Ask the Author: Barry Finlay
Answered Questions (7)
Barry Finlay
Hi Karen, thanks for your question. I was first inspired to write by a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro with my son. I found that when I returned and started making presentations about the climb, there was a lot of interest so my son and I wrote Kilimanjaro and Beyond. It was such an enjoyable experience, I just kept writing. I now have 5 published books with the last three being thrillers.
Barry Finlay
I was visiting a dormitory in Tanzania, Africa that we helped to fund by raising some money. At the end of the tour, a teenage girl who was acting as my guide asked, "So, when are you taking me to Canada." I wondered what would happen if she asked the wrong person. That's where the idea for A Perilous Question came from. Nothing happened to the real girls in Tanzania to my knowledge, but the girls in my book are not so lucky.
Barry Finlay
I always liked writing and spent 10 years writing financial policy, which I think honed my skills. However, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro at age 60 with my son was a book waiting to be written. I enjoyed the experience and have written 3 more since.
Barry Finlay
I just finished my fourth novel, A Perilous Question, so I'm not working on anything at the moment. There are some storylines percolating in my head though.
Barry Finlay
Keep writing! There are highs and lows with anything, but I think sometimes they are magnified in the arts. For example, a positive review will come along that encourages you to write but it may be followed by a negative one. It's human nature to focus on the bad ones. Remember to write for yourself first and as I said, keep writing.
Barry Finlay
For me, it's seeing the characters develop in front of my eyes and being a part of the story as it moves along. There are always unexpected twists and turns and turns and new character traits that pop up.
Barry Finlay
I walk away and think about it for awhile. I would not consider myself a "plotter" but I do plot one or two chapters ahead by writing some story lines at the end of the last chapter I have written. That helps me avoid writer's block to some extent but it still happens occasionally. That's when I walk away.
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