{"id":264,"date":"2011-08-29T22:35:31","date_gmt":"2011-08-30T05:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lindacollison.com\/blog\/?p=264"},"modified":"2012-05-18T13:57:05","modified_gmt":"2012-05-18T20:57:05","slug":"an-interview-with-bond-alaric-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/an-interview-with-bond-alaric-bond\/","title":{"rendered":"An interview with Bond; Alaric Bond."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I\u2019m\u00a0pleased to be under the same publishing house (or in this case, aboard the same publishing vessel —\u00a0Fireship Press<\/a><\/strong>) <\/strong>as historical naval fiction author\u00a0 Alaric Bond,\u00a0<\/strong>a\u00a0man with a wry and dry sense of humour who likes to sail,\u00a0plays the trombone,\u00a0lives in a 14th century Wealden Hall house in East Sussex and\u00a0has a penchant for many things historic, including\u00a0old SAAB convertibles.<\/p>\n

Alaric Bond writes with authority and keen insight about the British Navy 1793-1815.\u00a0\u00a0His four\u00a0well-plotted novels\u00a0 are rich\u00a0 with choice bits of historical detail, yet he never throws in\u00a0detail just to impress the reader, which is the mark of a historical writer truly comfortable in his time warp.\u00a0 But what I like best are the people in Bond’s world,\u00a0all\u00a0of whom are very fallible, very believable, very human.\u00a0 He employs a whole boatload of characters,\u00a0all\u00a0caught up in their own motives, their own secrets, their own conflicts.\u00a0\u00a0 (He includes\u00a0female characters too, richly imagined, who have significant roles and aren’t just there as dolls, as wish fulfillments of an author’s fantasies.\u00a0)\u00a0The situations\u00a0and shipboard\u00a0dynamics in Bond’s books are in constant flux, making them feel very life-like.<\/p>\n

Bond stretches the genre of historical British Naval fiction in other directions as well.\u00a0 His latest release, Cut and Run<\/em><\/strong> <\/a>(Fireship Press, 2011), takes place aboard a merchant vessel, an Indiaman,\u00a0instead of a navy ship.\u00a0\u00a0 Of course Patrick O’Brien did that too,\u00a0so I’m not saying Bond’s\u00a0the first.\u00a0 Just that he is in good company.\u00a0 Yet Bond’s series differs significantly from\u00a0the famed Aubrey\/Maturin novels in that more characters\u00a0are involved:\u00a0 commissioned officers, warrants and their wives,\u00a0able seamen, marines and landsmen, all.<\/p>\n

Now let’s\u00a0pick\u00a0Bond’s brain a bit to see what we can glean.<\/p>\n

So you\u2019ve written for comic books, periodicals, the BBC radio, stage and television — and you\u2019ve published 4 historical novels.\u00a0 That\u2019s quite a broad background!\u00a0 What is it you most enjoy about writing?\u00a0 What drives you?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bond<\/strong>:\u00a0 I enjoy the act of communication, of seeing my ideas and thoughts come to fruition.<\/em><\/p>\n

One thing I admire about your Fighting Sail Series is how your novels encompass the whole society of the wooden world; a cross section of society, a web of characters interacting in the same setting.\u00a0 As a writer myself, I am curious:\u00a0 Do you start with one character then seek to create the others, as needed?\u00a0 Or do they all sort of crop up simultaneously?\u00a0 How do you manage all of those voices?\u00a0 Do you diagram, or does it just evolve?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bond<\/strong>:\u00a0 When I started writing nautical fiction I was determined to get away from the \u201chero who becomes an admiral\u201d pattern that has been done, and done well, many times before. It is a good formula, but does have limitations; certainly a more limited point of view can be shown. And your hero can’t die: when you pick up book seven in a fifteen book series you know there is a good chance the central character will survive until the end, however much danger they might encounter halfway through. I began with a rag bag of characters from diverse backgrounds who were at different stages of their nautical career. The tradition of following a successful officer was very well established at the time of which I am writing, so there are few problems in allowing the same faces to appear in successive books. Some can have a rest for a volume or two, and others might be written out completely. But all are vulnerable and that very vulnerability helps to represent a true picture of naval life in a country at war<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In your interview with David Hayes and on your own website you talk about your dyslexia.\u00a0 Is this something that changes with age, does the brain get retrained?\u00a0 Or does having access to word processing technology make dyslexia a non-issue.\u00a0 I guess what I\u2019m asking is do you still struggle with dyslexia or has it become more of a difference rather than a handicap?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bond<\/strong>:\u00a0 I’m not sure about brains being retrained; you tend to develop strategies to help, and modern technology can certainly be a great benefit. My condition was diagnosed long before it became fashionable, and was a hindrance in the early years. It is not uncommon amongst writers however; certainly when I was working for the Beeb, many of my colleagues were similarly affected \u2014 or claimed to be \u2014 some just couldn’t spell! Most also had a well developed sense of humour, and all were very creative people. But then dyslexia seems to encourage creativity, and definitely imparts a lateral slant that can be very valuable.<\/em><\/p>\n

In general, how long does it take you to write a novel?\u00a0 Can you briefly explain your process?\u00a0 For instance, do you outline, do you set a word limit for each day or are you an unstructured writer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bond<\/strong>:\u00a0 A year; I allow myself that, and am quite strict. Roughly three months for research, six for writing and three for polishing. I am used to working to deadlines, and find such a structure to work well; it is also a help on those dark winter mornings when the last thing you want to do is get up and be creative<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(“Quite strict,” he says.\u00a0 That’s what I need to learn.\u00a0 A little more self-discipline is in order\u00a0 for me.\u00a0)\u00a0\u00a0 Have you ever used an agent to represent your work?\u00a0 Any advice to struggling fiction writers who want to be published and develop a following, such as you have?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bond<\/strong>:\u00a0 I have been writing for over thirty years, throughout that time have had two agents. One messed up a contract, the other leaked an idea to a popular television series. The idea was adopted, but no credit, or future work came my way, and the agent was more concerned about offending the production company than looking after my interests. I am certain they have their uses, and secretly would welcome the reassurance of someone with a little more legal savvy, but have yet to find one I can work with<\/em>.<\/p>\n

That’s an interesting perspective.\u00a0\u00a0Writers beware:\u00a0 \u00a0Just because someone proclaims herself an agent, doesn’t mean she’s a good agent, worthy of\u00a015% of your royalties. \u00a0\u00a0In any case, a hearty congratulations on the initial success of your most recent novel, <\/strong>Cut and Run<\/strong>, <\/em>fourth in the Fighting Sail Series.\u00a0\u00a0 So what\u2019s next?\u00a0 Do you have a work-in-progress you can tell us about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bond<\/strong>:\u00a0 Book five will be set in a third rate. I have many of the crew in place, and the scenario is developing daily, but I am still working out the fine details. I usually present a synopsis to my publisher, then write something that bears a reasonable resemblance to that outline. Characters develop and situations might change slightly: you only know the real story when you have written it.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Alaric Bond<\/strong> <\/a>on his website.\u00a0 Read David Hayes’s interview with Bond on Astrodene’s\u00a0Historic Naval Fiction<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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