3 April 2015

Author Q&A Session #38: With R.S. Pateman



Hello and Welcome everyone,

After a long gap, it's once again time to have an author interview, and today I present you the author, who stormed the literary world with his second psychological thriller about 16th century witchcraft, superstition and a lot of teenage drama- The Prophecy of Bees. And R.S. Pateman is the author behind this incredibly mind-blowing book. Let's chat with him to know more about this book, his life and his journey. 

Read the review of The Prophecy of Bees








Me: Hello and welcome to my blog, Rob. Congratulations on your latest release, The Prophecy of Bees.


Rob: Hello Aditi. Thanks very much for inviting me on to your blog. You’re clearly an avid reader and book blogger and it’s always a pleasure to support people who support books and writers.





Me: What was your source of inspiration for your book, The Prophecy of Bees?

Rob: It was very much inspired by place. I’d been invited to stay at a friend’s house in the Cotswolds to write my first novel, The Second Life of Amy Archer. The house had once been the Gate House of an old manor; there was a second Gate House on the other side of the estate. It got me thinking about the break up of large country estates although I had no idea it would lead me to the story my next book.



I wrote my first book in the house’s conservatory, overlooking the back garden which had an old stone well in it. During the winter months, the warm air below ground would rise as steam from the well, making me think of a large witches’ cauldron.



These two thoughts bubbled at the back of my brain – not consciously, more as ghosts flying about. It was a surprise when they both began to shape into a story.



Interestingly, my friend sold the house a year after I’d finished the book – and the person who bought it was the owner of the manor house. So, the former estate was once again complete.



Me: How did you research for your book, The Prophecy of Bees, especially, is the Stagote Manor based on some real-life manor that we don't know about?

Rob: The village of Stagcote and its manor house are very much made up places. The manor house I mentioned earlier is a very attractive building – not at all like Stagcote Manor whose turbulent history has left its mark.



I’m a history graduate and love researching things, sometimes just for the fun of it. Invariably the things I find out shape my plots, so research is key to my writing process. I devoured books on witchcraft, magic and folklore but the thing that interested me perhaps more than everything, were the superstitions I came across. Steve Roud’s Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Northern Ireland was invaluable, as was another book of his, The English Year, which details old customs and festivals.



But I found some useful stuff of my own too. When I was struggling with the book – or just needed some fresh air – I’d go out for a walk in the stunning Cotswold countryside.



There were two local churches, each of which gave me something critical to the book. The first one had a collection of hassocks for church goers to kneel on during services. The hassocks had all been embroidered by the villagers and, while some featured religious images (like fish or crowns) others had scenes from the local area. By pure chance, the one I was kneeling on featured a bee on a honeycomb.



At the second church, I found an optical illusion in a stained glass window which showed the Virgin Mary when you looked at it from the inside, but the image of a man from the outside.



Both the hassocks and the window became key part of the book.




Me: Before putting your foot in the world of writers, you worked in a lot of diverse fields and positions, what inspired you to choose this road to writing fiction?

Rob: I tend to think of it as the other way around! I was always a writer it’s just that the other jobs got in the way. And it was just as well that they did as I had to earn a living.



All of the jobs I’ve had have giving me something (apart from putting food on the table) and inform my life, outlook or personality, but the job that helped shape my writing was the twenty five years I spent as an advertising copywriter.



I spent most of this time writing direct marketing packs, which were really just small stories. You needed a good hook at the start and then develop the ‘plot’ with all the various sales points and product benefits. Then a big bang at the end.



Having to write for different products and target markets (from mobile phones for teenagers to corrective eye surgery for pensioners) meant my voice had to be flexible, which came in handy for different characters. And, as clients like to have their say on marketing material, I got used to distancing myself from what I’d written. So, when it came to comments on my manuscript from my agent and editor, I didn’t take them personally.





Me: How will you describe your journey so far as an author?


Rob: It’s been a long journey! Too long really. As a young boy I always used to tell people I wanted to be a writer but never really knuckled down and took it seriously. It was easier to talk and fantasize about being a writer than actually doing it because, if I did actually write something, I’d have to send it to publishers – and they might say no. Not doing anything meant I could keep the dream alive – but, of course, it also meant I was no nearer actually making it come true.



I only finally began taking my writing ambitions seriously about fifteen years ago. I did a couple of short writing courses at my local adult education center and then joined a writing group. The group in particular was an enormous help as it gave me momentum – I had to produce something for my colleagues to read and give feedback on.



The hunt for an agent was long and painful – a real rite of passage as it is for most writers I think. And getting both an agent and a publisher were just as exciting and joyous as I’d imagined they would be. Seeing my books in shops, being reviewed, engaging with readers who do (and don’t!) like the books have all been part of a great journey. I know I’m lucky and thank my guardian angel every day for my good fortune.





Me: Tell us one trait of your protagonist, Isabella, a.k.a, Izzy- the central character of your book, The Prophecy of Bees, that intrigues you the most?

Rob: Izzy is a very strong character in some ways and less so in others. A bundle of contradictions so she was fun to write. But the most interesting thing about her I think is her relationship with her mother.



Although she resents Lindy for interfering, Izzy is just as controlling. The only problem is, she doesn’t really have the power to influence what’s going on in her life – and that’s a dynamic with plenty of scope for a writer.




Me: What did you expect your readers to take away after reading the book, The Prophecy of Bees?

Rob: That they’d enjoyed the book. I think that’s the most a writer can ask of any novel – and of a reader.


 

Me: How will you describe your normal writing day? And how do you get away from the stress of a long day's work?

Rob: I write best in the morning so get up at 5.30 with a daily target of 1,000 words. Usually I manage to do that in a couple of hours, so I take myself off for a swim, cycle or walk – sometimes all three. I find swimming particularly useful for mulling the book over. I’m good swimmer so it becomes very automatic and I can think about something other than breathing and staying afloat! There are no phones or internet to distract me – I’m in a bubble.



When I get home, it’s breakfast and then more writing but, as I’ve already met my word target, there’s no real pressure to produce more – which means going back to the computer is optional, something I’m doing for fun. Invariably that means I write even more. So 2,500 words a day isn’t unusual. By mid-afternoon I’m flagging so I’ll read or walk or play tennis. And that’s how it goes until the first draft is done –and then I start all over again!



Me: What's next up on your writing sleeves? Please do share with us briefly about it.

Rob: I’m working up a couple of ideas for my agent and editor right now. They’re both psychological thrillers, one set in the early 1970s involving a young boy convicted of murder and the consequences of his release in 2008. The other is about a psychotherapist helping a young child come to terms with witnessing the murder of his parents. There’s a lot more to them than that of course, but I can’t say too much more about them just yet!


   
Me: Thanks Rob for sparing time to have this interview with me on my blog. I wish you luck for all your future endeavors.

Rob: My pleasure. Thanks again for asking me and for your reaction to The Prophecy of Bees


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Rob's Bio:


“The first forty years of life give us the text; the next thirty supply the commentary on it.”
If Schopenhauer is correct then the next thirty years are going to feature stories about:

Harold Hill, Essex – where I grew up in a children’s home run by my parents.
St Edward’s School, Romford – I sucked up everything my English and history teachers threw at me. Everything thrown by the science, maths and metalwork departments however, bounced back.
Warwick University – apparently I studied history.
Nightclubs, travel companies, play projects, gay newspapers, advertising agencies - all of which have provided me with varying degrees of financial reward, job satisfaction and sleepless nights.
Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Rotterdam, Frankfurt and the Cotswolds – places I have tried to either escape to or escape from. Usually both.
Kennington Park – south London’s first public park, whose fortunes I helped restore by co-founding the Friends group in 2002. It now boasts a coveted Green Flag for excellence in a public space – and I have a bad back, dirty fingernails and a proud smile.
Psychics, history, illusions, dancing, colitis, tennis, dogs, déjà vu, celibacy, bombs, bullying, swimming, rabbits, cosmic twins, bare trees, music, walks, Southern Comfort, Coronation Street.
Boosie – there before the start, there beyond the end.




Connect with Rob on: Website | Goodreads | Twitter




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