Interview with
John Holt,
Author of The
Thackery Journal
Questions:
R. Murry
Can
you tell me a little about yourself?
Firstly let me say a big
thank you Roy, for giving me this opportunity. I hope that you and anyone reading
this enjoy it, and hopefully gain something from it.
I was born in 1943 in
Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire. I currently live in Essex with my wife,
Margaret, and my daughter Elizabeth.
For many years I was a Chartered Surveyor
in local government. I was a Senior Project Manager with the Greater London
Council until it was closed down in 1986. I then set up my own surveying
practice, preparing architectural plans for extensions, and new houses. I had a
heart attack in 2004, and vastly reduced my work load, and eventually retired
in 2008.
I had always wanted to
write a novel but could never think of a good enough plot. My first novel, The
Kammersee Affair, published in 2006, was inspired by a holiday in Austria.
We
were staying in Grundlsee. The next lake, Toplitzsee, was used by the Germans
during the war to test rockets, and torpedoes. There were rumours of gold
hidden in that lake. Despite extensive searches the gold was never found. In my
book, however, it is found, only in the next lake, Kammersee.
The books
that followed, The Mackenzie File, The Marinski Affair, Epidemic, and A Killing
In The City. all feature Tom Kendall, a down to earth private detective. In
August 2012 I decided to go down the self-published route, and formed my own
publishing brand PHOENIX..
Do
you remember the first story you wrote?
I suppose it must have been whilst at school. I
wrote a story about a small settlement in Australia, and how it developed into
a town. The story covered a period of about 100 years, and was told in a half a
dozen hand written pages.
Needless to say it was never published. I wonder what
happened to that manuscript. In the early sixties I used to write articles, and
reviews for a couple of magazines specializing in Negro Blues. Both magazines
no longer exist, and with their demise gone to are my articles.
Were
you inspired by someone or something?
I was brought up on Enid Blyton. Every week my
father would bring home the latest copy of the Enid Blyton magazine. Sadly not
very fashionable now, but the Famous Five and the Secret Seven, would keep me
occupied and entertained for hours.
Later it was Alastair Maclean, and Hammond
Innes, who provided the excitement. Then Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime.
But did any of these fine authors inspire me? Maybe, but I certainly have never
tried to copy their style.
What
do you like about writing a story?
I got a lot of enjoyment out of readers the novels
of the people mentioned above. To enter into a different world and meet
exciting people, and encounter dangerous adventures whilst in the safety of
your own home.
I get that same kind of enjoyment from creating my own works. I
hope that others get that same enjoyment.
Can
you tell us about your book?
I normally write
Private Detective novels, and so far I have four self published.
My latest novel "The
Thackery Journal" is quite a departure, and a long way outside my comfort
zone. It is an Historical Fiction novel set during the American Civil war. It
is a "What If" novel regarding the assassination of Lincoln.
I have been
working on it, on and off for about four or five years. During that time it has
gone through a few changes. My first book, “The Kammersee Affair” is about the
search for Nazi gold. Whilst researching I found an article about some
Confederate gold that went missing as the Civil war came to an end.
I thought
that could be the basis of a fairly good story, and that was the start of “The
Thackery Journal.” So I had the missing god, and I knew that somebody had taken
it. I wondered how that person would feel as his pursuers closed in. So the
final chapter of “Thackery” was written. That chapter, written many years ago,
has basically remained unchanged, even though the rest of the story has.
What
genre best fits for the book?
Historical Fiction
Are
you working on something new at the moment?
I am
currently working on two more Tom Kendall novels and I have made a tentative
start on an Adventure novel. I also have some ideas for another American Civil
War novel. I’m rethinking the missing gold item.
Do
you have any tips for aspiring writers?
The main tip I can give is write for nobody but you.
There will be a lot of people who will like your work (we hope), but there will
be a lot of people who hate it.
You cannot please everyone all of the time, so
don’t even try. As long as you like what you have written, that’s good enough,
if someone else likes it that’s a bonus.
Where
can people go to read your work?
I have a few chapters from my novels over on Wattpad
- My latest novel "The Thackery
Journal" is a "What If" novel regarding the assassination of
Lincoln.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kammersee-Affair/141374892672877
Do you have anything to add?
I realized pretty quickly
that the chances of being published by one of the traditional publishers was
pretty remote. I wasn’t a celebrity chef, or a footballer, or a TV personality.
Eventually I was published by Raider Publishing International in New York.
Sounds impressive yes?
Well Raider is a vanity publisher, and I paid them to
get published. Nonetheless it was a good feeling to have my work in print. The
contracts were very short, and when they ran out I did not renew. I decided to
take the Self-Publishing route. With the likes of Lulu.com, Createspace, and
KDP, it is now so easy, and at no cost. With the help of friends on Facebook,
and Twitter, it has worked out reasonably well, and I wish I had done it a lot
sooner.
So thank you once again
Roy. It is very much appreciated.
