Clio
Gray is the author of a number of historical novels, including the Stroop series of historical crime.
As well as writing, she also works part-time at Tain Public Library, one of the
original Carnegie libraries, established in 1903.
Clio
is also the chair of the judges of the Highlands and Islands Short Story Sompetition
(www.hissac.co.uk) which she established in
2004; she was chair of the board of trustees for Monaick Mhor Writing Centre
for two years, and was also on the
founding committee of the Bloody Scotland Crime Festival.
Clio has lived in the seaboard village of Balintore for the past 20 years, having spent her formative years in Yorkshire and Devon.
Clio has lived in the seaboard village of Balintore for the past 20 years, having spent her formative years in Yorkshire and Devon.
What novels have you written
so far?
The Stroop Series:
Guardians
of the Key, The Roaring of the Labyrinth, Envoy of the Black Pine, The
Brotherhood of Five
Scottish Mystery Series: The Brora Murders
Young Adults: Peder and the Skincatcher
Short Story Anthology: Types of Everlasting Rest
What does writing mean to you?
It’s an obsession; once you start you can’t stop. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to
take yourself out of the real world and drop yourself into another that you
have created. A real rush.
How did you teach yourself
to write?
I came to writing late, although my life has always been predicated
on books and reading. But reading isn’t writing, as I found out the hard way. I
began with a few unwieldy novels that had good ideas but bad execution – most
of these have been cannibalised further down the line! The shift into short
story writing and entering competitions was a brilliant learning curve. Having
to stick to word maximums or themes really sharpens your skills, teaches you to
cut out the dross and concentrate on making every word count.
What do you think are the
hardest aspects of the craft to learn?
When to stop. It’s incredibly easy to say the same thing over and
over again, or to put in too much descriptive imagery that might be a beautiful
piece of prose in its own right, but is only serving as a stumbling block to
getting on with the plot. And then there’s the self-editing, going over and
over a particular passage, worrying about the minutaie and completely
forgetting the bigger picture - like that you haven’t actually told your reader
what’s going on!
How much does being a librarian affect your writing?
Hugely. Reading has
always been a massive part of my life and working in public libraries exposes
me to all sorts of books I would never have come across otherwise. Because I
like reading what other people find interesting I have stumbled upon fascinating
genres and subgenres I would have assumed I didn’t like – until I bothered to
read them. There’s good and bad writing out there, but undoubtedly something
for every taste.
What
situations/environments inspire you to write?
I like wild weather. I
like being cabined up with the rain hammering against the windows and the wind
howling through the rooftops. It’s
dark, the blind is halfway drawn, the desk light is on, I’ve poured a glass of
wine – time to switch the computer on and get going.
You set up HISSAC in 2004,
almost 10 years ago. What changes
have you seen in the entries over these years?
With the increased connectivity of the internet
to a wider and wider age group, and the huge amount of writing forums and blogs
there are out there, I believe people have become bolder in how and what they
write. We’ve had some
extraordinary stories over the years, and every year produces a new crop that never disappoint. If anything,
the standard of writing - at least at the top end of entries - has definitely
improved and is much more varied in theme and style than in the earlier years.
How
difficult is it to reach a consensus amongst a panel of judges?
Hard! Everyone has
different preferences and connects to one story more than they might another.
While it isn’t usually too difficult to whittle stories down to a short list
everyone approves of, that’s when the arguments really start. We always have an uneven number of
judges so that in the worst case scenario it’s vote against vote, and may the
best man win.
Tell us a bit of the Bloody
Scotland Crime Festival
That was an exciting time, and a bit nerve-racking! Lots of worrying about funding,
advertising, getting the word out there.
Encouraging authors on board was the easy bit, then came over a year of
hard graft and planning, that, thankfully, worked out well in the end. Once
established, a festival like this takes on a momentum of it’s own and is now in
it’s third year.
How much do you think such
an event helps to promote Scottish crime writers?
A lot, particularly those who are not so well known. It’s very easy
for festivals like Blooody Scotland to focus on the usual suspects, the
guaranteed crowd-pullers, and from the start we wanted the Festival to be a
showcase for all Scottish crime writers, including those right at the start of
their careers.
What has been the highest
moment of your writing career to date?
There’s very little beats the thrill of getting that first book out
there, seeing it sitting on the shelves of bookshops and libraries, seeing your
own name there in all its dubious glory.
What advice would you give
a new writer?
Keep at it. Don’t be discouraged. Be very open to criticism. Try and
get a completely unbiased third party view of your work before you run on ahead
of yourself. Be aware of all the different avenues open to writers now, apart
from the usual route of agent to traditional publisher.
What are your
current/future writing plans?
I have a further three novels in the pipeline:
The Anatomist’s Dream – a literary novel about freaks and travelling fairs set in the
lead-up to the 1848 rebellions on the Continent
The Sea Loch Sundial – a follow-up to The Brora Murders, in the Scottish Mysteries
series;
The Lynx – an adventure story that moves from Scotland to the 1798 Uprising
of the United Irish, and the history of the first openly Scientific Academy in
Europe.
How can readers connect
with you?
No comments:
Post a Comment