A Very British Blog Tour 2013
Apparently I have been tagged by Maria Savva in a blog tour! I therefore present my own answers to the questions they have been asking.
Q. Where were you born and where do you live at the moment?
A. Essex – I was born in the London suburbs, but now I have moved out nearer to the coast.
Q. Have you always lived and worked in Britain or are you based elsewhere at the moment?
A. Pretty much, except for when I was a student, when I lived for a year in the Netherlands.
Q. Which is your favourite part of Britain?
A. Probably the West End of London, as that is where I often go out to enjoy myself.
The Magus, by Alex Sumner
Q. Have you ‘highlighted’ or ‘showcased’ any particular part of Britain in your books? For example, a town or city; a county, a monument or some well-known place or event?
A. Not as an ongoing theme. I set “The Magus,” my first book, in London because I knew the locations so well. I deliberately set the following books elsewhere to show that the characters were venturing through “unknown territory” both literally and metaphorically.
Q. There is an illusion – or myth if you wish – about British people that I would like you to discuss. Many see the ‘Brits’ as ‘stiff upper lip’. Is that correct?
A. I think it is an old-fashioned concept which, like male-chauvinism, has been or is being rendered obsolete by the rise of feminism. It might have been true before the age of Women’s Lib but it is increasingly not so. I think it is because in today’s world men now have to justify their behaviour to both men -and- women, instead of just justifying it to other men. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of older British men who are still like that.
Q. Do any of the characters in your books carry the ‘stiff upper lip’? Or are they all ‘British Bulldog’ and unique in their own way?
A. I made Detective Inspector Toby Croft, the senior male detective in “The Magus,” like that due to the fact that he is an old-fashioned type of guy.
Q. What are you currently working on?
A. I have recently done a revision of my first novel, “The Magus.” I am also writing a tale about the Law of Attraction (Cosmic Ordering, Manifesting, The Secret, etc), and how different characters get to grips with it in different ways.
Q. How do you spend your leisure time?
A. Conjuring angels, demons, and non-corporeal beings of a morally dubious nature; playing Enochian Chess; indulging in Tarot, Astrology, and related disciplines; and plotting the fate of the new world order with other members of the Illuminati. This is actually more fun than it at first sounds, as they generally hold all their meetings on licenced premises.
I object to you callin’ me illiterate! And so does my wife and sister!
Q. Do you write for a local audience or a global audience?
A. Global. As much as I love my native land, it only amounts to 10% of the potential world audience for ebooks in the English language.
Mind you, I may have harmed my sales in the USA with the title of the story Shall We Kill The President?
Q. Can you provide links to your work?
A. Yes: my books are available in both print and Kindle editions from Amazon. Readers who prefer other Ebook formats may buy them from Barnes & Noble, iTunes and Smashwords.
Sol Ascendans - The Website of Alex Sumner 