Leesa Harker, playwright, author, Open University student, and mother, has had tremendous success over the past twelve months with her books and her play 51 Shades of Maggie, which is currently touring the UK and has recently triumphed in Australia. I caught up with Leesa to ask her a couple of questions.

You have had phenomenal success over the last twelve months-What has been your favourite highlight?

There have been many! I’ve just had my play sell out at The Grand Opera House in Belfast which was amazing. But, I think seeing my book on the shelf in the main bookstores in Belfast City Centre has to be the personal highlight for me. Because it’s something I had dreamt of since I was a child. And I could finally call myself, a writer.

How did you find the adapting of the dialect for the UK/Australian audience?

I didn’t adapt the Australian one myself, the production team and actress did that over there. I’ve never been to Australia! The UK one was actually quite straightforward. I have always been good at ‘doing’ accents. So, I watched Eastenders, then wrote a little (it’s an East-End version for the UK) then watched again the next night and wrote a little. My thoughts in my head were in an East-End accent, so it just flowed from there. That makes me sound like a schizophrenic!

You have started your own theatre production company-what are your plans for this?

Well, I have learned so much in the last year. In particular, don’t sign contracts until you have an agent. So, taking that on board, I decided to produce the next Maggie Muff play myself. I want to be in control of my own creativity – and profit. I have a business background – so I thought – why not! I’m not one to be afraid of taking a risk or grabbing an opportunity. I’m very excited!

Adele De Silva plays the lead in the UK adaptation-did she instantly like the script?

Yes! She had her audition in Belfast and she really took on the role of Maggie right away. She ‘got’ it. I’m looking forward to seeing her on stage as Maggie in September.

Who inspires you-and why?

Quite a few actually! Writers wise – I have always been a Marian Keyes fan – in fact, she is the one who inspired me to write. Her conversational style and real characters makes it look easy! (It’s not.) I really admire strong female writers – I love Kay Mellor. She writes for TV – I remember watching Band of Gold on TV and thinking – I want to do this. I also love Ruth Jones. I think writing for TV is a male-dominated environment, so that’s why I especially admire female TV writers.

What is your favourite line from 51 shades of Maggie?

There’s quite a few belly-laugh moments. But one of my favourites is when Mr Big invites Maggie for dinner…and it’s oysters. Maggie has never had oysters before – she’s used to dinner dates at KFC. But she gets drunk and eats a load of them. Then, Mr Big takes her to the bedroom. She is on the bed on all-fours when he comes closer to admire her bottom. She says, ‘See if I do an oyster fart now…he’s gonna end up with his eye-brows singed…and a squint!’

Has your studying with the Open University helped your writing?

Definitely. The course materials were great…mostly. But more importantly, reading other students work and seeing what they did right, and wrong helped me. Aside from that, my Creative Writing tutor was the one who told me that I had a gift for writing comedy and not to shy away from that. I had been worried that other students in my group were writing about death and cryptic poetry and here I was writing about a slimming class. So, I suppose, the Open University gave me the confidence to dip my toe in to comedy and here I am!

What advice would you give budding playwrights/authors?

I think there are a lot of talented people who can’t get the break. I was lucky to get my break in a unique way. I think you just have to keep writing and putting your work out there. Join Twitter. There are lots of authors/agents on there who are a great support and you can learn who is doing what etc. Look at authors who write like you and find out who their agent is. If you are interested in writing for TV, The BBC Writers Room website is a must. Without sounding cheesey…believe in yourself!

How did the Australian connection/adaptation come about?

The production company who are producing Mrs Brown’s Boys in Australia got in touch with my production company here. There have been a lot of comments about Maggie Muff being the new Mrs Brown – which is flattering…and terrifying! And within weeks, they had booked the tour. It all happens very fast.

In your opinion what is the most important part of the writing process?

For me, it’s character. Things like structure, technique, story can all be taught and fiddled with, edited etc. But you have to have a great character at the centre of any story, whether it’s for a novel, play or TV. I think if you have the character, the rest will come.

You have two young daughters-what do they think of mum’s success?

My 3 year old doesn’t understand really. But the 5 year old does. She comes to some book signings and puts the stickers saying ‘Signed by the Author’ on the books. She knows I write books and plays about Maggie Muff – but that’s the extent of her knowledge on that! The material is not suitable for children! But she sees me in the papers and on the radio and is delighted.

What is your favourite book/author?

I read a lot. And have lots of favourites. I can literally go from Stephen King to Harry Potter to biographies. I always loved the book (and film) Bridget Jones’ Diary. I think Helen Fielding did something new at the time – it was beyond chick lit. I am a big Marian Keyes fan too. Recently, I raved about Jojo Moyes book ‘Me Before You’ and am currently reading ‘Gone Girl’ which is also fab. This is the question I dread! I wasn’t into ‘Little Women’ or things like that as a child – I read ‘Sweet Valley High’ and Stephen King novels!

Kitty Fitzgerald is the author of Pigtopia (2005, Faber and Faber), Small Acts of Treachery (2002, Brandon), Snapdragons (1999, Brandon) and Marge (1985, Sheba), 4 plays for Radio 4 and 8 theatre plays. She was also shortlisted for the 2013 William Trevor/Elizabeth Bowen International Short Story Story Award. Ink Pantry elf Deborah Edgeley caught up with Kitty about her screen-writing experience.

You won the most original screenplay for Dream On (Amber Films) at Le Baule Film Festival, France. Can you please tell us a bit about it, why you think it was original, where you got your idea from and what inspired you?

We always worked in teams at Amber Films; I’d been working with a group of women on a council house estate for 5 years, running a weekly writing group and I was convinced from what I’d learned that a fictional film based around the lives of these women would be good.

So three of us women in the collective began research work, film work, filmed interviews and eventually persuaded the collective that it should be a our next film.

We brought in professional actors to work with the women – several of whom played themselves in the film – talked about scenes and did some devising. In the end I took all the material away and came up with a full script. The three us then spent a week talking it through and I wrote shooting script. It changed a bit in the filming e.g. my script was ninety minutes and the finished product was over two hours.

It was thought original because it told the story from three different viewpoints and we also use direct to camera comments from the three women. Also the subjects covered: Bulimia, Child Sexual Abuse, Alcoholism, Glue-sniffing, Violence against Women and Clairvoyance were then rarely seen on the big screen.

You were a partner in Amber Films and produced heritage scripts for museums and other venues. This also sounds really interesting. Could you please tell us a bit more about it?

The heritage scripts weren’t for Amber, they were for other companies such as Atacama Films. I really enjoyed it. It involved researching particular periods in history and coming up with an entertaining storyline for the script; Border Revivers, Craft Workers on the Titanic, Children in the mines and so on. Sometime I was given an historic object and had to build a story around that.  The films were then used in museums and other heritage venues and as educational resources

Do you think in images when you are planning a screenplay, or do you write the story first and then adapt it for the screen?

I always think in ‘scenes’ so the process is very visual from the start. I do the same with theatre scripts.

Which films would you recommend as inspiration for first time screenwriters with regard to crafting a film?

Recommending films is really tough. I like so many and all for different reasons. But in terms of script, I love Casablanca. I’ve just seen it again on a large screen (at Whitley Bay Film Festival) and its wonderfully crisp and ironic.

With regard to structure, how do you manage to piece the scenes together? Is this the hardest part of screen-writing for you?

I think getting the structure right is the fun part. I find first drafts very painful but once I’ve got that, I write the bones of each scene on postcards and play at shuffling them into different sequences. Sometimes it throws up great surprises. The difficult thing is working with producers or directors whose only real interest is in making money not making good films. They will cut corners that shouldn’t be cut and dwell on things that should be minimised. The last one I worked with said: Don’t make any scene linger than 2 minutes, that’s the level of audience general concentration. Naturally I disagreed with him. That’s why I like the new interest that has developed in Nordic film making; they have no fear of dwelling…in the right places.

What elements of screen-writing do you enjoy the most and why?

I enjoy the development of a new idea/character/setting or the revisiting of old themes; thinking about it, playing with it, walking around with it in my mind until it feels ready to hatch. As I said above, doing the first draft of a script is tough but then I get the playfulness of the editing and redrafting stages.

http://www.kittyfitzgerald.com/

Hugely successful author Caroline Smailes, Open University tutor and editor, has written six novels, including The Drowning of Arthur Braxton, Like Bees to Honey, In Search of Adam, Black Boxes, 99 Reasons Why and Freaks. This year, she had Arts Council funding for her latest novel The Continuing Story of Martha Lost. Deborah Edgeley caught up with her.

In The Observer, you have been described as being an arch-experimentalist. Can you please tell us a bit about the style of your work?

I think (and hope) my style of writing evolves and adapts to each story I try to tell. In the past, I’ve used different fonts to indicate altered voice and mood. Key words, themes and repeated phraseology were signalled through a consistent font choice being assigned to them. I’ve also included sign language, short chapters, eleven possible endings to one novel and script, as well as considering the use of white space. The aim was to give the words life and breath on the page. I wanted the words to be given a creative expression beyond the surface meaning, so I experimented to add a depth that could not be obtained through standard presentation and storytelling.

But saying all of that, the novel I’ve just finished follows standard grammatical rules and standard format. And it only has one ending. So, I don’t feel I have a style, as such, it’s more about using available tools to tell a story in the best way that I can.

Your innovative digital novel 99 Reasons Why is a huge success. The iPad version has a spinning wheel at the end of Chapter 89 for the reader to choose one of eleven possible endings. In your talk at the MMU this year, you mentioned ebooks and the difficulties in transferring various fonts, white spaces and layouts into the ebook format. Do you think that this will improve in years to come?

Yes without a doubt, I think this is changing all the time. It’s ‘simply’ (in a very complicated way!) a problem that requires software to improve.

You also mentioned having a soundtrack to a book, and linking it to Spotify. This is also fascinating. How would this change the reading experience, do you think? Would it enhance it or distract?

I don’t think this is an easy question to answer, simply because it’s down to the tastes of the individual reader. For me, it’s about giving readers choice and enhancing their reading options. A reader can listen to the Spotify tracks or look at images that inspired where a novel was set, and for some it will enhance their understanding and reading experience. Other readers won’t want the distraction but my hope is that they’ll simply ignore the links that have been made available.

Personally, I like that the reading experience can be offered on a number of levels now and I’m excited about where technology will take us, as both readers and writers.

You described writing your first draft of each novel as a ‘vomit draft’! What is your preferred way of turning the first draft into a novel, or does it change with each book?

It changes with each novel. Sometimes I write longhand, so the ‘vomit into a novel’ comes as I type the words. Other times, it comes with a stripping back of the text and considering the use of every single word. The ‘turning it into a novel’ stage is my favourite stage of writing.

Which authors inspire you and why?

Jeanette Winterson, Margaret Atwood, John Fowles, Neil Gaiman, Angela Carter, Roald Dahl, The Brothers Grimm, Chris Cleave, Alice Walker, Thomas Hardy, Sylvia Plath, Hans Christian Anderson, T.S.Eliot… I could go on, and on. For me it’s all about the unexpected, about twists and turns and the unleashing of magic. Sometimes writers are wizards. I long to be better than I am.

As an editor, do you find that you proof your work as you go along (after the vomit draft!) or can you wait until you get your ideas down first? I guess you don’t need much proofing done when it’s finished. 

I’m getting better. Now I tend to get a first draft down, then I edit and edit and edit some more. Working as an editor has definitely altered how I write. I’m aware of common mistakes and I’ve become ridiculously anal/precious with letting people see my writing. When I did my MA in Creative Writing, I was happy to hand over 5,000 words weekly to a group of readers. Those words were possibly a second draft. Now, no one will see my work until at least the seventh or eighth draft. Shockingly, there are still many mistakes in it. I can edit, but I am truly rubbish at proofing.

At the Latitude festival this year you took part in Emma B’s TableTalks. Can you please tell us a bit about this?

TableTalks is the amazing baby of the wonderful Emma B. It’s an informal debate, ‘born out a bunch of friends’ desire to talk and share opinion about stuff that matters and occasionally stuff that doesn’t much’. Emma invited me along to Latitude to join in a debate surrounding, ‘This house believes that the book is dead!’ I talked about ’99 Reasons Why’ and its eleven endings, attempting to explain why I wasn’t killing off books by writing a digital-only novel. There was much wine, debate and a fabulous audience.

You were a judge at Pulp Idol in Liverpool this year. What makes a good read for you?

I like an opening that hooks me in. I like sharp dialogue, a lack of flowery description and short chapters. For me, it’s all about being pulled into a world in the opening paragraph and feeling sadness when the book ends and the world is taken from me.

Your recent novel The Drowning of Arthur Braxton deals with dark themes and been likened to a modern day fairy tale. Where did you get the inspiration from to write this novel? Do you usually do a lot of research in the same genre as what your book is written in?

I love that it’s been classed as an urban fairy tale, mainly because I adore fairy tales. The novel has three different voices. One of them is a young girl called Laurel, who goes to find work in a swimming bath that locals believe has magical properties. At the same time we follow Arthur, who’s just experienced a very modern humiliation after meeting a girl on Facebook. He hears noises coming from an abandoned, almost derelict, swimming baths and when he investigates he finds a naked girl swimming in the water.

Originally the novel was going to be set in a lighthouse on the coast of Talacre, but then Victoria Baths (Manchester) was suggested as a possible location. I was able to go along and look inside the building. I fell in love with the beauty, with the space and with the stunning original features. The novel started forming as I walked around, absorbing the history and exquisiteness. Added to this, the novel is a retelling of three Greek myths, so the inspiration is from a number of places.

But, perhaps this is weird, when I’m writing (the vomit draft) I can’t read books in that genre or any genre. I’d never research by reading a book in a similar genre, I’d be too terrified about copying a style and forgetting to be me. I envy people who can read whilst writing.

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What sort of a child were you? Were you always into death and ghouls?

No not at all. I was a happy child until the day a zombie…..nah, things were cool. Although I will say that we did live near marshlands & people were always speaking of things on the marsh & the strange people there so maybe that seeping in! I’m not a writer who does excessive violence or hardcore horror. In fact, there are hardly any swear words in any of my books. I’m like a twisted version of Jon-Boy from the Waltons.

When did you start writing and what made you start?

I started a writing course in 2008 but it was rubbish so I quit. Someone told me to write about what I like so I wrote about zombies. I published my first book in 2009 with Severed Press & have gone on from there. I’ve always loved reading so I suppose I just wanted to give it a go. My advice to others would be to do the same – you just have to make a start then improve as you go….

You have been educated at the London school of Economics and have been working in Business for over ten years. Do you still work in business or are you now focusing entirely on writing and fighting zombies? If you still work in business, how do your colleagues respond to your zombie-related activities?

Yeah, I went to the LSE but was pretty much the thickest person there. I still work for a living like most writers. Zombies are my hobby. Even with all the books, it’s not a money thing. By the time we factor in all the shows, giveaways & charity stuff we do, we just about break even but I love it. Colleagues are mixed. Some think I’m weird for sure. I meet more hardcore fans (those with a plan) at events.

Zombies

What is it about zombies, as opposed to other undead persons like vampires, that interests you and how did this interest develop?
Mmmm…good question. I just loved the survival element to the stories. The idea of the living battling against hordes of the undead. Zombies always felt so real to me & so it just felt natural. I did warn you I was a bit weird. Zombies are like a blank canvas for writers – that’s what I like.

What is your favourite Zombie book/Film?

Film wise – I have to say Dawn of the Dead – either version. Book wise – I have to honour the work of our patron saint Max Brooks – his work has inspired me so much. In addition, I should mention 28 Days Later although the creatures are technically not zombies.

The Omega man project.

In May this year, you isolated yourself in an ex cold-war bunker for five days, and you blogged about this. What gave you the idea to do this? What, if any, has been the effect of this experience on you or on your writing?

It was just that the opportunity came along so I grabbed it. It wasn’t easy to set up but it was a challenge I’ve always wanted to to do. Being isolated for days on end just appealed to me. The experience was unique – that much is sure. I don’t know about the impact on my writing. I don’t think I’m a good enough writer for it to be really profound & I didn’t write much in the bunker, only the blog. However, I certainly learnt something about surviving alone. If you watch the video blogs you’ll see what I mean – www.ministryofzombies.com

The Ministry of Zombies

Tell us a little about the Ministry of Zombies. How did it come into being, how many people make up the ministry and what do they all do? Is the current government supportive of your ministerial activities? Why is there a link to Michael Bolton on the Ministry’s website?
The Ministry of Zombies is a lose network of myself, my wife Constance, a few reviewers & other writers – it’s not a big. Imagine a small office, with a dusty old phone & a pile of books in a bunker in London – that’s us. We don’t make a stack of cash or anything – whatever books get sold, much of the money goes into events (minus my slush fund in Taihiti).

The government in the UK is more worried about asteroids than zombies – it’s sad time. We used to be at the front end of anti-zombie work – now we’ve listed 22nd in the world. Not good news really. Plus we drink far too much tea.

I include Michael Bolton as he is a vocal master – his power ballads would see us all through a zombie outbreak. Hail to the master!

And the Ink Pantry’s Halloween Question: Do you have any advice for other authors on how to scare their readers?

Just my opinion but I find merging fact with fiction to be the best angle. Readers are hardened to most shock tactics. You have to undermine their reality slowly & with precision. My books are not really ‘scary’ but I hope they leave people wondering which parts are true & which not. I blend a lot of this in & I find it works well.

Kathy Reichs is a professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina, forensic anthropologist and writer of crime fiction.

Her work varies from teaching FBI agents how to detect and recover human remains, to separating and identifying commingled body parts in her Montreal lab.  A consultant for the Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Québec, member of the team who helped to identify remains found at ground zero of the World Trade Center following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Kathy is a respected member of her field, being one of only eighty-two forensic anthropologists ever certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology.  It is from this varied work she gets hints of inspiration for her books.

Kathy’s first novel Déjà Dead catapulted her to fame when it became a New York Times bestseller and won the 1997 Ellis Award for Best First Novel.  Since then there have been another fifteen books in the Temperance Brennan series, three in the Virals series co-authored by her son Brendan and two novellas.  To add to this long list Kathy is also a producer of the hit Fox TV series, Bones, which is based on her work and her novels.

How did you come to write your first fiction novel?

I was working as a visiting professor in Montreal when police authorities called me in to consult on a series of grisly murders. By examining the victims’ bones, I was able to determine that the suspect was very skilled in dismembering his victims, and likely had some sort of professional training in that area. The police were able to use this information to profile and track down the killer, who turned out to be a butcher. That experience became the basis for my first novel, Deja Dead. The rest is history.

Having read Deja Dead in 1997 I was fascinated by the details, and realised the amount of research you must need to do for your books.  ‘How do you divide your time between your work as a forensic anthropologist and researching and writing your novels?

I’m under contract for one Temperance Brennan book a year, and also co-author a series of young adult novels, the Virals series, which I write with my son, Brendan. In between those projects, I try to stay sharp by consulting on forensic work or testifying in criminal cases. My schedule keeps me very busy!

As you have mentioned you not only write your Temperance Brennan series, but you also collaborate on the Virals series of books aimed at teenage readers, with your son Brendan.  How did this come about?

The Virals series was actually Brendan’s idea. I’d thought about writing a YA book for years, but never seemed to have enough hours in the day. At the same time, Brendan was growing tired of being a lawyer and was looking for a new career. When a friend of his in New York mentioned that a publisher might be interested in something we could write together, he jumped at the chance. A few weeks later we had a concept, a book deal, and a partnership.

If you could go back to the time before you chose your speciality in college, is there anything you would have done differently. A different career you would have chosen?

Nothing. I’m one of the lucky few that can honestly say I’m doing exactly what I want to do.

As a budding writer, I choose to write in a totally different genre to the one I read for relaxation.What is your chosen genre for relaxed reading, and which authors feature predominantly on your book shelves?

I am a big fan of non-fiction, and enjoy modern history. I do read quite a few thrillers, and have great admiration for writers like Sandra Brown, Elmore Leonard, and Stephen King. One should always read the masters in your chosen field!

When working on a novel, do you write everything out long hand first, dictate into a machine for someone else to type up or work directly onto a computer?

I write directly into my iMac. I couldn’t write four sentences longhand before my hand seized up. Well out of practice.

How long on average would you say you spend writing one of the Temperance Brennan novels, from that initial idea jotted down to the last word or comma in the final edit?

It’s a year. Call it one month to plan, six months to write, two months to edit, then three months to promote. Rinse, repeat!

Your novels have been used as the basis for the television series ‘Bones’.  How much influence did you have in the choice of actors chosen to portray the characters?

I’m a producer of the TV show, so I was present for all casting decisions, and have had no qualms about any of them. We have a phenomenal group of actors on Bones. I also review every script for technical accuracy, or at least scientific plausibility. We try to stay as to true to real-life forensic science as possible.

I follow you on Facebook and Twitter.  Have you found social networks to be a good or bad influence on your work, or that they can be intrusive in any way?

I enjoy Facebook and Twitter, though they can also be a burden at times and I do take an occasional hiatus. That said, social media is probably the greatest way to connect to fans on a personal level. So for that I am grateful.

Finally do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Write. Write, write, write. Writing is a skill, not an art. It takes practice to make perfect (or get reasonably close).

Kathy, thank you once again for doing this interview.

Visit her website: http://kathyreichs.com/ .

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/kathyreichsbooks

Follow on Twitter: @KathyReichs

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and ideas with our readers. Could you please tell us a little about your current book, The Words We Use are Black and White, and the reasons for writing it?

According to the blurb on the back, the novel is an ‘interwoven story of love, family and our inability to make ourselves understood’. It started with a poem, a long time ago, and that gave me the setting and character – I’m fascinated by the power of language, and the many ways that people (try to) communicate with each other: when we speak to someone, for example, do we have any idea if they understand what we are saying? And when what we say is (to us) so important that our happiness depends on it, does that make it even more important that we make ourselves heard, or are the opportunities for misinterpretation even greater because we deem any response so vital? This book was a way for me to explore these ideas and themes within a multi-layered narrative, allowing the characters and their interactions to build on each other to make what is hopefully an entertaining and thoughtful novel.

Which books were the source of your early inspiration towards building your passion for writing? 

I think I can trace it all back to the poetry and prose of Edward Thomas. From there I read de la Mare, Housman etc., and then started consuming all I could, from ‘trash’ fiction to the ‘classics’. As far as novels go, it seems that Gabriel Garcia Marquez first got me interested in what could be achieved, and how, and his work led me to that of Faulkner, Nabokov, Pynchon, to name but a few. But there are still so many good books out there waiting to be read…

Which writers/authors currently inspire and delight you?

DeLillo, Murakami, Franzen, Kundera – and above all, Marquez, whose precision of writing still thrills and enchants me. There’s a novel called Icefields by Thomas Wharton, which I find myself going back to over and over again, and a collection of poetry by Patrick Moran called Green which is so wonderful it’s hard to describe.

What advice would you personally give to students of creative writing and aspiring authors?

Just write – once you’re confident enough to show your work to someone else make sure you find someone who will be honest, and whose opinion you trust and respect. When you’ve done that, write some more. There’s no secret to it, really – it all comes down to hard work, practice, and being able to recognise your weaknesses and strengths. If you want to write then give it the commitment it needs, regardless of what anyone may say. To put it simply, writing is work. Get it done.

How difficult is it to combine your work as a university lecturer with time for your personal writing?

Very difficult. I wrote a creative/critical piece on this topic which was published last year (available at http://www.textjournal.com.au/oct13/holloway_prose.htm). And it’s not just the teaching and the admin that get in the way – there’s also the need to keep writing critically on the subject of creative writing. But I believe that if anyone wants to write then they’ll find the time: the drive has to be strong enough, that’s all.

As someone whose career is focused around inspiring others to embrace creative writing, what moments have given you the greatest pleasure and inspiration?

I have to disagree with the question: my career is focused not on inspiring others to embrace creative writing, but to develop and utilise their creative abilities in whatever way they choose. Having said that, the creative work that I get to see is often exciting: it’s gratifying to see the writing produced when a writer is courageous enough to embrace their own personal voice, to write the way they want to, rather than the way they think others want them to.

Do you have a particular place to write? Or a set time of day/night?

I need a place to work: it doesn’t really matter what that place is, as long as it’s ‘mine’ in some way and I can customise it with mental comforts – that might be a photograph, an object, a particular coaster for the endless cups of coffee, depending what I’m working on. And I work best at night…my brain has this annoying tendency to wake up around eleven no matter how tired my body is, and lets me curl up at my desk and disappear into the work. It leaves me exhausted during the day, but that’s the way it is.

You have been published in a wide number of genres, Simon, such as poetry, fiction, screenplays and many more. Is there one particular genre which you enjoy working with above all others?

Each medium has its own appeal, I find. Fiction charms me with its possibilities: there’s so much that can be done with the careful placement of phrases, hints and dynamics of narrative. It’s possible to say so much whilst saying and doing so little, and to leave readers feeling that they’ve worked hard and got their reward; as a reader that always pleases me. Poetry too, of course, but in a different way, and I’ve recently started writing much more poetry than I have for years – the precision and detail needed make me work harder, and there are things I can say in poetry that I can’t say as well in any other form. Scriptwriting is (for me) a collaborative act, so that brings its own challenges and rewards. I can’t say I have a favourite – to me it’s all storytelling, in one form or another, it’s just the method of delivery that changes.

As a reader, do you have a preferred genre?

Aside from novels and poetry, I’m becoming increasingly fascinated by short fiction, and the ways in which allusion and perception can be revealed as much by omission as by inclusion: less is often much, much more!

Finally Simon, do you have a firm idea on your next writing project, or are you still pondering over ideas?

I’m in the middle of a critical book for Palgrave MacMillan, about certain aspects of the actions of writing, and my co-writer and I had an idea for another sitcom which we’d very much like to write, given the time. Waiting patiently for its turn is my next novel, so far four years late, and although I’ve done huge amounts of the essential preparation work, I haven’t written a word of it yet! There are plenty of projects I’d like to be doing right now – it’s simply a case of deciding which one to commit to next and then giving it everything it needs. Writing is work – I just have to get it done.

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What is it you like about writing for radio?

I’ve always listened to radio ever since I can remember, my Mum used to be an avid Archers fan so that very much formed the soundtrack to my childhood and teenage years whether I liked it or not.  She doesn’t listen to it now but I love it!  The thing about radio is that you are allowed into this space, as though you are eavesdropping on people’s lives in a much more intimate way than on television or film so when you write for radio you can take a listener into a character’s thoughts in the same way.  It’s also just you listening (in the car, as you work around the house etc) so it always feels as though whatever you are listening to has been created just for you, I like the opportunities this offers for the writer, you can think of one listener listening alone.

Have you any advice for creative writing students with regards to the medium of radio?

It’s quite simple really – listen to it.  If you don’t then you won’t have a clue what works and what doesn’t because it’s very different to writing for stage or film and TV.  You have to understand what you can do with ‘sound’. When I worked at the BBC producing new short stories for the series Opening Lines, I was always looking for something that would work in the mind of a listener, a story that had a distinctive ‘voice’ to it.  Quite often when you first read a short story or play specifically for radio, you immediately start thinking of an actor who could read it and that’s because the voice is so important and although that sounds obvious, you would be surprised at the number of writers who don’t take this into account and send in any play or short story they happen to have written thinking it will just ‘fit’.   It won’t.  We used to receive about 500 short stories a year and only shortlisted about 30 so that will give you some idea of what we were working from.  Voice is key and that’s why it’s so important to immerse yourself in the medium if you want to write for it.

You have written short stories, too. Which writers inspire you?

Well I started out writing short stories and have gone back to them in the last few years which I’m really enjoying.  I was introduced to the form of the short story through the work of the great Frank O’Connor – again I have my mother to thank for this, and still have his entire collection in the original print paperbacks on my shelves.  On the surface, the best short stories seem to be about nothing at all, a casual encounter maybe or a conversation that won’t go away and I think he achieves this better than anyone else I’ve read who writes in the short form – William Trevor is another writer who does this well, I love him too.

I was a big DH Lawrence fan as a student and remember being impressed by what you could do with ‘story’ in a short story, and to be honest, although I haven’t read him in years, his collection ‘The Woman Who Rode Away’ had quite a profound and early influence on me I think.  Now – well now I read mainly women short story writers because, for me, I find their work speaks to me more than some of the male writers I’ve come across in recent years with some notable exceptions like Colm Toibin who is the most wonderful writer in any genre.    I love Kate Atkinson and Rose Tremain, Maggie Gee, and I still like new writers, undiscovered writers who might appear on the pages of a magazine like Mslexia or sites like Ink Pantry.  I think I just love short stories and I’m always open to finding new writers I’ve never come across before.  When I was reading short fiction for the BBC, it was always the most exciting moment to discover a new story from a writer who had perhaps never had anything published before, and then to launch it on to the world through Opening Lines.

Have you always wanted to be a writer and do you have a particular time and place that you like to write in?

Yes I have always wanted to be a writer – but then I’ve always read as much as I could and reading made me think:  I want to do that!  I can only write in short concentrated bursts but get an awful lot done in that time simply because I have to.  A lot of my ‘writing’ is done in my head while I’m doing other things, I have two teenage children, a lot of other family commitments and teach several arts courses for the OU, so the writing has to fit around all that.  I don’t believe in things like writer’s block, if you have limited time in which to write then that’s a luxury you can’t afford.  There’s always something to write about and the smallest things can become bigger ideas, you just have to keep writing.  As Picasso said, ‘Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working’.

I write better in the morning though, and sometimes I do actually get up at 5.15 and write before the day really beds in and I get too distracted and tired, but not too often…

What is next in the pipeline for Joanne Reardon Lloyd?

I’m two thirds of the way through a novel which I hope to get edited and finished within the next six months and I’m working on a new short story in collaboration with the artist Richard Kenton Webb (http://richardkentonwebb.com/home.html) which is really exciting.  I recently published a short story with another visual artist, Iain Andrews, in a collaboration at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery and enjoyed the whole process of exchanging ideas and coming up with something entirely new (http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/WritingTutors/?p=602 ) .  I’m also working on a new idea for a radio play.

Hello Emily.  Firstly, many congratulations on the release of your début novel, ‘The Longest Fight’.  Could you give our readers a brief outline of the story?

The Longest Fight is a story about family loyalty and love, set against the brutal world of boxing in 1950s London.

Jack Munday has been fighting all his life. His early memories are shaped by the thrill of the boxing ring. Since then he has grown numb, scarred by his bullying father and haunted by the tragic fate of his first love.

Now a grafting boxing manager, Jack is hungry for change. So when hope and ambition appear in the form of Frank, a young fighter with a winning prospect, and Georgie, a new girl who can match him step for step, Jack seizes his chance for a better future, determined to win at all cost.

The main character of your novel – John James Munday – is a thoroughly intriguing individual.  In creating him, did you quickly build up a strong mental image of who he was, or was the creation of his character more of a gradual process over time?

I usually plan out who the characters will be and write them a short biography before I begin a novel. If I’m very lucky as I write the characters take on a life of their own and the plot has to be rewritten to fit their wants and needs. It is a bit like acting as it takes a while to inhabit the character; really getting to know them until I finally feel able to understand what they would do in any given situation – in that sense it is a very gradual process.

Your physical descriptions of London in the years surrounding World War II really draw the reader into the darker and starkly-realistic elements of the capital city during this time period.  What types of historical research did you engage with to create such vivid scenes within your novel and was there any major reason why you chose this particular era of the twentieth century?

Post war London had such a sense of disappointment about it that really fitted with the character of Jack Munday; the war might have been over, but for the people living in those slums and walking those bomb damaged streets it was a long way from being won. Boxing was a way out for many of those men, a chance at a better future – for many it still is. I was also struck by the parallels to austerity Britain today; yet the early 1950s often get overlooked as an era in historical fiction.

Historical research was important in trying to piece together the vanished landscape of bombed out London. I got a sense of this from maps, paintings and eye witness accounts. But I also needed to take a step back from the idea of the researcher as ‘historian’ and focus instead on the ‘creative writing.’ Research was critical but I wanted to reclaim the language, and the images of my sources, and feel they were mine before I could use them in the context of my character’s voice. I gave myself the freedom to play and create.

It’s impossible to discuss ‘The Longest Fight’ without mentioning the ‘noble art’ of boxing. As a lifelong boxing fan myself, I personally found those aspects of your novel to be utterly compelling.  Have you had a long interest/fascination with the sport and ultimately how much research into boxing history during this time period did you have to do for this book?

My grandfather was a boxer; I used to watch matches with him. I still remember that sense of anticipation during a round; the memory is clearer than the grainy VHS pictures we would have been watching.

The critical component of my creative writing PhD with the Open University involved a lot of research into other representations of boxing in fiction. I also turned to boxing reportage to investigate the level of realism that the boxing elements of the plot demanded; great boxing writers like Norman Mailer, Budd Schulberg, and David Remnick. What I also found in their writing was a range of creative techniques that I hadn’t expected to encounter; uses of flashback, a mythic sense of scale. Boxing reportage can’t just tell the reader it has to show them – that essential balance of showing and telling.

There’s no doubt that you accomplished that vital aspect of balance throughout the novel, Emily. Concerning your personal writing preferences, is there a favourite location where you like to write?  Do you use relaxing/inspirational music to write, or do you require absolute silence?  Also, do you prefer writing freehand, or on the computer – or do you employ a combination of the two?

 I prefer to write at home; I get too distracted in coffee shops and libraries. I usually battle with the internet during the writing day, coming up with all sorts of excuses as to why I need to turn it on – sometimes I wrestle control and manage to limit it to coffee breaks. Writing by hand would lessen the internet distraction but I find I can type a lot quicker than I can write, and I like to save different drafts as I go. I try to work a 9 to 5 day; I find the routine helpful in lessening procrastination. If I’m writing a first draft I usually listen to music (the same album over and over) as I find it useful to block out other distractions. But when I’m editing I need silence (or as quiet as you can get it in London)

Looking at literature in general, what authors have inspired you in the past and who continues to inspire you currently?

 Sarah Waters for great plots, and clever uses of time in her novels. Alice Munro for her ability to condense whole lives into a few thousand words – something I’m always telling students not to do. She breaks all those short story ‘rules’ magnificently and with true eloquence. Graham Swift’s characters are filled with such emotion that I’m always moved by their plights, and of course he chooses some great South London settings.

Would it be possible to share some brief outlines of your next writing project(s) and what genres interest you the most? 

 End Times, a novel about a Victorian matriarchal crime family. I also like to write short stories, and have various ones in different stages of editing at the moment. I like historical fiction that has a comment to make about society today; the universal nature of people making the same mistakes, living the same choices over and over throughout history always inspires me.

Many thanks for sharing your thoughts, Emily and once again, huge congratulations on the release of ‘The Longest Fight’.  To conclude, what personal advice and encouragement would you impart to anyone working on their début novel? 

Turn off the internet. Once you’ve done that, learn to love editing. But pick one thing to edit at a time; focus on dialogue in one edit, plot in another etc. I find trying to edit everything at once too overwhelming.

Picture courtesy of wikiHow

Hugely successful horror writer David Moody has had many books published, including the Autumn series (Autumn, The City, Purification, Disintegration, Aftermath, The Human Condition), Trust, the Hater series (Hater, Dog Blood and Them or Us) and Straight To You. Autumn became an online phenomenon, attracting more than half a million downloads, which led on to many sequels. Within three months of the release of Hater, a major US production company were interested in acquiring the film rights. The deal was sealed and the movie is currently in production with Guillermo del Toro (Director of Hellboy I and II, Pan’s Labrinth, The Hobbit), Mark Johnson producing (Breaking Bad, The Chronicles of Narnia films) and Glen Mazzarra (The Walking Dead) who wrote the initial draft of the movie script. After the Hater deal, the film rights to the first Autumn novel were sold to Renegade Motion Pictures in Canada. The DVD of the film, starring Dexter Fletcher and David Carradine, is available worldwide.

In 2005, you formed your own publishing house called Infected Books. On your website, you say that ‘lots of authors who could get their books traditionally released choose to retain control and publish their books themselves.’ Could you please give examples of the pros and cons of self publishing for new authors, as opposed to traditional publishing houses?

I think it’s important first of all to say that I think self-publishing (or, as I prefer to call it, independent publishing), is a viable route to publication. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it can work. I say this because previously, certainly when I started releasing books this way, self-publishing was frowned upon. People thought it was a last resort for people who couldn’t get published traditionally, and whilst I’m sure that was the case for some authors, it definitely wasn’t true of everyone who chose the independent route to market. I think you have to look at where you are in your career and what you want to achieve with the book before you choose to either go it alone or try to find a traditional publisher. There are many pros and cons to self-publishing. Here are a few:

• Control – when you self-publish, you have complete jurisdiction over your work. That can be wonderful, but it can also put you under a lot of pressure as you’re solely accountable for every aspect of your book.
• Speed – when I self-published everything myself through Infected Books, I’d literally finish editing a book one week and have it on sale the next. On occasion I’ve waited years for my traditional publishers to release titles (for example, almost two years passed between signing the contract for Hater and the book appearing on the shelves!).
• Money – I hate to bring it up, but it’s important! When you self-publish you get paid regularly and don’t have to wait for royalty statements and the like. It’s far easier to manage on a monthly income rather than six monthly, believe me!
• Guidance and feedback – with a larger publisher you get to work with an experienced editor who knows the market. That’s invaluable. I’d published seven books before I worked with a dedicated editor for the first time. It was a huge culture shock, but I think my writing benefitted considerably from the experience. I think it’s vital to get feedback on every project. When I’m self-publishing (as I still do), I like to get beta-readers to read my books at specific stages in the writing process.
• Exposure – when you go it alone, you often really are alone. When you’re working with a larger publisher, you’ll have a support network behind you (even if it doesn’t always feel that way). You still need to promote yourself and your book constantly, but it helps to have the clout of a publisher behind you. As an independent publisher, you stand very little chance of getting your books onto the shelves of Waterstones and the like.

What draws you to the horror genre?

Despite the fact I obvious am one, I try not to think of myself as a horror writer. I don’t like the label, if I’m honest. For me, horror’s not a genre, it’s an emotion… a type of reaction, if you like. If you write Westerns, then people know there’s a good chance they’ll get cowboys and Native Americans and gunfights and Sheriffs in your stories, but horror can be about anything. To qualify my point, two of the most horrific books I’ve read in years were The Road by Cormac McCarthy and We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver. Both are truly terrifying in their own way, but they’re never classified as horror novels, are they? Please pardon my rant – I get asked this a lot! In terms of the type of fiction I write, I’m drawn to these stories because I’m fascinated by people and the way they interact (or not) with each other. Putting people into extreme situations is a great way of examining human behaviour. In an apocalyptic scenario, for example, when people’s lives are on the line, they’re more inclined to drop the everyday pretence and act instinctively and honestly.

How is your working day structured? Do you like to write at a particular time in the day, or are you a night owl?

I’m a firm believer than you can’t force yourself to write – you have to be in the right frame of mind. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to write fulltime for the last five years or so and I’ve developed a routine which helps me stay productive (and adapt to the complications and frustrations of working from home with a large family!). I start around 7:30am and break myself into the day by organising my diary and catching up with emails. Once the kids have gone to school and my wife’s gone to work, I start writing proper. I turn off the Internet (vital!) and write in chunks of forty-five minutes to an hour. I usually have a few projects on the go and swap between them during the day to help me stay fresh. I set loose word targets to keep myself on track with progress. Before I wrote fulltime I used to manage a processing centre for a bank, so I’m used to having to plan and allocate resources etc. It sounds clinical and very uncreative, but it helps me to work to targets and timetables. It keeps me focused. I take regular breaks through the day to run, walk the dog, do my chores (again, the joys of working from home), collect the kids from school etc. All that said, when I’m writing I’m very passionate about my stories and if inspiration strikes I’ll write at any time. As I said earlier, I don’t think you can force yourself to write. But when you are writing and the words are flowing, you have to make the most of it.

How did it feel when you were contacted by a major production company who were interested in the film rights to Hater?

Stunned. Amazed. In shock. I still am, actually, even though it’s been years since the initial deal was signed. I remember it vividly – it was late on a Tuesday evening. My wife was working nights, and I was working an office job during the day. We didn’t see much of each other – just passed in the doorway at some point between five and six o’clock each evening. The email arrived out of the blue and I thought at first that it was a joke. I even contacted a few folks to check I wasn’t being set up! But then I was able to establish that the message was genuine, and I remember looking at the screen in disbelief, thinking that my life was about to change! Things got very surreal after that. I remember trying to put the kids to bed, do the dishes and stop the dog from barking whilst talk to a major Hollywood producer on the phone!

Are you an optimist or a pessimist, or a mixture?!

Despite what you might think when you read my books, I’m actually an optimist. I just write about pessimists, I guess! It would be more accurate to say I’m a realist. In terms of my own life, my family and so on, I’m eternally optimistic. I find it much harder to be positive about things over which I don’t have any control (i.e. the rest of the world!). We’re subjected to a never-ending tirade of bullshit and spin and it’s difficult to stay positive when every face you see on TV seems either to be lying or not quite telling the truth!

You love films. Have you written any film scripts yourself? Which film do you wish you had written?

I do love films, and script writing is something I’m actively trying to get into (plenty of ideas, not enough time!). I’ve written a short horror movie which we’ve been trying to get into production for some time. Although it seems that particular project might not come to fruition, I’ve learnt an invaluable amount during the writing process. Which film do I wish I’d written… that’s a great question. I’d have to say Children of Men which is one of my favourite movies. From a writing perspective I’ve always admired Slumdog Millionaire – a wonderfully constructed narrative.

Have you kept books from your childhood? Were you a comic fan? If so, who was your favourite superhero and why?!

My favourite books as a child were The Day of the Triffids and War of the Worlds and yes, they’re on the shelf here in my office. The book which had the biggest impact on me as a writer was James Herbert’s Domain. I remember finishing reading it and thinking, I want to write books like this. I was honoured to meet Jim and interview him twice last year, and I was devastated when he passed away unexpectedly. I’m very proud to have had him sign my ancient copy of Domain, and that sits proudly on my shelf too. I was a comic fan, though I wish I’d taken greater care of them! My comics used to get read then thrown out, which seems sacrilegious today. I had some early Thor, Iron Man and Fantastic Four, as I remember. Hulk was my favourite, though. For some reason I felt like I could identify with him (maybe because I was a really fat kid with a really short temper!).

What scares you?

See question 5. The rest of the world. In particular, all politicians and company directors.

Tell us about the moment you realised that writing would be your vocation. Was it a surprise to you, or have you always wanted to be a writer?

I always wanted to be a film director (still do, in fact). When I left school, though, I had no relevant qualifications and no immediate way of getting any. These days you can grab a camera and editing software and produce something of a professional standard with relative ease. Back then you definitely couldn’t! I’d always been able to string a few words together, so I tried writing some of the stories I’d always hoped to film. After a few false starts it worked, and I managed to finish my first novel, Straight to You (currently in the process of being re-written twenty years later, as I went back and re-read it and realised it was bloody awful!). The moment I realised it might be my vocation was the first time I let people read the book. I thought they’d hate it, but they didn’t. To my surprise they seemed to really enjoy it.

Do you get time to read much with your busy schedule? What are you reading at the moment? Do you prefer paperback or ereader? Do you read other genres, apart from horror?

I don’t get anywhere near enough time to read, unfortunately. And when I do, I rarely get to choose books – I’m usually reading things I’ve agreed to provide blurbs for (something which I’ve had to cut down on doing recently). I’ve just read two novels, Meat and Garbage Man by Joseph D’Lacey, a fellow horror author who I know well. I tend to read horror or science-fiction because that’s why I enjoy, though I’m sure I’d read in other genres if I had more time. Paperback or ereader – I like both. I love having shelves full of books, but I enjoy the convenience of ebooks. I personally don’t think people should have to choose. When you buy an Infected Books title in print, I’ll send you a free download code to get an ebook. Similarly, when you buy a print version I’ll give you a discount on the paperback or hardback edition. It seems only fair to me.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Have a little more faith in yourself, mate.

Have you a favourite quote by a famous author?

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” Douglas Adams

How will you be spending Halloween?

I’m usually working (it’s a busy time in my trade!), but I’m not sure yet this year. I’ve had a few invitations but I also have some family duties (a daughter flying back late from a school trip abroad), so I might just spend it at home, hiding from trick-or-treaters, curled up with a horror movie or two!

What’s next in the pipeline for David Moody?

I’ve nothing under contract at the moment, which is both liberating and scary. Bizarrely, though, I seem to be busier than ever. I’m working on three novels right now: Strangers (the closest thing I’ll ever get to a vampire story), the new version of Straight to You, and 17 Days (a man who’s always kept himself to himself finds himself playing out the last seventeen days of his life in front of the entire world). As soon as they’re done I’ll be moving onto a novella I have an idea for, then the first novel in a new six book horror/science-fiction series – The Spaces Between. Think Quatermass meets Dragon Tattoo and you’ll be halfway there!

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Oh, and also…..

Ink Pantry are doing a Halloween feature. 

Could you please give us some advice on this?

The power of suggestion. In my experience, the kind of things that won’t scare a reader are over-used clichés, an over-abundance of gore, shock tactics (i.e. intentionally breaking taboos) and so on. I think it’s far more effective to imply rather than tell. Instead of talking about what you can see, talk about what you can’t see, if that makes sense. After saying don’t rely on clichés, here’s one to prove my point: the anticipation of what the monster under your bed might look like is often far more frightening than the monster itself.

Also, I think readers are more easily scared when they fully buy into your story. Write about real people like them – have someone like your next door neighbour as the main character in your story, not a typical Hollywood, square-jawed hero. Set your story in a realistic location. Don’t be afraid to talk about the mundane and boring parts of your character’s lives – it’ll lull the reader into a false sense of security and make the horror so much more effective when it finally arrives!