About Raymond Carroll:
My name is Raymond Carroll, author of ‘Only Raising Dust On The Road’- a novel set in Thailand. I am a Scotsman, married to Sunan – a Thai national, and I have two half-Thai children – a girl (16), and a boy (12). I currently reside in Scotland but I lived and worked in Thailand for two years between 2002 and 2004.
In my younger years I also lived and worked in Canada, California, Egypt, London, the Channel Islands, and Taiwan. At the time I had no trade or specialised skills that helped me to travel and live and work abroad, but I was energetic and enthusiastic and was willing to give anything a try. As a result I have worked in a vast array of markets and industries throughout the world, ranging from sales jobs to construction to online entrepreneur projects. My priorities have changed over the years since having children, and I don’t travel as much as I would like to, but travel and writing are still my greatest passions.
My book ‘Only Raising Dust On The Road’ is in 4 Parts.
Part 1 – ‘Buckfast, Lager, & Fags’ is on sale at Amazon on Kindle right now – A KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) book promotion should be underway shortly where you can buy Part 1 at a reduced price for a limited time.
Part 2 – ‘Same-same but different’ will be released soon.
What inspires you to write?
Travel
Tell us about your writing process.
When I set out to write an article or a story I make sure I have a rough outline of my beginning, middle, and end. Sometimes I have a few notes and guidelines jotted down to help with my first draft; other times the basic outline is in my head. During the first draft process the story may change a little but as long as I can see – after completing the first draft – that I have a beginning, a middle and an end, then I’m happy. I can then develop the story or article through the re-writing process.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Both. I am a good observer of people and usually create characters on people I know or have met. Sometimes I mix and match real people’s personality traits to create more interesting characters. I know plenty of ‘nutters’ and ‘colourful’ people though, and sometimes actually have to tone my characters down (based on some of the people I know) to make them more believable. As they say: sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.
What advice would you give other writers?
Try and write (and read) everyday. I don’t always manage this with other commitments that I have, but when I do write (and read) consistently, the writing process is always easier, and the end result is usually better.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I decided to self-publish my book because I wanted more control over my work. A friend of mine was published in 2014 by a major UK publisher and was advised to change or omit certain parts of his book that he later regretted changing.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I’m new to self-publishing. The process so far has been pretty straightforward and I’m hopeful about the future in regards to my writing. I think it is great that people can self-publish their work these days on platforms like Amazon, and the future of book publishing – I think – looks promising.
What genres do you write?: fiction, travel writing/blogging, short stories
What formats are your books in?: eBook
Website(s)
Raymond Carroll Home Page Link
Link To Raymond Carroll Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Twitter
Pinterest
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.