Mississauga Writers Group
June 2015
Featured Author
Which writers inspire you?
It was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s clear and precise prose, especially in his Sherlock Holmes stories,
that first drew my attention to him; his style was very different from many of his Victorian
contemporaries. He will always be my number one favourite author in both fiction and non-fiction
work. From Conan Doyle I advanced to authors like Tolstoy, George Orwell, and Ernest
Hemingway, because all these men displayed the type of prose to which I would eventually like to
aspire.
What is your favourite book and why?
My all-time favourite book has to be the collection of Conan Doyle’s “Brigadier Gerard” stories.
These stories follow the exploits of one of Napoleon’s brigadiers during the Napoleonic Wars.
Gerard is a pompous, vain, irascible character with a big heart and much energy, and a penchant for
getting himself into trouble, all for a good cause – either women, or his beloved emperor.
The stories are in an easy to read style. A style that invites the readers along for the adventure, and
keeps their attention until the bitter end. Conan Doyle also includes many historical details that, as a
history lover, I drink in. He always made sure to do extensive research before embarking on any of
his books.
Two non-fiction books are also my all-time favourites: A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel (c.
1996) and Planet Word by J.P. Davidson (c. 2012, with forward by Stephen Fry, who was to go on to
host the BBC documentary series of the same name, and based on the book by Davidson). Both write
about the history of human language, both oral and written, and the importance that it has had on
our evolution. Well written and insightful, these are must-reads for authors and anyone else who
loves language in any of its forms.
What do you think is the easiest thing about writing? What is the most difficult?
When ‘all the planets are aligned’, and I sit down to write, that moment when I fall into ‘the groove’
and the words just flow through my fingers and onto the page – that is the easiest thing I find about
writing.
I have two difficulties: 1. beginning ѡ