James Phelan is the next author to be interrogated by the Boroondara Blogger!
What are you writing at the moment?
I’m working on the 4th book in the Lachlan Fox thriller series, titled LIQUID GOLD, to be published in August 2009. I’ve just recently finished writing my first teen novel, titled ALONE, which will come out some time in 2009.
Can you give us an idea of your typical writing day?
Get up at the crack of noon, walk down the street for a few coffees, then I get in front of my computer and write, usually in my home office. I’ll write anywhere from 6-10 hours each and every day of the year. When the deadline is looming, the hours grow longer.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
Sleeping! I think I’m always writing in some form, even if it’s taking notes or thinking or dreaming. Thinking time is most underrated.
Also, promoting the books takes up a fair bit of time.
Sometimes I hang around uni, chipping away at a PhD and teaching a class in the MA Writing program at Swinburne.
What are you reading right now?
“Shattered” by Michael Robotham, “Without Warning” by John Birmingham. “To kill a mockingbird” for the third time. “Novelists and Novels” by Harold Bloom.
What inspired you to start writing?
A love of reading and a passion for creating.
What are you writing plans for the future?
To write an adult novel and a teen novel each year for a while. I like the idea of being able to write with a view out to a raging ocean and with a faithful dog at my feet, although I’m not sure how much writing I’d get done in that setting.
Most satisfying writing moment?
Writing the final scene of any novel is a great moment.
Anything you would like to add?
Read more. We don’t read enough and life is far too short not to read good books.
Thanks James.
James is speaking at Balwyn Library on Wednesday October 22, 2008 at 7.30 pm.
Click here to book online or call 9278 4666
