Marc Thomas's Blog, page 2
July 21, 2021
INTERVIEW WITH AN ITALIAN JOURNALIST IN ARGENTINA
In March 2019 I was interviewed by an Italian journalist living in Buenos Aires who writes for Versione Argentina and we spoke about the recent launch of The Last British President.
Here’s a short extract and you can read the rest in the link below.
Q: How long have you been an expat in Argentina and when did you feel you had enough material for a book?
I’ve been living in Argentina since 2005, but it wasn’t until around 2013 that the idea of the book came to me. This was during the latter years of the Kirchner regime and in 2016 I wrote the first page, with thoughts of that particular government fighting for space in my head.
I was feeling very frustrated and angry (with the regime) at the time, which perhaps helped lubricate my mind.
Interview with Versione Argentina
CHARACTERS IN THE LAST BRITISH PRESIDENT
When I first started writing the book, I had less than a handful of characters in mind, so others appeared dynamically as the story unfolded.
However, I knew that I wanted the main character to be an extension of my imagined self, as a president of some far flung South American republic, probably with some traits that I have personally aspired to and some that I actually possess. As the story progressed, he seemed to grow into the part, but he was becoming a little one dimensional, so I had to remedy that, by giving him a more emotion and presence later in the story. The tale revolves around him, whether e likes it or not and therein lies the plot.
My secondary character is based upon someone I knew many years ago, so she was a little easier to build into the story.
Even now I can vividly recall details about her, such as how she dressed, her smile when we would chat and a steely toughness simmering just below the surface.
The main character’s sidekick is a pastiche of numerous personalities I’ve encountered through the years. His name is a combination of unusual names I’ve encountered on giant roadside advertising hoardings that I’ve passed on long, deserted roads during my many motorcycle trips around Argentina, such as – “Vote for…” – insert Spanish name here.
His role in the story cried out for a strong undertone to his personality and background, so I got to work on him, trying to bring out the very best and worst of his many traits.
Our other protagonist, with whom the main character has an almost master and servant relationship, is drawn from many military personalities I’ve met at cocktail parties, embassy functions and military bases. Very much of the old school, British Empire style, he has a blinkered view of the world which, for the conspiratorial aspect of the story, was essential. At times likeable, but most of the time, a rather dangerous personality.
Two of my favourite characters appear on the scene about half way through the story and, being two determined, yet vulnerable women, were immensely enjoyable to bring to life. So much so in fact, that I would like to have met them both, possibly in a quiet, English country pub or a busy cafeteria in Buenos Aires.
I’m sure that we would have spent most of the time laughing, delving into conspiracy theories and questioning injustices. I also have a very clear image in my mind about their looks, they way they would dress and their mannerisms, some of which belong to women I’ve met, would like to meet, or that I’ve seen in numerous journalistic television reports.
Finally, the thoroughly dislikeable female character who appears about a third the way through the story and suffers rather unpleasantly, is based on a very real personality known to millions in Argentina. Without giving away the story, some might say that revenge is a dish best served cold.
AT THE 2019 BUENOS AIRES BOOK FAIR
The Buenos Aires Book Fair is the largest book show in Latin America and I had to be there.
So, during one of the first ‘trade’ days, I cranked up my motorbike, glided down Avenida Libertador and turned up with a copy of The Last British President under my arm, hoping to attract some attention.
Although I speak Spanish, hawking one’s own work around a huge trade fair and trying to sell the idea of having it published (without me spending a cent) and trying to convey that idea in Spanish, was challenging to say the least. I’m no stranger to the sales pitch, having spent most of my working life selling, but this was different, especially since Argentina is in the grip of yet another financial crisis and my first two initials are not J or K.
Anyway, I persisted for most of the day and spoke face to face with a handful of decision makers (editors) who were charming and very helpful, as are most Argentines that I meet. But there was one small problem – they wanted my manuscript to be translated into Spanish before they could even look at it. This wasn’t exactly a revelation to me, but I had been hoping that perhaps they could manage that small task themselves and publish the book in all its glory, here in Buenos Aires. This appears to have been wishful thinking on my part and further compounded when one editor stipulated that, not only would I have to translate the book, but I would also have to pay them ‘mucha gita’ to asses it for possible publication – a novel idea that didn’t exactly warm the cockles of my heart.
I’ve always felt that being a British novelist living in Argentina and publishing a book which pulls heavily from Britain’s involvement in Argentina ever since the River Plate invasions of 1806/7, would pull some weight – if only for its novelty value. However, publishing is publishing and in 2019, in spite of the self-publishing revolution, many things still remain the same. Submit, wait, rejection- rinse and repeat.
It’s still my belief that The Last British President, when translated into Spanish, will succeed in Argentina, so I’ve decided to sell my soul (but not my bike) and have it translated into Rioplatense Spanish by an Anglo-Argentine translator friend, who I know will do an excellent job. I’ll then publish the Spanish version as a new book on Amazon/Kindle Direct Publishing. El Ultimo Presidente Inglés would be the title and I’ve already designed the cover.
Visiting the book fair wasn’t a complete waste of time, especially if you love books, as I do. I particularly enjoyed spending some time on the Kel Ediciones stand as they specialise in books in English, so I picked up a copy of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, for the simple reason that I’ve never read him, but heard great things about his writing.
I was also able to pitch the tone of my book to dozens of Argentines and gauge their reactions. Without giving away too much of The Last British President, the premise is a big what if? What if the British had won in 1807? What if Argentina had become a British colony? Would it have become the Australia of South America?
October 2, 2019
Proximamente La Edición En Castellano
Proximamente – coming soon! Edición en castellano traducido de inglés.
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May 29, 2019
The Last British President Q&A
Fellow expat and good friend, Paola at asked me to partake in a Q&A the other day and I was only too happy to join in, especially since the questions were very pertinent to how the story is linked to Argentina. Here’s a short excerpt. Q: How long have you been an expat in Argentina and […]
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May 26, 2019
The Website Is Now Secure With SSL Encryption
What is SSL? And why do I see a green padlock on websites, but not on others? In layman terms, a secure site that shows a green padlock is using encryption between your PC and the server that hosts the website you’re browsing, meaning any information passed between you and the server is safely encrypted. […]
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May 24, 2019
How To Self-Publish Your Book Part One
At the beginning of the year I published a series of articles at Dave’s Computer Tips (DCT) on self-publishing, based on my early experiences of seeking a literary agent and later deciding to take the self-publishing route. One can never know everything about the publishing business, especially as a début author.However, the industry has changed […]
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May 23, 2019
Characters In The Last British President
This post is spoiler-free. When I first started writing the book, I had less than a handful of characters in mind, so others appeared dynamically as the story unfolded. However, I knew that I wanted the main character to be an extension of my imagined self, as a president of some far flung South American […]
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May 16, 2019
Feature in Italian Blog
The Last British President is getting a name for itself and bloggers are now featuring my new novel in their blogs. VERSIONE ARGENTINA – an Italian blog, based in Buenos Aires, has chosen to write about the British- Argentine connection in the book, which you can read about in English. I’ll update this post when […]
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The Last British President Featured In Argentina Blogs
The Last British President is getting a name for itself and bloggers are now featuring my book in their blogs. VERSIONE ARGENTINA – an Italian blog, based in Buenos Aires, has chosen to write about the British- Argentine connection in the book, which you can read about in English. I’ll update this post when other … Continue reading "The Last British President Featured In Argentina Blogs"
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