25-years old protagonist, Charlie Gibbs, has been co-opted by his glamorous 50-years old Dutch cougar boss, Ilse Teuling, into helping her write a “good-sex guide” for the older woman.

Sahlan Diver – 18 May 2022

The Back Flap

In the year 2050, twenty-something IT worker, Charlie Gibbs, has a problem – several problems, in fact. His boss has just been killed in mysterious circumstances. Replacement boss, fifty-year-old Dutch cougar, Ilse Teuling, is writing an inspirational sex guide for the mature woman and wants Charlie to help with “the practical work”. Populists have declared a coup; people are seeing visions; the clock is counting down to environmental disaster, and a murderer is on the loose, providing Charlie with the biggest problem of the lot – he’s the intended next victim and he doesn’t know why.

Can Charlie simultaneously solve crime, survive political chaos, rescue the environment, expose a hoaxer and foil a murderer, not forgetting to service the needs of Ilse? Can he keep all his balls juggling and still come out alive?

About the book

What is the book about?

Normally I write mystery-thrillers but I decided to challenge myself by writing a multi-genre novel, so Sixty Positions with Pleasure, while still being a mystery thriller, has three other plots running simultaneously: an erotic romance, a political satire and a plot about religious fervour.

When did you start writing the book? How long did it take you to write it?

I started writing the novel in 2019. I anticipated it might take a year. In the end, because of the work involved in writing a multi-plot story that could still keep the reader on board, it took two years to complete.

Where did you get the idea from?

Before I start a novel, I always need to figure out “the big twist”, the point in the plot that has the reader saying “I didn’t see that coming!”. Then I need to decide on an interesting setting for the action. For my first novel, The Secret Resort of Nostalgia, I imagined a utopian Irish seaside resort run by ex-hippies. In my second novel, For the Love of Alison, much of the action takes place on and around the extensive English canal network. For Sixty Positions with Pleasure, I speculate on the near future, the year 2050, that because of global warming the normally damp Irish climate has become Mediterranean. Southern Europeans now escape their summer heat to holiday in a popular Irish mountain resort, which is where the action takes place. Only after I have decided the plot and the setting, do I start to think what kinds of characters will make the story interesting.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Mostly the erotic writing. 25-years old protagonist, Charlie Gibbs, has been co-opted by his glamorous 50-years old Dutch cougar boss, Ilse Teuling, into helping her write a “good-sex guide” for the older woman. They try out sixty Kama Sutra positions as part of their “research” for the book. The challenge was to keep the sex readable without it becoming purple or repetitive. I decided to create a sex-advice-robot, called Sidney, who is charged with taking photographs of the couple having sex. Sidney has been manufactured with an artificial personality such that he thinks he is French. He has a tendency to make witty comments. The presence of Sidney adds humour to the sexual situations and prevents the writing becoming too intense.

What came easily?

I would say “easier” is a better word. No part of writing is easy. Usually, the humourous passages are the easiest to write, because you only need to be funny; there is less of a burden on painting the scene in a compelling and interesting way.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Probably like most writers, I use aspects of people I have known. And in the political satirical chapters of my latest novel, the characters are very definitely targeted at a certain type of politician.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

My desire to constantly misdirect the reader owes a big debt to Agatha Christie. Apart from her, I don’t feel particularly influenced by any author. I especially try not to mimic common traits of the mystery genre, hence the title of my web site: Unusual Mysteries (https://www.unusual-mysteries.com) Facebook: Unusual Mysteries | Facebook

Do you have a target reader?

I would say my writing will appeal to readers who like to use a bit of brain when reading, who like having their thinking challenged. Readers compliment my characters but I am not into complex characters with big emotional back-stories. What you see is what you get.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I force myself to write an hour a day with a glass of sweet Moscatel wine for support! Occasionally, if the storyline grabs me, the writing becomes addictive and I can go on for hours.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

Because my latest was a multi-genre novel, with four plots running simultaneously, I colour-coded the index when I was writing it: red for the sex plot, green for the mystery, blue for the political, and so on. Thus, I could map out, chapter by chapter, how I intended to alternate the action.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I edit continuously. The satisfaction of improving my writing inspires me to write more.

Did you hire a professional editor?

For my first two novels, I submitted my manuscript to professionals for comment and critique. By the time of the third, I felt confident enough with my writing to self-edit. I do use software tools, for example Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar checker, and another tool, which analyses text for over-used words and phrases that would otherwise be difficult to spot in an 80,000+ word novel.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I am a musician. For this reason, I do not listen to music while writing, as it would be too distracting.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

From time to time, yes, but I don’t have a lot of faith in the agency industry. I’m guessing they are so overwhelmed with submissions that their judgment has become unreliable. I had more success going direct to two publishers in 2016. Unfortunately, I went early, before my writing had fully matured. Unsurprisingly, both publishers rejected me after the second reading.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Getting nowhere with agents left me no choice but to self-publish.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

The cover designs are all by the same professional commercial artist. Using the same person imparts a recognizable “house-style”. For my third novel, a freelancer was employed to create the picture of the robot on the cover as a composite of five separate licensed images.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I have a plan for publicity opportunities across blogs, review sites, social media, my own web site and so on. The more opportunities I can find for publicity, especially free publicity, the better. Most authors dislike the tedium of the promotional grind. I force myself to spend an hour on it each day. You just have to keep on doing it, because you can’t know in advance which particular promotional effort will lead to the best sales.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Just start writing. Don’t worry if it’s rubbish, which it will be. I preserved my first draft of my first novel. It’s total rubbish! Yet within three years, I’d improved enough for the same novel to be shortlisted in an international competition. The important thing is you MUST seek critiques from professional mentors or editors. Some can be ridiculously expensive but with research on the Internet you will find a few reasonably priced. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can do it all yourself, that churning out a stack of novels without advice will help you improve. I’ve recently judged a literary competition. One writer, who has self-published more than thirty books, is still writing like a beginner. Her latest novel makes me feel like a school teacher marking a sub-standard teenage essay. Obviously, she has an inflated idea of her writing and has avoided anyone bursting her bubble. Critics aren’t gods. They do get stuff wrong, but it’s the stuff they get right that will help you improve enormously. Family and friends can be useful too, but for a different purpose. Unless they are qualified in English literature, they won’t help you improve your writing, but they can be excellent trial readers, spotting plot holes, and actions or dialogues that are not realistic.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of Sixty Positions with Pleasure from Amazon US or Amazon UK.