CONTRIBUTION AND VIEWS OF CLIVE FLEURY ABOUT WRITING AND BOOKS

CLIVE FLEURY

                                

 BRIEF PROFILE OF THE AUTHOR:

Clive Fleury is an award-winning writer of books and screenplays and a TV and Film Director and Producer. He has worked for major broadcasters and studios on a wide variety of successful projects in the US, UK, Australia, Europe and the Middle East. In the initial stage itself, he ignored the advice of the Career Specialist and embarked upon a very different but successful life.

His latest book –“Kill Code: A Dystopian Science Fiction Novel”, is the first in an exciting new dystopian science fiction series, set in a world facing climate catastrophe, where nothing is what it seems. Besides “Kill Code”, he also wrote “Scary Lizzy” - a novel about an eight year old girl, Sarah Wilde, who befriends an African child ghost - and the teen action adventure book, “The Boy Next Door”' - or what happens when a teenage girl has a crush on her next door neighbor, who isn't all he seems. He also co-wrote “Art Pengriffin and The Curse of The Four” - a young adult fantasy adventure about a teenage boy, who discovers his father was Merlin the Magician. It was a Kindle Book Review Awards Semi-Finalist. He loves to travel – anywhere, and anytime he has any spare cash.

Q  Are you a professional writer? How many of your books have been published so far?

I have been a professional writer for several years and have had four books published of which “Kill Code: A Science Fiction Novel” is the latest. It is the first of a trilogy and I am hoping to have the next book in the series out by the end of the year. I also write screenplays and for newspapers and magazines.

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Q Which particular book of yours, do you consider as the best so far, and why?  

It is hard to be objective about the books you have written. All are “my babies” at the start of the process and then, when I am finished, I have to let them go out into the world. However, I do tend to like best, the novel I completed last—in this case, Kill Code. 

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Q Did you receive appreciation/recognition & adequate sales for your this book, or any other book, in the world?

For me, and I suspect most authors, there is no such thing as adequate sales. All of us want to sell more books than we have so far.  On reviews, and I have got good honest reviews for Kill Code, they are like sales— I can never get enough of them.

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Q Do you promote and recommend writing of books jointly? In your opinion what are the areas of benefits and problems, in such joint ventures?

I enjoy writing books jointly, though I have only done this once so far—on a YA book called  “Art Pengriffin and the Curse of the Four.” Writing is a lonely profession, so it is good to share the time with someone else. But if you are a control freak, writing jointly can be a nightmare!

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Q When & how do you get the ideas & do you immediately note them down in a diary or elsewhere?

I cannot write a new book until I have the structure locked down, so I spend a lot of time staring into space and trying to work out what the story is all about. My current book, Kill Code is the start of a series, and this helps me with the next one, because I have now got a handle on the characters. Yes, I do carry around a notepad just in case, I suddenly have a flash of inspiration. The trouble is that my handwriting is so bad I cannot always read later what I have written. Very frustrating!

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Q On an average, how many months do you take to complete one book, in all respects?

Kill Code took around seven months to write and edit. However, the idea has been at the back of my mind for years now. Other books have taken longer to write, but the central theme took far less time to think up. So it varies.

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Q Besides the quality of writing, in your opinion, what are the other factors for the success of a book?

The growth of the Internet and self-publishing have meant that there are now millions of ‘authors’ out there, and are vying for attention. But unless you can reach an audience, your book will die however good it is. So you have to invest a lot of time in marketing. This is not good news for most writers who, like me, are lousy at it.

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Q Which aspects motivate you to write books? Earning money/publicity/helping readers/self-satisfaction/others?.

I, like I suspect most authors, have no choice. I have to write! I know that sounds strange to some, but it is a little like being constipated. I have to put words on paper.

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Q What are the reasons for the general success of the concept of “Agents of writers” in some countries?

I have never met anyone who is creative, who does not have massive amounts of self-doubt. “Am I good at what I am doing? Should I go on? Is this all worth it?” That is where an agent comes in. A good agent can give advice and help to overcome this stultifying self-doubt. They can also do things which many writers cannot do—like negotiate deals, and make sure someone pays you. But an agent is no panacea. Ultimately, you learn that success or failure is up to you.

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Q If you were not a writer, in what other way, you would have expressed your creativity?

I am lucky. I direct films and TV, as well as write. Doing this helps me to express my creativity in a different way.

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Q What is your opinion about e-books? Due to this concept of e-books, is the survival of printed books in future in jeopardy?

There was a time when e-books were supposed to be wiping out the printed books and bookstores. Now, however, I think people have realized that e-books and printed books can and should co-exist.  

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Q What are your future plans for writing books?

 I will keep writing. I cannot help myself.

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Q What is your advice to the budding authors?

In the words of the great Oracle Nike: “Just do it”.

                                                         --------------vijaiksharma