INTERVIEW: Paul Doherty

As many are aware if there's a mystery involved theres a novel to be written and none have ceased onto the possibilities quite like Paul Doherty. Having written a few novels under pseudonyms he's recently begun publishing just under his name with the latest series featuring the Templars, a knightly order of intrigue, politics and the warfare. Here we chatted to Paul about his work and tried to unravel the mysteries behind this author...


Falcata Times: Writing is said to be something that people are afflicted with rather than gifted and that it's something you have to do rather than want. What is your opinion of this statement and how true is it to you?

Paul Doherty: Writing is both a gift and an addiction. I feel I have to write and thoroughly enjoy it but sometimes it can almost haunt you and there are different moods for different stages. The creative phase is great the harsh task of editing can be a onerous.


FT: When did you realise that you wanted to be a writer?

PD: I always wanted to be writer ever since I was knee high to a daisy.


FT: It is often said that if you can write a short story you can write anything. How true do you think this is and what have you written that either proves or disproves this POV?

PD: Writing short stories is only proof that you can write short stories. I admit it can demand tremendous skill but, on the other hand, writing a novel of over a hundred thousand words also has its difficulties!


FT: If someone were to enter a bookshop, how would you persuade them to try your novel over someone else's and how would you define it?

PD: If I had to recommend my novel in a book shop above someone else’s’ I would tend to “ignore” the other person, I wouldn’t argue that my novel is necessary better but unique, in that it is a time machine which would take the reader back to another age and culture as well as being riddled with murderous mayhem and mystery.


FT: How would you "sell" your book in 20 words or less?

PD: The Templar Magician explores the dark and sinister side on the mysterious Templar Order against a background of the turbulent politics in the Middle East and England in the 11th century. In doing so The Templar Magician offers a solution to a grisly mystery regarding two Templar holdings in this country which have acquired a reputation of being very haunted.


FT: Who is a must have on your bookshelf and whose latest release will find you on the bookshops doorstep waiting for it to open?

PD: Undoubtedly, my most favourite author is Robert Harris. I am thoroughly enjoying his latest novel “Lustrum”. It’s magnificent!


FT: When you sit down and write do you know how the story will end or do you just let the pen take you? ie Do you develop character profiles and outlines for your novels before writing them or do you let your idea's develop as you write?

PD: Planning and writing a novel are often contradictory – you start with ideas but the flow of the narrative does change what you originally thought. I find that one of the most exciting aspect of writing.


FT: What do you do to relax and what have you read recently?

PD: To relax I am an ardent cyclist. I enjoy watching murder mysteries. At the moment I am reading Robert Harris and James Ruddick’s non fiction work on the Bravo poisoning case. Both are brilliant books.


FT: What is your guiltiest pleasure that few know about?

PD: My guilty pleasures are dark chocolate and red wine, together!


FT: Lots of writers tend to have pets. What do you have and what are their key traits (and do they appear in your novel in certain character attributes?)

PD: We have horses which, of course, figure prominently in my novels. We also have two Jack Russell Terriers. They don’t appear in my novels except that I have a horror of rats and there nothing under God’s sun a rat fears more than a Jack Russell!


FT: Which character within your latest book was the most fun to write and why?

PD: I have fun writing all the characters but the rather sinister Templar, Philip Mayele personified the darker more dangerous sides of the Templar Order.


FT: How similar to your principle protagonist are you?

PD: The hero of The Templar Magician is an idealist. My day job is Headmaster of a large comprehension in East London. Idealism is essential for work in education, though it can be hard to cling onto.


FT: What hobbies do you have and how do they influence your work?

PD: My principle hobbies are cycling and reading. The former takes me out into the countryside where you can get the feel or recapture some of old England.


FT: Where do you get your idea's from?

PD: I am a voracious reader and of course you get ideas from the most unlikely places. I was reading about Borley Manor in Essex and Bruer Temple in Lincolnshire both are haunted, both once had a Templar presence both had gruesome remains found on their site.


FT: Do you ever encounter writers block and if so how do you overcome it?

PD: I very rarely get writers block, in the sense of coming to a full stop completely. I do encounter difficulties but that is part of the thrill.


FT: Certain authors are renowned for writing at what many would call uncivilised times. When do you write and how do the others in your household feel about it?

PD: I am a fairly civilised writer though I have startled my family by dictating long before dawn.


FT: Sometimes pieces of music seem to influence certain scenes within novels, do you have a soundtrack for your tale or is it a case of writing in silence with perhaps the odd musical break in-between scenes?

PD: Music does play a great part in my writing particularly when it comes to the mediaeval period. Gregorian chant is marvellous in creating the right atmosphere.


FT: What misconceptions, if any, did you have about the writing and publishing field when you were first getting started?

PD: I had many misconceptions about writing and publishing when I first began. The main one is you just under estimate how many books there are out there!


FT: If music be the food of love, what do you think writing is and please explain your answer?

PD: Music can be the food of love and I would say ‘Writing is the drink’, preferably a warm rich Bordeaux. The writer must love what he is doing, have a passion for his subject which fires his own imagination and that of its reader.


FT: What can you tell us about the next novel?

PD: My next novel is a Gothic Vampire novel. I think quite unique. It is set in the first century AD and begins with a massacre of a Roman army in Germany in AD 9…


FT: What are the last five internet sites that you've visited?

PD: I have not visited any internet sites.


FT: Did you ever take any writing classes or specific instructions to learn the craft? If so please let us know which ones.

PD: No – I have attended any writing classes. I was educated in the Old Catholic Percussion method – beaten into you!


FT: How did you get past the initial barriers of criticism and rejection?

PD: Criticism and rejection are part of the trade. Constructive criticism, a critical friend is great. On a few occasions criticism can be cruel though most people have a goodness in them. I try to write the very best, I hope I succeed and there is nothing more you can do.


FT: In your opinion, what are the best and worst aspects of writing for a living?

PD: There are no ‘worse’ aspects of writing for a living. I just thoroughly enjoy it, and that I receive money for it, makes me a lucky man.