Just want to say a thankyou to E.P.Rose for taking the time out to do this interview with me.
- What is the hardest thing about writing?
Staying awake.
- Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what got you through it?
I do
suffer from writer’s block, about once every three or four hours. I
find that ten minutes in the sauna, followed by half a dozen lengths
of my local pool, followed by a snooze, followed by a glass of ginger
beer and milk, followed by a chunk of Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut,
works wonders.
- Do you read much or at all?
I
came across a very good quote the other day by Samuel Butler, you
know, the Victorian dude who wrote Erewhon and The Way of All Flesh.
He said: “My main wish is to get my books into other people’s
rooms, and to keep other people’s books out of mine.”
- If you do read, who/what are your favourite authors/Genre?
In
fact, I read oodles of books, but not when I’m writing. When I’m
in full flow, there’s only room for one voice inside my head. Here,
in no particular order, are some favourite authors as they spring to
mind: Raymond Chandler, Richard Brautigan, Agatha Christie, Oscar
Wilde, Wilkie Collins, James M.Cain, Damon Runyon, P.G.Wodehouse,
Kurt Vonnegut, A.A.Milne ……… that’ll do for now.
- Do you read your reviews?
I
never believe it, when people say they don’t. If I said I didn’t,
I’d be lying.
- If you were asked for advice from an aspiring writer, what would you tell them?
If
you write a page a day, and take the weekends off, you’ll have two
hundred and sixty pages by the end of one year – and that’s a
book. Go and do it. Ignore all advice.
- Which Authors inspire you?
All
of the authors I mentioned in the question before the question before
last, and Joseph Heller.
- Tell us a bit about yourself.?
Samuel
Butler also said: “Every man’s work, whether it be literature or
music or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of
himself.” It is rather alarming to think that I might well be
revealing more about myself within the pages of The Conspiracy Kid or
Beyond The Valley of Sex and Shopping, than I am prepared to reveal
in this interview. I like my privacy, but at the same time I would
like millions of people to read my books. It’s a tricky
contradiction.
- How does it feel to have your work published?
Exciting
and nerve-wracking.
- Do you still like writing as much as you did when you first started?
I
like it more and more.
- Where is your favourite place to write if you have one?
I
have a writing room, above Sonny’s Kitchen, which is one of my
wonderful wife’s wonderful restaurants. It’s a two minute stroll
from my house. Very handy.
- If you weren’t writing, what else do you be doing?
I
would be a painter, starving in a garret.
- What is your comfort food?
Hamburgers
– preferably cooked by Muriel Cohen at Red, White and Blues, as
featured in The Conspiracy Kid.
- Do you use a Pen name or Real name?
E.P.Rose
is a pen name.
- Do you listen to music when you write?
No. I
need silence to write. Music requires my entire attention. Words have
their own rhythm.
- The funniest thing that happened at a signing?
I was
approached by someone I’d known for twenty years, who wanted a
personal dedication, and I couldn’t remember her name.
- The Scariest thing that happened at a signing?
See
above.
10 Quick Questions
- Chocolate - White / Dark / Milk
Milk
– Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut.
- Pets - Dog / Cat / Bird / Fish
Frank
– labradoodle.
- Hair - Long / Short
Short.
- Getaway - Mountains / Beach
Beach.
- Holidays - Easter / Xmas / Halloween
Summer.
- Movies - Horror / Comedy / Romance
Comedy.
- Wine - Red / White
Red.
- Season - Summer / Winter
Summer.
- Meal - Fast Food / Home-cooked
Home-cooked.
- Favorite Ice Cream .
Vanilla.
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