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Welcome to a collection of occasional interviews with popular writers.
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Sallie Eden Chatted with Simon's Cat Author, Simon Tofield at Film Premiere.
 01.11.11: I was fortunate enough to attend the recent première of Double Trouble in Leicester Square, when the new book was launched. As well as being able to watch three of his earlier films on the big screen, Simon himself introduced his latest mini-blockbuster.
Inspired by TV cartoons, he started animating when he was very young, creating basic flip-books in an attempt to copy what he saw on screen. He has always been keen on animals, British wildlife in particular, he also enjoys painting, the great outdoors and, no surprise this, he loves cats. To his great delight he was recently invited to become Patron of Stray Cat Rescue.
Although the audience at the première was uncritical, the artist was far less so, assuring us he could see several glitches in his drawings, particularly the early ones and, in a delightfully frank Q&A session, I also learned that Simon's cat is not too proud to undergo the slightest touch of airbrushing when the situation calls for it, that Simon's drawing pens come in bulk from Tesco, and that it takes around seven weeks to complete a film of one to two minutes in length.
We heard “live” all the various cat and human sounds which add so much to the films and watched in awe as, within seconds, Simon drew on newsprint all the key characters from the books and films.
Before leaving I took the opportunity to thank Simon for his morale boosting work and , while he dedicated a book for my wonderful vet, we chatted about my [late] cat's fishing expertise – he generously brought in through the cat flap fish he caught in nearby rock pools; when I failed to appreciate the gesture he kindly drew it to my attention by leaving one in my shoe. If Simon's next film features a hysterical woman, a very irritable fish and a bewildered cat you'll know where the plot came from!
As if that wasn't enough, my “goody bag” contained a signed copy of the latest book and loads of other Simon's cat treasures. It's no exaggeration to say that every single member of the audience left Leicester Square smiling. Thank you, Simon!
Simon's Cat In Kitten Chaos is in this month's reviews.
Sallie Eden interviews Danny Bent whose book “You've gone too far this time Sir” was reviewed last month.
 By way of background, Danny (a teacher and former Marketing director of the National Quadrathlon squad) explained that he and his sister, Natalie (a graduate of Falmouth University and now a locally based artist) are the world's top brother-sister bog snorkelling duo, holding the men's and women's triathlon records respectively. Danny clearly likes doing what he describes as “fun and crazy things” – like climbing the Gherkin, running up the down escalators the wrong way. Indeed, by the age of 11, he had already decided he wanted to travel the world for charity.
As children, the family used to holiday in Cornwall every year, surfing and playing in the sand. Coincidentally, he visited earlier this month to see some of his sister’s work (see nataliebent.yolasite.com), which is now winning national competitions.
Getting back on track, I asked him where he got the idea for the journey described in his book. “I like my classroom to be alive... throwing paint at the teacher in art, climbing trees in maths, creating animations in science. Not just a buzz – I like the tiles on the roof to be vibrating, some days I even like to try and blow the roof clean off. I was teaching children about a village in India, comparing it with our own lives. I struggled to make the subject as exciting for the kids as it was for me, but when you’re eight years old it’s hard to imagine a life in stark contrast to your own. There was only one thing for it. Go out there to put myself – a figure they knew well (and I hope respected) – in the picture. When I told my class, one boy, fully clued-up on our school’s Green Awareness policy, asked how I was going to get there. Plane? Bus? In contradiction to everything I’d taught them? I couldn’t. So I uttered the four words which changed my life. ‘I’m going by bicycle’.”
So he set off. Nine thousand miles to India. On his own. With Shirley, his steel-framed bicycle, carrying everything he needed.
I asked him about the high points (and the low) of his journey. “The people I met who had nothing, but gave everything. People in slums coming together to buy two cups of tea – one I was forced to drink under watchful eyes, the other they shared; Uzbek women selling home grown produce who fought over who would give me the most apples and cucumbers. Those people had the warmest of hearts and the kindest souls.”
He explained that he felt everything was an adventure. Even whilst soldiers’ guns were pointed at his head, he was thinking “can’t wait to tell people about this.” Bandits, snakes, wild goats, riots and other hazards…he loved every second.
Danny is dyslexic, so I wondered what prompted him to consider writing. “When I was at University, I used to write to my parents regularly. Dad replied saying I had a way of saying a lot about nothing at all …I think it was a compliment. I started my writing career by doing race reports for magazines, then I got a few articles in national papers. I began wondering if I could write a book – and then at the point where the three highest mountain ranges collide, with war raging around me and only Shirley for company, I thought people might like to hear about it. So, on my journey I wrote blogs and kept a pretty detailed diary and when I came home I spent nine months writing in ‘Look mum no Hands’, a cycle café in London with loads of interesting people around me – I spent more time chatting than writing, but it was fun!!”
So, what next? “The charity initiative is calling me and I like the idea of staying in the UK, but changing the lives of millions around the world. So on 11/11/11 I launch my unsalaried charity initiative ‘1111’ (www.oneoneoneone.org) aimed at raising £1million for the charity Keep a Child Alive. It’s a really simple idea - I aim to recruit 1000 warriors. They can be  schools, businesses or individuals and their role is to do something they’ve always dreamed of, or simply something fun – run a marathon, organize a party, climb a mountain etc. and by doing so, empower 100 of their friends to give £10 in sponsorship. We already have authors, international brands, famous musicians and pop icons involved. I know how generous Cornish people are, so come on Roseland – help me to help others. All it takes is one person or business to come forward and you’ll be on your way.”
Meanwhile, Danny’s book is available via Amazon and from discerning bookshops. If you’d like to know more or look at some of his wonderful photographs, check out his website www.dannybent.com.
Roseland Online Book Critic, Sallie Eden, interviews Debut Author, Carol Symons.
 I started by asking where the idea for Tremanyon came from. Carol explained that when she was a child the family moved to whichever airbase her father was posted to and by the time she was 15 she had attended eight schools. Having moved from place to place for most of her early life it was only in 1961, when the family settled in Cornwall, that she felt she had come home. It was then she began to formulate the stories based there.
“The stories are pure fiction, as are the characters, however, I am honest enough to admit that Tremanyon and the estate in which it is set are based on the house that was once my home, Trewince Manor on the Roseland Peninsular. The names of the villages have been changed and the coastline altered to fit my stories but anyone who knows the area will be able to picture it in their minds.”
“The Roseland is a wonderful setting and Trewince is a beautiful house, so it's no surprise it should feature in my books; I stood on the stairs for photos on the day I was married and our first two sons were born there. When Trewince was sold in 1987 we retained the cottage and quay, situated at the junction of Froe Creek and the Percuil River and we visit as often as possible.”
Explaining what prompted her to write, Carol says “I don’t think it was anything particular. It was more a case of ‘the time was right’. One day I found myself with a pad in one hand and a pen in the other and the stories began to flow. I had written poetry, and later fairy stories for my grandchildren, but hadn't had anything published.”
“Now I write anywhere and anytime. I can't write to order or set myself specific hours, nor do I have a dedicated space of my own. I don’t write everyday, but when I'm not writing I'm working on the next chapter in my head, however most of the ideas come to me when we are at Trewince Quay Cottage.”
Given the amount of research needed to write a historical novel, I asked Carol how long each one took to write. “In the early 1990s I started writing the first book in the Tremanyon saga but I soon realised that I didn't know enough about the 1700’s, however I wanted to begin writing so, in 2000, I started the last book in the series, 'A long summer’s day' , set in the period 1960-1995, whilst finding out more about events during the18th century. It is amazing what can turn up during the course of researching and can even directly change the story line. I now start out with an idea and let it develop as it goes along.”
“During that time I looked for a publisher, but it's very difficult for a first time writer, luckily, a chance meeting put me in touch with Polares Press and 'A shadow falls' was published in December 2010.”
Meanwhile, 'A long summer's day' lies in the cupboard, waiting for the remaining books to be written. “It's a funny way to start a series of books, but I'm in good company, for I know of at least one author who wrote that way. For example, Wilbur Smith started his Courtney series beginning in the middle, going forward to present day and finally taking the Courtney family further back through time.”
Carol tells me she has just completed the follow up to ‘A Shadow Falls’, with a working title 'Jamie/Time brings many changes', continuing the story of the Tremayne family through the period of the French Revolution and the height of the mining of Cornish tin and copper. She is currently at work on the third book, set in the 1800’s.
Today she divides her life between the family farm in Essex and their home in Cornwall. Like me, Carol has been a great reader since childhood and she describes her books as “my friends...there is nothing like the feel of a book in your hands. I would hate to think of a time when you couldn't visit a book store to browse through the books by authors you love and new authors whose books you may be tempted to buy”.
 Apart from writing, she loves her gardens and enjoys patchwork and quilting, particularly looking forward to visits to Roseland Quilters when she is at the cottage. Having the good fortune to have a wonderful family; a husband, three sons and a daughter as well as nine grandchildren, she has always supported Action Aid* and sponsored a number of children who have not had the life and advantages of her own children. She also supports Cancer Care and Alzheimer's charities, commenting that “it is having such a great impact on my own and other families, including the author Terry Pratchett who is dealing with it in a remarkable way and speaking openly about how he is handling it.”
Finally Carol makes me promise to mention everyone in Gerrans, Portscatho and the surrounding area who welcomed her family 50 years ago. She says “I hope that they will forgive me for using the Roseland as my inspiration and for altering the coastline to fit my story. My thanks to them and to all those who worked with us at Trewince Manor. I bless the day I drove into the gates of Trewince for the first time on that sunny day in January 1961. It was just like spring and I remember my first sight of the house now as if it were just yesterday. It was the day I fell in love with a house…”
Watch out for Carol's website which will be up and running soon. This book is reviewed in our reviews pages this month.
Roseland Online Book Critic, Sallie Eden, interviews Roseland Author, Philip Marsden
 Philip is well known to many Roseland online readers, if not as a neighbour, then certainly as a writer, winner of a Thomas Cook Award. He is also a novelist (his novel The Main Cages was set in Cornwall).
He and his family recently moved from St Mawes to a nearby village, and I spoke to him on the terrace of the Tresanton, within sight of the sea, which plays such a pivotal role in his latest book The Levelling Sea and which has been a major part of his life since childhood.
Philip studied anthropology and has travelled extensively, but he always knew he wanted to become a writer – at one time he worked for The Spectator - and firmly believes in writing about what he knows. The variety of subjects he has covered in his books and articles demonstrates his wide range of interests. He has written about Ethiopia and his book The Bronski House was the result of a trip in the summer of 1992, with the poet Zofia Ilinska (then living in Cornwall), to the Belorussian village where she spent her childhood
Discussing where his ideas come from and how he plans his books, Philip said that “in life you pick up information like dust as you go along your way”. He starts with an idea but doesn't plan how the book will end or how it will get there. It is only when he reaches the second draft stage that a structure becomes clear and the end product begins to emerge.
The Levelling Sea had its genesis during his preparatory work for The Main Cages – some of his research didn't quite fit into the final book so he looked for a way he could bring it to light in another form.
Our interview (chat?) takes the sort of diversions so fascinating to Philip and we talked about topics as diverse as the Azeri language and culture (a mutual interest), history lessons in school, corruption in the Elizabethan age, Jewish culture, sailing, the Roseland Festival and Swallows and Amazons, particularly appropriate as he has some of Arthur Ransome's love of language, travel and the written word.
 He writes at home, but away from the house, believing it is vital to work under a different roof if he is to avoid day to day distractions. He has variously used a chalet overlooking the sea, a shed and a caravan. A book generally takes around two years, much of that time spent researching background, often taking detours based on material uncovered in public records and elsewhere, but, the germ of an idea might, as with his latest work, take root many years before.
Philip is currently working on a book about the landscape, not the sea, although it too is about Cornwall. Like The Levelling Sea it relies heavily on Philip's interest in lifting the lid on things to discover all he can and taking detours from the main route.
The phrase “picker up of unconsidered trifles” might have been invented for him and is particularly evident when he describes his enthusiasm for discovering the past, for example the joy of reading handwritten notes from decades ago, sometimes centuries ago, as well as finding inspiration from what lies almost on his doorstep.
As to the future for hardbacks and paperbacks, Philip believes the presentation isn't what matters it's the content and that the real challenge in the e reader age is for booksellers, particularly the smaller ones.
Finally I asked him what he wanted his readers to get from his books, “I love working with language. I have a real passion for the things I write about and it is that I want readers to share.” The Levelling Sea brings together the power of the sea and the power of the word and, as you will see from my review I think he has achieved his goal. I hope you will think so too. It's a fascinating story full of intriguing titbits. Maybe you should buy it (or your next book) from your local bookshop – if you don't use it we'll all lose it!
To read Sallie's review of Philip's book, The Levelling Sea, click here, or to order a copy, click here.
Roseland Online Book Critic, Sallie Eden, interviews Women's Contemporary Fiction writer, Amanda Brookfield.
 01.04.11: Fresh from interviews with the Sunday Express and Sunday Telegraph - and fresher still from a visit to Argentina from where she had returned (minus luggage) only the day before - Amanda Brookfield and I met for coffee and talked about her life as a writer.
Her most recent novel “Before I Knew You” (published by Penguin), is about two couples who swap houses. Based in London and Connecticut; it is the story of how a short break from the everyday results in lives falling apart.
Amanda has been called the “Queen of the Relationship novel” and it is her attention to even the smallest detail which goes a long way to supporting that title. For me, it isn't the big events in her books which hold the attention, it is the smaller, day to day things – Beth's note to her guests, outlining arrangements for the care of her cat (Dido) really struck a chord and I found myself looking for other similarities with my own life.
“Before I Knew You” is darker than I anticipated from the cover and I asked Amanda what  input she had into how the finished product would look.
“I do have some input and it's interesting that you should say that because obviously the cover has to indicate a lot of things – it has to attract regular readers, and say something about the story, but it also has to stand out from hundreds of other books. What is also interesting is that covers in other countries are often very different, to reflect different tastes and expectations”.
She has written fourteen novels, published in Germany, Latvia and North America as well as the UK, and – you read it here first (or maybe second) – she is currently working on a book about a chef, a recovering alcoholic and what happens as his marriage fails. He is charismatic and good looking, traits which are by turns positive and a drawback in his attempts to rebuild his life.
Amanda writes at home, despite the distractions of her cat and life in general. She said, “My brain is constantly active. I'm always working out how to get from A to B, then C in a story and trying to make sure it flows and nothing gets forgotten.”
I asked if she ever thought about shutting herself away somewhere isolated to write her books.
 “I like the idea, but not too early in the process. After the first draft is complete, that might be the right time, although [having talked about the Roseland] I might be too easily distracted by the view outside the window.
“It takes about two years to write a book, but much of that time is spent thinking, researching and checking details. It certainly doesn't get any easier and with each book I feel I have to prove myself. The words don't fly off my fingertips... it takes a lot of self discipline.”
Ideas come from a number of sources and her motto is “write it down”, particularly when she plays a game of “What if...?” to brainstorm a chain of events which eventually become the skeleton of a story.
She is fascinated by other people's lives and intrigued by what houses say about their owners and what owners want their houses to say about them. She commented on the differences between how British and American home-owners view their properties and possessions, an observation which forms a key element in her latest book.
“Getting it right” which is so important to her as a writer and to her readers is nowhere more apparent than when she talks about the difficulty of including children or animals in her books.
“For example, when you refer to a child, you need to remember them at every  point. They need to be fed, taken to school, have babysitters or whatever, and you need to tie up any loose ends.”
I admitted I had ruined the dénouement of “Before I Knew You” by turning to the end to find out what happened to Dido!
Talking about how and when she first thought of becoming a writer, Amanda told me that her very first story, written when she was 11, was a ghost story, set in Cornwall.
“The main character was a 12 year old girl and I wasn't sure how to end the story. Finally I decided the ghostly horses would stampede and she would be crushed. I had doubts about whether ghosts could do that but I realised it was my story and therefore I could make anything happen. The teacher was so impressed she asked me to read it to the class; it was then that I began to think I could write.”
After a career in advertising, she turned to journalism and then, while living abroad with her husband and two sons, she wrote her first book.
So what's next? Being a writer isn't just about having an idea, writing it down and getting it published. Amanda does regular readings at literary festivals and elsewhere. She also writes short stories, one of which, “The House Sitter”, will appear in My Weekly on 7th May. I urge you to read it, not just find out whether you like her writing but also because Amanda has very generously agreed to help our fundraising efforts in support of the Precious Lives Appeal.
Here's how it works, the person making the highest bid will get to name a character in one of her forthcoming books. The money from the winning bid will go to directly the Appeal, so, whether you want to see your own name in print or want to buy it as a gift, why not make a bid? More details to follow, but if you'd like to be kept informed, email Friends On the Roseland, Children's Hospice South West at forchsw@yahoo.co.uk.
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