Today I bring you a wonderful interview with author Maurice Perkins. I love sharing author journeys with you all. Lets find out more.
Tell me about yourself?
I am 66 years old and retired, though I work as a volunteer for several military charities, associations, and clubs. I like to socialise with my family and friends, which in turn provides me with material to write about. Some of my friends and family have appeared as characters in my books. A Dad of three and Grandad of six. My family is my greatest achievement, and they are all stars.
When did you first call yourself a writer?
I think that I only took myself seriously as a writer when I published my fifth book, which was also my second novel, in 2022. The first three books were my life told in a series of funny stories, which I wrote in 2020.
What do you like to read?
I am an eclectic reader and enjoy action thrillers, science fiction and spy novels along with anything funny. Favourite current author is Lee Child and the Jack Reacher books. The books that had the biggest impact on me were Dune by Frank Herbert.
How has your time with the navy inspired your writing?
It has had an immense impact and to certain degree still does as a veteran and volunteer across military charities and suchlike. I was a rascal as a teenager and was due in court the day I joined the navy. I had a love hate relationship with the Naval Discipline Act, without which I would not have got myself onto the straight and narrow, so to speak. I acknowledge that with the titles of my first three books, “Born in Stockport – grew up in the Royal Navy” as the influences of discipline, socialising with shipmates and the many escapades I got up to, provided me with huge amounts of life experiences, which I have written about. Both in my memoirs and as plots, scenes, and characters in my novels.
What inspired you to write your personal story?
During lockdown I was sharing a lot of humour, cartoons, memes, and old Dad jokes on social media and thought I would insert some of my own funny stories. It began when an old shipmate commented that I had always told funny stories about myself and if I ever wrote a book, he would buy a copy. So, it started there in the spring of 2020, I wrote the first two books and thought that was that. Then friends asked me "what about when.... which inspired me to write a third book in the series.
Tell me about your latest release titled ‘The Accidental Assassin’.
It is an anarchic, dark comedy romp when Ernie a misguided hapless loser, with questionable morals comes to the attention of a kinky ruthless serial killer called Lola, who is on a murder spree. They are being investigated by an experienced cop nearing retirement, his uniformed partner, and a determined investigative journalist.
What inspired it?
Having met many hapless and misguided people in real life, I pondered over an idea of a devious person leveraging someone like that to meet their own aims and objectives. Some individuals really do go through life lacking lots of common sense, human decency and think only of themselves, which is how I would describe Ernie, one of the main characters. I spiced the landscape with an undercurrent of society who seek alternative ways to satisfy their sex drive, the secretive nature of which creates a level of difficulty for any investigators.
What comes first for you, the plot, or the characters?
I do think the plot and the characters are synonymous. Sometimes I start with the idea of a plot and almost immediately picture the type of character the story would need. At other times, it is the characters. In “Revenge” for instance, it was witnessing a retailer being subject to bad people exacting protection money in real life and I thought what would happen if…?
What do you enjoy about the writing journey?
I like to entertain. I like to make people smile or laugh out loud. That gives me so much satisfaction it’s hard to describe. Therefore, writing humour is the thing that makes me tick. That can be in tit for tat verbal exchanges or describing a slapstick scene, so that the reader can see the joke or the fun, I am trying to describe.
What do you find most challenging about the writing journey?
The fact that different readers are seeking different things. Some of my book reviews seem to be at either ends of the spectrum. One person see’s exactly what I have written about and gets it, yet another seems not to. I guess that is all about a slice of life and we don’t all like the same things. It can be frustrating at times, so you just have to grin and get on with it.
Are you working on anything new?
Yes, I am writing a prequel to “Revenge” which will be titled “Prelude” where I am writing a back story to many of the characters who appear in Revenge. Its difficult in terms of knowing who makes it to the end of the book but equally, I need to create the threads that will be picked up in Revenge, whilst writing a different kind of story. I am concentrating more on humour in Prelude, even though considering a third book to complete the trilogy.
I am also compiling a whole batch of new funny stories about me, my family, and my friends under the working title, “The day my friends thought I was dead and other funny stories” which are all true.
What’s the best piece of writing advice you have ever been given?
Don’t pause to edit whilst you are in a full creative mode, let the juices flow and don’t stop until you must. However, once you start to edit, make sure you edit properly, then review it, then edit it again before you employ a professional editor.
Thank you to Maurice for sharing his inspiration with us. If you would like to check out the authors work, click on the links below.
