Where and when were
you born?
Could you tell us
something about your background?
Were either of your parents or grandparents (or any other relatives) writers? If not, were any of your relatives actively interested in literature?
No.
Are any of your
siblings writers or involved in a creative profession?
No.
What was the first poem (or who was the first poet) that turned you on to poetry?
What age were you when you first began writing poetry, and did you receive any encouragement?
I wrote a poem when twelve years old it was about a boy who sees a naked woman through a window for the first time, my brother found it, gave it to my mother, she called me a swine. When I began writing again I was 51 years old.
When you started writing poetry did you have dreams about becoming a "professional" poet? If so, did anyone advise you against this course of action?
Did you ever get a
poem published in your school magazine?
Did you go to
university, and if so, which subject(s) did you study?
When did you first start submitting to poetry magazines? And can you tell us how many rejections you received before having something accepted for publication? (And if you received many rejections, was this off-putting?)
What was the worst
rejection you ever received?
From Bloodaxe on a
torn piece of paper was scrawled "I don't much like
your poems" on
reflection, this more than 15 years ago, the writer was right,
but he wasn't a
gentleman.
What was your first published poem? Which poetry magazine published it? And what year was it published?
I have forgotten the
name of the magazine it doesn't exist anymore, 1993
I think. I was
overjoyed told everyone; some people asked me how much
I had been paid, like
money had anything to do with it
Round about the time that you started seriously writing poetry, who were your literary heroes? And would you say they had an influence on your writing style?
Scandinavian and Russian authors, books my mother used to read for me when I was a child. I have a great admiration for Ernest Hemingway, I think he wrote like a poet.
Have you ever attended a creative writing course or been involved in a writers' group? If so, did you find it useful?
When did you put
together your first collection of poetry?
How long did it take to get it accepted for publication? And, if appropriate, how many times was it rejected?
How long did you have
to wait between acceptance and final publication?
What sort of critical
response did you receive?
Would you say that
your publisher actively promoted the book?
Did you do readings and signings at bookshops to help promote the book? If so, did you organise these yourself, or were they organised by your publisher? And would you say that they had a significant effect on sales figures?
No, but I placed the
collection with a bookshop here in Algarve, and
the local paper gave
me a great write up, also for my other book published
by Lapwing, "La
Strada". Zero sale of both books. However a few
have been sold
through Amazon, I think
How many copies of
the book sold?
Is it still in print?
Yes.
At the beginning of your writing career did you enter any poetry competitions? Did you enter a lot or just a few? Did you have any success? And, with hindsight, what are your thoughts about the relative merits or demerits of poetry competitions?
Which of your poetry books has been the most successful in terms of sales and how many copies has it sold to date?
"Letters From Portugal" 20 or so.
Have you won any
awards for your poetry?
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