About Michael Wormald:
When I started out writing it was out of sheer joy of reading.
I write historical fictional and make no apology for making it light and humorous. The historical character, the incorrigible rogue Falstaff, is set in Asia on the eve of War in Europe was conceived as a way to explore little-known facts of about Japan’s occupation of China.
I’m well-traveled, visiting Asia including Thailand and Japan many times.
Starting work in the Communications, I worked in factories, offices, bank vaults, prisons, coal mines, army barracks, ships, rigs, and hospitals.
In my spare time I fenced both competitively, and coached. Branching out into ‘Fight Direction’ and training for stage and screen combat, teaching at one point a former Power-Ranger ‘Rapier and Dagger’.
I have self-published two collections of poetry and submitted two screenplays, one of which reached pre-production.
Changing careers I started work with a Defense firm supporting equipment for the Royal Navy; working on Submarines and ships; then the RAF. Proving, as a Sci-fi fan and writer, I’m as much at home writing about technical matters as I am with the science of the starships!
During this time, I, with other writers and historians cofounded the Flashman Society, in honour of George Macdonald Fraser’s Flashman. I wrote for and edited the society magazine (Dawns and Departures) which went to members and service men all over the world, including the Crimea War Society and a US General of ‘Wargaming”?
Moving to Warton, Lancashire, due to my keen interest in both technical and safety issues I am now a Whistleblower going through the legal process championing Airworthiness.
I am continuing work on a series of novels based on the expat. Pilot Falstaff stuck in Asia during the outbreak of second world war and am preparing other material for the Kindle format.
Whether writing scripts, children’s books or doing historical research for my books I have an eye for detail, seeing consistency and truth as essential factors.
What inspires you to write?
My interest in writing goes back to the days I’d be searching in second-hand book shops for H.P. Lovercraft, Robert Howard and other pulp Science Fiction and fantasy writers.
I’ve produced long, intricate and imaginative stories from a very young age, always having in mind the idea of becoming a writer.
Tell us about your writing process.
I have a great interest in history and the lessons learnt. Looking at what is forgotten, often looking at this through the eye of an adventurer, is a good combination!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I let my characters develop themselves. Often someone who was simply background develops to become an important or diverting character. Set pieces, like you would in noir films or pulp fiction creep into my story line, which helps drive along the action or tale the story of the characters whilst the historic events unfold.
What advice would you give other writers?
Research, know your history before you start. Further research always throws up surprises, quirky events often help develop new characters rather than sticking to a first person narrative or a story following a single angle.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
It was a given. I want to finish the stories and then have the pleasure of reading them. Without the target of publishing I might never get there! Having been the secretary of a literary society I also know what great people readers are; often the humour I put in is aimed at those people, or an individual in particular. Having said all this, writing is all I can do with my health, I need income to live, the financial battle makes earning a crust vital, put also detracts from the pleasure!
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Publishing as changed. For me I’d to get an agent, a publisher and let them do the work of marketing, so I can concentrate on the next book. As for publishing, self-publishing, digital formats etc. it has some benefits, being able to directly promote book in your own way but it sure takes some the fun out of the actual writing if you are blogging more than writing. In the future we may have nothing to our names but irrelevant Blogs, instead of great tomes of fiction to cherished!
What genres do you write?: History, Thriller, Humour
What formats are your books in?: eBook
Website(s)
Michael Wormald Home Page Link
Link To Michael Wormald Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
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