sad individuals, disappointed with themselves and by life, whose lives I then proceed to turn upside down. And the thing I’ve noted is just how much people will end up rooting for the underdog. No one ever finished reading my first two novels hating Jonathan Payne; in fact the first person who ever read the novel said to me, “How dare you…” when she saw what I did to him at the end of the first book. She was genuinely outraged on the character’s behalf and you can’t ignore a reaction like that. 

To be fair though it’s hard not to like Truth. He’s exactly what it says on the tin, completely honest. Sometimes he comes across as cruel or flippant, but he’s never less than honest. He’s a bit like Data or Mork – he states things as he sees them. The difference is that he never misinterprets things: a spade is always a spade. One reviewer, the Irish playwright Ken Armstrong, called him “an 'Enfant Terrible' of quips, verbal side-swipes and non-sequiturs”.

As for which character I’m most like, let me refer to what Ken had to say in the same review:

When Lady Diana gave her famous doe-eyed interview to BBC reporter Martin Bashir on the 20th November 1995, she indicated that '…there were three of us in this marriage'. In a somewhat similar fashion, there are also three people in this novel.

That 'third man' is everywhere, he's lurking behind the bookshelves, at the next table in the restaurant, across the aisle on the train.

That 'Third Man' is the writer, Jim.

Nowadays it seems that every single novel in the world requires the writer to be like a puppeteer, manipulating the characters quietly from behind or beneath, never showing himself or taking an active part.

Jim shows himself all over the place in his writing. He cannot resist providing knowing commentary on the proceedings as they proceed. If there's a good cultural reference to be utilised and the characters of the book can't handle it, never fear, Jim will get it in there himself.

And this is by no means a criticism, in fact, I bloody love it. By deliberately putting himself forward as a succinct personality within his own book, Jim puts himself in the company of some of the writers I treasure the most – those who have fearlessly done the same. Writers like Flann O'Brien, Tom Robbins and Spike Milligan. These men are present within their own books like puppeteers who have stood up from behind the striped curtain to play out in public with their own little Punch and Judy dolls. It isn't easy to carry off – you need a distinctive voice for a start – but Jim does it admirably well. In fact, I would go so far as to say, "That's the way to do it!"

Where and when do you write? Do you have set times during which you write or is it just when the mood takes you?

I am one of those lucky writers who can write anywhere. I can work on a computer or I can write on paper. I have an office – I always  wanted an office, but since my wife bought me my first laptop I’ve taken to working in the living room with her. I have a kind of mini-office set-up in the alcove by the front window. But I have written everywhere.

Nowadays I have a more structured life, but I’m still well aware of how a writer is not always as much in control of the writing process as he’d like to think he is, and my wife understands completely if I say I have to get out of bed and write. Poetry, however, I don’t force. Which means I don’t write a lot of it, but I don’t have the same passions I had when I was a teenager. I write when I have something to say.

And it’s a bit like that with the books too. I’m not interested in telling stories. I’m interested in making points. I’ve always said, “A book can live without a plot but it can’t without a point”. I don’t always know what the point of the book is when I start it – the whole point to the writing for me is to find the words to make that point – but once I’ve done it everything falls into place. In Milligan and Murphy this was when an old priest tells them that there are no reasons for unreasonable things. Once he said that (or I made him say that) I knew what the book was about.

Have you ever based a character on someone from real life? Has the person guessed?

Yes and no. I borrow characters from real life all the time, a bit from this one, a bit from that, but I’ve never gone so far as to describe anyone real or incorporate real events. An example: in Milligan and Murphy, Milligan wakes up after a night of heavy drinking:

“Murphy? Is that you?”

“Of course it bloody well is.”

“What?”

“Can you move?”

“I don’t know. Can’t you?”

“I think my head’s been nailed to the floor.”

“Don’t be daft, man. Who’d do a thing like that?”

“That I have no idea. Will you have a look?”

“I don’t think I can, Murphy.”

“Why not?”

“I think they did the same to me.”

I had a friend once called Tom who told me a story about his father’s first experience of tequila. When he woke up in the morning he was convinced his head had been nailed to the floor. I would imagine his dad is now dead so that would leave just one person out there who might make the connection.

How do you find the marketing experience? Any advice for other writers? Do you use a blog or twitter, etc?

Marketing is hard. We’re always being told about the potential audience there is out there, but how do you make contact? The internet promises much but it has its limitations. It’s like a dictionary. A dictionary is a wonderful thing if you know the word you want to look up. And so if you want to see if Stephen King or Ian McEwan has a new book out then it takes a matter of seconds. But what about Douglas Adams? We know he’s dead so he won’t be writing any more books and it doesn’t look as if Sir Terry Pratchett will be around for an awful lot longer. What are you going to do when you’ve read all their books? You could try typing 'reminds me of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett' into Google and you’d get Die Schildkroten, an English major at a public university in California, British novelist Jasper Fforde and me:

Murdoch's writing style reminds me of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett's humour but at the same time it has its own sense of quirkiness – BCF Book Reviews

That means there are thousands of readers out there who stand an above average chance of actually liking one or two of my books, but they don’t know me and I don’t know them.

I have no quick tricks up my sleeve, nothing that you won’t read elsewhere, and most of it is common sense anyway. The thing is to be prepared for the long haul and keep at it. This is me keeping at it right now.

One day you’re walking in the forest and you bump into an alien librarian from Mars. He wants five book recommendations from you…

When my wife – who’s an American by the way – and I were getting to know each other we tried this, making up Top Tens and I suck at it. My Top Tens are usually about twenty-five long and counting. But I’ll give it a go. These are not my favourite books:

·         Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

·         Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

·         One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

·         Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

·         Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A Heinlein

Some of your fave things: Animal? Food? Drink? Film? Colour? Band? Song? Place to chill out?

Animal – cat.

Food – chocolate.

Drink – raspberry milkshake (banana at a push).

Film – The Man Who Loved Women (the Truffaut original), Solaris (the Tarkovsky original), Alien, Blade Runner, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Monty Python’s Life of Brian, and pretty much any Woody Allen film between 1969 and 1999, although his recent films see him back on track.

Colour – green.

Band – Pink Floyd, Marillion (the Fish years especially), Tangerine Dream (I have 60+ albums), The Monkeys, Velvet Underground, Deep Purple, Blondie, Slade, and I could provide lists far longer for favourite solo artist and favourite classical composer.

Song – Maria by Blondie, Freaks by Marillion, No More Heroes by The Stranglers, Everybody Knows by Leonard Cohen, Surfs Up by Jim Steinman, Wild Wood by Paul Weller, Complex by Gary Numan, Hurt by Johnny Cash, Will You’ by Hazel O’Connor, The Passenger by Iggy Pop, Silent All These Years by Tori Amos, Clocks by Coldplay, Why Does It Always Rain on Me by Travis… I mean, seriously, I could go on and on and on, and I could provide lists every bit as long for favourite film score and favourite album.

Place to chill out – in front of the TV.

Which book do you wish you had written?

Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse. It was later adapted into a play, a film, a musical and a TV series, and works every time.

What other hobbies/interests do you have or has writing taken over?

Basically these days I write until I can’t write any more and then watch TV until bed. TV gets a lot of stick. I find it endlessly stimulating.

What would you like to achieve in the next five years?

A sixth novel. I’d also like to be getting known a bit by then. Maybe sell a few books. I am in no rush. These things take time.

If you won the Lotto, what would you do with all it?

Start a publishing company. I know some people think that in a few years we won’t need these, but I’m not so sure. There will always be writers out there whose singular talent is writing, not marketing or editing or cover design. I would like to find writers like that and support them. Oh, and I’d concentrate on shorter works like novellas and short story collections, too long neglected.

And now for the creative bit. Please complete this story in 100 words or less…

There was a young frog called Kipper…

“I’m sorry?”

“There was a young frog called Kipper.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought you said.”

“So?”

“Do you not think I’m a bit old for stories about frogs?”

“Frogs are interesting.”

“Not to me.”

“Since when?”

“Oh, I dunno, since I maybe turned twenty-three.”

“So you don’t want to hear about Kipper?”

“Not especially.”

“Did I mention he was a Jedi frog?”

“Come again?”

“A Jedi frog.”

“There’s no such thing.”

“As Jedis or Jedi frogs?”

“Either. Neither.”

“You’re just no fun.”

“Oh, yes I am.”

“…………….I’m not going there.”

Lastly, what question do you wish I'd asked and, of course, what is the answer?

Why are you a writer?

A writer is a person whose natural response to life is to write about it. At least that’s how I define it. I’m a writer because that’s what I do naturally. It’s no different to sleeping or eating or having a pee as far as I’m concerned. I get the urge to write, I write and I feel better afterwards. The actual writing itself can be a bit of a chore at times, but that doesn’t mean it’s not natural.

Links

http://www.jimmurdoch.co.uk/

http://jim-murdoch.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/Jimmy4559

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jmurdoch