Chris Rose
Norfolk, UK
Good morning, Chris, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the place for Art and Authors. Tell us a little about what you've written.
Well, I’ve begun a
series of books dedicated to a character of my creation, namely, Phillip Rowlings, and the series is, in
fact, called ‘The Rowlings Years’. It
spans from the 1960s to as far as wherever I decide to call it a day. It’s
become a bit addictive.
The first book in the
series is called Wood, Talc & Mr. J;
We never had it so good…, which is set in Northern England in the late
1970s – though I’m also writing a prequel to it, set further back, more 1960s, early
70s. It’s a working class novel, about survival, if anything, and how a
community breaks down amid the advent of Thatcherism. It’s kind of a political
allegory, really. Since this novel, I’ve had a lot of requests for a sequel.
And so I’ve responded
in kind with Nancy Boy, for one year
only, which takes us up to the mid 1990s, and is set in France.
I’m about to release another
sequel, it being the first of three novellas, namely The All-clear; an anti-romance novella, again mid 1990s. The second
will be The Battleaxe of Hastings; an
anti-hist fic novella, and the third: Broken
Strings; an anti-chick lit novella.
Along with the first, Wood, Talc…, I also brought out an
accompanying book, 22 daydreams,
which kind of helps set the scene for the novel: 22 articles written around it,
comparing then, the late 1970s, to today.
What is your favorite
genre to write?
To be honest, I’m not a
genre writer. I’m kind of more of an observer-cum-writer – I really don’t go in
for vampires, paranormal, romance etc… Trouble is, of course, that makes me
very difficult to categorize, and finding my audience isn’t always so easy…
Favorite food.
Vietnamese.
Tea or coffee?
Coffee! I don’t like
tea…
Pizza or ice cream?
Depends who’s made the
pizza. Italian for both please…
Wine or beer?
Both. Religiously.
Where would you like to
visit?
Such a difficult
question, so many, many places. You pick one for me, and if you’re paying, I’m
coming…
Then I pick Italy if you want to stay on that side of the ocean. Every place in Italy is an inspiration; the scenery, the food, the people, the joy they have for life. If you want to hop across the pond, the Grand Canyon is a life-changing experience. It really gives you different perspective on life. All I need is that big book contract, and we'll double date.
Favorite musical
artist. Do you listen to music when you
write? What?
These three are very
interesting questions. All my books tend to have a musical theme – you could
even say that, at some level, they revolve around a particular song. But you’ll
only understand what I mean by reading my books. The first novel is heavily
influenced by Soul music, as was I when I was young. But as to being able to
actually write and listen to music at the same time, I can’t – I know so many
people can, but I’ve never got it, even at university, seeing students
(particularly females, it must be a multi-tasking thing) writing essays with
earphones, listening to whomever. I love music too much to be able to
concentrate on anything else simultaneously; I find it even difficult to
converse with people when I’m listening to music. Therefore, the music
influences me greatly to write, and then I have to turn it off…
What makes you laugh?
Oh, boy, so many things
– life! Something else you’ll find aplenty in my books, life and lots to laugh
about.
Favorite work of art or
sculpture.
I’m going to say a
painting by a 19th century French Impressionist, Émile Friand,
called The Lovers. It’s the painting
I used for my novel jacket Nancy Boy,
and the original is in the museum of the city of Nancy. I used to sit for hours
staring at the painting. Beautiful.
How old were you when
you started writing?
My late 30s. The right
time. Having lived a bit…
Describe your perfect
evening.
A great restaurant.
Great service, great food, great wine, with my partner and daughter…
Where do you get your
inspiration?
By talking to people,
generally. Everyone’s a poet. They just don’t know it.
What do you do when you
get a writer's block?
I don’t believe in
writer’s block. And, funnily enough, I’ve recently written a blog post saying
the same. I believe in being tired; and if we’re tired, we’re uninspired.
Therefore, I go about something completely different, like gardening, anything,
or watching a good film, or playing my guitar, and inspiration will come, in
its own time… I never force it.
Who is your favorite
author?
So difficult. For this
interview, I’m going to say French author Albert Camus; I make lots of
references to him…
Camus. I love Camus. Best book you ever
read.
Another head-banger.
But I’ll say Camus’ L’Étranger – The
Stranger.
Last book you read.
That was Deborah
Rodrigue’s The Little Coffee Shop Of
Kabul.
What would you do for a
living if you weren’t a writer?
Well, I’m actually a
translator by trade, French and Spanish to English. And I also act in French
theatre, on an amateur level – I think I’d do that professionally.
Cool! Who is the one person
who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
My lovely, loving
partner. They don’t come more supportive and inspiring than her…
If you could sit down
and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who
would it be and why?
Audrey Hepburn. Because
she was beautiful inside, too. And it’s something which is very much missing in
today’s society: class.
What advice would you
give someone who aspired to be a writer?
Well, first the cliché
– go for it! And then, take your time with whatever you want to write. Nurture
it – don’t be carried along by the hurried world, it isn’t a race; it sometimes
just feels like it is…
Do you have some links for us to follow you?
Amazon links: Wood, Talc and Mr. J: We never had it so
good…
Nancy Boy; for one year only…
22 daydream (or Wood, Talc and Mr. J, my social media ramblings thereof)
Dear Gentle Readers,
Chris has invited our Vision and Verse readers to pick up a copy of
Nancy Boy; for one
year only on sale for the month of July for 99 cents. (Link above.)
Hugs,
Carol
