Bass Instinct
What can you tell us about your book Bass Instinct?
Bass Instinct is the fourth in the Banned Underground fantasy series, centered on the adventures of a dwarf rhythm and blues band and their friends. The three previous books have been mad romps really: drinking, pizza and rock n roll, but this time I wanted to think about the relationships in the band and how they might be affected by the introduction of something really scary – a girl….
Can you give us a brief insight into your previous publications?
As Bass Instinct is the fourth in the series, obviously there are three books before it. I’m an accountant by trade, so it’s easy for me to be pedantic about that sort of thing. Now, it’s no good a fantasy writer just having heroes, is it? You have to have some villains as well. Enter the local firm of Accountants, doubling as the base for a coven of Dark Wizards, an odd and rather off-white witch, and the classic ingredients for the age old conflict of good and evil are all there. The only thing missing is a plot. Or three. The plots are probably still missing in action, but no one seems too bothered, so that’s all right then.
Tell us about your inspiration behind the 'banned underground' series of books.
The whole thing started as homage to a perfectly brilliant children’s fantasy, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner. Oh, how I love that book. It’s a true classic. But the first attempts were meant to be serious, and after a working life spent in taxation, I find it hard to take most things seriously, so the first drafts were awful. But then one day, laying on top of High Street Fell (in the Lake District) the concept of the band arrived, and the book changed immediately. Out went the pompous tone, and in came the jokes. Well, the attempts at the jokes, anyway. And the series took off.
What is your writing background?
My writing background? I don’t have one, really. I’ve got four bookcases in the background, behind me in my office at home if that helps. Yes, there were only three of them but bookcases breed in the night you know, like teenagers. And they are about as easy to control as teenagers, too.
Your books are praised for being funny, so how do you capture this so effectively in your writing?
I don’t know. I just don’t. I think I have a keen sense of the ridiculous, and working in and against the Civil Service has taught me a lot about stupidity (not least my own), and life itself: well if you can’t take a joke, you shouldn’t have joined, as they say….
Which fantasy writers have given you inspiration?
Of course we all start with Tolkien, don’t we? And Sir Terry Pratchett. I’ve also read a lot of Holt and Rankin as the other great humourists in fantasy, but possibly my favourite author is Roger Zelazny. The depth and variety of his work is astonishing.
What is your favourite novel?
Oh, a favourite novel! This is so hard. I’ve got four bookcases full, you know. Did I mention that? Every book there is a candidate. Illusions by Richard Bach ticks all my boxes – fun, adventure, friendship, aeroplanes and philosophy. But Zelazny’s Lord of Light suns a close second. Oh, to write that well! And then there’s Pratchett’s Soul Music…how many more can I sneak in? Oh.
Critics have said that this book will appeal to children and adults alike, so how have you made your books cover such a broad spectrum of readers?
My real goal for the series is to entertain. My secret ambition is to have someone write to me and tell me that I made them laugh so hard they fell off their chair. Some jokes will go over the heads of younger children, it’s true but I write the things that make me laugh. And deep inside, I don’t think I ever grew up from being a spotty teenager, so I get both ends of the spectrum.
You have a love of blues, rock and jazz, so who are your favourite musicians?
My favourite musicians? Nearly as bad as asking me about books! I still listen to a lot of Led Zeppelin and the other great rock bands, but I play a lot of blues and jazz too. I’m busy with the last half of the fifth book at the moment, so I’m playing a lot of blues to help me think. Miles Davis, Gary Moore, Fleetwood Mac (before they sold out) and just recently I’ve been playing a lot of Joe Bonamassa. He’s a great new talent, needs to be better known.
What is next for you?
Next: Well, I’ve also been dabbling in horror, and my first foray – The Showing – is doing well and there is another planned. But my heart and soul lie with the music and the jokes, so the fifth Banned Underground novel is just over halfway done, and I’ve been making preparatory notes for the next two. Safkhet Publishing have signed me to write eight of these at the rate of two a year and frankly they are so much fun to write that I don’t know if I can stop….