Lynne Hale asks Tony Flood 5 new questions.
Tony Flood with Freddie Flintoff
Tony Flood author of fantasy adventure The Secret Potion and
celebrity book My Life With The Stars, and co-author of a collection of
intriguing short stories in Twists in the Tales, has provided tips on what
editors and publishers want in his latest interview.
Tony, whose books are available on Amazon or through http://www.celebritiesconfessions.com/ and http://www.fantasyadventurebooks.com/ , gave
Lynne the following answers:
1 Can you tell me what you
are currently working on and planning?
Tony: I have started a new fiction book - a thriller in which a
glamorous lady is forced to help the police track down a murderer - there's
plenty of suspense, a sprinkling of humour and a large slice of sizzling
sex.
2 Have you won any awards or
competitions recently?
Tony: Yes, I won the Anderida Writers Cup for their annual short
story competition for the second successive year. It's a Flood family hat-trick
as my wife Heather won the previous year.
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| Tony receiving the Anderida Writers cup |
3 Do you enjoy editing other
writers' books?
Tony: Yes, it is very fulfilling
helping other writers to improve their text and, in some cases, their story
lines. I am getting a lot of satisfaction editing your own book The Intrepid
Pony Escapes, which you have written very well. This is a genre that I normally wouldn't
read but I am enjoying it.
4 How do you improve other authors' books as an editor?
Tony: There are many ways to do this. Lots of writers are guilty
of repetition by using the same word repeatedly, especially the words 'said' and
'that', so I change those. They also fall into the trap of 'information dumping' by giving
too much background detail early on. It is much better to drip feed details
about the characters and their backgrounds than try to provide most of the
information in one chunk. Other writers don't develop their characters
sufficiently with the result that some of them are bland. Editors and publishers
love good characters and plenty of quotes. But the quotes have got to be
realistic - otherwise the characters and the story can lack credibility. Some
writers come up with interesting stories but their grammar or phrases can be
improved - for example, they omit quotation marks or
comas and apostrophes. One common error is to use 'its' instead of 'it's'.
These may seem small things, but if the grammar is
incorrect it is very annoying to the reader. Comas are vital to show where pauses come,
so I make sure these are inserted. It is surprising how many times writers miss
typos or spelling mistakes, which drive editors and publishers mad.
5 Can you give us any other
writing tips?
Tony: Use your imagination to the full - don't let your story
lines or characters be dull. Also edit your own work by cutting out unnecessary
detail that does not further the plot or develop the characters. Minor
characters like a ticket collector at a railway station do not need to be
described if they have nothing to do with the plot. Make sure your story has
shape and structure - it is usually best to write from the point of view of the
main character. Readers can find it confusing if the author writes from Mary's
point of view and then switches to Jane's point of view. Authors are
encouraged to have 'hooks at the start of chapters or new scenes to grab readers' attention, but make sure these 'hooks' are not
contrived.
HERE ARE TONY'S ANWERS TO THE PREVIOUS INTERVIEW I DID WITH HIM
1 What first attracted you to writing? I loved the fact that writing can provide others with so much information and can sometimes influence them. That was why I created a school newspaper and became editor of it. Some years later I joined a local newspaper as a junior reporter when I finished my education at the South East London Day College and greatly enjoyed covering a variety of news stories.2 How did you come to write your first book? I was keen to write for children and when my wife Heather came up with the idea of a young girl searching for her kidnapped brother, I developed it. This resulted in my first fictional book The Secret Potion, with Jody Richards finding herself in a fantasy world in which she has to battle against evil wizards and witches and possibly the world's worst monster.
3 What’s the best thing about being an author? Being told by readers that your book – and the characters in it - have given them a lot of pleasure.
4 And what’s the worst? Having to spend hours checking and rechecking your manuscript – and then marketing your book!
5 Which was your favourite book as a child? The first book I can remember enjoying as a child was Enid Blyton's Five Go To Smuggler's Top.
6 What do writers groups offer? Writers groups help writers develop their skills and grow in confidence by offering advice, feedback, support and informative guest speakers. Facebook and Twitter can be useful tools – if you have the time to fully utilise them.
7 Tell us about you working experience (as a journalist.) I was probably the country's youngest Sports Editor at the Lewisham Borough News at the age of 17 or 18. I later became Sports Editor of the Kentish Times Series, the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and the Richmond and Twickenham Times. I worked in Fleet Street for the Sunday Express, News of the World and The People, and was Controller of Information at Sky Television. I was also editor of a national magazine – Football Monthly.
8 Have you ever had an embarrassing moment? Yes - interviewing a Millwall footballer without knowing his name.
9 What do writers need most? Endless patience and persistence.
10 What are you reading? A thriller called Fallen by Karin Slaughter.
11 Who is your writing hero? Sidney Sheldon, the Academy Award-winning American writer. The nearest I have come to emulating him is to win the Anderida Writers' award!
12 What did you want to be when you were twelve? A footballer or a journalist. I settled for the latter as I did not have the skill to become an English George Best.
13 What is your proudest achievement? Being appointed editor of Britain's oldest soccer magazine Football Monthly.
14 What would you like to see happen in the future? Unknown authors being given more coverage by the media and websites to turn their books into best sellers.
15 What are your fondest memories? Enjoying a happy childhood living with my grandparents, who were publicans in South East London, and visiting my mother at weekends.
16 What do you think of other writers and/or authors? I greatly enjoy and admire thriller writers who have the ability to develop plots within plots like Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, David Baldacci and Paul James.
17 Tell us about your hobbies away from writing. I still play veterans football on a Sunday morning (some may say I simply shuffle about nicking the odd goal and not contributing much else). I also love eating out and going to the theatre – I write theatre reviews for the Brighton Argus.
18 Where do you hope to be when you’re 70? That's not too far away so I expect to be still be living in Eastbourne with my wife and fellow author Heather Flood.
19 What was your dream holiday? It was my honeymoon with Heather which we spent in three fabulous locations – Hong Kong, New Orleans and Hawaii.
20 What superpower would you like to have? To be able to foretell the future. Not only could I warn of impending disasters, but I could make a fortune by investing in the stock exchange or predicting the outcome of sporting events!
Thank you Tony for this interview. I was interested in how early you started your career and that your first job was as sports editor.
