Had a great attendance for Robert Radcliffe at Browsers this evening, talking about his latest novel Dambuster. The author talks always draw more men than the book groups I hold at Browsers, but it was just about 50:50 this evening due to the nature of the subject.
I had the privilege of 'interviewing' Robert this evening (though really it was more a case of giving him chance to take breath and a sip of water). He was a very confident speaker even when battling to be heard over a pack of squealing, fighting dogs outside, and seeking to swat a fly which wanted to steal the limelight.
It was interesting to hear a different perspective on the writing process from Robert. He says he plans very carefully and knows exactly what is going to happen next; there is no danger of the characters taking the story in another direction for him. In fact he writes cvs for all his characters, he says. He writes from 6am to 4pm five days a week, and each book takes a year - six months research and six months to write.