An Interview with Andrew

Anyone who knows Andrew knows that he is a genuinely nice guy (even if he would have you believe he's just a grumpy sausage). A while back I got him to sit down and talk about one of his favorite things, his writing ... And convinced him to talk a bit about himself as well!

Without further ado, for your reading pleasure, here is an interview with one of my favorite people, Andrew!

Questions About Writing:

Mandy- What inspired you to become a writer? Andrew- I've always enjoyed writing. I started out writing filthy limericks at school to impress the girls...and failed miserably! I'd had an idea for a story for a number of years so when I found myself with time on my hands I thought I'll give it a go.

M- How long have you been writing for? A- I started writing my first book in 2009.

M- When did you first consider yourself a writer? A- That's a tough one as I'm constantly in fear of everyone finding me out and realising I'm not really a writer, just someone who writes down the adventures of his imaginary friends.

M- In your opinion, what are the most important elements of good writing? A- I think without question it's the ability to generate an emotional response in your reader. If someone tells me my books made them laugh, cry, cheer or shake with anger as they read the story I know I've done my job right.

M- How do you handle writer's block? A- I go and do the washing up! Works every time.

M- What is the most difficult part of writing for you? A- Sex scenes! They make me cringe. I put off writing them until my 4th book then decided I couldn't leave it any longer. I kept it brief rather than dragging it out....much like my real life.

M- How do you develop your plot and characters? A- I write character profiles for each of the characters before I begin writing the book. I have quite a few returning characters which means I can see how they develop in each subsequent book which is always fun. The plot is different. I have no idea how the story is going to develop. I start writing page one, chapter one and what happens in that will entirely dictate what direction the story takes in chapter two and so on.

Personal Questions:

Mandy- What's your favorite food? Andrew- Cake! Most kinds except banana. Love writing, drinking coffee and eating cake.

M- Who is your hero? A- My mum

M- What's your favorite swear word? A- 'Fuck' It's not so much a swear word as much as it's become punctuation at this point.

M- If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be? And what would you cook? A- I think it would be Olivia Colman. She appears so natural and funny in interviews, not the least bit starry. Although I'd probably order a Chinese takeaway as I think giving her food poisoning from my cooking might spoil the evening a little.

M- If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be? A- Sexy and delusional.

M- What is your least favorite word? A- Failure. I try and avoid that one!

M- If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? A- Right now, I really want to go to America.

M- Tell us one random fact about you that we might be surprised by. A- When I was 18 I climbed to the top of the volcano Vesuvius in Italy and looked down on the ruins of Pompeii.

Book Questions:

Mandy- What is the title of your first book? A- Assassin's Run

M- Is it part of a series? A- Yes. It's the first book of the 7 book Michael Prentiss thriller series.

M- If it was made into a movie, what celebrities would play the main characters? A- Taron Egerton as Michael Prentiss, Bill Nighy as Col. Mabbitt, Robson Green as Jordan.

M- Can you give us a bit about it? A- Michael Prentiss is recruited by a secret army intelligence unit to kill a US oil tycoon to prevent him funding an IRA terrorist.

M- Was there anything that inspired the plot? A- I've always loved reading spy fiction but they're always trained secret agents or special forces guys, I wondered what would happen if someone with no experience or training was thrown into a situation and had to cope when it all went wrong.

M- What are you currently working on? A- Currently writing book 8 in the series.

M- What genre are your books? A- Spy Fiction

M- Is there anything else you would like readers to know about your writing? A- I've recently finished writing the TV screen adaptation of Assassin's Run which is currently with a number of TV Production companies. So, watch this space!