Author Q&A with John Wheatley

I’ve recently read your Detective Nula Ryan Mysteries, they’re a change in genre for you, what prompted this?

Thanks for reading them! I’d taken a break from writing and wanted a new challenge. GENRE is very important in marketing, so I wanted to try something with well-defined conventions, hoping to target particular groups of readers. I’ve also noticed that having a series of linked books is sometimes a good way of keeping and building an author’s readership. So, the Detective Nula Ryan Series is a bit of an experiment really. I’ve got another Nula story up my sleeve, but I’ll wait to see how the others do before I commit to it.

Can you tell us what you’re working on at the moment?

I’ve got a number of projects on the go. I have a young adult ‘time-slip’ novel set in Alnmouth, on the coast of Northumberland, Northumberland – ‘ON WODEN’S HILL’ which is available for pre-order now and will be launched on the 8^th July. You can pre-order it here.

I also have a novella ‘THE APPARITION’ set in Staithes, North Yorkshire, written some time ago but as yet unpublished; I’m working on another supernatural story ‘THE GHOST IN THE CELLAR’ to accompany it – I plan to publish the two novellas in a single volume so that readers get their money’s worth.

I’m also well on with my sixth ‘Middleton’ novel [Middleton being the Lancashire town where I was born and brought up]. This one is set during what is locally known as The Great Middleton Flood of 1927. It’s about the flood and the devastation it brought to what was then a small mill town, but it has lots of personal stories and love stories embedded. It’s called ‘IDLERS CORNER’.

As a multi-genre writer, what connects all of your books?

I think the answer to that is PLACE. Whether I’m writing about Anglesey, Middleton or Yorkshire the local landscape and mood seems to be like a main character in the story.

You’ve written several books, do you have a favourite? If so, why?

MARCIA. When I met Christine she asked me which of my books she should read. I said ‘You could try MARCIA but it’s not the one I’d necessarily want my mother to read.’ She said ‘Well, I’m not your mother!’ and she read it. Then we got married. But at the moment, ON WODEN’S HILL is my favourite. It’s the second Young Adult novel I’ve written and it’s set in Alnmouth, on the Northumberland coast where I have very happy memories of childhood holidays. It’s also a paranormal time-travel story with a final twist – always good to experiment with!

What does your writing process look like?

Initial kernel of an idea. First chapter, like a sudden unexpected burst. Pick the bones out of it. Watch the characters and story lines beginning to emerge. Follow them like a stalker!

How long does it take you to complete a first draft?

Not long. Eight weeks maybe, sometimes quicker. An old tree produces lots of fruit because it knows it has limited time left. I produce first drafts like an old tree.

What do you like to read when you’re not doing research for a book?

Reading for fun is sometimes also research, like Val McDiarmid and Anne Cleves for detective stuff. Apart from that I think Elif Shafik and Elizabeth Buchan are really intelligent authors with amazing and enviable imaginative powers.

What advice would you give to someone writing their first book?

Go for it. Write, write, write. Tackle the other stuff later. If you keep writing it’s in your blood, in your DNA. Keep writing, take advice, don’t be put off by criticism. Network with lots of people. Be kind to yourself. Keep writing.

John Wheatley’s YA novel ‘ON WODEN’S HILL’ is available to pre-order at Amazon, price £1.77.

https://amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CZVGG4JG

Author Q&A with John Wheatley