An interview with Andrew R Williams

Andrew R. Williams

Where are you from?

I’m English, but the politically correct would say I’m British. I was born in Warrington, England, but I have moved around quite a bit. I spent my pre-teen years in Droylsden near Manchester. My father and grandfather had a small building contracting company and when they started developing a site in Frodsham (at the time a small Cheshire Village) my father decided to design his own house on part of the the site. Once the house was built, we moved to Frodsham and I spent most of my teenage years there.

Once I married Geraldine, for logistical reasons we moved to Rainhill, near St Helens. (For the geographically challenged that’s not far from Liverpool.) We have lived in Rainhill for more years than we care to remember. Historical Note: Rainhill is famous because of the 1829 Rainhill Rail Trials where rival locomotives were tested out on the partially completed Liverpool and Manchester railway. The Rainhill Trials are notable because they mark the start of the steam railway era. The trials are also notable because it had the first railway accident. William Huskisson, MP, attended the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Huskisson stepped onto the railway line greet the Duke of Wellington. Unfortunately, the locomotive Rocket came up on on the parallel track. Huskisson was unable to get out of the engine's way in time and his left leg was crushed by it. After the accident, the badly injured Huskisson was taken by a train (driven by George Stephenson himself) to Eccles, where he died a few hours later. The monument where his remains are buried is the centrepiece of St James Cemetery, Liverpool. The local library has a railway coach parked behind it with an exhibition of the Trials.

When and why did you begin writing?

For me writing is a bit of a compulsion. It’s something you have to do. Some people want to ruin a good walk by chasing golf balls. I like to create. If I’m lucky people want to read what I have created.

The serious writing started when I decided to write Domestic Building Surveys. Published by Spon. As a surveyor I had read a number of technical books on surveying. As most of them only supplied an outline of home surveys, I wrote a book that gave more detail. I have been led to believe that several British Universities are recommending the book to their students. I think that’s a win! My next project was A Practical Guide to Alterations and Extensions also published by Spon which also had good reviews. With two books under my belt, I decided I wanted to write sci-fi.

What inspired you to write Arcadias Children: Samantha’s Revenge and the sequel Arcadia’s Children 2 : The Fyfield Plantation?

Once I had completed my two technical books I became infected by the writing bug. As indicated above, I particularly wanted to write Science Fiction. Arcadia’s Children: Samantha’s Revenge is not the sort of book written over night. It evolved over time. The sequel took less time because I had developed the framework of places and characters.

Which authors have influenced you?

In my childhood, W E Johns; in later life Dennis Wheatley, H G Wells and John Wyndham. Vladimir Peniakoff’s war time account Popski’s Private Army certainly had an influence. One of my characters has a shortened version of his name; I hope Vladimir’s relatives won’t be offended. Vlad Pen is one of the good guys who finds himself ensnared by the evil Samantha. Although cowboy novels aren’t my thing, I enjoyed reading True Grit by Charles Portis. I’m sure my reading must have influenced what I now write and must have helped me.

What are your current projects?

I am now working on Arcadia’s Children 3: Pushley Escapes. I am also working on a novel called JIM. At the same time, I am also trying to find a script writer / TV company who would be interested in adapting my novels. I have been told by a number of people that they would make good all-action movies/ TV series. If anyone out in there is interested, please get in touch. Email me at info@arcadiaschildren.com -- I am also working on a modern day novel called Jim’s Revenge

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

The simple answer is no because Science Fictions/Fantasy is in the mind, but I use the internet a great deal to look for places on Earth that I can adapt to create local colour. I let my fingers do the walking as Yellow Pages used to say... In Arcadia’s Children 2: The Fyfield Plantation, Awis Oasis was invented from an internet excursion I took into the Sahara Desert.

What was the hardest part of writing your sci-fi novels?

“In real life” I’m a surveyor and spend most of my time using technical English. Technical English is very precise and plodding by nature and it took some time for me shrug it off when in novel writing mode. I had to take “go faster pills” and make my novels all-action.

Who designed the covers?

I have chosen my book covers from the selection provided by SelfPubBookCovers.com and I will probably continue to use them for the foreseeable future because they have some very skilled cover designers working for them.

Do you see writing as a career?

The cover of one of my books says “In real life, Andrew R Williams is a Chartered Surveyor. When twilight falls, he starts writing.” I intend to write more novels if people want to read them but at the moment it is still a hobby.

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