Are you a full-time or part-time writer and how does that affect your writing?

I am lucky enough to be retired in my forties. I worked as a police officer, joining in the 1990s, and began writing when I retired, having made Inspector and the secretary of the local police federation. Technically, that means I’m a now a full-time writer, but I am a wonderful employer and have given myself the best working terms and conditions. I work from 8am until 11am most weekdays with regular tea breaks. I’m currently considering striking for better pay.

Unfortunately, my typing skills are that of a dinosaur bobby, more used to dealing with drunks and criminals, so my writing is a slow process of correcting the collection of random letters that make it to my page. I’ve considered apps to assist, but that feels like cheating. I like the painstaking process of it all. I have my music on in the background and I just love it.

What have you written so far?

The First and Last Man on Earth, published by Blossom Spring Publishing, is my first and only book so far. I was delighted that they agreed to publish my first real attempt. It all happened really quickly and has been an amazing experience. I’m very proud of it.

I initially wrote a screen play of my real life funny police experiences which is a bit like a nineties Life on Mars, but I’m not sure the time is right for amusing police tales. I’ll convert it to a book one day to go alongside another I’ve written about the more sinister and underhanded things that go on within the police organisation, which can be released if and when the time is ever right.

Can you share with readers a little bit about your latest book?

The First and Last Man on Earth is an amusing story, set in the near future, about a widower in his forties named Adam, who lives with non-binary young adults, during a time of war. He is suddenly transported a thousand years into the future where the difficulties he encountered in the differences with his family are magnified hugely. He finds himself in a dangerous world where fun is no longer allowed, so naturally recruits some Elvis impersonators and a professor to help him return to the past and save the future.

Tell us more about your main character. What inspired you to develop this character?

Adam is a collaboration of me and many of my friends and family who are of a certain age and perhaps find some of the current social changes and behaviours somewhat confusing and difficult to negotiate. He wants to be progressive, but his children’s beliefs and ideas are entirely dismissive of his own, so he finds it hard.

I live in a modern family and my step-daughter had corrected something I’d said, explaining it could be offensive. It got me to thinking about why the new ideas were considered to be correct, existing ones were now simply wrong and where the line would be before you couldn’t actually say or do anything because it would be too dangerous or too offensive. I thought it would be interesting and amusing to put Adam into that environment to see how he got on. He struggles, with funny consequences of course.

Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

Adam is a lovely character. He is simply old fashioned. He’s kind and caring, yet grumpy and feisty. You can’t help but root for him in his adventure. I was willing him to do well when I was writing it.

The Elvis impersonators regularly made me laugh out loud as I visualised them. I can’t say too much, but I loved them because of their shear absurdity.

An amazing benefit of writing is that you can cast people you dislike as baddies and then do whatever you want to them. It is wonderfully therapeutic. Equally my friends get a mention. My best mate is a hero in the book and named Lord. He’s never going to be a lord so at least I could give him the title in my book.

If your book was made into a movie, who would you cast?

All the way through writing the book, I visualised Adam as the actor Ryan Reynolds. I think I possibly adopted some of Ryan’s characteristics into the character inadvertently. When I write, I watch a scene play out inside my head and then write down what I saw. I’ve therefore already seen the movie and it’s absolutely brilliant. Someone should make it. I’m sure Ryan will be up for it. He doesn’t seem to be doing a lot else at the moment.

How do you market or promote your books and what strategies (e.g. social media, email, blog tours, etc.) have demonstrated the most success for you?

I decided to write a book, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. It made me laugh out loud and was a wonderful distraction from real life. I didn’t expect it to get published so quickly, but it did and suddenly I found I had a real, physical book, written by me, that needed to be marketed and sold.

I had never once considered that I might ever be involved in trying to market or sell my book. I had no idea how it worked. I presumed the big book stores and libraries simply bought a few copies and sold them and it was nothing to do with me. This couldn’t be further from reality. It turns out the process is pretty much down to me and I have been completely clueless as to what to do about it. I started by setting up Instagram and Facebook accounts, which led to my email being immediately hacked and used in Brazil. Much like the character in my book, Adam, I find myself in an unknown world of mystery in which I need to find a way to prevail. I would say answers on a postcard please, however I imagine it should now be answers in a Tic-Toc video.

What is your next project?

The floodgates have opened. I mentioned the two police related books which are as good as complete and I’ve drafted two children’s stories. I hope to publish a western novel soon which is historically accurate and gritty. I’m on the final few chapters of the first draught and it has come together really well. I’m really pleased with it. After the fantasy adventure of The First and Last Man on Earth, I thought I’d better write something a little more real so people didn’t think I was a lunatic.

What one person from history would you like to meet and why?

I was lucky enough to have three of my grandparents into my forties, but my paternal grandfather died when I was only three. He was a remarkable pianist, singer, artist and writer and though I’m fortunate to have recordings of his music, paintings, sketches and prose, I would have loved to have been able to spend much more time with him. People say I look and act like him, but despite my belief in my birthright to be a concert pianist, I still haven’t mastered the first verse of ‘Cherry Ripe’ that he was teaching me around the time he died. I like to think he would be very proud of my book. So for a person from history who I’d like to meet. It would have to be Kevin Keegan. The man is a legend. My grandad would approve.

Want to learn more about Robert J. Walker?

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