by 
Interview – Grahame Elson
– When did you start writing books, what moved you to start writing?
I started my book just over 8 years ago as a record of my travels. By the end of 2018 I will have visited sixty countries on six continents and it has provided such a wealth of experiences that I wanted to get them written down so I don’t forget. Writing about my travels also allows me to re-live them and what better way could there be to spend a wet Monday afternoon.
– In what genres do you write? Do you plan writing in other genres?
It’s travel writing for me and I have no plans to move into any other genre. Travel writing gives me the ability to write about history, politics, wildlife, culture, cuisine… anything I want really. If something is interesting or funny then it doesn’t really matter what it is, I can include it in the book.
– Tell us about your books. Why should everyone buy them?
If you have any interest in travel at all then my book would be for you. Visiting a place let’s me talk about its past and present, its people and culture and my steep learning curve with bidets and jars of Vaseline. What more could you want?
– What is your all-time favorite book? What makes it special?
Notes from a small Island by Bill Bryson without doubt. For me, it is the perfect example of good travel writing. Funny, intelligent and well observed, the book is about his travels around the U.K. and even after reading it several dozen times it can still make me laugh out loud.
– Tell us a bit about your writing process.
Chaotic. At any point I will be writing about whatever was the last thing to occur to me. As the narrative is broadly chronological it’s pretty easy to jump about through the manuscript making additions and deletions as the whim takes me. The most difficult thing is that final read, trying to make sure that everything hangs together in a sensible way without repetition and without contradicting myself.
– What author would you love to have dinner with?
That would have to be Bill Bryson. Talking to other travelers is always interesting and his insights on places I haven’t been near yet would be fascinating.
– Tell us about your hobbies and passions other than writing.
Travel is No.1 obviously, there is a whole world out there and I’d like to see all of it. I’m fortunate to live a short drive away from the Peak District National Park which I still believe is one of the most beautiful places on earth so I’ll often be found hiking over its rolling hills . I also like reading and will happily delve into a history book, murder mystery or science fiction/fantasy and after that if there is any time left over then I’ll stick on some classical music.
– We have many followers who would like to start writing a book or are already writing their first novel, any advice for these brave people?
Write the book that you would want to read. If at the end of it you have something that you’re proud of then nothing else matters very much.
– How often do you write, daily, every other day or?
Daily, although that doesn’t always mean sitting at the computer. Everything is written out in my head a couple of dozen times before sitting down and committing it to paper. Some of my best ideas come to me out in the fresh air with a beautiful view to look at.
– How important is research when writing your books?
Vital, time consuming, but vital. My work is non-fiction and a lot of effort goes in to ensuring that everything is accurate or at least not misleading. So many tour guides will tell you a story because it’s interesting or funny but which may be utterly false, without some background research it would be easy to include a lot of inaccurate or false information.
– What are you reading at the moment?
The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett. It’s a fantasy book set on an imaginary world but it holds up a mirror to our own world. He also makes you cry with laughter and I always feel better after a good laugh.
– Certainly, you have had some interesting episodes as an author, fans related or others, share one of them with us.
The best bit about being a travel writer is the travel itself. The best thing I have ever done is hiring a Kia Rio and driving around northern Queensland. You wouldn’t believer the amount fascinating places and wildlife that we saw, but that’s another book I think.
– A final message for our circleofbooks.com readers.
I do hope you’ll consider giving my book a try and with any luck it might inspire you to get out and do some travelling of your own.
Thank you Grahame Elson. We at circleofbooks.com wish you much success!
Click here to visit the author’s page here on circleofbooks.com
Tweet
