It is with great pleasure that I welcome S. G. M. Ashcroft onto the website today. Sean has spent much of his working life as a journalist for a number of local and national newspapers including the China Daily in Beijing. His first novel Hack is a black comedy set in the world of newspapers.
"Ashcroft establishes his humour from the explosive first page," says Whispering Stories, "and and I frequently laughed out loud. Hack is quick moving, has a strong cast of characters and is very entertaining."
Alex: Tell us a bit about yourself, Sean.
Sean: I’m a son of High Wycombe, a town 25 miles west of London. I’d love to have some sense of civic pride in the place. It was once a lovely town with a strong sense of identity (furniture and paper industries) but is now a soulless dump. I’ve been writing professionally since 1987, which is when I landed my first local newspaper reporting job. I’ve been freelance since 2005. I use my journalism skills to help businesses tell their best stories.
In terms of fiction, I wrote my first novel nearly a quarter of a century ago. It was a familial tale set in the coalfields of South Wales in the early 1920s. The main thing it taught me was it takes as much effort to write a bad novel as a good one. But it was a crucial learning experience.
I had planned to write more novels long before I ended up doing so, but children (I have two) put paid to that. It was almost twenty years before the fiction bug bit once more. Hack and Splash are the result.
"Ashcroft establishes his humour from the explosive first page," says Whispering Stories, "and and I frequently laughed out loud. Hack is quick moving, has a strong cast of characters and is very entertaining."
Alex: Tell us a bit about yourself, Sean.
Sean: I’m a son of High Wycombe, a town 25 miles west of London. I’d love to have some sense of civic pride in the place. It was once a lovely town with a strong sense of identity (furniture and paper industries) but is now a soulless dump. I’ve been writing professionally since 1987, which is when I landed my first local newspaper reporting job. I’ve been freelance since 2005. I use my journalism skills to help businesses tell their best stories.
In terms of fiction, I wrote my first novel nearly a quarter of a century ago. It was a familial tale set in the coalfields of South Wales in the early 1920s. The main thing it taught me was it takes as much effort to write a bad novel as a good one. But it was a crucial learning experience.
I had planned to write more novels long before I ended up doing so, but children (I have two) put paid to that. It was almost twenty years before the fiction bug bit once more. Hack and Splash are the result.
Alex: How would you describe your writing, and are there particular themes that you like to explore?
Sean: I suppose my style of writing is summed up by the genre in which my books belong: black comedy crime thrillers.
Yet making people smile or laugh wasn’t the aim when I began writing Hack (my debut novel). The book actually sprang from a quite different story – one that was dark and unremittingly bleak.
My fiction editor – the superb Averill Buchanan – liked the characters in that story but felt I was writing against type. She convinced me that by far the best parts of the book were the lighter, humorous passages. And so I binned the entire thing, retaining only the characters. These I placed in a light, humorous, occasionally preposterous, story.
After that, everything flowed freely, because I was swimming with the tide, rather than against it. Averill helped me find my writer’s ‘voice’ – which is light and comedic.
As far as themes go, I suppose I’m fascinated by moral ambiguity. On one level this is because I suspect most of us have a public persona that does not align completely with our true inner selves. (Or am I projecting?) On another level, my fiction is set in the world of newspaper journalism, a trade whose defining characteristic might be said to be moral ambiguity.
Alex: Tell us about your latest novel.
Sean: Splash is the sequel to Hack. In Hack, we follow young local newspaper reporter Llew Saber, as he morphs from innocent cub reporter into heedless law-breaking journo. In Splash we see a more mature Llew, but one who still has a complicated relationship with honesty and truth. Yet although he’s a seriously flawed individual, he risks his life to stop crooked Freemason cops perpetrating a serious miscarriage of justice. (We’re back to moral ambiguity.)
Sean: I suppose my style of writing is summed up by the genre in which my books belong: black comedy crime thrillers.
Yet making people smile or laugh wasn’t the aim when I began writing Hack (my debut novel). The book actually sprang from a quite different story – one that was dark and unremittingly bleak.
My fiction editor – the superb Averill Buchanan – liked the characters in that story but felt I was writing against type. She convinced me that by far the best parts of the book were the lighter, humorous passages. And so I binned the entire thing, retaining only the characters. These I placed in a light, humorous, occasionally preposterous, story.
After that, everything flowed freely, because I was swimming with the tide, rather than against it. Averill helped me find my writer’s ‘voice’ – which is light and comedic.
As far as themes go, I suppose I’m fascinated by moral ambiguity. On one level this is because I suspect most of us have a public persona that does not align completely with our true inner selves. (Or am I projecting?) On another level, my fiction is set in the world of newspaper journalism, a trade whose defining characteristic might be said to be moral ambiguity.
Alex: Tell us about your latest novel.
Sean: Splash is the sequel to Hack. In Hack, we follow young local newspaper reporter Llew Saber, as he morphs from innocent cub reporter into heedless law-breaking journo. In Splash we see a more mature Llew, but one who still has a complicated relationship with honesty and truth. Yet although he’s a seriously flawed individual, he risks his life to stop crooked Freemason cops perpetrating a serious miscarriage of justice. (We’re back to moral ambiguity.)
Alex: What was the first book you read?
Sean: The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz. I bought it through a school book club in 1974 and still have my copy. It’s the amazing true tale of a Polish soldier who flees a Russian prison camp and treks to Tibet, defying thirst and starvation.
Alex: How much research do you do and what does it usually entail?
Sean: Not much for Hack. I lived, breathed and slept newspaper journalism for a decade, so I was writing very much from experience.
For Splash, it was slightly different. The plot revolves around computer hacking and also the Freemasons’ hold on the British police back in the 90s.
So I read two books:
* Ghost in the Wires. The autobiography of the world’s foremost computer hacker, Kevin Mitnik, who was once America’s most wanted man.
* Inside the Brotherhood. By broadcaster and journalist Martin Short. This book blew the lid off Freemasonry’s malignant hold on UK Police. For my first novel, back in the late 90s, I spent every Saturday for three years in the British Library, researching every conceivable aspect of life in the South Wales coalfield from 1870-1926. It consumed me, and then went on to consume my story, as the narrative drowned in all that research. They do say, ‘Write about what you know’. I found out the hard way just how true that is.
Alex: Do you ever base your characters on people you have encountered in real life?
Sean: Yes. Two of my characters are basically real people. Emdel Black is based on a primary-school pal who remained a close friend up to his death 15 years ago. ‘Big’ Al Barrett, meanwhile, is a true-to-life version of a fantastic editor I had while working on a weekly paper in Portsmouth, England, from 1989-92. He was my guru and role model.
It’s probably no coincidence that neither is still with us. Basing a character on a real person is not without risk. History is littered with tales of vitriolic feuding between authors and those who took offense at their portrayal in a work of fiction. But I like to think that my much-missed friends would be happy with their fictionalised selves.
Alex: Which was the last book you read that blew you away?
Sean: Vernon God Little, by DBC Pierre. This was the work that inspired me to knuckle down and get back to writing fiction, after a 20-year break. I don’t know how or why, but it spoke to me in an incredibly strong way.
Alex: How do you market your books?
Sean: As a self-published author exclusively on Amazon, ground zero in marketing is to make your book indistinguishable from traditionally published novels. That means the writing has to be accomplished and highly polished. This takes time – years in my case.
The cover, meanwhile, must be good enough to pass muster on the shelves of Barnes & Noble. This costs money, but it’s money that must be spent.
On top of this, you need to understand how SEO works. Writing a great book is no good if no one can find it. There are 7 million titles on Amazon, after all.
Once your book is established on Amazon, you can put it forward for a promotion on Bookbub. This is the world’s foremost email list of avid readers, and is the single most effective way to drive sales. It’s expensive but more than pays for itself. But Bookbub accepts just 10% of books put forward for promotion. To be accepted, it must be well written, with a great cover, have strong editorial reviews, at least 100 reader reviews and a minimum star-rating of four.
I once used Amazon ads, but no longer. They work only once a book has reached a certain level of success, and mine aren’t at that level.
I’d love nothing more than to be a full-time author but at present they earn me hundreds of pounds a month rather than the thousands I’d need to make it my job.
Alex: What are your interests aside from writing? And what do you do to unwind?
Sean: I love to read. Historical fiction is my favourite genre. I don’t think I’d ever have become a writer without that love of reading.
I’m also a qualified football coach (or, groan, soccer, for our American brethren). I’m an all-round football nut, and have a season ticket for Brentford FC – a Cinderella club from west London who are currently enjoying being at the ball, after 100 years of scrubbing floors.
Alex: Which authors do you particularly admire and why?
Sean: DBC Pierre. As mentioned earlier, his writing resonates with me. When I discovered him I felt he was writing in a way that I might be able to, with enough practise. I don’t think I’m quite there yet.
AA Gill. The late Sunday Times journalist was the finest writer of his generation. He penned novels too, but it was his journalism I loved most. It stayed with you, the way great fiction does.
Graham Greene. I’ve read everything by him. I identified with his strongly Catholic themes, being a Catholic myself whose head has been shrunk by sundry nuns, clerics and teachers. Plus, Greene was a journalist, so there’s also that tie-in.
Caimh McDonnell. Until McDonnell came along, Crime Comedy didn’t exist as a genre. I knew nothing of him until it came to publishing Hack on Amazon, at which point I realised I’d written books similar to his. So I read a few of them. They’re brilliant. Funny, pacey and with great characters. One thing his writing has taught me is that humour must always serve the plot, never the other way round. He’s a master at that. The best since Terry Pratchett.
Alex: Thank you Sean for sharing your writing journey with us with such thoughtful and detailed insights. Glad to see Graham Greene getting a plug here, and I'm going to have to read McDonnell - not to mention Hack, which sounds terrific.
Sean: Thanks Alex. It's been great to chat.
Sean: The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz. I bought it through a school book club in 1974 and still have my copy. It’s the amazing true tale of a Polish soldier who flees a Russian prison camp and treks to Tibet, defying thirst and starvation.
Alex: How much research do you do and what does it usually entail?
Sean: Not much for Hack. I lived, breathed and slept newspaper journalism for a decade, so I was writing very much from experience.
For Splash, it was slightly different. The plot revolves around computer hacking and also the Freemasons’ hold on the British police back in the 90s.
So I read two books:
* Ghost in the Wires. The autobiography of the world’s foremost computer hacker, Kevin Mitnik, who was once America’s most wanted man.
* Inside the Brotherhood. By broadcaster and journalist Martin Short. This book blew the lid off Freemasonry’s malignant hold on UK Police. For my first novel, back in the late 90s, I spent every Saturday for three years in the British Library, researching every conceivable aspect of life in the South Wales coalfield from 1870-1926. It consumed me, and then went on to consume my story, as the narrative drowned in all that research. They do say, ‘Write about what you know’. I found out the hard way just how true that is.
Alex: Do you ever base your characters on people you have encountered in real life?
Sean: Yes. Two of my characters are basically real people. Emdel Black is based on a primary-school pal who remained a close friend up to his death 15 years ago. ‘Big’ Al Barrett, meanwhile, is a true-to-life version of a fantastic editor I had while working on a weekly paper in Portsmouth, England, from 1989-92. He was my guru and role model.
It’s probably no coincidence that neither is still with us. Basing a character on a real person is not without risk. History is littered with tales of vitriolic feuding between authors and those who took offense at their portrayal in a work of fiction. But I like to think that my much-missed friends would be happy with their fictionalised selves.
Alex: Which was the last book you read that blew you away?
Sean: Vernon God Little, by DBC Pierre. This was the work that inspired me to knuckle down and get back to writing fiction, after a 20-year break. I don’t know how or why, but it spoke to me in an incredibly strong way.
Alex: How do you market your books?
Sean: As a self-published author exclusively on Amazon, ground zero in marketing is to make your book indistinguishable from traditionally published novels. That means the writing has to be accomplished and highly polished. This takes time – years in my case.
The cover, meanwhile, must be good enough to pass muster on the shelves of Barnes & Noble. This costs money, but it’s money that must be spent.
On top of this, you need to understand how SEO works. Writing a great book is no good if no one can find it. There are 7 million titles on Amazon, after all.
Once your book is established on Amazon, you can put it forward for a promotion on Bookbub. This is the world’s foremost email list of avid readers, and is the single most effective way to drive sales. It’s expensive but more than pays for itself. But Bookbub accepts just 10% of books put forward for promotion. To be accepted, it must be well written, with a great cover, have strong editorial reviews, at least 100 reader reviews and a minimum star-rating of four.
I once used Amazon ads, but no longer. They work only once a book has reached a certain level of success, and mine aren’t at that level.
I’d love nothing more than to be a full-time author but at present they earn me hundreds of pounds a month rather than the thousands I’d need to make it my job.
Alex: What are your interests aside from writing? And what do you do to unwind?
Sean: I love to read. Historical fiction is my favourite genre. I don’t think I’d ever have become a writer without that love of reading.
I’m also a qualified football coach (or, groan, soccer, for our American brethren). I’m an all-round football nut, and have a season ticket for Brentford FC – a Cinderella club from west London who are currently enjoying being at the ball, after 100 years of scrubbing floors.
Alex: Which authors do you particularly admire and why?
Sean: DBC Pierre. As mentioned earlier, his writing resonates with me. When I discovered him I felt he was writing in a way that I might be able to, with enough practise. I don’t think I’m quite there yet.
AA Gill. The late Sunday Times journalist was the finest writer of his generation. He penned novels too, but it was his journalism I loved most. It stayed with you, the way great fiction does.
Graham Greene. I’ve read everything by him. I identified with his strongly Catholic themes, being a Catholic myself whose head has been shrunk by sundry nuns, clerics and teachers. Plus, Greene was a journalist, so there’s also that tie-in.
Caimh McDonnell. Until McDonnell came along, Crime Comedy didn’t exist as a genre. I knew nothing of him until it came to publishing Hack on Amazon, at which point I realised I’d written books similar to his. So I read a few of them. They’re brilliant. Funny, pacey and with great characters. One thing his writing has taught me is that humour must always serve the plot, never the other way round. He’s a master at that. The best since Terry Pratchett.
Alex: Thank you Sean for sharing your writing journey with us with such thoughtful and detailed insights. Glad to see Graham Greene getting a plug here, and I'm going to have to read McDonnell - not to mention Hack, which sounds terrific.
Sean: Thanks Alex. It's been great to chat.
