As we gear up for this amazing event, I’ll be bringing you author interviews so you can get to know the attending authors in more detail! There are lots and lots of authors for you to discover, not to mention, hundreds if not thousands of books! Why not grab a cuppa and sit back and relax! All while hearing more about our writers and their writing lives, inspirations – and maybe even a secret or two!
What is the first thing people should know about you?
I am a straight-talking Yorkshireman who says it as he sees it. I am also a Capricornian. Most folks are wary of the combination.
Tell me which genre or trope you are most well-known for writing.
Children’s fantasy adventure stories, adult fiction, historical novels set in late Victorian times.
What is one thing people don’t know about you?
I have been writing since I was 7 – 70 years ago – but only published since 2010 (29 books). I wrote 6 children’s books in 2020.
Name a book you’ve written that you wish more people had read, and why.
Hidden Secrets. My first historical novel (precursor to Secrets Revealed). Many people have told me that it is wonderfully surprising.
What is your favourite book (not your own), and why?
Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien. Attention to detail is fantastic.
Was there a book you wrote that broke you and made you feel like you’d never write again?
Not a chance! I am a very fluent writer who has never had a problem with a lack of ideas or imagination.
Is your desk/writing space tidy or messy?
It’s not tidy, but I know where everything I need is secreted.
Who or what inspires you as a writer?
Everyday life, and the past.
Are you an introvert or extrovert? Or something else…?
I’m an outward facing and very positive person who is never fazed by anything.
The literary world moves fast, but what’s the one thing that never changes?
A good story that contains no profanities and keeps readers guessing.
What is your advice to authors just starting out?
Concentrate hard on what you want to write, and take advice from those that know what they are talking about.
Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
Canaries.
If you could live inside any fictional world, where would that be?
My mind.
Your favourite place to read and/or write?
Anywhere there’s space and a reasonable amount of quiet.
When you’re as old as Gandalf the Grey, how many books do you think you might have written?
Who knows? I am 77 now, and I have written 29 books since 2010. Take your pick.
Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met?
Never met anyone famous.
What did you always want to be when you were growing up?
First and foremost, a teacher (since I was 7), and then a writer.
If writing is your full-time job, have you ever been told to get a “proper job”?
It’s not my full-time job. I did have a proper job for forty years until retirement in 2006. I was a teacher.
Who is your biggest cheerleader?
My wife foremost, followed by my good friend Ann Langley. She is an avid reader who devours all my writings within days of their release.
BONUS QUESTION: Tell me a secret about one of your books that nobody else knows yet!
How my characters in the third book in my Victorian Trilogy (to be called ‘No More Secrets’) develop. You’ll have to wait and see. Hidden Secrets. Secrets Revealed. No More Secrets.
Thank you so much for your time, Frank! And to connect with the author, click here
SML Literary Events 