A.P.Jessett
was born in Wiltshire, England, and raised in the
adjacent county of Berkshire. At sixteen he put the idea of writing on hold, to
gain some experience and maturity.
was born in Wiltshire, England, and raised in the
adjacent county of Berkshire. At sixteen he put the idea of writing on hold, to
gain some experience and maturity.
It took a while, as two marriages, children, and the need to
earn a living took over. But the ambition remained, and Mother Earth blends his
passion for the natural world with a keen interest in where humanity - perhaps
at a defining crossroads in its evolution - goes next.
A.P.Jessett is happily married to his wife of 33 years, and
lives in the English county of Hampshire.
is happily married to his wife of 33 years, and
lives in the English county of Hampshire. 
Your
real name and pen name? Are the same:
A.P.Jessett
. I want those who doubted to see that I could complete a
full-length novel!
. I want those who doubted to see that I could complete a
full-length novel!
Please
share some of the best memories of your childhood Playing in the fields and woods of the glorious part of
the English countryside where I grew up.
What
career did you plan during your education days? I didn’t really plan because what I
wanted to do was write novels. The problem with that was that I recognised that
I needed some proper life experience first. So I kind of drifted into a
succession of jobs and careers - farming, the police force, and then the
business world, where I ended up as the CEO of a multi-national subsidiary. It
was enjoyable and certainly provided the experience I wanted - but it also
side-tracked me from writing, for much longer than anticipated
What
languages you can speak and write? English, and enough
German to get by in most situations
What
is your biggest source of inspiration in life?
The natural world, in all its breathtaking beauty and complexity
What
hurts you most in this world? The pain suffered by so many as the result of wars and
violence beyond their control, at a time when mankind should be moving beyond
such barbarity
What
is the biggest challenge you have faced? How did you overcome it? Shyness,
as a young man. I worked through it by deliberately entering jobs that required
a lot of personal interaction, such as the police, and then marketing and sales
If
you had to live a day of your life as one of the living or dead personality,
who would it be and why? A
famous singer would be my choice, because I can’t sing a note - and it would be
great to experience the instant feedback that a writer can mostly only dream
of!
What
is your favorite genre and why? Fantasy, because it
provides such infinite scope for creativity and exploration of ideas.
When
did you start writing? What is the purpose of your writing? I started about fifteen years ago. My goal, while
entertaining and informing, is to raise questions in the mind of my reader.
Essentially I agree with what James Baldwin said: ”The purpose of art is to lay
bare the questions which have been hidden by the answers.”
Which
of your work has been published so far? Would you like to share a synopsis of
your work? My novel Mother Earth
is out
on Amazon in e-book and paperback formats. I wouldn’t want to spoil things for
the reader by going beyond what it says on the back cover:
is out
on Amazon in e-book and paperback formats. I wouldn’t want to spoil things for
the reader by going beyond what it says on the back cover:
‘The trouble with humans is they’re so
backward.’
A majestic golden eagle swoops low over the Men’s Final at
Wimbledon, frightening crowds and seen by millions on TV. From high above a
large raven looks on. Later, they will discuss the success of the mission. Soon
there are more reports of birds and animals acting strangely across the world,
almost as if organised. Who or what is behind the odd behaviour, and what does
it mean? Environmental activist Lucy Waltham and her partner James Bishop
disagree and become caught up in a struggle between people and nature, their
employers on opposite sides of a gulf of misunderstanding. Can the different
worlds connect and save humanity from itself?
Somewhere between eco-thriller and classic British wildlife
novel, Mother Earth is an engaging, honest and informed allegory of
contemporary environmental issues that you’ll still be thinking about long
after you’ve finished reading. Can mankind find the right path while there is
still time?
What
are your forthcoming writings? My next novel will be a
sequel to the first, its direction guided to an extent by readers’ feedback.
What
genres you write in and why? Fantasy, for the reasons already given.
What
keeps you motivating towards writing? The desire to improve; and the
knowledge that there is so much to write about, and that life is short
If
Writing a Book is taken as a project, What are the key essentials you take care
of in Project Management? Every
writer seems to have different ideas about this, but for me - after seven years
working on Mother Earth! - it’s deciding what the story is really
about before starting; deciding what the basic structure will be; devising a
good opening while, ideally, having a fair idea how the book will end; having
the essentials of the plot formulated; doing essential research; keeping good
notes and records (my notes ran to more words than the book itself by the end)
How
do you plan, schedule and monitor your writing commitments? Boring though it is, I
maintain a spreadsheet which details my daily, weekly and monthly targets for
getting words on paper. I discipline myself to do a specific number of hours on
each day I work, but I’m a slow writer so am invariably behind my initial goals
What
are your future plans? To
continue writing novels centred around my main interests, the natural world and
the important questions affecting the future of mankind within it
What
is generally your preference in reading – a paper book or ebook? And why? An ebook can be very
convenient, and is here to stay - but there’s still nothing quite like the feel
and smell of a real book in the hands
How
much real life goes into a fiction writing? Inescapably, a huge amount
Is
a high level of imagination important to have for an Author? Yes, it’s surely an
essential
What
is the last book you finished reading? What is the current book you are
reading? The last was a re-reading of Black
Beauty, by Anna Sewell. The current book is a very fascinating non-fiction
work: Human Universe, by Professor Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen. It goes
in great depth into ‘the past, present and future of humanity, from the
birth of the Universe to the ultimate fate of our species.’
Your
favorite book and why? The
wonderful Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier. It’s a love story set
against a serious backdrop - war, its consequences and ultimate lack of glamour
- yet within beautifully descriptive evocations of the natural world of North
Carolina. A work of genius in my opinion. From earlier times, the novels of Thomas
Hardy are firm favourites for similar reasons, especially his masterpieces Far
From The Madding Crowd, The Mayor of Casterbridge and Jude The Obscure
Your
favorite movie and why? It changes over time, but used to be The Great
Escape and is now The Theory Of Everything, the Stephen Hawking
biopic. Both are inspirational true stories of courage in the face of almost
insurmountable odds.
What
is the force that drives you? The knowledge that life is short and I don’t want to
be saying on my deathbed - in the words of Shakespeare - I have wasted time,
and now doth time waste me
What
comes to your mind when you think of India? Vitality, colour, emerging
superpower
First
thing you do in the morning after waking up? Give thanks that I’m still here
The
last thing to do before sleep? Kiss my wife goodnight
If
one fine morning you wake up and find your sex changed to the opposite, what
will be your first reaction? Hey - this is going to be
interesting!
State
your best quote Look deep into nature, and then you will
understand everything better. Albert Einstein, 1951
The
last line of your autobiography would be… He did his best.
The
title of your autobiography would be… If At First You Don’t Succeed
Links
& other relevant details:
ISBN-10:
1517009308
ISBN-13:
978-1517009304
Publisher:
Amazon
Twitter
handle: @apjessett
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