Happy New Year

Thank you dear Important Ones for your support during 2010. You have guided me along the writer's path and ensured I never give up. I have one wish, and that is you all have a wonderful 2011.

Festive Greetings

I have hung up my stocking...
            

 

Visited the decorations around various villages and towns in Cyprus...

Got DH to open his wallet...

Ordered the meat for Christmas Day...

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Hung the baubles upon the tree...














So all that is left is to wish you all a Wonderful Festive Season and a Happy, Healthy New Year 2011

Interview With Charlie Foxtrott

 M.M.O.R.P.G by Charlie Foxtrott

When the Developers of the new Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, Thila Online cancelled the project, someone it seems, forgot to turn off the servers, leaving the artificial intelligence of the game worlds more ingenious characters to finish the job themselves. Three years later, thanks to the endeavours of an I.T Department consisting of seven Gnomes in a dark shed round the back of an online pub with an online bank account, the world of Thila has evolved to become the flagship game of one of the largest entertainment software houses, boasting tens of thousands of players from all around the world.
George Steel was intending to become one of those players just as soon as he’d entered his Dad’s Credit Card details, which, following a brief battle with his conscience, he’d liberated from a drawer in the kitchen. One lightning strike later and he was well and truly logged in, the only problem now being that logging back out didn’t seem to be an option as he found himself no longer in his bedroom, but alone in a dark forest somewhere within the world of Thila.
Wolfgang meanwhile, is busy working his usual nightshift, deep within the Leafshade forest. It’s been a quiet night all in all, but the cool evening breeze carries an unfamiliar scent. Most likely a lost Newbie, this shouldn’t take long. With a cough to clear his throat and a quick shake down to loosen up and get into character, the creature raises himself to full height, head to the moon and lets forth a blood chilling howl.
It’s game on !

Welcome to my blog, Charlie Foxtrott...

Thank you for having me Glynis.

Tell us a little about yourself, where are you from, who supports and

encourages you?

Hmmm, am I the only person that finds it so incredibly difficult to talk about themselves? Even when the answers are completely straight forward. Ok; I'm a forty five year old ex Emergency Medical Technician (Budget Paramedic), living near Newcastle, by the North Sea in the chilly but beautiful and inspirational North East of England.

As for support and encouragement, that one's easy; 100% my long suffering wife Tanya. From  buying me a new laptop to work on, supplying endless mugs of coffee and of course designing the cover for my book as well as tirelessly promoting my book for me.

                                                    

When and why did you begin writing?

I first began writing with the serious intent of actually finishing a complete book around ten years ago after being retired from the Ambulance Service following an accident at work which left me in limbo whilst I awaited several surgical procedures on my right wrist which had been left pretty messed up. My first book, MMORPG, is the result ........ well I never said It was going to happen quickly.

Prior to that, at school of course. Creative writing was always the one thing that I was actually any good at and something that I actually enjoyed. More often than not though, I would write humorously and get marked down for it. The other kids would laugh but the teachers wouldn't, so of course I stuck with it and inevitably failed my exams. Aparrently the examination board had no more sense of humor than my teachers.

What inspired you to write your first book?

Well, in between surgeries on my wrist I had begun to play an online game called Ultima Online, to help kill time. It was pretty much the first game of its kind, involving playing in the same online world as other people from all around the real world. On one occasion I just happened to hear some guy say that he wished he actually lived in this cyber world, rather than have all the stress and worry of the real world. Voila ! The seeds were planted and after so long wanting to write but never finding anything I was comfortable with, I had my eureka moment.

How did you come up with the title?

This was a really difficult one for me. The book had several working titles but none that I was ever really happy with. I thought I had made a final choice with 'Avalon Online' at one point, but then someone released a game with the same title and so I not only had to change the title, but also the name of the imaginary online world that the story was set in. In the end, and it literally was the end, as everything was finished and ready to go, I decided on MMORPG. Already instantly recognisable to fans of the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game genre, and hopefully intriguing enough for anyone unfamiliar  with the term, to take a peek.

What are your current projects?

MMORPG II. (Working Title). My aim really is, now that I have the world and several characters in place, to expand on those and concentrate all my future writing into developing what is already there. The first book does a lot to explain the online world and how things work, both from a players perspective as well as from the computer generated inhabitants point of view. The second book introduces several new characters into the mix as well as picking up on the loose threads that I purposefully left hanging from the first.

I personally feel that the first book didn't really 'kick off' properly until half way through, due to all the groundwork that needed to be in place with regards to explaining the complexities of the online environment for any reader that may be unfamiliar with the concept. With that largely out of the way now though, book II's narrative can really hit the ground running at a much quicker pace.

Do you have to travel much concerning your book?

Ha ha, I wish. That would be great wouldn't it? Alas though, I have the luxury of simply logging online into whichever online game I fancy, for 'research' or inspiration. Actually, on a more serious note, I am discovering now that as the online gaming genre progresses, which it is doing very quickly, keeping up to date with the changes is quite important. So I guess the situation I find myself in, of instant access, is quite advantageous.

So, in short; No, no travel is necessary whatsoever. At least, not in the real world, although, I must admit to taking quite a lot of inspiration from local history for some pretty significant characters in book II, but that's all on my doorstep so not too strenuous to research. Plus it gets me out for some much needed fresh air and exercise !

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Motivation! As a first time writer you really have no idea whether your work will be an investment or a waste of your time. I guess that's why MMORPG has taken me the best part of ten years to finish. In the end though, successful or not, I wrote a book. I finished what I set out to do and that in itself has to be worth something, right?

The second hardest thing has to be writing something that hasn't been done to death already.

Do you have a specific writing space?

Not really, no. Not physically at least. I find that I write most prolifically by letting my mind drift off into the scene that I am writing, almost as if I am actually there.  So I guess that my writing space is in my head rather than in any specific place. It's almost like meditation now that I think about it. Of course it does have its disadvantages, it's not unusual for me to spend a couple of hours thinking about completely irrelevant things before realizing I haven't written anything at all.

Music plays a huge part in my writing too though. I ALWAYS listen to music as I write. If I'm looking to capture a particular mood I'll play certain songs that encapsulate that mood for me. Hopefully that transfers onto the page, it certainly does for me, but then of course I can't speak as an unbiased reader. One agent who did actually take the time to read my work though, said that it contained strength and great feeling. OK, it was another refusal, but I was so very encouraged by that comment, to me it suggested that the music had played its part as I felt it had.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Well, that's a tricky one. I'm a first time writer who can't get an agent, so really, who am I to offer advice? OK, I'll have a go anyway, but be warned, it's really just my personal opinion;

Write about something that interests you, something you care about and are enthusiastic about. Don't just write about something for the sake of it, it will surely come across in your writing. Develop interesting characters that have real personalities that you can relate to, characters that you actually care about. I found that from day one, dialogue for a character that I understood, flowed much more easily because I understood what they wanted and how they felt. Put a little piece of you into each character that is integral to the plot so that you understand them and are able to make them believable.

Alway write in a way that feels right to you. I could never have finished my book if I'd followed the long standing 'rules of writing'.  Everyone is different so it stands to reason that their writing preparation and technique will differ. I can honestly say, hand on heart that I never sat down to write, knowing what was going to happen next. I had no start, middle or end prepared. Everything developed as I wrote, or was an idea I'd maybe had in bed a few nights before which I expanded on. For me personally, this allows me the freedom to be spontaneous. Of course, this isn't for everyone, heck, for all I know it may not work for me either, but I know that I couldn't write any other way. You have to enjoy what you write though, or how can you expect anyone else to enjoy it?

For young writers, I'd say never let anyone put your writing down or knock the fun out of what you write. A teachers opinion is just that, the opinion of a teacher. If they knew it all, they'd be writers, not teachers and none of my teachers ever wrote a book.

Life is full of people who will tell you that you can't, it's down to you to show them you can. Hmm, that was profound wasn't it? I might use that.

So that's my advice for what it's worth. Be warned though, it is just my humble opinion and probably way off the mark. I guess if you read my book, you can come to your own conclusion as to the validity of my advice.

What books have most influenced your life?

Ooh, deep question! To be honest, I read loads, but for the fun of a good adventure rather than to learn anything. Unfortunately as soon as something shows any sign that I may learn something from it, I get bored or object to someone who doesn't know me, trying to sway my way of thinking. With that said though, the writings of Richard Dawkins I find amazing, but you have to read his books with an open mind. He will either make you go 'Wow, of course!', or make you incredibly angry, depending on your own personal point of view. I think though, that if everyone read his books with an open mind, the world may be a better place for it.

                                                   

What book are you reading now?

I'm a huge Bernard Cornwell fan. To me the guy is a genius and a writer that I couldn't even begin to aspire to. He's in another league entirely. I read anything that is based around historical events and find that my own knowledge of history has benefitted greatly for it. It's like learning without being taught, if that makes sense? Great Stuff !

I'm currently reading Brethren by Robyn Young.

Click here to purchase M.M.O.R.P.G

For someone who was shy about being interviewed, you did a great job, Charlie. Thank you and good luck for the future.

Thank you for having me on your blog, Glynis.

Hello...Anybody there? Yes...I am back home!!

Hello my Important Ones. Boy have I missed you! My time in UK was hard work but well spent. and Mother is on the road to recovery and completely independant again. I got to see Dad in his new home, and he is so happy, calm and extremely well fed on home cooking. We sang carols together and I added new memories to my memory box.

Sadly due to the snow I never made it to the places I had hoped, but I will ensure I do on another trip. The river I love to sit beside was frozen solid, so no flowing water for my visit. My daughter did make me an unusual snowman though.

 Yes, it is Babe the pig!

My flight over and back was a productive one...I started a new novel! I saw the words 'room 18', and ding-dong, bells rang.
My new novel is an historical romance, this appears to be my genre, and is called: The Man in Room Eighteen.
I am going to have a busy 2011 with writing and editing. Am I complaining? Never! I realised on the plane, I am a writer. I write Historical fiction. My life is good.
The interview I promised will be ready soon, I just need to catch my breath. I hope you are all well. Please take time to tell me your news and add a link if there is something you think I missed out upon. I will try and catch up with your posts asap.
♥Thank you for all your thoughts and caring messages♥

Message from Me

I landed with grace and dignity into a frozen UK. Mother is out of surgery and home. I am not able to write or blog at the present time, so you can imagine my dispair. Congratulations to all NaNo participants. Sorry to you all for not being able to read your blogs for a week or so. I will fly back and catch up before Christmas. I have an interview to post soon, so will try and find a day to do that. Stay safe and well, see you all soon.