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Ian Ayris live event. HERE.
Hi all.By way of introduction, a couple of words.
I first began writing seriously about four years ago. Since then, I have had thirty-seven short stories published both online and in print, and my debut novel - ABIDE WITH ME - was published almost two months ago.
Reading wise, I love Virginia Woolf, Hemingway, Dickens, Raymond Chandler, Derek Raymond, and loads of others. Too many to mention, really.
I live in Romford, Essex, with my wife and three children, and support the mighty Dagenham and Redbridge.
My writing tends towards the darker side of life, usually manifesting in the crime/noir genre, although not really by design. Just happens to fall that way, I suppose. I almost always write in the first person vernacular of East London, again, not really by design, that's just how the voices tell it . . . more of that later, perhaps . . .
Thanks for turning up at this virtual gaff, and just to let you know I'm open to anything. So whatever you want to know, whether it be about the book, writing, real ale, proper football, or life, just fire away . . . :)
Hi Ian. How's the sales numbers on AWM going?
Hello, loved AWM and I will be 'lurking' in the background!!! I may join in later....
Hi AJ.I've not had anything definite yet. But the two free days precipitated eight thousand downloads, split pretty evenly between here and the States. Sales at the book signings have been really encouraging too. I suppose the whole thing is too soon to tell, but I've got me fingers crossed.
Hello, I'll be lurking too, not quite finished the AWM yet!
Hi Ian ,Lorraine and everyone else.
As the first question is about Abide with Me we'll start by discussing the book. Did any of you read it as part of the monthly book selection? Any questions you'd like to ask?
Nicola wrote: "Hello, I'll be lurking too, not quite finished the AWM yet!"Good to have you lurking, Nicola. Thanks so much for giving the book a go :)
Philip (sarah) wrote: "Hi Ian ,Lorraine and everyone else."Hi Sarah :)
I read the book before it became the group read and was so keen, I couldn't wait for it to be free and bought it. I wasn't disappointed!
Stuart wrote: "I'm here too!"Hi Stu.
Fit state?
Hi Janet and Stu ! Please Janet, don't lurk and feel free to say/ask anything. Stu, you are welcome to ask anything too (just in case there's something you don't know already lol ;) )
Aunty Janet wrote: "I read the book before it became the group read and was so keen, I couldn't wait for it to be free and bought it. I wasn't disappointed!"And I loved you review, Janet. You were very kind :)
Hi Ian (and Lorraine)!I loved Abide With Me (promise to write a review soon, I tend to do them in a bunch). I wondered Ian, did the characters pop up "fully formed" into your head, or did they appear slowly, as they do to the reader thru the course of the book?
Those are really good numbers. In the book dire events and dark circumstance are mixed with a kind of poetic beauty that stun the reader. Is that just a natural process for you or do you have to carefully consider how to place the moments of beauty?
Rosemary wrote: "Hi Ian (and Lorraine)!I loved Abide With Me (promise to write a review soon, I tend to do them in a bunch). I wondered Ian, did the characters pop up "fully formed" into your head, or did they ap..."
Hi Rosemary.
Great question. The way I write, the characters exist fully formed inside my head. They reveal more of themselves the more I tune into them, so I guess it's about me paying closer attention to them than them revealing more of themselves.
Hope that makes sense :)
Hi Em!Ian, can you give us an idea of what the past two months have been like, with the promo and book signing?
Fit state? Nope! You've written loads of short stories that have been really well received. How difficult was it going from those to a novel length piece of work?
Did you have a 'favourite character' or one you most identified with?
Aj wrote: "Those are really good numbers. In the book dire events and dark circumstance are mixed with a kind of poetic beauty that stun the reader. Is that just a natural process for you or do you have to ca..."Hi AJ.
I write in a completely intuitive fashion. Nothing is planned. It's all a matter of tuning in. Rhythm is a big thing for me. The rhythm is the barometer to which I know whether I've tuned in accurately. The moments of beauty usually come fully formed, word for word. I don't mess with that stuff. I just write it down.
Emma wrote: "Hi all. I am lurking too :-)"Hi Em :)
Lorraine - Huggybear wrote: "Hi Em!Ian, can you give us an idea of what the past two months have been like, with the promo and book signing?"
Hi Lorraine.
Unbelievably exhausting. As people who know will testify, I am probably the least organised person on the planet. And one of the most forgettable. The whole thing has been a challenge beyond words. But I've loved every second and would do it all again in a heartbeat :)
Ian,Fancy seeing you here.
Here's a question for you ... what did do you to recreate seventies Britain in your mind while writing?
Did you get out your old toys?
Paint your living room orange and brown?
Listen to Slade?
Stuart wrote: "Fit state? Nope! You've written loads of short stories that have been really well received. How difficult was it going from those to a novel length piece of work?"Hi Stu.
AWM was based on The Rise and Demise of Fat Kenny, published in Radgepacket Three. To extend those fifteen hundred words to sixty thousand, I just went back to the childhood of the characters and started from the beginning. Because I don't plan anything, it was just a case of opening up and listening and watching, then writing it all down.
Thanks AJ and Jason for attending tonight, hope you'll have a good time :)
Some going though! So novels from now on in?
Philip (sarah) wrote: "Did you have a 'favourite character' or one you most identified with?"Hi Sarah.
Good question. Being a father, a son, and a brother to a sister, I know there are big parts of me in Dad and John. John carries the closest parts of me with him, but Kenny, I wish I could be Kenny. He's in here somewhere, but so hard to find.
I like Dribbling Albert too, mind :)
Your description of the football matches in AWM are so vivid it makes the reader swear he's been to the match. Have you ever considered being sports writer?
Hi Ian!Do you have plans for another novel???
And if so will it be in the same genre or would you try something different???
Jason wrote: "Ian,Fancy seeing you here.
Here's a question for you ... what did do you to recreate seventies Britain in your mind while writing?
Did you get out your old toys?
Paint your living room orange and..."
Hi Jason.
Another great question. Basically, I don't do anything to recreate anything. It was just a case of zoning in, opening up, re-experiencing what it was like for me during those times. Sounds mad, but there was nothing I did other than latch on to the characters, and let them pull me into their world.
I loved 'Uncle Mildred and other stories' too. Great characters!
Aj wrote: "Your description of the football matches in AWM are so vivid it makes the reader swear he's been to the match. Have you ever considered being sports writer?"Funny you should say that, AJ.
One of the agents I first sent the book to was one of the top London agents. She declined the book in the end, saying it didn't really fit her list, but described the football chapters as 'masterful'. Sort of made me think, you know, and it would really be a dream of a job.
Aunty Janet wrote: "I loved 'Uncle Mildred and other stories' too. Great characters!"Cheers, Janet.
From the darker parts of my psyche, those ones . . . :)
D.D. wrote: "Hi Ian!Do you have plans for another novel???
And if so will it be in the same genre or would you try something different???"
Hi D.D.
I've a novella coming out later in the year, commisioned by a different publisher. It's much more crime/noir than AWM - a day in the life of a hitman with a penchant of brilliant literature and classical music.
As for the next novel, I've finally decided to write a sequel to AWM. Lots of people have asked me to, but I promised myself I wouldn't do one just for the sake of it. But I was coming home from Tescos the other day, and John's voice came into my head, so I know there's more of the story left to tell. I've written the first few hundred words, and plan to kick it off in earnest in a couple of weeks.
Hi Ian & Lorraine, just popping in to wish you well
I should say now that Ian's sport writing days probably started at the age of 11 when he would commentate contemporaneously on our hotly contested games of Subbuteo...
Okay, speaking to those "darker parts of your psyche," why the addiction to the infamous Purple Yorkies? Is it a quest? An obsession? :)
Hi Lorraine, here for Ian. The man writes the kind of fiction that needs to be read. & he seems such a gentle soul. Only seems, mind you ...
Pat (Scorpio) wrote: "Hi Ian & Lorraine, just popping in to wish you well"Thank you, Pat. Like flying a plane this. Blindfold.
Great fun, though :)
Stuart wrote: "I should say now that Ian's sport writing days probably started at the age of 11 when he would commentate contemporaneously on our hotly contested games of Subbuteo..."Ah, Stu, and the injury time when a player became instantly disabled by a flailing knee.
Thems were the days . . . :)
How's the OU coming along? I did my degree with them and did Psychology and criminology. I loved it, but had had enough by the end of 6 years when I graduated, many years ago! How far into it are you and how's it going?
Aj wrote: "Okay, speaking to those "darker parts of your psyche," why the addiction to the infamous Purple Yorkies? Is it a quest? An obsession? :)"Nothing like a purple Yorkie, AJ. Although I had a Double Decker for the first time in years last week at the Basildon book signing.
It's now a close run thing . . .
Hi Pat!Jason, I haven't witnessed anything to say the contrary, but yeah, you never know !
Thanks Stu for the flashback into yours and Ian's childhood, so Ian's been a fan of football ever since being a boy then?
By the way Ian, Stu mentioned a bit further up... are you now moving onto novels or will you write shorts again in the future?
Jason wrote: "Hi Lorraine, here for Ian. The man writes the kind of fiction that needs to be read. & he seems such a gentle soul. Only seems, mind you ..."Cheers, Jason.
Thanks for the kind words, mate. Funny, them dark parts. I think the counselling training really has helped me walk into those places with my eyes more wide open than I would ever have been able to do without it.
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UK Amazon Kindle Forum
Books mentioned in this topic
Abide With Me (other topics)Abide With Me (other topics)
As you may know, his book,
We will stick to the usual "structure" if possible, first talking about Ian himself, as a writer and a reader, and then we will move on to Ian's books.
So come along, for another fun and interesting chat !
**NO SPOILERS**
Some of us have not read everything there was to read yet, so please please please, if you have a question with a spoiler, use the html code (view spoiler) that you can find just above the comment box in the "some HTML is ok" link
**TRANSCRIPT NOW AVAILABLE**
If you think you might get confused by the layout, the first part of a Q&A version of the transcript is available on Ian's blog, here http://www.ianayris.com/2012/05/abide... for part ONE, and here http://www.ianayris.com/2012/05/abide... for part TWO