THE BIO
Will Macmillan Jones lives in Wales, a
lovely green verdant land with a rich cultural heritage. He does his best to support this heritage by
yelling loud encouragement at the TV when Wales are playing International Rugby
and drinking local beers, although (of course) never to excess.
Having been an accountant for much of his
working life, he writes in a desperate attempt to avoid terminal atrophy of his
brain. A fifty something lover of blues,
rock and jazz he has now achieved a lifetime ambition by extending his
bookcases to fill an entire wall of his home office.
DA PLUG
The Mystic Accountants
Just when they thought that life had
returned to normal after defeating the Dark Lord in the Lake District, Chris
and Linda get a letter – followed by a knock on the door. Their friends are back, and they are in
trouble – again.
In the mist haunted dwarf mansion, the
Banned Underground have played another gig.
But this time the feedback has blown apart the Throne of The Mountain
King, and The Banned must replace it, on pain of, well, pain. But the junior Dark Lord wants his revenge on
The Banned, if his Satnav doesn’t prevent him from following the band.
THE INTERVIEW!
:Me Mr. Jones, if that is your real name, thank you for stopping by today. As you know, I sent you a series of questions designed to discourage you from accepting my offer, but you went ahead and answered them anyway. Well done. Let's start with an easy one: When did you start writing, etc.?
Will:
Wow, Adam, this isn’t just an interview,
it’s more like The Spanish Inquisition.
I didn’t expect that. (Sorry, as
a long time Python fan, I couldn’t resist).
I started writing really young. I was lucky, because my school encouraged
it. Actually, and for anyone who has
read my stuff, surprisingly, I have an A level qualification in Creative
Writing. A levels are the school exams
in the UK sat around age 18, I’m afraid I don’t know what the US equivalent is. Of course, all the fantasy work around then
was an inspiration, but oddly enough, the qualifying piece was a sea
story. I still have it somewhere.
Me: Tell us a bit about your favorite characters. Do you have any? I promise not to tell your other characters.
Will:
Favourite characters is a hard
question. I love all of my regular guys,
and they have become friends really. Even the baddies. I have been asked why I never give any of
them a really hard time, and that’s the reason.
But I like to see all my friends doing well, so there’s a bit of
conflict there for me – as the bad guys can only do well at the expense of the
good guys. Tough call, in each
book. Sooner or later, the Dark Wizards
are going to have to win something, or they will fall out with me.
Me: For some readers, a good fantasy book is all about the three L's. Location, Location, and Lust -- I mean 'Location.' How did you go about setting up the world of Banned Underground?
Will:
All of my books end up in locations I
already know quite well. The mountains
of North Wales and the English Lake District, the streets of Manchester and Cardiff. But that just gives me an excuse to go and
revisit some of my favourite places.
Me: Lovely. Any new books on the horizon?
Will:
Coming out on 27 October, is The Vampire
Mechanic. It was supposed to be my take
on the currently popular vampire stories, but ended up pulling in Santa’s
Sleigh, and a few other new faces, as my characters got out of hand and created
something unexpected. I enjoyed writing it, as I got interested in finding out
how it was going to end, and they refused to tell me in advance. Sometimes it’s hell being a writer.
Next up will be Sax & Thugs & Rock
N Roll ( apologies to Ian Dury, for mangling a great song title there). This is going to be a bit different. Most of my books are a wild riot, and half
the time even I am not too sure what the characters are doing. But this one is to be a bit more character
based, with an examination of the problems a girl can cause when introduced
into an all male rock n roll band…
Me: Give us a little taste of success. What were some of your early successes as a writer?
Will:
My first sale as a writer of any sort were
some magazine pieces I did about twelve years ago, for an aviation
magazine. Funnily enough, the then
editor who commissioned three pieces from me is now a well known novelist. David Hewson.
Chances of him recalling me are, well, limited I should think. I don’t clearly recall the first sale I made
of one of my books. I know where it was,
and when – about ten months ago now, in a bookshop in Swansea. The first signing event I ever did, and I was
terrified. Now I love signing and
selling books in bookshops. It’s
brilliant, and nothing can beat the feeling of seeing someone walk to a till
with one of your books in their hand, and a smile on their face. It’s so much fun, it should be illegal.
Me: All right, all right. No need to rub it in. Back to the interrogation. Where and when do you usually write your wonderful tales?
Will:
I write whenever I can. I’m lucky, as I run a small business from my
home, so when inspiration strikes, I can turn on the laptop, and start
writing. As to where the inspiration
comes from, I’ve really no idea. There’s
an old adage, of write what you know. I
can only assume that I know some pretty strange stuff. My work – it’s too much fun to call it that
really – is light, easy reading. Not
deep meaningful soul rending, heartbreaking words, but the sort of books you
read beside a pool, or when you need a good laugh or something lighthearted for
an evening’s entertainment. That’s all
I’m trying to do, really. To entertain. My teenage daughter certainly gets a laugh
from reading the stuff I put out, and those of her friends who have bought and
read my books apparently describe me as ‘awesome’. I suspect I need to be afraid…
Me: Okay, okay. Enough self-promo. Pay attention please.
Do you have critique partners or beta readers?
Will: Sorry. I always have my books read by beta readers
before the publisher sees them. I’m
really lucky to be part of an internet writing group called The Alliance of
Worldbuilders, and a few of the guys there have beta read for me in the
past. And I hope they will do so
again. If you are curious, as a group we
have our own website, and you’ll see links to some brilliant writers whose
names may yet be new to you.
Me:
Who are your books published with?Will:
Two of us so far, (myself and Sophie E
Tallis who has written a great high fantasy) share the same publisher, Safkhet
Publishing. I’ve nothing but good things
to say about them. We get on really well
as people, as well as having a professional relationship, and that’s such a big
bonus. They specialise in fantasy and
Romantic Comedy (Sheryl Browne, anyone?) and do some specialist cookbooks too.
Me: Let's get to some Halloween dish.
What was the scariest moment of your life?
Will:
Now, to the more
personal bits, so I’ll be brief, because the books are much more interesting
than I am. Scariest moment? Probably the time, about 30 years ago, that I
crashed badly when landing my hang glider.
We were going to bounce off the ground at about 40 miles an hour, and at
the last moment this damn big rock appeared in front of me…missed by six
inches. I did think I was dead for a
minute or so though
Me:
Do you listen to music while writing? If so what? Don't ask me why, but people always want to know this.Will:
As anyone who reads my series can tell, I
spend a lot of time listening to music.
Blues, Rock and Jazz, one of them is playing constantly. If not from the stereo, then in my mind. Or the ipod.
Or, especially in the evenings when I’m trying to write, my daughter’s
ipod. Thankfully, she has decent taste
in music, which I attribute to proper parenting.
Me: Other than talking about me, what do you do when you're not slogging away on a story?
Will:
What do I do when I’m not reading or
writing? Well, I’m a single parent now, so there really isn’t that much other
time to think about. When I get a
chance, I love to walk, especially in the hills and high places. When my daughter goes to university in a
couple of years, I’ve promised myself another hang glider. That will be fun. Occasionally, not often enough, I do pick up
my treasured Les Paul and try to pretend that I’m Peter Green, or Slash. I can’t see either of them even picking up a
pen and pretending that they are me, though.
Pity.
Me: In three words or more, describe what being a writer is like.
Will:
Hum, three words to describe what being an
author is like. Fun. Frustrating.
Frenzied. They about fit the
bill. It really is great fun, but
there’s always pressure from some quarter, and never enough time to do
everything you want. Especially these
days, where every author, published, or self published, has to get out there
and do some marketing if they want their book to sell. As to reviews, every author will get good and
bad reviews. The best thing you can do
is ignore both. The good reviews will
make you complacent, and the bad reviews upset you, so read none of them.
Me: Is it difficult writing a series?
Will:
One
of the hardest tasks for any writer is making the next book better than the
last book, and that’s what you need to be focused on. Plus of course, if – like me – you are under
contract, is the next deadline. I’m
contracted for a series of eight books in The Banned Underground series, and I
have to deliver the manuscripts at six month intervals, to fairly strict
guidelines. The guidelines are not an
arbitrary imposition by the publisher, just a reflection of certain economic
realities in the market place we are targeting, and relate to book size and
length. Otherwise, I’m really happy to
say, Safkhet trust me to go off and do my own thing with the series.
Me:
What books have most influenced your life?
Will:
Finally, some books that have influenced
me. In no particular order here.
Illusions Richard Bach
The Hobbit J R R Tolkein
The naïve & sentimental lover John Le Carre
The Da da de da da Code Robert Rankin
The Iron Hand of Mars Lindsey Davis
The Wierdstone of Brisingamen Alan Garner
Me: Okay, that's it. It's been a real pleasure learning a bi about you and your books. I encourage my vast army of followers to leave comments here, buy Will's book, shout his name from the mountaintops and name their next boy "Will."
Here are some links to help you do some of these:
Trailers:
The Amulet of Kings
The Vampire Mechanic
I get to be the first to say what an awesome interview this is for an awesome person & author. <3
ReplyDeleteWow great interview!! Well done both of you! :D
ReplyDeleteI am the the Dick Cavett of bloggers! Well done, Will. Much success.
ReplyDelete