L-R David Hough; Carol Freeman, library manger; Cllr Steve Lugg; Janine Pulford; Dave Arkell and Carol Rivers
As part of the Big Gig in Ferndown, organised by the Chairman of East Dorset District Council, Cllr Steve Lugg a ‘Meet the Authors’ event was held at Ferndown Library today (7 July).
David Hough spoke about where his ideas came from for his 24 novels, “Ideas are all around us, in ourselves, our families and our friends.” He said, explaining that his job as an air traffic controller and his experience of having to obtain a pilot’s licence were all added into the mix, but the big catalyst that set him off to research history for his novels was his grandfather and how little he knew of him. He has also used his Cornish ancestry and his job postings in Belfast and Prestwick. David surprised the audience by saying he plans his work meticulously, writes the first and the last chapter, then fills in the rest. He manages to write on average two thrilling novels a year. His current work in progress is Bomb Run. www.thenovelsofdavidhough.com
Dave Arkell said his journey into the world of poetry was simpler, but that he felt as though the thoughts that came from outside had been planted in him by someone else. He said his poetry came from the love of writing and the need to write. He had struggled at school and was word blind finding it difficult to learn to read, write and spell. However after he left school, he travelled to Australia by boat and decided to write a diary. “I started to play with words.” His poetry comes from the heart and he said he often writes poetry while walking. One of his most poignant readings was ‘Nepal Quakes’ written after he trekked to Mount Everest base camp just a few weeks before the earthquake caused utter devastation there.
Carol Rivers explained that her writing came out of necessity. “I was a single mother with young children and I had to feed them,” she said. Her first stories were written over 30 years ago and included short stories for DC Thomson and longer ones for Mills & Boon. Her career as a novelist really took off when Simon and Schuster began publishing her popular Isle of Dogs’ sagas over 10 years ago and she has been satisfying her fans’ insatiable desire for more with regular new novels. This year sees the release of two novels, the next being in September – The Fight for Lizzie Flowers – a sequel to Lizzie of Langley Street (first published in 2004). Carol has enjoyed carrying on feisty Lizzie’s story and fans will be pleased to get their hands on this riveting saga. Carol said she has to give a synopsis to her publisher prior to writing a novel, which runs to about 15 pages. Once approved, the writing begins. Born on the Isle of Dogs, her meticulous research is drawn in the main from her family roots. www.carolrivers.com
Last to speak was Janine Pulford who was inspired to write her first novel The Whispering Waters in 1994 after watching a Kevin Costner movie. She has since written two more books: Anchovy Tree and Aggracore. Being the editor of local community magazines Viewpoint and 4Dorset, and a local publisher, Janine followed the self-publishing route. The Whispering Waters and Anchovy Tree are in e-book format. She said that the characters in her books lead her through the stories and when she starts a novel, she has no idea how it is going to end. Janine is currently re-writing Aggracore under its working title Back to Go and intends to release it in Kindle format before the end of the year. It was inspired by a group of Dorset teenagers and arrived in a series of over 50 automatic drawings, which poured out of her, before she saw the story within them and wrote the book, which she published in 2007.
