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Shyan: Your first published book Diary of a Curtain Twitcher is about a writer and his housekeeper who uncover what they assume is a neighbor's murder plot. Can you tell us a little more about the book in your own words?
Andy JW Davie: Diary of a Curtain Twitcher is indeed about a writer and his (temporary) housekeeper uncovering a murder plot. But there is a wee bit more to it than that. While they try to foil the murder, they also fall in love, well I had to keep the slush lovers happy. They also have to battle John's fear of leaving the house brought on by the tragic death of his fiance some years before. So the story touches on his grief. Without wanting to give away the ending, which is in many ways in the very beginning, it's a story about a man who has trapped himself in his fears, escapes them only to be trapped in another way at the end. The moral? Sometimes it's better to mind your own business. There's a lot of irony in the story, but I don't want to give away too much just now .
Shyan: Where did the story plot's idea come from?
Davie: Hmmm, this is a tricky question. It was a few years ago now, but as I recall it all started one night when a row was going on in the street where I live. I wondered what a writer would do if he overheard someone plotting a murder while he was spying on his neighbors.
Shyan: Diary of a Curtain Twitcher is an interesting if not unusual title for a book. Where did the title come from?
Davie: The title was born when I was being nosy one night and peeping through the curtains to watch a row outside. My wife Kathleen commented on how nosy I was and that I was a curtain twitcher. I got to wondering, what if a writer used the antics of his neighbors as the plot lines for his books? The idea grew from there.
Shyan: Your book's character, John Joiner, share's your own profession as a mystery writer. Why is that and do you share anything else?
Davie: At the time it was my first novel. I've since learned that one should try to avoid writing about writers, though I don't know why that seems to be the unwritten rule among editors and agents? When I started out the novel, it made sense for him to be a writer telling his story.
Shyan: Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window shares a likeness with Diary of a Curtain Twitcher in subject in some similar ways. Did he influence you in anyway with your writing?
Davie: While I hadn't thought of Rear Window until after the novel was started, Mr. Hitchcock certainly influenced my childhood viewing and imagination. I've always enjoyed his movies and mysteries. SO I guess I write what I enjoy reading/watching
Shyan: While we are on that subject are there any other authors whom you'd admire and why?
Davie: I admire all authors. It takes a lot to get published, that much deserves admiration, but the work and styles I enjoy include, Stephen King, Harlen Corben, Lee Childs, Dick Francis, and the list goes on. As for why? Well, I like the way they weave their plots and bring the characters to life. I aspire to be as good as they, but not the same.
Shyan: How long did it take for you to complete the book?
Davie: That's a good question. The first draft took about 8 months as I recall. The subsequent edits, took at least another six months. So all in all it took about 18 months from first germ to publication, though the first publication was in E-book form with a company called Electric Bookworm, which is no more.
Shyan: You also have two e-books out in publication that we should mention; Abigail's Lover another mystery novel and Raven's Muse a book of poetry, after Diary of a Curtain Twitcher which is also available in e-book. Is it difficult writing in a female point of view for the character Abigail West?
Davie: Writing from the female perspective was very difficult! Figuring out a woman is (as any man will tell you) pretty well impossible, they change the rules too often, but that's another story. Luckily I was able to ask many of my lady friends how they would react to this and that if they were like this or that or came from a particular background. Thus Abigail was born, kind of a mosaic person .Writing it in narrative helped, where as Deadpix well, that really was like living inside a woman's head...scary I can tell you.
Shyan: Moving on to Raven's Muse, what style of poetry can we find in the book, and if you were only given a choice between writing poetry or writing novels which would you choose and why?
Davie: Ah, now that's actually a very tricky question. I'm not much good at defining my own style as such, but there are some funnies in there, some dark poems and some very deep ones too. They are all, however, quite early works now. As for what I would choose, it would have to be poetry. Bet that surprised a few. Novels are great fun and you can create entire worlds, etc., to escape to, but poetry is a form of expression from the soul, which releases and soothes the very essence of who we are. There may not be any money in it, but money was never what it was all about really anyway besides, I would always write a novel in poetic form. Hey, where there's a will there's a way.
Shyan: So many writers find themselves dealing with problems such as writer's block. Do you share in those problems and if so in what ways do you stay motivated to write?
Davie: Writers' Block... well life sometimes blocks my writing by giving me distractions and lots of things I have to do. When that happens as it is at the moment (what with all the movie things I'm chasing) I can't get to write much at all and that drives me nuts. As for actual block in the usual sense of the word, if I find myself stuck somewhere, I leave the work in question to one side for a while and start something else, maybe a poem, then go back to the work later. That usually does the trick. But even if it's nonsense I make sure I write something until the right words come back to me. Hope that helps. Basically the key is to never give up. It always works itself out as long as you relax and go with it.
Shyan: Your writing has obviously taken you in a direction of a writer of mystery. Would you ever consider writing another genre if given the chance and why?
Davie: Yes I would consider writing in other genres. I've written some horror stuff but am wary of that genre these days. If the story was right I would give it a go. Right now I am planning a sort of sci-fi/fantasy story, but want to write it as a script. If and or when it's done, I'll let you know how I got on with it :-) Generally I prefer thrillers, but would be open to anything provided the story is one I want to tell, it's the story that counts, not the genre, in my opinion.
Shyan: Any future projects we should know about?
Davie: Future projects... the ones I can tell you about are as follows: Beyond chasing the film making side of things with Diary of a CurtainTwitcher, Deadpix and Abigail's Lover, I am planning a few more novels and some screenplays, including a tv series.
The plan with that one is to write a feature screenplay with six episodes of a series to follow on, effectively offering the whole package in one hit at the outset. It's a sci-fi/fantasy type thing I suppose, but I can't say exactly what it's about just yet.
I seem pretty hooked on the screenplay medium right now and am enjoying playing with the various ways of getting a story or scene across. I'm seriously thinking about writing the sequel to Diary of a CurtainTwitcher, which was my plan all along way back when... so there is a lot in the pot waiting to happen, it's just a question of getting to them all and figuring out which one to do first.
Shyan: I also understand you're a husband as well as a father. With a writer's busy schedule how do you find time to spend with your family?
Davie: Finding time to spend with the family is in some ways hard, but since I don't work (beyond a little part time helping out here and there) I spend most of my time at home, writing and doing the usual family stuff. Sometimes though, the writing takes over completely, when it does I can get in trouble with my better half for not giving her and my little girl enough attention. Her way of letting me know I'm being selfish or over-obsessive with the writing, usually gets me being a good boy pretty quick .
Shyan: The question I'm sure every writer is asked the first time around. How does it feel to be a first time published Author?
Davie: How does it feel? When you get a letter or e-mail saying, 'hey we'd like to publish this' it's like you won the lottery. All of a sudden all the hard work comes to fruition and you realize it's all been worth it. Money doesn't (or hasn't so far) come in to it. Knowing that it's out there and that people can share your stories is an awesome feeling. From then on in it just gets better and better. But don't let anyone fool you into thinking it's easy, it's not. You have to push, hard! And keep pushing until you get what you want. I guess that's much the same with anything in life worth striving for though...
Shyan: Do you have any advice for other writers struggling to get published?
Davie: Oh, I think I just covered that earlier, but it bears saying more than once. NEVER GIVE UP! Believe in yourself and your work. Always strive to improve the quality of your work, but believe in it and keep pushing until the doors open. As long as you keep going, you will reach your destination. As for rejections, and any writer worth his/her salt will collect many of them, regard them as stepping stones, each one is a step closer to an acceptance letter. That's the way I look at the growing rejection letters file I have.
Shyan: Any final thoughts or comments you would like to add?
Davie: Final thoughts? Whatever your dream may be, novels, movies, articles in the Times, know that every writer starts with the same thing... a blank page. Fill it with yourself and go for broke. Believe in yourself and others won't be able to help but believe in you too. Nothing is impossible as long as you don't give up. That's about it really.
Shyan Marie would like to thank our author Andy Davie for taking time out of his busy schedule to to do this interview.
Andy JW Davie would like to give credit to Jeff Mullen and Dr Bob Richfor their help in getting Diary of a Curtain Twitcher, Abigail’s Lover and Raven’s Muse published as e-books.
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