What it’s like being a writer…
Q. Living in Africa must have been a great stimulus to your imagination in writing books.
Tell our readers about it.
A. Africa is a stimulating place to live in because there are always things happening there.
Not all the things are nice, but they’re usually exciting so it’s a great backdrop for
fictional stories.
Q. Your stories make use of real places in Africa and the UK. To what extent do you find you
model your fictional characters on real people you have known?
A. Most of my characters start out loosely modelled on people I have known, but as the story
progresses the characters evolve and seem to take on a life of their own. Sometimes even I
am amazed at how they turn out!
Q. Did you undergo special training to become an author?
A. Not really. There is a lot of help to be had in books and on the internet and I take
full advantage of this and learn as I go along.
Q. How did you feel after your first book was published?
A. It was really exciting to eventually become a published author.
Q. Do you ever get writer’s block? How do you get past it?
A. Yes, I think all writers get it sometimes. I find the best thing to do when it happens is to sit
down and write. What I produce may not be up to much and will probably be discarded,
but it seems to clear the blockage if I do that and soon the ideas are flowing again.
Q. What are some of the challenges of writing fiction?
A. It is important that there is both authenticity and drama in the story. It must have a very
strong protagonist, and all the characters must be convincing and appear as ‘real’ people.
Q. Your books are available on Amazon. What kind of feedback have you had from readers?
A. I’ve had some very good feedback and it’s gratifying to find that most people have really
enjoyed my books.
Q. Tell us about some of the other writing projects you have in mind.
‘Dance of Jeopardy’ is the next book that I will publish. This was written specifically for
my sons because they asked me to write a book that they might enjoy.
