Edward Figg, author of The Anniversary Man, was published by us in September 2017. We felt it was time to catch up with the author and find out how life has been treating him, since he became a published writer.

Did you always dream of becoming an author?

No, I never thought of becoming a published author. As a journalist, I did have many articles published but there is a lot of difference between a two-hundred-word article and an eighty-five-thousand-word book.

What was your first job?

After leaving school in 1957, I had no idea as to what I wanted. I don’t even know how I found it, but after the first week I came across a firm in our town that converted Bedford vans into people movers. The manager asked me what would I like to do. For some reason, I told him I liked painting, why I don’t know. They put me to work in the paint shop, where I learnt to spray paint. I was in and out of that industry until moving to Australia in 1969.

How did you come about writing your book? Was that your intention or did you start writing for fun?

I enjoyed writing at school, but that was as far as it ever went. I have always enjoyed reading, which I like to do most days. I like a good, well written story, the sort that keeps you turning the pages and doesn’t waste four pages describing the colour of the hero’s eyes. It is for this reason that I prefer sub plots rather than the one-off type of investigation; it keeps the story moving. It was said that everyone has a book in them so, going by that adage and all my readings over the years, I set out to produce something different which I hope readers will enjoy. I hope that I now have all the characters in place for a series. I read somewhere that it’s the first few pages that makes you want to read the book and the last page that makes you want to read the next one. I hope this is true!

What was your life like before you became an author?

The only thing that has changed is that I now spend more time sitting at my desk, staring at the computer screen, making notes and coming up with plots instead of sitting at my desk, staring at the computer screen, watching YouTube.

Did you face any struggles before becoming an author? If so, how did you overcome them?

It took me nearly four years to write the first book. There was no discipline to it. A bit here and a bit there. I found it best just to write and then next day, go back over and polish and edit it. To get one sentence or even a paragraph right could sometimes take me hours. Even then, I’d go back over it the next day and keep messing with it until it was what I wanted. After that, what do I do…I go over it again just to make sure it’s right.

Now that you are a published author, how has your life changed, if at all?

If I was J.K. Rowling, maybe I could answer that question more fully. In my case, what it did was to motivate me to start on a second book. I found this a lot easier and only writing a few hours a day, it has taken me less time to complete than the first one.

Can you please describe a typical day in your life now?

I live here in Queensland. It’s called the ‘Sunshine Coast’, and it lives up to its name. It’s sunshine every day. I rise between six and seven. I go to the gym twice a week, arriving at about seven thirty and stay for about an hour. The rest of the day is spent sometimes either writing or reading. Sometimes my wife and I will go walking by the river or out along one of our lovely nearby beaches. Sometimes, I get on the computer and do some research. Here, lawn bowls is an all year-round sport, which I like to take advantage of.

What is your most memorable moment of your life as an author?

I have read how hard it is for new writers to be accepted, and to get published, so seeing my first book in print for the very first time was quite a memorable occasion.