Simon’s Comments (group member since Mar 17, 2012)

Simon’s comments from the Q&A with Simon Lipson group.

Hamilton wrote: "Well, congrats on Song and good luck with the next! Be sure to let me know when the new one is out :)"

Sorry, I've only just seen your lovely review of Song In The Wrong Key. Thank you. Really appreciated.

Thank you. Will do.

Phew! Had me worried there for a minute. Glad you enjoyed it and looking forward to your review.

My next book probably has a similar voice and similar themes, but I think it's a bit harder-edged. I haven't looked at my draft for ages so I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into it...as soon as I've finished all the promotional work on Song.

Hamilton wrote: "You've tried quite a few things to finally be where you are now. It must be nice to be able to write from experience. I'm almost positive I've heard someone say once that writing what you know is b..."

The protagonist, Michael Kenton, is definitely me, albeit a heightened version. He thinks how I think, shares a lot of my attitudes, has the same sense of humour and is irritated by the same things. It's my own voice but with a few extras and deviations along the way. And the two kids are versions of my own when they were younger. Not Lisa, though! My wife's very beautiful but an absolute sweetheart. Chaz is also vaguely based on my best friend.

'Write what you know' certainly applied to me (and applies even more closely in my next book). But it's not a general rule - J K Rowling and Terry Pratchett etc have fertile imaginations and rarely call upon their real lives to create their landscapes (albeit I'm sure their characters contain elements of themselves and people they know).

I'll read anything contemporary. I prefer strong, witty voices and a wry, occasionally sarcastic take on life. But I do read thrillers and mysteries and quite like romcoms if the emphasis is on com and they're not too soppy - I hope Song In The Wrong Key falls into this category. No sci-fi or fantasy for me though.

When you say you're enjoying my book 'a bit more' - do you mean, more than you were when you started reading it or more because it's written by a man?!

Hamilton wrote: "I'm not a published writer yet nor am I a professional, so my writing comes from my own inspiration and imagination. It's easier to write when it's on your own terms and you can do whatever you li..."

I'd harboured a desire to write a book from an early age, but always thought it was out of reach for someone like me. Although English was my best subject at school, I took a law degree and became a lawyer, a steady, sensible and wholly uncreative pursuit! It was only when I gave it up, set up my own business and started performing and writing comedy that I began to think it was a possibility. I wrote a rather chilling psychological thriller many years ago which was well received but took quite an effort on my part! It was only when I decided to have a go at writing pure comedy - my natural genre - that it began to flow. Writing Song In The Wrong Key was a fairly intuitive process - basic story idea, very little pre-planning, stream of consciousness first draft - and my next book - about a lawyer who becomes a stand-up (where did that idea come from?) is already written, albeit it needs a massive re-draft. It should be out in the Autumn.

I think my main motivation is enjoyment. I'm not someone who has to write, in the same way as I don't have to perform. Maybe if I was a bit more passionate, more driven, I'd be more successful, but I'm beset by a natural indolence - and maybe a lack of belief - that has prevented me fully exploiting whatever talent I may have (if any!). I'm also undisciplined and easily bored, which is why I set up my own business as soon as I could...and promptly fell out of love with it! But writing allows me to keep my own hours and say what I like. Whatever ends up in the book is what I want to be in there. Of course I desperately want everyone to love it, but I don't think I could write to order or within a genre in which I'm not comfortable.

Hi Hamilton.

Wow, thank you. I hope the rest of the book isn't a let-down! Look forward to your review.

Simon

I've been writing and performing comedy for 20 years. It strikes me that books with real characters (with actual emotions!), believable situations and sharp dialogue, but which remain essentially comedic, are a bit thin on the ground. Nick Hornby has packed in comedy altogether, and David Nicholls has focused more on poignancy recently. I've tried hard to make Song In The Wrong Key about real people, people we engage with and root for, without compromising on the laugh quotient. Most of us look for the humour in every situation, no matter how grave it might be - or is that a British trait? Anyway, let's have a chat about it.

Thought we could have a chat about how and why I write. Interested to hear how everyone else does it too.

Hi. My new book, Song In The Wrong Key, is out in paperback on April 2. The Kindle version is already on sale and, I'm delighted to say, garnering 5 star reviews...so far. Please stop by for a chat about the book, comedy, romcom, contemporary fiction...or anything else that tickles your fancy.