Hello, Jack – please tell us a little about yourself …
OK, the first thing about me is, I can’t write (with a pen or pencil that is). Despite this, I can type really well. The only reason I can think of for this is bad schooling (maybe because I didn’t go that much). I tend to write as I talk, which means all commas and no full-stops and my girl edits my scrawl into the final text to make it readable.
I’m a 55 year-old (though look incredibly like a twenty five year old Brad Pitt – honest) Yorkshireman and live with my girl Xicota (pronounced Chik-ota) between The Caribbean and Europe. That probably makes me sound very rich, but nothing could be further from the truth. I have a very low-maintenance girlfriend and no kids. Home in The Caribbean is a $10,000 sailboat, which is always leaking, and the apartment in Europe is the smallest thing you’ll ever see.
I used to consider myself a bit of a Jack of all trades, until I discovered contraband. I found that smuggling was something I was really good at, tobacco and alcohol (by the shipping container) being the most fun.
Having said that, I have been good (not done anything illegal) for the past nine years. I suppose I missed the work and that, I think, is where my stories come from – the people I met and worked with in this specialized underground job.
Better not say any more I think. Yup, we’ll leave it there.
What inspired you to write?
Boredom really. Xicota had loads of work (Excel spreadsheets) at a time when I had none, so I just started typing and stories began forming.
However, since The Killer was finished, I find that now I love writing and have several more story lines on the go including several follow ups.
How many books have you written?
Four, but I’ve only sent one, The Killer, to publishers so far. I really fancy turning this book into a trilogy. The second part, The Killer II, is almost finished.
Briefly, give us the lowdown on what they’re about, including genre and titles.
OK, there’s – Delinquent – it’s a bit of a hooligan story, a violent tale but with a little humour mixed in too. I suppose it’s a similar style to The Killer
Escaping England – this really is an incredible life journey made by two people I met in the Bahamas. They are an ordinary working class couple who happen to live in some very nice places. Their own words written by me
Meet Malcolm (he’s a bit of a train spotter) – this story is still only at the outline stage, though I do have the entire book in my head (floating around somewhere) Very, very violent and disturbing serial killer tale.
Not funny and quite scary, especially when you consider the fact that people like Malcolm do exist, maybe next door to you
Where can we find your book/s?
www.yellowbay.co.uk Max (the boss) is brilliant to work with. Anyone reading this who’s looking for a publisher for “edgy” material should look no further
The Killer is available in both paperback and ebook formats at
http://www.yellowbay.co.uk/the-killer
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Killer-Jack-Elgos/dp/1908530391/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
And my page is
http://www.jack-elgos.com/
What or who is the driving force behind your creativity?
Smirnoff vodka (along with a pack or two of cigarettes)
How do you feel about e-publishing compared to traditional publishing?
Have to admit, I prefer to hold an actual book but, I’m a realist. Ebooks are the future, no doubt
What’s your favourite movie?
No brainer – Pulp Fiction
What’s your all-time favourite read?
Any of Wilbur Smith’s African books
Who is your favourite author?
Wilbur
Do you draw from personal experience when writing, such as situations and
settings?
Yup
Are the characters in your books based on real-world people (you don’t need
to name names!)?
Yup (no further comment)
If you could morph into any animal, what would it be, and why?
Same answer as the “Planet” and “Laws of Physics” question below
Have you attended any writing classes or workshops? If so, which ones?
No, in fact I didn’t attend school that much either,
What’s your overall impression of self-publishing?
It’s OK, why not? I was lucky and didn’t have to take this route.
Where’s your favourite place in the world, and why?
I have two, Nassau and Andorra, both are really relaxed chilled out places
How do you handle negative feedback from readers?
I’ve been lucky so far as I haven’t had any yet (cue an instant barrage of hate mail)
If you could sit down with any author and have a chat, who would it be, and
why?
That’s easy, Andy McNab or Chris Ryan. They’re both larger than life type characters
World peace or a piece of the world?
Piece (s) of the world definitely.
Do you use social networking such as Facebook and/or Twitter, and if so, how
do you find it?
No, I have tried both, and though most people rave about them to be honest I can’t see why
How do you market yourself and your book/s?
I don’t, Max, my publisher, does it all and he’s very good at it too
If you owned your own planet and the laws of physics didn’t apply, how would
you have it?
Sorry, I’m sober right now. I’ll re-read this following a vodka or two, then try to answer
If you could sum yourself up in one word, what would it be?
One word would be Lucky, but I think High-mileage-and-worn-out would maybe suit better (I used middle things, which Xicota tells me are called hyphens, so does that count as one word?)
What does the future hold for you and your writing?
Lots more stories similar to The Killer; the type of stories that seem to scare off the main-stream publishers.
Lennon or McCartney or neither, and why?
Neither. Proud to say that for classic music I’m a Stones man all the way, but for more modern music I’d have to go with Adam Lambert and Chris Daughtry
If you were stranded on a desert island, and needed to burn books for
kindling in order to survive, which of these would go into the flames
first – The Bible, Catcher in the Rye or War and Peace?
None really. I live on a desert Island for six months of the year, so I’d take any three Wilbur Smith books – and only burn coconut husks whilst enjoying the Wilbur books
Thank you, Jack, for your your Interview responses!