Do you ever take inspiration from your childhood days for your writing?
All the time. In Exireas, I flash on little moments from the 60s and 70s in my hometown of Chelmsford. It’s partly for me. It’s nostalgic. But for the reader, it glimpses the era’s social history.
Was being an author always a dream?
It was, but I published late. I released Exireas at age 67 and Nina at age 69. If you asked me about a regret, it would be that I didn’t start sooner.
Was history your favourite subject in school?
Yes, and the love comes from my family.
My grandfather, an adventurer I never knew directly, left behind a body of writing capturing his escapades while in the Spanish American War, the Panama Canal, the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and the Battle at Vimy Ridge.
My father was orphaned and didn’t know his father. He, too, shared his exciting history, though he focussed on institutions like the church and world war states.
So, my interest in history derived from two perspectives: my grandfather, who showed me the nuances of everyday life, and my father, who highlighted the influences of the world’s power movements. Both motivated, though, to be clear, I was not a great historian. I was better suited to fiction. I shunned organizational histories, be they religious, national or political. Instead, I turned to psychohistories and working-class history to weave fictional experiences representing persons in everyday life.
From where have you completed your graduation?
University of Toronto (M.A. History)
As a writer, how would you explain to children the significance of writing in our lives? How would you help them refine their appreciation of it, and how do you think will the world be without books?
At a basic level, writing introduces. For example, I appreciated knowing my grandfather through his writing. My father did too. In that way, I see writing as one generation’s introduction to the next. It expands the world’s families over time, whether we define family through immediate relatives or the varieties of human culture. This expansion is something all parents and grandparents ought to consider and encourage. It builds intimacy in our family’s social histories and encourages healthy cosmopolitanism, leading me to my next point.
At its best, we write to express. Sometimes this produces uniqueness. At other times it highlights commonalities. Ideally, it explores ideas and promotes peace to bring people together. This exploration is why, when I sign my books for other authors, I implore them to write: “May you never put your pen down.”
What historically accurate things will the readers never find in your historical fiction because they seem historically inaccurate?
I’m not sure I understand this question fully, but I will not elevate anyone or anything that declares one culture dominant over any other. I see cultures as expressions of existence, fascinating and rich in nuance. Culture runs through every human and gifts us with the global textures of life.
How did you come up with the idea of your book, Exireas: Getting There?
The idea came from two sources.
The first was intimidating. Exireas, a made-up name, sounded like an encroaching skin condition, which reminded me of how the face of our planet continues to be marred by environmental atrocities. The novel describes a world that Earth will likely look like if we do nothing to quell our consumptive getting and taking values.
The second was inspiring, based on recent discoveries in astronomy. I am impressed with how tireless the world’s scientists work to locate planets like Earth in the cosmos. I thought I’d let my imagination create one. Exireas is the destination for a group of travellers. The novel takes place during the last two weeks of their five-year journey when the passengers realize they no longer have time to relax and must start thinking about who needs to be in charge. Will it be a politician? A scientist? A religious figure? An academic? An artist? How hard are the travellers willing to prevent those who would hijack the entire exercise with sociopathic or psychopathic intentions?
As big as the universe is, couldn't there be some other planet out there other than Earth that has humans and animals living on it? Or are we pretty much alone in the universe? Do we have the technology to find out?
I think the coalescing flukes that created life on this planet are possible on others. On top of that, while our communicating abilities may keep us isolated in our part of the galaxy – as may theirs – there is a good chance we will know other creatures exist. As unbelievable as the Drake formula is when calculating the potentialities for this, I think there will be something assuring once we realize we are part of this collection of isolations.
From a writing standpoint, is it a good idea to make the protagonist a villain by the end of your story?
Interesting question. Short answer? Yes! Slightly longer answer? You must read how I do this in my newest novel, Nina.
To all writers/authors right there. What is your advice for someone who has no experience in writing a book but is starting to write one?
Forget grammar technicalities. Forget market intimidations. Just never put your pen down. Write every day. Use prompts, build on routine conversations, look out the window, anything! Just write! You have important things to say, and there is someone out there who will appreciate your words, even if it’s only you.
Being an award-winning educator, how do you think education could be made better?
Wow! That’s a big question. We could do this by focusing more on learning how to live rather than why we live. By teaching art and science. By underscoring and appreciating the presence of people outside our national borders. By breaking out of harmful Bronze and Iron Age ideologies and superstitions. By stressing the ethics embedded in being and giving values.
What are some of your greatest stories and experiences volunteering?
One that stands out involves the Sudbury Youth Orchestra. As its president, and through the strenuous efforts of many parent volunteers, we brought an entire youth orchestra on tour through England. What made this special went beyond the project’s logistics to include the kids’ development as musicians and persons. It was inspiring to listen to them perform the music of Sir Edward Elgar on the steps of Canada House in London. Our efforts merged into that one moment. Beyond that, the kids’ interactions with others from different backgrounds moved us. I walked away from the tour, realizing that parents and institutions must educate others on how best to pay attention to the existences of others. I learned that in addition to writing, travel and music cultivate diversity. Together they make the critical ingredients for a cosmopolitan existence.
What book are you reading right now? How can you relate to it?
Two books.
Sebastian Barry’s “A Long Long Way.” He provides an excellent example of how loyalties to faiths and nations jar our sensibilities when stacked against experiences.
I’m also enjoying David Wickenden’s thriller “Deadly Harvest.” In addition to being a page-turner, he helps me, as an author, understand how to integrate conflict and tension in my writing.
What are your plans for the future as a writer? Are you working on anything new?
I recently published Nina and am now working on the sequel to Exireas. In the second part, the original travellers must understand how they will interact with the Exireans and deal with the ill-informed politics and belief systems of its most environmentally dangerous people.
How has your experience with AllAuthor been?
In the analogue world, my novels sell well. Nina, published last June, has sold out. It is now in its second edition. In the digital world, things are much more challenging. As a fellow writer pointed out, “online marketing is like a whole second job.” AllAuthor has been a tremendous help in getting my book out into the digital universe. I always feel like my books are in motion. For that, I thank you tremendously.
