About the Author:
Jack is a Londoner, born in 1957 of
Irish parents.
His battles with the bottle, his impoverished childhood, and his years in the Royal Navy and Air Force have all helped contribute to this first novel.
Fifty years ago, there really was an orphanage for Polish refugees in Oxfordshire; the incident with Churchill's funeral train is based on fact. The characters are fictitious, but the immigrant sub-culture was real, including the loose character studies of the hard men that terrorised the capital's underworld.
The author lives in rural Ireland with his long-suffering wife, Zamzagul, and their dog, Flea-bag.
He is currently working on his second book.
His battles with the bottle, his impoverished childhood, and his years in the Royal Navy and Air Force have all helped contribute to this first novel.
Fifty years ago, there really was an orphanage for Polish refugees in Oxfordshire; the incident with Churchill's funeral train is based on fact. The characters are fictitious, but the immigrant sub-culture was real, including the loose character studies of the hard men that terrorised the capital's underworld.
The author lives in rural Ireland with his long-suffering wife, Zamzagul, and their dog, Flea-bag.
He is currently working on his second book.
Interview
1.
What inspired you to become a
writer?
I’ve
always had my nose in a book, ever since I was a kid.
2.
When did you first realize you
wanted to be a writer?
It
was always there, I just didn’t know it until I was tasked to write a short story
for an education course for the unemployed. The response was so positive that I
caught the bug, and then some.
3.
What genre(s) do you write? Why
do you write the stories that you write?
My
first novel is quasi-autobiographical; I had all this poison from my childhood to
get out, and the thing just mushroomed into The High Blue Arena
4.
Where did the inspiration for
your book come from?
Life’s
school of hard knocks; abandonment issues; the people I observed around me as a
kid; the futility of blue collar violence; my own near-fatal booze addiction;
the inevitable alienating effect of being a child of immigrants; the guts it
takes to maintain an interracial relationship.
5.
How long did it take you to put
the story together?
Once
I got going, I had the thing mapped out in a few weeks. The conception was
quick, but the writing took at least two years of constant revision.
6.
Can you share a little about your
novel with us?
When
misfit loners form duos, the consequences can be terrifying...
If
I could just paraphrase from a great movie: “There’s nothing sadder in this
life than a wasted talent.” One of the main characters has chosen crime to
avoid the murderous self-discipline required to nurture his musical heritage. We
all have similar gifts, yet many of us, including yours truly, seem to let them
slide due to a lack of self-confidence or something, and then one day it’s too
late ... It’s so sad...
At
the core of the book is a sub-culture of millions who remained firmly locked
out of the whole Sixties freedom/revolution thing. For a taste, the opening
pages of the novel are freely available in the Kindle edition.
7.
Who is your favorite character in
your novel and why?
I’m
a sucker for underdogs, so it’s got to be enforcer, Nathan Fortune;
Frankenstein-like he may have been, but one can’t help having some empathy for
the man, thanks to the horrific childhood that created him.
8.
Now that your book is getting
ready to hit the stores describe how you feel in one sentence?
Trepidation,
mixed with a cathartic relief that at least it’s out there...
9.
What has surprised you the most
about the whole processes of getting your book on the market?
How
easy it was, to do the whole Amazon Kindle thing.
10.
Would you like to share what the
reviewers are saying about your book?
Ain’t
got no reviews just yet.
11.
How many books have you written?
A
few short stories, but only this full length novel is published.
12.
What are you working on next?
Depending
on feedback, I’d like to write the sequel; failing that, I’ve got at least four
solid plots in my head for another fiction novel.
13.
What do you like to do for fun
when you’re not writing?
I
am becoming quite accomplished at playing the Irish Uilleann pipes; I find the
harmonious sounds of the instrument quite bewitching. (Not for the sane!)
I’m also building my own 24 foot steel boat. It’s
still sitting in the garden, so my wife calls it the Chicken house...
14.
How can readers contact you?
Alternatively, you can email
me at johnhighblue@gmail.com
15. When
does your book go on sale and where can we buy it?
16. Last
but not least is there anything that you would like to add?
Thanks
Leigh for the opportunity to do this interview!
What a fantastic interview. Jack it is lovely to meet you. I wish you all the best.
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