Mark Eccleston interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

I live in Ealing with my partner, three kids and sometimes a French bulldog called George who we met on the pet-share site Borrow My Doggy. I'm now a full-time novelist and screenwriter, after a long freelance career doing a bunch of things - including journalist, TV presenter and film reviewer.  

When did your love of books begin?

When I was in my late 20's I spent a few years travelling the world. I spent a lot of time on my own and ended up reading loads of books. Often they were by the best-known authors of the country I was in. Which I loved. When I finished them I posted them home to Newcastle, to read when I get back. But they were never quite as exciting the second time round. 

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

It kind of dawned on me when I was travelling that writing is something you can do anywhere, anytime. No annoying bosses, no annoying colleagues. As long as you had a pen and a pad of paper then nothing can stop you. It's perhaps too romantic a view of writing. One without bills and commitments. So a lot of stuff got in the way before I was in a position to really have the time to make a serious go of being a writer.  

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

You know, I've enjoyed it really. The screenwriting has been super hard work, with so much disappointment, treachery and false summits. But I think I've been lucky with my novel writing. The book went to my agent and emerged fairly unscathed through a couple of edits. Then it was picked up pretty quick by Head of Zeus, who've been a joy to work with. 

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

I'm going to resort to a big cliche here, but I feel I'm better qualified than most to say it. Don't Give Up. I'm in my mid-fifties and have been writing on and off for thirty years. Seriously committed to a writing career for three. And this is my debut novel. There's a cartoon I saw once which showed a cross section of a mine. There were two miners digging parallel tunnels. One of them gives up just one pickaxe swing from a seam of diamonds. The other keeps going. You never know how close you are to whatever you've chosen is your writing goal. A competition win. A magazine article. Whatever it is... it's not going to happen if you give up. 

Tell us about your book/books:

It's a series of three murder mysteries. The heroine is an art restorer from London called Astrid Swift. She ends up living on a boat in Dorset and taking a job at a local stately home... where a series of very English murders take place. She uses her forensic skills as a restorer to solve the mystery and rediscover who she is after an ugly divorce. That's the first one - The Trust. The second is Death on the Isle, which sees her sail to the Isle of Wight. There she's thrown into another murder mystery during Cowes Week. The third book (title unknown) is set in an Brit ex-pat community in Northern Spain, where her estranged father now lives. 

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

Writers seem to be very supportive of each other - maybe it's because we're all in the same boat. There's a lot of rejection and we all know how it sucks. I'm only on Twitter but it's such a good place to find advice, and positive vibes when things aren't going well. 

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

It's my first book - I know I've mentioned that already - but it feels so bizarre to see the words that poured out of my head end up on the page. That someone might get a kick out of these stories that have amused only me up to this stage is so exciting. I really hope you do. 

Where can people connect with you?

I'm on Twitter - @markeccleston1   Say hi. And you can read the first novel - The Trust - on NetGalley. If you like it please leave a review. If you don't then please keep it to yourself.