Today I am pleased to be featuring
an interview with Emma Gray, the author of the political suspense thriller
“Party Games” as E.J. Greenway. Emma is kindly returning the favour for me.
What first
inspired you to write novels?
I was 11, and watching the downfall of Margaret Thatcher,
when I first realised I was interested in what was going on in politics. I
always loved writing from a young age, and when I realised I could combine
writing with my other new love – politics – I was in heaven! I thought the whole
drama surrounding an outgoing Prime Minister of Mrs Thatcher’s stature was
fascinating, and so I wrote my first ‘novel’ in 1990 called ‘The Plan to
Assassinate the Prime Minister’. After that, I wrote a number of political
stories (all involving real-life politicians, inspired by publications such as Private Eye) until I began my first
‘serious’ novel, Party Games, ten years ago now!
The rest, as they say, is history.
Which novelist
most inspires you?
I would have to say Michael Dobbs. He is a marvellous
man, with a big passion for politics and writing about it.
Why choose
politics as a subject?
As I said above, it’s my life-long passion, as well as my
degree, as well as my job, and they say ‘write what you know’, so I did!
What led to the
Conservative angle?
I am a natural Tory and have learnt a lot about the
Conservative Party over the years!
Tell me more about
Party Games.
It is a tale of skulduggery, passion and back-stabbing in
the heart of Westminster, but also a tale about friendship and human flaws and
failings. I always say that it could be based anywhere where there is hierarchy
and rivalry i.e. in any company, school, council etc. I don’t wish to use the
politics itself to sell any kind of political message, it is simply there as a
vehicle for the characters and the story (hence me not going into policy detail
about Cornish devolution, for example, which would obviously be dull as
dishwater and make the story fragmented). Although it is in a political
setting, I hope that the reader could sympathise and empathise with some of the
characters – although not all!
Any more books on
the horizon?
Yes – two, in fact. Party
Games is first in a trilogy, so I’m currently on book 2, Power Play, which I hope to release
later this year.
Most rewarding
aspect of independent writing and e-publishing?
Being able to be my own boss and time everything to my
own deadlines, not someone else’s.
And most
frustrating?
Not being able to get my book out to a wider audience, as
would be possible with a traditional publisher. E-books, although brilliant, do
have their limitations!
As an independent
author, how useful do you find social media?
It’s not just useful, but essential. Twitter has been my
biggest source of publicity, and I’m grateful to all those who re-tweet and
tweet on my behalf (including @DavidCooperBks !).
What would you
most like to achieve from writing?
A book deal, through a traditional publisher. I think any
independent author who pretends otherwise is kidding themselves!
Emma’s blogsite is http://emmajgray.blogspot.co.uk/
and she can be found on Twitter as @emsie1979.
“Party Games” is in the Kindle bookstore at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Party-Games-ebook/dp/B00986Z9UI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1358894755&sr=1-1
From my own 5 star review: -
“Anyone following the current political scene will be
well familiar with the tales of treachery, double dealing and backbiting that
are all too often reported about the Westminster playground, and it often
leaves us wishing we could look even further behind the scenes. This tale of
the tribulations of opposition leader Rodney Richmond takes a further step into
that murky world - and it's all too credible. Rather than spoil the surprise
beyond the author's own preview, I'll just say that if you like political
suspense (from Dobbs to Archer), you'll love this one - all the more so for the
promised sequels as this is just the first part of an intended trilogy.”
