CAROLE McENTEE-TAYLOR
- GUEST AUTHOR -
G'day folks,
Today, I'm fortunate to be interviewing a very interesting author with some amazing books.
Welcome, Carole ...
1.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT
YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.
I
grew up surrounded by books. My parents both loved reading, my father was into
murder, detective, adventure and espionage stories while my mother read
historical fiction and romance so I grew up with a passion for reading most
genres and this is reflected in my novels which, although set in the first half
of the 20th Century, are a mixture of all these. I have always been
a voracious reader. I’d spend hours in the library as a child and spent all my
pocket money on books, progressing quickly from Enid Blyton to Agatha Christie
amongst others. I’d rush home with my latest books, disappear up into my
bedroom and not come down again until they were finished. My Dad always used to
say they were a waste of money because I could get through two or three books
in a weekend but they weren’t. They were my escape from reality and the more I
read the more it fuelled my imagination. As I grew older I read anything I
could get my hands on, crime, thrillers, historical fiction, occasionally
romance and science fiction and of course chic lit! The library was my second
home and I would always come out with the maximum number of books I could
borrow and they were always returned well before the due date.
I
liked big books I could lose myself in, probably to escape my disastrous
relationships. Prams, pushchairs and my arms groaned under the weight but it
was worth it to stay sane.
2.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU
BECOME A WRITER?
I
write both military history and historical fiction but the military history
came first and the inspiration behind my writing was my father in law, Ted
Taylor.
Ted
was conscripted into the Rifle Brigade in September 1939 and fought in the
Defence of Calais in May 1940 after which he spent five years as a POW in Poland.
Although he’d never spoken about it we finally managed to persuade him to talk
on tape and received a very sanitised version of the fighting and his
subsequent years in a POW camp. In 2008 Ted suffered a crippling stroke and
ended up in a nursing home. To cheer him up I suggested writing up his war
experiences as a book.
This
was quite daunting as I had no background in military history. So I began the
long process of reading everything I could about the Defence of Calais, which
wasn’t much. The battle was totally eclipsed by the evacuation from Dunkirk and
was rarely mentioned, even on the most recent documentaries. I knew even less
about the treatment of the ordinary POW at the hands of their captors or their
lives, having grown up on a diet of sanitised POW camp films and even one
comedy set in a Stalag, none of which bore any reality to the truth. Ted had
been made to work in the salt mines and had even spent time in Majdanek
concentration camp. Like most authors I struggled to find a publisher but
eventually, Ted’s story, Surviving the Nazi Onslaught, was published by Pen & Sword Books Ltd. I was now hooked on writing military
history and have written several other books, but I also wanted to write
fiction because I couldn’t find anything I wanted to read.
Having
finally extradited myself from the last bad relationship I spent two years on
my own finding myself again and then I met David, my husband. I no longer
needed to escape my reality so I stopped reading. I found books by authors I’d
always loved no longer held my attention so I decided to write something I
wanted to read and I had the perfect idea.
Whist
writing Ted’s story I learnt that Brenda, my mother in law, had been a nurse
throughout the London Blitz, and she and Ted were engaged when he went to war.
Five long years later he came home and they were married. Their story
fascinated me. They did not have the benefit of hindsight. Brenda waited even
though she had no idea how long it would be or even if Ted would ever come
home. Ted had somehow held onto the belief that he would come home even though
he had no idea how long that might be. I decided to write up Ted and Brenda’s
story including an element of fiction to cover something Ted actually did in France.
I soon
realised it was impossible to fictionalise my in-laws because they were real
people. I couldn’t have them doing things that weren’t in character nor did I
want to alienate the family and have my husband not talking to me because I had
made his mum do something she wouldn’t have! So I changed their names and
although the story is inspired by them and based on something that did happen,
all the characters are now 100% fiction. Lives Apart: A WW2 Chronicle is in 5
books and if you have Kindle you can buy all 5 for under £5 – remarkable value!
This was followed by Betrayed, a stand-alone novel about
a serial killer in Berlin in the 1930s and 40s. My latest 5 book series is Obsession
which was inspired by the rumoured fate of tens of thousands of missing Allied
POWs at the end of WW2. The last part will be published on 29th
September. All the novels are published by GWL
Publishing.
3.
WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A
MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST SHOOT FROM THE HIP?
I do
plan the military history books, by working out chapter headings and then I
write them chronologically. The novels are different. I normally know where the
novels are going to end but I never really plan how I am going to get there. I
just sit down and write which makes the twists and turns less predictable
because even I don’t know they are going to happen until I write them! The
novels have interwoven stories about different characters which run
concurrently which makes them quite hard to write but easy to read. I don’t
have a set pattern for writing these, sometimes I write them as they appear in
the finished book, other times I run with one story and backfill in with the
others.
4.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST
ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
I love
creating different characters and seeing the finished result. But knowing that
other people enjoy reading them is probably the greatest thrill.
5.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST
THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
Marketing! I’m not a natural
‘seller’ so having to find different ways of advertising the books is probably
harder work than actually writing them.
6.
WHAT WERE YOU IN A
PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?
Up
until November 2015 I worked at the Military Corrective Training Centre in
Colchester. This is the UK’s only military detention centre. I was a Housing
Officer there for nine years, helping those leaving the military (detainees and
staff) find accommodation. I also worked with Early Service Leavers (those who
had served less than four years) in Colchester Garrison. I loved the job and
really enjoyed working with the military personnel. Whilst there I wrote a book
about the centre called Military Detention Colchester from 1947
which tells the story of its history in the words of detainees, visitors, staff
etc from its origins as a POW camp for Germans and Italians in WW2 to 2010.
7.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST
WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?
I
spent ages thinking about this and then realised the reason I couldn’t find an
answer was because I don’t think I’ve achieved that yet. This is good because I
am always seeking to improve on what I’ve already written.
8.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING
ON AT THE MOMENT?
I have
just finished another military history book for Pen & Sword called The History of Coalhouse Fort which
will be published in May 2018 and I am about to start writing a social history
of Women’s Lives in Scunthorpe from 1850s through to the 1970s for the same
publisher.
I have
just started a new series of novels called Secret Lives for GWL Publishing. I’m not actually sure
how many books there will be in the series yet, but possibly nine or ten.
9.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
I have
always been interested in The Second World War and I like including lesser
known actions and stories in my novels as it is another way of commemorating
and remembering the people who gave their lives for freedom. When writing
military history, I like writing biographies of ordinary people doing extra
ordinary things especially if I can use personal accounts to illustrate the
story.
10.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS
FOR NEW WRITERS?
Persevere.
Write something every day, even if it’s only a few lines and doesn’t make much
sense. Just write what’s in your head and edit it afterwards.
I
self-published Ted’s story and the original version of Lives Apart because I
couldn’t get a publisher. When I started writing Herbert Columbine VC I saw
a tweet from Pen & Sword asking
for manuscripts. I tweeted them back and they were interested. Once they’d
published that I gave them another biography I’d written, A Battle Too Far, which
they also published. I then rewrote Ted’s story (The Weekend Trippers) under
the title Surviving the Nazi Onslaught, which they also took. Publishers
are looking at the bottom line. They want to make money so you have to show
them how your book will do that.
Having
self-published the original version of Lives
Apart I decided to start looking for a fiction publisher again. My writing
style had changed considerably by them so I wanted to the chance to rewrite it
and by then I could show that I had sold several hundred copies and had good
reviews. If you believe in the story keep going and don’t take no for an
answer.
11.
DO YOU SUFFER FROM
WRITER’S BLOCK?
Yes
and no. If I can’t think of anything to write I read over what I’ve written and
edit it and then I usually find it begins to flow again. Because I am writing
several stories at the same time I can normally find something to write. The
secret is not to stress over it. Some days I only write 1500 words, others I
will write more than 5,000.
12.
DO YOU HAVE A
PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?
Now I
write full time instead of going to work and writing as well, I try and treat
it as a full time job which means sitting at the computer by about 9am and
working through to about 4pm. I don’t write all the time. I have breaks to do
marketing and research. My characters are in different wartime situations
across the globe so I have to research battles, home front life in various
countries and other events that are happening at the same time because these
all affect my characters’ behaviour and attitudes. It’s also really important
that the historical information is accurate and things are written as they were
then, not as they would be seen with hindsight and modern interpretations.
13.
DO YOU HAVE A
FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?
I like writing in my conservatory,
surrounded by plants, with music playing.
14.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST
JOY IN WRITING?
It
keeps me sane! My mind is very active and like most people who think a lot I am
prone to anxiety so by filling my head up with plots and stories I have less
time and space to worry about other things.
15.
WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE
AUTHOR AND WHY?
I like
Barbara Erskine because of the mix of history and spirituality. I also like Ken
Follet and I am looking forward to reading his new book which comes out later
this month. I normally only read fiction when I’m writing military history
because I don’t want to be influenced when I’m writing my own novels.
16.
WHAT’S THE GREATEST
COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?
My
favourite compliment is from a lady who messaged me on Facebook to say she had
sat up reading book four in the Obsession series until 4 in the morning because
she couldn’t put it down.
17.
WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT FROM A READER?
I had one woman complain the
books were badly edited because I’d used the word ‘alright’ and that it should
be ‘all right’ and that this had ruined the books completely. She stuck the
same review on every book in the series so presumably it hadn’t ruined them
that much or she wouldn’t have bothered to buy them all😊 Then
Amazon removed her reviews, presumably because she’d put the same one on all
the books.
18.
WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES
INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
Although
I’ve been fortunate enough not to live through a war, I’ve certainly spent
several years living in domestic warzones and experienced domestic violence in
the past. Not something I’d ever want to repeat but it has given me a personal
insight which I can use in my novels.
19.
OTHER THAN WRITING,
WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
My
husband is a Medium and Spiritualist Minister and I am a spiritual healer.
Together we have written two books, The Re-Enlightenment and The
Holiday From Hell. We used to run development circles and Spiritual
evenings in Essex and we started the Spiritual
Workers Association in 2008. We moved to North Lincolnshire last year which
is wonderful and are just starting to become active in the spiritual arena
again. I also practice yoga every day and have recently qualified as a yoga teacher.
I also love walking, gardening, visiting museums and historical events.
20.
DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK
/ BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?
My
fiction publisher, Wendy, is an excellent editor which is very important for
the novels. I once had one of my characters having an eighteen-month pregnancy
which made us both laugh. Auto correct is also a pain as it sometimes changes
words without me noticing which can have unforeseen effects on the text. It’s very hard to proof read your own work
because you see what you think you’ve written, not what is actually there. Wendy
picks up on things I’ve missed and between us we hopefully find all the typos!
We do four edits each before the book is ready for publication.
21.
DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.
Sitting
in the sun at an event and speaking to interesting people who buy loads of my
books.
22.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE?
WHY?
My
husband David. He’s my best friend and after two disastrous relationships its
nice to be with someone who doesn’t want to control me and gives my so much
support. It’s not easy being married to an author. I spend a lot of time in my
own head. He also takes care of the practical things like housework so I can
write. And he loves shopping!
23.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF
YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?
Try
reading some history so you don’t keep making the same mistakes. You’re meant
to be there to work for the good of the world not your own ego. You have two
ears and one mouth. There’s a reason for that.
24.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE?
To carry on writing both novels and
military history and for my books to become best sellers, perhaps even films 😊
25.
DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN
ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?
I’m sure there is bits of me in the
characters, not the serial killer though, well not yet anyway…..
26.
DOES THE PUBLISHING
INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?
In
some ways. People think authors are all rich, its not true. I earn 11p on every
99p Kindle eBook. Although I have sold thousands of books I need to sell tens
of thousands to make a living.
Self-publishing
is great because it has given a voice to many authors who would never have
found a traditional publisher and it provides a way into traditional
publishing. The downside is that there are so many books out there now it’s a
buyer’s market hence the low prices. It takes me about three months to write a
novel and that’s before all the editing. I dread to think what I earn an hour.
There is also the perception that self-published books are no good and that’s
not true. There are some really excellent ones out there.
27.
DID YOU EVER THINK OF
QUITTING?
Not really. I love writing. It’s who I
am and what I do and as I said earlier it keeps me sane.
28.
WHAT WAS YOUR
FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?
Difficult
one. Lives
Apart because it was inspired by my in-laws so it was a labour of love.
I also worked on it for so long that I found it very hard to let go of the
characters. But then I wrote Obsession and I think that’s
actually better than Lives Apart. I am now writing a new series, Secret
Lives, and I’d like to think that will be even more compelling.
29.
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A
WRITER?
Seeing
my books for sale in high street bookstores and supermarkets and having the
books made into successful films or TV series. I’ve been told several times
that the books would make excellent TV series and/or films so I live in hope.
Writing a screenplay is a different skill from writing a book and I may be
tempted to have a go, but I would love to find an expert who is as enthusiastic
as I am about the books and would like to write a screenplay from them. My
ultimate dream is to see my characters on the screen, but I would have to have
some editorial control to make sure the historical aspects are portrayed
correctly and the dialogue is how I envisage it.
30.
WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS
KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY FEEL?
I’d
like to think readers can’t get the characters out of their head, that they’ve
been entertained and for a few hours their own problems have faded away while
they lose themselves in another world.
31.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.
This had me stumped but eventually I came up with five
words and then asked my husband for five.
Mine were Creative, opinionated, stubborn, caring, loyal.
His were Steadfast,
Consistent, Energetic, Thorough & Sexy (wasn’t sure if I should leave that
in 😊)
32.
WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?
Wow, how long have you got…… I’m getting old so lots of
things have this effect😊 If I had to narrow it
down…. The way the Government treats our Armed Forces. I’m a Trustee for Help4
Homeless Veterans and continue to see first hand the number of Veterans
sleeping on the streets. I also cannot understand a government that sends its
Armed Forces to do a job and then prosecutes them for doing it whilst the
people they were fighting are given amnesties.
33.
WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?
The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett.
34.
WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST
SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?
The end or is it?
35.
WHAT WOULD MAKE
YOU HAPPIER THAN YOU ARE NOW? CARE TO SHARE?
To have some summer. We’ve gone from spring to autumn with
about three warm days in between. I love sunshine and warm weather so I’m
feeling very deprived☹
Clancy's comment: Many thanks, Carole. You have some outstanding book covers.
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