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Interview with Peter Keating



Q.1 Tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?
A. I work in a mobile library during the week so whether I’m writing or at work, I’m always surrounded by books.

Q.2 How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
A. Not too many. Just one half-finished book, one half-finished screenplay, a couple of dramatic monologues, and a few poems.

Q.3 Where do you get your ideas?
A. They say you should write about what you know, and by and large, I would go along with that.

Q.4 What advice do you have for writers?
A. Just keep writing. Anything!

Q.5 Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
A. I think that in my case writing is a somewhat selfish exercise. I certainly want it to be satisfying for me if nobody else! I would say go for originality and the readers will follow.

Q.6 If you could tell your younger writing self-anything, what would it be?
A. Start writing younger than you did. Read even more. Join the library.

Q.7 What are the most important magazines or websites for writers to subscribe to?
A. I’ll be honest, I don’t subscribe to any.

Q.8 What is the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
A. I actually don’t find it particularly difficult. The older one gets, the more life experience, and knowledge of the human condition they have, the easier it gets.

Q.9 How do you select the names of your characters?
A. I don’t have any particular system or anything. In my latest book, one of the characters is a high-class prostitute. I gave her the name Elizabeth Chapman. It is a composite of two of Jack the Ripper’s victims - Elizabeth Stride and Annie Chapman.

Q.10 Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
A. I do read them, but don’t take the bad ones to heart.

Q.11 Does your family support your career as a writer?
A. Of course, it is difficult to accomplish anything without the support of one’s family.

Q.12 What do your fans mean to you?
A. Well, it’s like this without the readers there is nothing.

Q.13 How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
A. I have written two books- The Green of the Spring, a book about the First World War, and Yehuda, a Mossad thriller.  I don’t really have a favorite. They are both completely different, and I enjoyed the entire process of writing both of them. By the way, both are available worldwide on Amazon! ;-) At the moment, I am working on the sequel to “Yehuda”.

Q.14 Do you have any unique and quirky writing habits?
A. None!

Q.15 What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
A. Being a husband and father.

Q.16 What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?
A. It’s not something I have really considered. I decided to cut out the middlemen and ended up self-publishing my books in the end.

Q.17 Who edited your book and how did you select him/her?
A. After careful consideration, and a quick check of my bank balance, I decided to self-edit! The least enjoyable part of the writing process IMO!

Q.18 Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
A. The person I would most like to have met is not famous, but he is a hero to me – my paternal grandfather. He died the year before I was born but I dedicated “The Green of the Spring” to him – and to all men from the Island of Ireland who fought in the Great War.

Q.19 What's your favorite book and why?
A. I don’t have a favorite, to be honest. I enjoy nearly every book that I read.

Q.20 How can readers discover more about you and your work?
A. I’m not on social media as such, but I am on LinkedIn and new connections are always welcome!
Thanks for taking the time to read. All the best, for now, Peter…

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