How has your childhood shaped who you are today?
I grew up the youngest of 11 children in an Irish Catholic family in Sydney. There was always plenty of discussion at home and in the days before TV, more socialising, card laying and many friends of brothers and sisters coming and going regularly. Hopefully that made me more sociable as well though being the youngest you tend to stay in the back ground a bit more.
What are the things that remind you of your childhood?
Still living in the same city (Sydney, Australia) and seeing many of the things I grew up around but with vast changes of people and growth. Seeing family members and their offspring, a progeny that has grown to over 90 in three generations from my parents who came here In the 1920s.
Do you read historical fiction? What do you like about it?
And also historical non fiction, though not fantasy historical fiction. Writers have to research and you get insights into past times that are realistic and hopefully not overwritten.
Which of your childhood dreams was the first to die?
Literally it was when my mother who passed away when I was 13, the whole world changed completely. I didn’t have big dreams of what I wanted to be when I grew up. A time as a copy boy in major metro daily took me in the direction of becoming a sports reporter but that didn’t eventuate as I didn’t have the education or the connections.
Do you remember the first book you ever wrote?
“The Runout Response” published (by a publisher ) in 1990. About the world eventually going to run out of oil and how a British PM tried to handle events. I felt it was rather prescient and talks about alternatives such as hydrogen power and how the world had to transition.
What challenges did you face while setting your novel, Treaty or Treason in Ireland, 1920?
It had some basis in fact as my father was the template for one of the characters and I wanted to do his cause and the times justice. The research was enjoyable but I would have loved to have gone there again but Covid intervened. Then again Covid gave me the time to get right into it.
How did you come up with the idea of your book, The Russian Major?
As per Q5 above, I write because I want to say something and that book was essentially to try and humanise what was basically an inhuman set of circumstances. Who are the people and how do they live with the fact they can destroy a whole city with nuclear weapons?
How much did you research while writing your book, "Where There's a Will": ....There's a way to hide $100 million?
Quite a lot, I was fascinated by the real life crime of how one man was able to engineer the takeover of companies with huge reserves from sheer greed. Turning it into a fictional story allowed me to develop more situations. It’s surprising how much information was on the public record of crimes and courts and criminals, so as usual the internet was critical in finding facts and allowing me to extemporise!
What first inspired you to put pen to paper for the stories?
Essentially I write because I want to say something about the human condition and society generally.
Why should people read historical fiction?
To get better perspectives about historical times and humanise historical figures. “Wolf Hall” and “The Name of The Rose” were two of my favourite books of that genre, for that reason.
What's it like having a granddaughter?
It’s terrific and great to see young lives changing so quickly but concerning that they have so much more “input” they have to deal with than I did when growing up. I just hope they can handle it and not be derailed by too much “information”. They have a greater need to develop filters for what they accept and reject. Not going to be easy for them, hopefully we can support and advise, if we’re asked!
What are the most fun things to do in and around Sydney?
Being on the coast Sydney has about thirty beaches you can visit and its own history though Europeans have only been here 230 years. Indigenous history is now being recognised more fully. It is possible to find cave drawings within Sydney that are thousands of years old. Rivercat rides into the city and ferry rides on Sydney Harbour are always enjoyable. A Shakespeare play at the Sydney Opera House is great. Plenty of major sports activities to see as well. Plus I’m a golfer which I find enjoyable but challenging, plenty of courses to choose from.
What is the age when a person should ideally retire?
Totally an individual choice based on their circumstances. The main thing to realise that you end up with a lot of time on your hands so you have to still be productive and part of society. I enjoy writing but I’m not fixated on it or any other pastime but you have to keep busy.
How many plot ideas are just waiting to be written? Can you tell us about one?
I have two or three I’ve been sitting on. I would like to write about 100 years of Sydney history from the time my parents arrived in the 1920s to the present day and beyond, exploring the changes over generation and the migration patterns that changed the country so much, mostly for the better!. Getting motivation is difficult because you can go to a lot of effort as a writer but not get much feedback or psychic reward
How has your experience of being associated with AllAuthor been?
Pretty positive. I have been surprised by the size of the industry that has grown around self publishing. I think I have come across about 15 web sites who promise untold success if you just do “this” and send us some money. At least All Author appears to be more concerned about authors and their suggestions seem more practical. But it is a jungle out there!
