First published 11th September 2022
Perthshire
based writer Mark Bridgeman is the author of several books, three of which,
‘The ‘Lost’ Village of Lawers,’ ‘Erased 1: The Missing Millionaire,’ and
‘Erased 2: The Empty House’, are currently published in eBook format by Brindle
Books Ltd. He is a member of the Federation of Scottish Writers, the ALCS, and
The Thomas Hardy Society.
We
caught up with Mark to ask him about his writing process and his inspiration
for our latest Brindle Books Author Interview.
BRINDLE:
In about three sentences, what is your book about?
MARK:
Erased is a series of mysterious missing persons stories from around the world.
Each chapter is a standalone story, relating a real-life individual case. Some
are solved, some are unsolved. That’s the beauty of them – the reader has no
idea what the ending will be, and you’ll be as wrapped up in the investigation
as the police and families were at the time.
MARK:
I’ve always wanted to write and always believed that I had lots of untold
stories to share. Writer’s block is never a problem for me! My father was a
writer too, and I guess my love of history and bringing it back to life set me
on the road. Living where I live, history is all around me too.
BRINDLE:
What got you interested in this subject in the first place?
MARK:
I wanted to discover some of the lesser-known or unknown personal stories and
bring them to the public. It’s so interesting, and we can learn so much, from
the day-to-day social history of people’s lives.
BRINDLE:
What’s been your highlight/biggest achievement in this field?
MARK:
Perhaps unearthing the life of Francis Metcalfe for my book The Nearly Man.
Either that, or discovering a story lost for over 200 years that helped me put
together The Lost Village of Lawers.
BRINDLE: What is it that drives you to write?
MARK:
A desire to share stories that I think will genuinely interest people; helping
us connect with our past.
BRINDLE:
Can you tell us about your research methods?
MARK:
I could, but I’m sworn to secrecy! Seriously though, we have the internet of
course, but there’s no substitute for getting out there, meeting people, and
getting your feet dirty – which I do (a lot!!)
BRINDLE:
What are the best and worst things about being a writer in this field?
MARK:
Best thing – deciding in which direction I will travel each day
Worst
thing - Agents
BRINDLE:
Which authors etc. are your biggest influences?
MARK:
Thomas Hardy, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. I look to write
my historical stories in the style of that era, it helps to immerse the reader.
BRINDLE:
What do you think is the most important quality/skill for a writer in your
field?
MARK:
Patience, thoroughness, and a belief/pride in what you’ve achieved.
BRINDLE:
What are your future plans?
MARK:
An historical novel, based on fact, but partly fictional, which will try to
explain a perplexing mystery from a century ago. I also intend to add to my
canon of stories in the Erased series.
BRINDLE: Can you tell us a bit about your writing process? ( location/time/words per day/schedule etc.)
MARK:
If I’m writing for the day, probably about 2,000 – 3,000 words per day.
However, non-fiction writing can take longer as you spent an inordinate amount
of time checking and re-checking facts. I mostly write at home, but
occasionally I’ll find a quiet corner in a café somewhere. Research can also
take up lots of time, so very writing is achieved on those days.
BRINDLE:
What advice would you give to new writers in your field?
MARK:
Write something. Leave it for two weeks, go back to it and reread it. I bet
you’ll be able to improve it.
Soak
up the work of great writers and leave your pride at the door when you finally
send it to a publisher!
You can find out more about Mark’s work on his website:
Mark Bridgeman Author - Writer of the Best Selling Book
There
are Amazon links to some of Mark’s books below:
On
Amazon UK
The Empty House (Erased Book 2) eBook
: Bridgeman, Mark: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
The Missing Millionaire (Erased Book
1) eBook : Bridgeman, Mark: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
The 'Lost' Village of Lawers eBook : Bridgeman, Mark:
Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
On
Amazon.com in the USA
Amazon.com: The Empty House (Erased
Book 2) eBook : Bridgeman, Mark: Kindle Store
Amazon.com: The Missing Millionaire
(Erased Book 1) eBook : Bridgeman, Mark: Kindle Store
Amazon.com: The 'Lost' Village of
Lawers eBook : Bridgeman, Mark: Kindle Store
If
you are a published, (or self-published), author, and would like to be the
subject of one of our author interviews, please feel free to drop us an email
at: