Jaffareadstoo is delighted to welcome you all to our Summer Picnic
Summertime is here
I'm delighted to welcome Roger Wilson-Crane to our Summer picnic
Welcome to Jaffareadstoo, Roger. Which favourite foods are you bringing to our summer picnic?
I would love to bring a Lasagne or Roast Dinner but as it is a picnic it will have to be all those traditional foods we all know and love. Cooked chicken legs, sausage rolls, crisps, baguettes filled with tuna, egg mayonnaise, and, my favourite filling, mature cheddar…
What would you like to drink? We have white wine spritzers, locally brewed beer, traditional Pimms, sparkling elderflower cordial or a thermos of tea or coffee?
Can I choose two please? If so, I would definitely start with a Pimms and then move onto copious amounts of white wine spritzers.
Where shall we sit, by the pool, on a beach, in the garden or in the countryside?
Countryside please. I grew up in the Yorkshire Dales and miss it sometimes. The beauty and calmness of the hills, the breath-taking scenery and ever changing weather. Sitting in the countryside would remind me of home.
Do we have a wicker hamper, tablecloth and cutlery, or is everything in a supermarket carrier bag?
We cannot, I repeat, cannot have our gorgeous picnic dumped into a carrier bag. It needs to be a classy wicker hamper basket. I still have three in my garage, Christmas gifts from work. One has my tools in it, another the dogs toys and the last one is empty, ready for a picnic that has never materialised.
Which of your literary heroes (alive or dead) are joining us on the picnic today?
I am drawn to authors with imagination. I am in awe of where they get their ideas and creativeness from. From that basis, Stephen King would be the first one sat on a blanket with a chicken leg in his mouth. I would also add Patricia Cornwell to our little get together, plus Helen Fielding as I have a sneaky suspicion my book, Certified, was, subconsciously, inspired by Bridget Jones.
Do you have favourite place to have a summer picnic?
I think I will have to guide you back to my previous answer. Somewhere in the Yorkshire Dales would be perfect. Possibly on the green at a village called Austwick, opposite a pub called The Game Cock.
Do you have a summer music playlist? And if so will you share with us a favourite song or piece of music that makes you feel happy?
I don’t really have a summer playlist but am always playing tunes in and out of the house. I have quite a diverse taste but if I may be permitted to share two songs that make me happy then it would be Firework by Katy Perry and a not so well known song, This House by Gary Barlow. The first made me change career when I first heard it, the lyrics resonating with me so much. And the latter because it makes me think of family, comfort and how lucky I am.
Which summer read are you bringing with you today?
I am going to bring Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library. It has so many positive reviews and am drawn to the ordinary people with ordinary revelations, which this book has in abundance, so I am told!
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| Canongate 2020 |
When you are writing do you still find time to read for pleasure? And is there a book you would like to read but haven’t had time for …yet!
I have to say I do struggle finding time to read. Short bursts are okay so that makes me read more blogs etc. as I know if I get into a good book I wont be able to put it down, so oddly, this puts me off starting. I refer you to my previous answer with regards a book I would like to read. Matt Haig’s Midnight Library.
Where do you find the inspiration for your novels?
I find them from life. From people and the ordinary things that happen to them, the situations we all find can find ourselves in. Add a bit of creativity and imagination and, hopefully, I can produce books that we can all relate to in one way or another.
Have you a favourite place to settle down to write and do you find it easier to write in winter or summer?
I love to write outside, in the garden, but I have to say that I find it easier writing in the winter. It must be the darkness, a sort of hibernation, but I do find I am more creative, can get in a rhythm of a story, more when I don’t have the distraction of warm days and the sun shining.
When writing to a deadline are you easily distracted and if so how do you bring back focus on your writing?
I can be very easily distracted! A gentleman called Michael Heppell, the bestselling author and renowned coach, taught me to put your deadline in writing, announce it loud and proud, as that way you won’t let yourself, or others that you have promised, down. So far, it works for me!
Give us four essential items that a writer needs?
Patience is certainly one. It can be a lonely place when the ideas are not flowing and you are not ‘feeling it’. This is normal, everyone gets it, so just wait until that spark comes back. Also, write every day. Doesn’t matter if its 250 words, a thousand etc. just get into the habit of writing something. It keeps the brain in a writing, creative mode. Don’t be afraid to write nonsense, a chapter that just doesn’t work, for example. We all do it and there is always something to take out of some of the garbage we write that can be used going forward.
What can you tell us about your latest novel or your current work in progress?
My latest Novel, Certified, is three stories, all linked, following one man’s journey through the major milestones of birth, marriage and death. It is full of farcical situations, shocking discoveries and profound loss. It has been described as The Four Weddings and a Funeral of the book world which is some accolade. It recently won the 2021 Mark Twain International CIBA Book Award for humour and satire, at a ceremony in Washington, USA, which was a wonderful and surreal experience. I am delighted and humbled that so many people have enjoyed the book so much.
Book Blurb:
Certified.
One Unexpected Birth…One Hapless Wedding…One Bizarre Death…
There is comedy in most situations, isn’t there?
The 2021 Mark Twain International CIBA Book Award winner and Amazon best seller, Certified is one man’s humorous journey through a birth, wedding and death.
A comedy-drama full of farcical situations, shocking discoveries and profound loss.
A book to stir the memories in us all. The realisation we have all been Certified.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- “The Four Weddings and a Funeral of the Book world.”
More about Roger
I’m Roger Wilson-Crane and whilst I was born in Harpenden I was raised in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, so hopefully I would be described as an honorary Yorkshireman.
Since leaving the Dales, in the late 1990s, I have had a successful career in the motor trade, working in senior roles and as Managing Director for over a decade.
My passion for writing has always been with me, stemming from writing and directing a school play at the tender age of 14.
I have enjoyed the odd venture into amateur dramatics, playing lead roles in productions across Yorkshire and beyond, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Guys and Dolls, and The Full Monty resulting in a NODA best male actor nomination in 2010.
I am hugely proud of my 21 year old daughter, Holly, who has grown up in a world of live theatre, comedy, and music. She has just finished her degree at Leeds University, studying Physical Education and focussing on dance.
I settled in South Yorkshire 25 years ago and live with my wife Victoria, who finally inspired me to follow my dreams, and become an author.
Roger, where can we follow you on social media?
There is my website, of course, and you can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Twitter @Certified2021
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