This week’s Author Interview is Jamie Goold who writes as Ed Goold Writer of The Outfield Player and HotKiana97 – a crime noir thriller.
What’s your favourite book?
There are so many – but the ones that stay in the mind are those that give you a feeling. It’s never story, or characters, that really stay in my mind, but the feeling that you get afterwards. Because of that, I’m going for ‘The Call of the Wild’ ‘Emil and the Detectives’ and maybe the best of all ‘Where the Wild Things Are’.
What have you written to date?
Well, I can’t really call myself a proper author because I’ve only written one book, the thriller The Outfield Player and HotKiana97. But I have never been scared of words, and have always loved writing. Even with things as straightforward as emails; I always like to construct them well, and entertain, and make them as good as I can.
Maybe I have more books in me (I’ve got several ideas) but I’m taking my time to get this one out there and heard about first. It’s not easy, when there are so many titles around. But I hope the quality of it will endure, and people will recommend it as they discover it. Reviews and recommendations from readers are so important for those of us starting out.
What made you sit down and start?
This book came from an experience I had of meeting a younger woman. I was interested in her background and story, and as I got to know her more, I became, I have to say, a little infatuated with her. This was confusing and confronting for me, as I am committed in a long relationship, with a family. Writing about these emotions were the basis for the beginning of the story – and from there, it just took off. But those feelings were a starting point only; being a director of tv productions in my working life, I am always keenly aware of the importance of telling an exciting and engaging story. The book keeps it real, and doesn’t let up.
Do you work out an outline or do you prefer to see where a story takes you?
Having not done this before, I didn’t have a method. This was part of the joy of writing – I discovered as I went. To begin with, I had a good idea of the first half of the book, so I just got on with it. As you get deeper, discovering themes and characters and journeys, I found a way to resolve all of these into my story. However, after your first draft, your story is perhaps at its weakest. Rewrites (several of them) make it better and better – and I spent longer on the rewrites than the original draft….
Do you think the cover plays an important part of the buying?
I have no doubt this is true – I have found it out myself. Because I never found a publisher, I decided to self-publish. A risky move. All the advice told me that the quality (of cover, and of copyediting, type-setting and printing too) was paramount, so I took a lot of care. Now I am selling the book to booksellers (often by just walking in and chatting) and their first look and feel of the book is so important. It has to pass that quality test – and they take very few books from approaches like mine. But I just got it into Waterstones, and that’s down to doing a thorough and high-quality job with all the above. Most good booksellers also read it too – you’ll be happy to hear!
What is the hardest thing about writing a book?
Finding the time, in a busy life, is the hardest thing. Many many hours, weeks and months are needed. I was amazed by how much fun it was though. It took up my creative brain for so long, and that was a learning experience and a satisfying one too. If it hadn’t been enjoyable, it would have been hard to complete. But there’s no doubt the hardest thing, especially being a self-published writer, is making the book discoverable and finding an audience. It’s very early days for me, so I’m obviously hoping things will build and word will spread as more and more people read it.
If you could have been the author of any book, what would it have been?
One of my favourites is the old Jack Kerouac classic ‘On the Road.’ This is a book that leaves you with a feeling, as I mentioned before. It’s one of only a few that I can read and re-read. There’s something in the pure energy of that novel that makes it extraordinary. Somewhere there exists a version on a spiral roll of paper which Kerouac wrote in one go – it took him several days, perhaps a couple of weeks, but not months. He wrote it beginning to end, with no alterations or rewrites possible (because of the single long sheet of paper) with the whole thing done in one, crazy go. The version is owned by some billionaire in the States and is worth several million dollars, apparently. That document is like a bible to me. How was that even possible?
How can readers discover more about you and your work?
Well, please look up the Facebook page ‘The Outfield Player and HotKiana97’, or download the book on Amazon as a paperback or eBook, or ask for it at a bookshop, to order. I’m edgooldwriter on Instagram too. Ed Goold is my writer’s name; in real life I’m Jamie Goold and I’ve got a TV show coming up on Amazon Prime called Road to a Million. This is a new show with the James Bond producers Eon, the ‘Succession’ actor Brian Cox, and will be soon on Amazon Prime. My tip – it’s amazing!