I had the pleasure recently to chat with Tirgearr author Jeff Gardiner and ask him a bit about his writing. Below are some of the questions I asked him.
Mary Bradford: Tell us a little about yourself, where are you from,
do you still live there?
Jeff Gardiner: I was born in Jos, Nigeria, but left when I was
young (my parents were missionaries out there). I’ve lived most of my life in
the UK, mostly in South-West London. My teenage years were spent in Ealing,
which is considered the ‘Queen of the Suburbs’. I now live in West Sussex.
Other than writing and spending time with my children, I listen to a lot of rock
music and watch films. I love films from every decade and culture.
MB: Have you a favourite author?
JG: Michael Moorcock is a big influence because he
breaks down genre boundaries. He’s always considered to be a fantasy author,
but his mainstream fiction such as ‘Mother London’, ‘Gloriana’ and the Col.
Pyat sequence are really his finest achievements. My book about his works will
be coming out later this year, entitled ‘The Law of Chaos: the Multiverse of
Michael Moorcock’. Another writer whose books excite me is Haruki Murakami.
MB: When did you start writing, are you a full-time
writer?
JG: As a teenager, I wrote smug, self-obsessed poetry
that I really should consider destroying, before someone else sees it. I won a
fiction competition and had another story published in my early thirties, then a
collection of my stories published (horror, romance, humour – an eclectic mix).
My first novel, ‘Myopia’, is a finalist in The People’s Book Prize, which is
exciting. I wish I was a fulltime writer, but I teach part-time. This leaves me
one day a week to concentrate on my writing, which is great, but also very
frustrating.
MB: Do you have a set time for writing? Are you a
morning or evening writer?
JG: I have children, so it’s a matter of working around
them. Evenings work best for me because the kids get up early. I’ve realised
how important it is to use every moment you have. Procrastination is your
greatest enemy.
MB: Tell us a little about your latest work.
JG: ‘Treading On Dreams’ (Tirgearr Publishing) is a
coming-of-age novel about obsession and unrequited love. Donny is a sensitive
man, in love with Selena who is too perfect for him. He quickly learns that
he’s going to have to toughen up if he wants to impress her. It’s the eternal
question: how do you respond when someone doesn’t feel the same way about you?
Do you give up?
‘Igboland’ (Crooked Cat Books) is set in Nigeria
during the Biafran War. Lydia is a missionary’s wife who gets caught up in
conflict and passion as she attempts to create her own identity, thousands of
miles from her home in England.
MB: Do your books require much research?
JG: ‘Igboland’ required a great deal of research into
Igbo culture and beliefs, which
are fascinating. The protagonist, Lydia,
becomes inspired by two Igbos she gets to know – Grace, a victim of the war,
and Kwemto, a local doctor. Igbo spiritual beliefs, known as Odinani, are very
interesting. We in the west could learn a great deal from their profound view
on life and the world around us.
MB: Where can we buy/see your work?
JG: Below are the links to my various author pages and sites for my books
MB: What an interesting life you have Jeff and your books sound wonderful. It was very good of you to give us some of your valuable writing time to do this interview, it is much appreciated. I hope you will come back again to keep us up to date with your work.
JG: Thanks for inviting me over to you blog. All the
best.
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