Today in the Library we have Wayne Turmel, who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into his life as an author.
You are very welcome Wayne, please introduce yourself:
Hi Pam, thank you so much for letting me drop by and play in your sandbox. I live and write in Las Vegas, although I am Canadian by birth. In my life I’ve been a stand-up comedian, a car salesman, and a corporate trainer. I have been writing non-fiction for 15 years, and fiction since 2014. I’ve written three novels and multiple short stories. My latest is Acre’s Orphans, a sequel to my Crusades-era adventure Acre’s Bastard.
Which genre do you write in and what draws you to it?
My novels have all been historical fiction until now and my short fiction runs the gamut from fantasy to “Literary” (whatever the heck that means.) As a boy growing up in small-town Canada, all I could think of was being somewhere else, or in another time—it HAD to be better than that. (It wasn’t but I was young and stupid)
Are you an avid reader? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?
I always have a couple of books on the go, usually one fiction and one non-fiction. I do read historical fiction, but I also have a weakness for big sword-and-sorcery novels too. I am bibliographically promiscuous.
Are you a self-published/traditional or hybrid author?
All of the above! I have self-published the Lucca Le Pou stories (Acre’s Bastard and Acre’s Orphans) but have had other work published by small presses (The Count of the Sahara) and even, in the case of my latest non-fiction book, (The Long-Distance Leader, Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership) big, international publishers.
Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?
I often say that I’m the literary love child of Robert Louis Stevenson and Hunter S Thompson.
Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?
I think Canadians (especially born in the ’50s through the ’70s) were raised with an inferiority complex. We learned more about the literature of US, Britain and France than we did our own country. It exposed me to a lot of great writers, but also filled me with a desire to travel (and time travel) to anywhere other than boring old Mission, BC. The arrogance of youth, I suppose.
What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?
As someone who works from home most of the time, it’s finding the time and energy to separate personal writing time from all the stuff you have to do to earn a living. After being at your desk all day, it’s not exactly tempting to do it some more for “fun.”
What was the best piece of writing advice you received when starting out?
Hemingway is reported to have said, “write drunk, edit sober.” Other than that it’s simply that a writer writes.
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?
I do most of my writing on the weekends, so I will daydream and noodle and create scenes in my head all week long, then sit down Saturday and Sunday afternoons and just pour all that stuff onto the paper. I don’t write often enough, but really crank out the words when I do.
If a movie was made of one of your books, who would you like to play the lead roles?
Ooooh, I think most fiction writers (if they’re honest) play the casting game. For Count of the Sahara, The Duchess and I argue if Benedict Cumberbatch or Tom Hiddleston should play Byron de Prorok. For the Lucca books, either Sean Bean or Clive Owen would be Brother Marco, the Leper Knight.
If you could live the life of an historical figure for one day, who would you choose and what would you get up to?
I’d be Richard Frances Burton going undercover to travel to Mecca or some other exotic location. He was a deeply messed-up guy, but he spoke 20 languages, saw the world, published, spoke, and translated pornography. That would be an interesting brain to inhabit for 24 hours.
If you could travel back in time, what era would you go to? What draws you to this particular time?
Assuming I could still have all my shots and running water/indoor plumbing, I would want to go back to Camelot and Arthurian times. (Which, I know, may or may not have actually existed)
You have been chosen as a member of the crew on the first one-way flight to Mars – you are allowed to bring 5 books with you. What would they be?
Oh man…… The Collected Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, The Collected Plays of William Shakespeare, The Three Musketeers, Treasure Island, and The Great White Shark Hunt by Hunter Thompson.
Please tell us about your latest published work.
Acre’s Orphans is the second of the Lucca le Pou stories, set during the second Crusade. Lucca is a young orphan who is driven into the streets of Acre at a time when the Kingdom of Jerusalem is about to fall. He unwittingly becomes a spy, and may be the only hope for the Crusader Kingdom as Salah-adin’s forces prepare to conquer once and for all. Just when he thinks he’s safe, he and a young girl must flee the safety of Acre to get help across bandit-infested territory or the last Crusader stronghold will perish.
It’s historical fiction for people who don’t think they like historical fiction, and the series has garnered some nice press and awards.
Thank you for the opportunity to play with your readers today, Pam. Much luck to you with your own work.
Thank you for taking part, Wayne, it was a pleasure.
If you’d like to know more about Wayne and his work, please check out the media links below:
Twitter @Wturmel
Amazon Author Page https://amazon.com/Wayne-Turmel/e/B00J5PGNWU/
Pam Lecky Books 
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