I've written, on and off, for quite a long time. I've done satirical pieces for trade union magazines, stuff for football fanzines and mags, articles for local newsletters about fair trade, art and anything that interests me, really. I studied literature and linguistics, so I've always had an interest in language. Whenever I go away anywhere, I always keep a diary. That was the source for my first book. In fact, I had four school exercise books that covered my two years in Eritrea. I kept them, like I keep all these notes and jottings, but never did anything with them until Catherine was looking for something in a cupboard and said, "Why don't you turn all this info a book?" That sounded like a good idea, so I did. I'd started one novel years ago, but it never really took off. The idea for the one I wrote eventually came to me one day when I was sitting at my desk playing around with anagrams of my boss's name. There was one I really liked and I knew immediately that I had my antihero. Writing the book was easy after that.
I'm new here in a way @Tom Locke. So forgive me for not knowing anything about your book except reading in a post here and there about a book you have written. So can you tell me about your book? Or you could link me to the post in which you talk about it. There are an awful lots of posts on this Forum and I haven't read through probably even half of them yet.
Tom are you Scottish born and raised...if not what's your background? You're a writer now but what did you/ have you...done for a living most of your life?
I know it's not polite to ask a lady her age but I don't know if that applies to gentlemen as well, so even though I know you are over 50 because that's the rule here; my question is "how old are you?" You look young in your photo.
What has brought you the greatest joy in life? And what has brought you the greatest sorrow? @Tom Locke
I've read your website Tom, to understand your thoughts on different things. It's very interesting and detailed. As an avid NFL/collegiate football fan, I'm just curious about something ... You've stated that you have never been to the United States (above), and you imply that Americans have a sport that is wrongly named ..... My question: Have you ever seen an American Football game?
You mentioned elsewhere on the forum, that your parents died when you were young, how young were you and how much were you influenced by them. Secondly sort of tied in with that, when did you become an atheist/humanist?
if you could wake up today in the body of someone famous from History, and act out that person for a week...who would it be and why?
@Holly Saunders @Ina I. Wonder Tom are you Scottish born and raised...if not what's your background? You're a writer now but what did you/ have you...done for a living most of your life? Have you ever worn a kilt..or tossed a caber? What did you as a Scotsman, think of the movie, "Braveheart", with Mel Gibson? I'll need to clear up a misconception. While I live in Scotland and have done since 1992, I am Irish, though I was born in England. I went to university in Edinburgh as a mature (so they say) student in 1992 and have lived in Scotland ever since, give or take my sojourns in Africa. I have been near neither a kilt nor a caber. As for Braveheart, I thought it embarrassing piffle, but Hollywood and factual history have a very distant relationship. Most of my career, if one can call it that, has been spent working in IT. I was a computer programmer for many years. After I was made redundant in 2002 (the company I was working for became insolvent, long story), I ended up working (briefly, thankfully) for a dire insurance company in Edinburgh and then got a job in the Civil Service. I managed to convince them to give me early retirement a couple of years ago and I got on with writing the two books I had been wanting to write.
If you mean the photo of me in the pub, then I am young (well, about 28). It's an old photo. The one of me in the hat is up to date, though Terry has skilfully photoshopped it to have me sitting down. The answer is 56, nudging towards 57 in May.
My parents died in the same year, either side of my fifteenth birthday. It's difficult to say what influence they had, but they were from very working-class backgrounds and had little opportunity for much formal education. Despite, or perhaps because of, that, they always made sure that I was diligent in my school work and while circumstances dictated that I missed out on higher education when I was younger, I caught up in later years, so I think that my parents' ethos stayed with me. I was, nominally, a Catholic, but my parents were never doctrinaire and something that helped, I think, was when I went to grammar school. There were Church of England services every morning and as a left-footer, I was excused these along with any other kind of religious instruction. While these things were going on, the assorted Catholics, Hindus, Muslims and other 'outsiders' all hung around together and it seemed to me to be bizarre that human beings were being sorted and pigeon-holed by religious faith. Being something of an outsider myself, I found it easy to empathise with people that were 'different'. They might be different because of their skin colour and I was different because of my accent, so it was probably round that time that I really forged my beliefs of people being people, irrespective of anything else.
My comment about "football" was something of a facetious one, but it has always struck me as slightly odd that a game which largely involves use of the hands is called football. I've never attended an American Football game, though I've seen quite a few on television. I have to be honest and say that it's not a sport I enjoy much. For me, it's too structured and reliant on set-plays. I prefer sports that have flow to them, which is what I love about soccer, if I may call it that. We also have two codes of rugby in Britain, union and league, and these are closer in style to American football. Both rugby codes have a set-piece element, but to me there is a great deal more flow and continuity to the game than with American football. Ireland also has Gaelic football, played with a round ball and almost a cross between rugby and soccer.