Liam Cadoc Interview Published on: 13, Jul 2020

My wife and I have been living in The Villages, central Florida since 2008 when, after touring the country with our 40ft 5th wheel and F350 diesel truck for a little over 2 years, we found ourselves staying over in Florida. After visiting our kids in Virginia for a short while, we returned to Florida, fell in love with The Villages' lifestyle, and decided to hang up our travel hats and buy a place.

If by 'the world of books' you mean having an interest in books, I've been an avid reader since primary school after receiving a book of 'The Tales of Robin Hood' as a birthday present. Comics became included when my appreciation and gift for artwork grew.

Ah, here I can thank my History and English and German teachers. Each of these teachers were my favorite because they had the knack of making the subject interesting by including stories, etc. Plus they gave us homework that, for me at least, fired my imagination. Quite often, especially in History and English, we were given 'composition' assignments which actually meant for us to write a minimum number of pages on a set topic (e.g. "Imagine you are living in an English village during Feudal times, what are your chores, and how do you amuse yourself?") Something along those lines was responsible for my first fiction story, as I would quite often turn in my own original work in addition to the homework assignment to get my teachers' opinions. BTW, I always scored 10/10 + gold stars for my writing.

In a word — exciting! I graduated high school with ambitions to get into the advertising agency field but could never kick the door wide enough to get in. Through a series of serendipitous events, I found myself being offered the job of Art Director for Australia's premier publisher at the time. I distinctly remember telling the family over dinner that night then asking "What does an art director do?" I soon found out. From that point on, and for the next 30 years, I found myself designing books from front cover to back cover. This was pre-computer days, and there were many times I was asked to even create original artwork for the cover. It was because every book was a new project, with new challenges, and quite often introduced me to new topics, that I found the work so exciting.

The idea for the story actually sat in the far recesses of my mind far longer than that, but once I chose to begin work on it That's when the clock began ticking. This is my first attempt at historical fiction, and even with my earlier books I prided myself on introducing factual material into my writing to enhance the story for readers. Because that was my approach to the historical fiction genre, I felt compelled to do as much indepth research as I could — being almost entirely reliant on the Internet was both a godsend and a curse. Some topics and details were fairly easy to locate, but most of my searches uncovered such a mountainous volume of material, it could take weeks sometimes to glean the wheat from the chaff. By the time I came to the day I actually typed THE END I was quite surprised to find it had taken 9 years to get there.

That aspect of my artwork began centuries ago (only kidding) . . . I think it was sometime in the '80s that people began being amenable to paying me for producing portraits for them. It started with portraits of pets then, during a family vacation to our uncle's chicken farm, I did a portrait of my cousin and left it with her as a gift. I guess word got around somehow and I began getting requests for portraits of people as birthday, Christmas, and anniversary gifts. Since moving to the United States in 1999 I've lost count of the number or commissions I've done — all in colored pencil, my favorite medium.

I've always been an avid fan/follower of the legendary figure. I think I've seen every film and TV show made, and read most books based on his exploits. There is something about his "taking from the rich to give back to the poor" philosophy that has remained with me all these years. I believe inspiration for The Archer's Diary came from various sources, Robin Hood with Russell Crowe (a fellow Aussie) and Prince of Thieves with Kevin Costner, combined with 2 fly/drive trips to England, Scotland and Wales. Each played its part . . . and my notion that the outlaw may have NOT been an Englishman or lived in Sherwood Forest. No definitive proof has ever come forth and I consider my version as legitimate as any other.

Considering my background in the publishing industry, good book cover designs and catchy titles are essential if a writer wants her/his book to be noticed. And I do all my own cover designs as well as those for any other writer inclined to contact me to do one for them.

The character of Logan is an amalgamation of several characters taken from movies and TV shows. And I also allow myself to indulge in the dream of my book becoming a film and which actor I might consider best suited for my character.

The most positive: "WOW!!! This was one phenomenal read! It’s one heck of an adventure story/murder mystery/thriller! It's well written and well paced, and if that isn’t enough, I was drawn in from the first page. It is a bit long but don’t be deterred. It’s packed with action. I can’t wait for the next book to come out." by Scott Bailey The most negative: "I wasn't exactly sure what to expect with this book. I enjoy historical fiction in the vein of James Rollins and Dan Brown and I've always loved the Robin Hood mythos, so I gave it a try. The book started off fairly quickly, but slowed down for a number of chapters. Think Tom Clancy, but with historical figures rather than military weaponry and machinery. Some of the dialogue is a bit flowery, because I don't feel that people really speak the way they did in the book. I do have to say, however, that the last third of the book is pretty rewarding for action/intrigue fans. All in all, it was well-written, if a bit long-winded. I'd give it 3.5 out of 5." by Brittney I have always welcomed honest reviews, and of all the authors/writers I've chatted with, nearly all take the same approach. If you consider yourself a half-decent writer, and want to stick with it and expect to improve, then you MUST take the good with the bad. Personally, I use the good to inspire me to keep writing; and the bad to get better at it.

1917, which I thought was excellent!

Historically accurate speaking, my favorite depiction of Robin Hood was the movie of the same name, starring Russell Crowe. The character he portrayed, I believe, was closer to that of the real Robin Hood I truly believe existed.

First of all, I have yet to find myself stuck in a rut, or experiencing writer's block. My problem is the opposite — not being able to type fast enough to keep up with my mind and/or imagination. I admit to being a poor steward of my time and haven't been able to fix myself to a writing schedule but usually find myself at the keyboard at mid-morning through to about early evening (on a good day). Part of the problem is the commission portrait work that crops up at times that requires my immediate attention. And I try to put family first when I have a choice to make between joining in or writing.

I've just started on The Archer's Diary - Book Two — The Journal. It's the sequel to Book One, except that the story this time is based entirely in the Medieval era. I currently have 5 chapters completed, and recently released a preview of the new cover.

Being a member of Goodreads, I am always looking to fellow writers for advice and recommendations, and several pointed me to AllAuthor as one of the best sites for book promotion and reaching new readers. I must say that since joining AllAuthor I have been impressed with their support people who have always been prompt and courteous and very helpful when answering my questions. And response to The Archer's Diary has increased since I joined AllAuthor, as well. What's to dislike? Nothing.