Today I am delighted to invite on to my blog fellow author
Alison O'Leary.
What genre would you
say your novels fall into, or do they defy classification
Street Cat Blues is my debut novel. I would say that the
general classification is crime, probably on the cosy side, but with a definite
dark edge. It does have a cast of cats in it but it is set very firmly in the
human world. It deals with some quite strong issues concerning racism, illegal
immigration and class although I’d like to think that there’s some humour in
there too.
What made you choose
that genre?
When I was about twelve, I was stuck at home suffering from
asthma. I picked up a copy of an Agatha Christie book and it was the start of a
life-long love of crime fiction. For me, crime fiction allows terrific scope
for great characters as well as introducing the puzzle element which, if done
well, draws the reader in and propels them forward. I also studied law and for
many years taught criminal law and criminology.
How long does it take
you to write a book?
Difficult to say. Street Cat Blues was actually started
quite a few years ago. I would put it down and start something else but I
always went back to it. So, in that instance, quite a long time!
What is your work
schedule like when you’re writing?
Not as structured as it should be. We’re told that ‘a writer
writes’ and I try to write every day but other things often get in the way.
Like many writers, I’m probably too easily distracted. Before I was published,
I was a bit more relaxed about it but now I’m trying to get the sequel out I
give it priority.
Tell me something
about yourself that your readers might not know.
I’m very keen on British stamps. I’m not sure how I first
got into stamps, it might have been when I was about eleven and my school ran a
trip to Stampex, which is an annual national stamp exhibition. When I was
twelve (in between reading Agatha Christie books) I was awarded a Highly
Commended in a national stamp competition. I was terribly proud of it and still
am – it’s the only thing I’ve ever won!
When did you write
your first book and how old were you?
I’ve written bits and pieces off and on for as long as I can
remember but I think the first complete book, i.e. one that I actually finished
was when I was about forty. So, quite a late starter.
What do you like to
do when you’re not writing?
I still look at my stamps although I have to ration that
because once I start the day seems to run away with me. I also enjoy
cross-stitch and embroidery, British movies, walking by the sea and reading. I
mostly read crime fiction but I’ve recently discovered books by Lissa Evans
which I’m enjoying hugely. Last, but by no means least, I do like a glass (or
two) of wine.
What was one of the
most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
I think that one of the things that surprised me the most is
that on occasion a character will appear out of nowhere and somehow fit in
perfectly. In Street Cat Blues there’s a little, not very bright, cat called
Moses and I have no idea where he came from. However, I grew to be very fond of
him. At one point in the book he is placed in jeopardy and a number of readers
have told me that they really feared for him.
How many books have
you written?
Altogether, I’ve written four. The first two did get picked
off the slush pile by agents but then didn’t make it through to publication.
The third, frankly, wasn’t that good and I don’t think I even submitted it
anywhere. I was probably a bit demoralised following the disappointment with
the first two books. The fourth book was Street Cat Blues. I submitted it a
number of times and had more or less resigned myself to putting it on the
shelf and possibly giving up altogether
when I decided to give it one last go. After that it all happened really
quickly. The publisher got back to me almost by return and within a couple of
weeks I had a contract.
Do you Google
yourself? What did you find that affected you most (good or bad)?
I don’t really Google myself very often but your question
just prompted me to do it! However, there’s not a lot about me out there other
than that relating to Street Cat Blues so, to date, it hasn’t given me any
surprises.
What did surprise me was the requirement for authors to have such a
strong social media presence. When I was teaching, I tended to stay away from
social media as so many of my students used it and I had seen colleagues caught
in some embarrassing situations. Once I had a publishing contract, I discovered
that I really had no choice. It was a very steep learning curve, but that
doesn’t necessarily make it a bad thing. I was rather fearful to start with but
I’ve discovered that it’s a lovely way to interact both with readers and fellow
writers, as well as keeping up to date with what’s being published and by whom.
One of the nicest things was when a reader told me that she’d used Street CatBlues in a teaching session as an example of good use of narrative. I was
particularly pleased because the group she was using it with was a group of
rather difficult adolescents. Apparently, they loved it.
As a child, what did
you want to do when you grew up?
I wanted to be an ice skater or a writer. When I was a
child, I took to the ice the first time I went skating and used to go pretty
much every week to Queens skating rink in London. I loved it. Quite recently I
went on the ice in Brighton and really struggled. In fact, at one point I fell
over!
How many unpublished
and half-finished books do you have on your computer?
At present I have two half-finished books. One is the sequel
to Street Cat Blues, called Country Cat Blues, which I hope to follow
eventually with a third to complete the trilogy. The other is a stand-alone
psychological thriller which I intend to go back to once the trilogy is
complete.
Bio
I was born in London and spent my teenage years in
Hertfordshire where I spent large amounts of time reading novels, watching
daytime television and avoiding the kind of school where girls did needlework
and boys did woodwork. Failing to gain any qualifications in science
whatsoever, the dream of being a forensic scientist collided with reality when
a careers teacher suggested that I might like to work in a shop. I don’t think
she meant Harrods. Later studying law, I decided to teach rather than go into
practice and spent many years teaching mainly criminal law to young people and
adults.
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