1) Writing is said to be something that people are afflicted
with rather than gifted and that it’s something you have to do rather
than want. What is your opinion of this statement and how true is it to
you?
I think afflicted is a strong word. I’ve never felt like one of those
writers who is ‘tortured’ by their creativity. I certainly feel as if
I’ve never really had a choice about what I wanted to do. And there are
moments when I wish I could switch off my brain for a little while – my
imagination can run away with itself sometimes. But most of the time I
am grateful for the life I have.
2) When did you realise that you wanted to be a writer?
Very early on. I’ve been writing and illustrating stories since I was
about six or seven. I would have been in my teens when I first started
considering it as a job, but I went into illustration because I thought
it would be easier to make a living. That’s the kind of eejit I was.
3) It is often said that if you can write a short story you can
write anything. How true do you think this is and what have you written
that either proves or disproves this POV?
It can certainly be hard to fit a story into a short format. A bit like
staging a play in a phone box. Every line must be written to great
effect. I write stories for all age groups and length is an issue,
particularly for younger readers. My shortest book is 1000 words long,
my longest so far is 113,000 words.
4) If someone were to enter a bookshop, how would you persuade
them to try your novel over someone else’s and how would you define it?
For my latest novel, The Wisdom of Dead Men, I would say: ‘It’s a
humorous, action-packed fantasy history mystery thriller, set in
Victorian Ireland, about the conspiracies of a murderous family,
spontaneously combusting women, a sexist secret order and machines that
wander the world like wild animals. If you like crime, historical
novels, sci-fi or fantasy stories, action thrillers or the surreal,
you’ll love this book.’ If that doesn’t interest them, I’d point them
towards the celebrity biography section.
5) How would you “sell” your book in 20 words or less?
This is like the last question isn’t it? All right, in less than 20
words or less: ‘A conspiring, murderous family, spontaneously combusting
women, mysterious machines and a war of the sexes, set in Victorian
Ireland.’
6) Who is a must have on your bookshelf and whose latest release
will find you on the bookshops doorstep waiting for it to open?
I couldn’t pick just one. Of the writers who are still alive: Terry
Pratchett, Iain Banks and Kate Thompson are among the top of the list. I
wish Raymond Chandler was still knocking them out. But I don’t really
have favourites of anything.
7) When you sit down and write, do you know how the story will
end or do you just let the pen take you? ie Do you develop character
profiles and outlines for your novels before writing them or do you let
your ideas develop as you write?
I’m a planner. I make copious notes before I start a book. I don’t start
writing until I have, at the very least, a title, a gripping start and a
climactic ending. Even so, a book always develops in ways you didn’t
expect once you start writing.
8) What do you do to relax and what have you read recently?
I love hillwalking, watching films, sitting in cafes with my notebook
and spending time with my family. The last three books I read were:
Raymond Chandler’s The Lady in the Lake, Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard
Book and Shaun Tan’s Tales from Outer Suburbia. I’m also reading a book
entitled Fatherhood: The Truth, by Marcus Berkman, because I have a new
baby daughter.
9) What is your guiltiest pleasure that few know about?
I’m afraid it’s going to have to stay that way.
10) Lots of writers tend to have pets. What do you have and
what are their key traits (and do they appear in your novel in certain
character attributes?)
I was always rescuing lost or wounded animals when I was a kid, but I
was never allowed keep them, or have a pet, because both my parents
worked and couldn’t spare the time to look after it. My mother got a
cocker spaniel after I left home, which I both loved and resented. I’ve
promised my stepson a kitten after we come back from our holidays – I’d
prefer a dog, but I’d want a big dog, we don’t have a secure garden and
I’m away a lot. Cats don’t need you around as much (some don’t need you
at all, as long as you’re producing the goods).
11) Which character within your latest book was the most fun to write and why?
In The Wisdom of Dead Men, it would be a toss up between
Tatiana or Roberto. Tatty is this pathologically bubbly teenager defying
the moral conventions of her Victorian world. She speaks her mind,
often simplistically, but never in a stupid way, much to the annoyance
of the rest of her family. Berto was a meatier part to write. He is the
reluctant head of a predatory family, determined to reform their ways.
His light-hearted nature is smothered by the fact that he must keep his
homosexuality secret, is confined to a wheelchair and faces constant
threat of assassination.
12) How similar to your principle protagonist are you?
Not very. The principle character in The Wisdom of Dead Men would
probably be Nathaniel, though he’s not the single most important one.
Nate is a natural athlete and the bodyguard and problem-solver for his
older brother and some of his family want him dead – none of which would
be features I could claim. On the other hand, he does have an interest
in zoology (albeit a weird type of zoology), which mirrors my interests
when I was young, is resentful of interference in his work and a bit
belligerent at times. I suppose if you combined Nate, Gerald, Berto and
Daisy – four of the main characters – you’d have a lot of my
characteristics.
13) What hobbies do you have and how do they influence your work?
My hobbies and work overlap to a huge degree. I love films and they have
a massive influence on my work – as do my reading habits, obviously. My
illustration work has resulted in my doing very little drawing or
painting for pleasure, but I aspire to doing more. Again, this kind of
work influences the visual nature of my writing. I love hillwalking and
other reasons to get outdoors and I think that comes through in my
stories, as does my interest in so many things, from cars to zoology,
martial arts to health issues. I have a wide range of interests and I
enjoy seeing anything done with a high level of skill.
14) Where do you get your ideas from?
Everywhere. The world is full of things to give you ideas. When you can
teach yourself to look at things in a certain way, you’ll never be short
of ideas.
15) Do you ever encounter writers block and if so how do you overcome it?
I think the term ‘writers block’ is just a fancy way of saying you’re
stuck. If you’re trying to write the next great literary work and get
all worked up about the fact you don’t know what to write next, it’s
easy to think you’ve hit some immovable wall. Or sometimes you’re just
not in the mood. So what? Sometimes I get stuck; when I do, I take a
break or just make a change and write something else for a while. If you
can’t think of anything to write, write about not being able to write.
There’s always a way out of it.
16) Certain authors are renowned for writing at what many would
call uncivilised times. When do you write and how do the others in your
household feel about it?
I prefer to write from late morning into the evening. Writing in the
evening is often my most productive time, but I have a family I have to
spend time with, so I don’t get to do it as often as I used to.
17) Sometimes pieces of music seem to influence certain scenes
within novels, do you have a soundtrack for your tale or is it a case of
writing in silence with perhaps the odd musical break in-between
scenes?
I will sometimes use a piece of music to get myself psyched up, and will
even mention appropriate pieces of music in a text to help the
atmosphere, but I never listen to music while I’m writing. It’s
different with illustration. I normally won’t listen to music while I’m
conceiving or sketching out a picture, but nearly always listen while
I’m rendering it.
18) What misconceptions, if any, did you have about the writing and publishing field when you were first getting started?
I had no idea that writers had to do so much of the promotion of their
books. Getting out and spreading the word is often the difference
between making a living and not. And it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. And
it’s a cliché, but it’s ridiculously hard to make a living in this
profession. You work so hard to get published, but that’s only the very
start of the game.
19) If music be the food of love, what do you think writing is and please explain your answer?
Writing is food for the brain. One must passionately engage with it,
taste, experiment, explore and consume with relish. And I’m all for
comfort eating, but you need to be careful your brain doesn’t become a
skull potato.
20) What can you tell us about the next novel?
It’s a hard-boiled mystery story, with a supernatural undercurrent,
featuring a street-gang member turned private eye and his enigmatic
arthritic boss, a girl on a mission from God, a gun-nut, a Harley-riding
pale-skinned cowboy, a group of Satanists, an arms manufacturer and a
Jamaican gangster, most of whom are looking for either a quantum
physicist or a missing gun – or both.
21) What are the last five internet sites that you’ve visited?
I’ve just helped set up cb-info on the Children’s Books Ireland site – a
professional’s guide to the world of children’s books in Ireland – so
I’ve been on that a lot. I’m regularly updating my own site, so I’m on
that all the time too. YouTube is really useful for video demonstrations
of things I want to see in operation, like robotic book scanners and
the Espresso Book Machine and also for all kinds of useful and
entertaining snippets. I updated my Firefox browser recently on the
Mozilla site. I use Wikipedia a fair bit too, but you always have to
triple check anything you find there.
22) Did you ever take any writing classes or specific instructions to learn the craft? If so please let us know which ones.
No, I’ve never done any writing classes. I learned everything I know
about writing from all the books that I’ve read, the films I’ve seen and
English class at school. But I know other people who’ve found classes
very helpful and now I teach a lot too.
23) How did you get past the initial barriers of criticism and rejection?
I was an illustrator for years before I tried getting published as a
writer. A unflinching persistence, a very thick skin and a substantial
ego are essential requirements for both jobs.
24) In your opinion, what are the best and worst aspects of writing for a living?
The worst aspects of this life are the instability of income and the
sheer quantities of administration, networking and promotional work that
you have to do to make the books sell – work I never anticipated when I
dreamed of being a writer. It takes up a huge amount of your time. The
best aspect of this life is that I get to do what I love as a job. I
love my working day. I’ll keep doing this until somebody stops me.