To celebrate the release of his new novel, Psychopaths Anonymous, we asked author Will Carver to open up in an exclusive piece for Female First. Here, he shares five things he wants his readers to know about him...
1. When I was 13, I saved my younger brother from drowning in Florida. It was the second person I had saved that summer.
I was living in Germany. Myself and a few friends went out in the local woods and came across, what looked like, a dried-up lake. We started to walk across the mud to get to the other side. Around half way across, we started sinking.
The two at the back of our line got out in time. I was up to my knees and the boy in front was panicking as his waist went under. I managed to get myself out for a moment but my friend was still going under.
I don’t know where the strength came from but I yanked him so hard that he came out, mud and sand up to his chest and his shoes left in the hole. He walked home barefoot, but grateful.
2. I once met Alan Rickman and told him that I loved him in Die Hard. He laughed and was very gracious (he even signed a postcard of Ralph Fiennes because there wasn’t an Alan Rickman one in the shop). I’m guessing it’s not the film he’d be most proud of.
This spawned a game where, whenever I meet a famous actor/actress, I pick an obscure or ‘light’ film they’ve acted in and tell them it was my favourite.
3. I try not to talk about my OCD too much - people tend to think it’s just about fanatical cleaning or switching the light on and off a certain amount of times. Those who know, see the million things I do each day to feel balanced.
I handle it so much better now, though, and people tend not to notice but I once spent an entire year saying everything twice because I was an even age. I was just a kid but that was a long year.
4. I write every day. I love it. But sitting on the sofa with a laptop, mug of coffee and a packet of biscuits doesn’t keep you in the best shape. I need to move. Work my body as well as my mind.
When I’m not staring at the blank page I run a fitness and nutrition business with my partner called The Power Plant (we are both vegan/plant-powered) and we teach around 20 exercise classes a week. Throw in five kids and it’s a pretty hectic schedule but there is a balance there that appeals to me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
5. As much as I love my work, I think everybody needs some space, some time alone, something that is just theirs. An escape. For me that is music. I’ve taught myself to play the guitar, banjo and harmonica. Over lockdown I started the piano. I love the discipline of it but also that I can switch off from the world, if only for twenty minutes each day. It’s active meditation.
MORE FROM BOOKS: How acting prepared me for writing Love and Other Sins, by Emilia Ares