Ask the Author: Phil Brett

“Ask me a question.” Phil Brett

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What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?
Phil Brett Why on one single day all my electronic devices crashed.
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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?
Phil Brett A lot of the answer to this comes from a previous answer. I wanted to write a PI novel set in the UK. My problem was that why wouldn't the police be investigating it? There were several possible solutions but one was to think of a period where the police would not not be there. When might that be? Possible answer - when the state apparatus is crumbling. So then, place it in a revolutionary setting. The police have all but been side-lined. What happens to the UK within the narrative will be a key part of the story. Indeed, it could be argued, that the revolution itself is a character in the book. So the reader wants to find out who-did-it, what happens to the main character and of course, what happens to dear old Britain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEgfWj...
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What are you currently working on?
Phil Brett I am currently writing a sequel to Comrades Come Rally. CCR centres on the investigation by Pete Kalder of who is the MI5 mole is in the Revolutionary Party which is hoping to seize power in a Britain on the brink of revolution. The Struggle for Hearts and Minds fis the book which follows - did Britain have the revolution? What happened? What happened to Kalder? How did his relationship change with his other comrades? Was all the questions answered in CCR? It seemed obvious that a sequel was required.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEgfWj...
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How do you get inspired to write?
Phil Brett I always wanted to write. Don't know why. Perhaps, it was a form of day dreaming, but with less of a social stigma. What it would be, changed as the years went by, I think I wanted to be a poet at one point but my poetry is usually bad rhymes and there's only so many verses which can be written about cat and hat. After reading Ross Macdonald and Raymond Chandler, I wanted it to be PI fiction. But in the UK. The setting stemmed from a desire to see a book written in the future, a hopeful future. I am socialist and believe people can change the world for the better. So hey, why not day-dream/write about a PI in a revolutionary Britain? Easy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEgfWj...
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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
Phil Brett Discipline and commitment. There are tons of books on this and the equivalent measurement of virtual space. A lot of it comes from whatever the place you are coming from. So for me, making money was not important; nor was locating a market and thus a publisher. So I wrote what I wanted to, in the style I wanted to. Others would disagree, and who you are writing for becomes key. And let's face it, they might get published. Then again, they probably won't. So, think what you want to write and commit yourself to it. Even when life (work, money, kids, family etc etc) gets in the way, be disciplined to set aside time to do some writing. An hour a night, three hours a week, whatever. And because I was primarily writing for myself, I did not begrudge the time. I was committed the dream of writing it.
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What’s the best thing about being a writer?
Phil Brett Simple. Knowing that it was a dream for me write and to produce something, and that I have done so. I don't care if only my pet cat reads it, because I did what I always wanted to do. Is it too clichéd to say that it is a dream come true?
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How do you deal with writer’s block?
Phil Brett Funny you should ask that as I am facing a little of that with the writing of the sequel. For me though it is two fold: Firstly, I just keep writing down ideas/possible story lines and seeing if anything catches alight (then swearing a lot when they don't). Secondly, I am not a professional writer whose livelihood depends on keeping a publisher happy so I can afford not to panic and instead just live life. Because that's where the best stories are. Okay, that sounds trite and pretentious (plus a few other criticisms), but basically that's the truth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEgfWj...
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