David J Grant is published by
Samosir Books

Interview with David J Grant by Cherie Hill, First Book Review 16 July 2007

CH. You say in your biog you worked for several years in marketing and electronics. Was this a good grounding for a new career as a fiction writer?

DJG Useful but not that essential I believe you need a lot of life experience however gained. It can be working in factory, building on the characters you have met, holidays, school - weaving these thoughts and dreams into an interesting and where possible unique dialogue.

CH. You mention holidays - do you mean travel in particular?

DJG I've always found travel my own best source for inspiration. The new environment and unfamiliar surroundings can stimulate the imaginative juices plus travelling provides a lot of time for thought.

CH. Where do you live now?

 DJG I spend most of the year in England, where I live in a town called Daventry in the Midlands. When I’m writing I will spend more and more time abroad. Last year I stayed in a coastal town in Brazil where I worked on the last chapter for The Treaty.

CH. How hard was that – completing the last chapter?

 DJG Very difficult and when I arrived in Brazil I thought I had finished the book and was reading a printout on the journey flying over. Three weeks later another 2 chapters had been written to give me the true ending.

CH. So you had finished too soon back in England?

 DJG Yes – it really wasn’t complete. I realized on the way to Brazil, and spent several weeks struggling to find the right end during what I thought would be a relaxing period on the beach reading the final draft.

CH. David J Grant is a pen name what is your real name and why the change?

DJG My family name is David Raven. I decided to change it because two of my three sons are published authors and it would be very confusing for the readers and the book trade for us all to have the same surname. Plus there was another very successful author of fiction called Simon Raven who is no relation.

CH. It’s not uncommon for writers of fiction to adopt a pen name - Joseph Conrad for example.

DJG Yes that’s true. It was even more popular among many writers in the last centaury - George Eliot and Charlotte Bronte used a pen name for some of her work. Andy McNab is a very recent example. 

CH. So what made you write The Treaty – I mean why narcotics and drugs? Did you know something about this subject from your earlier work?

 DJG The answer is a simple no. For some time I played with different ideas about credible stories that can incorporate real people already in the public domain. History quite often determines there is another often secret story hidden behind a major international issue that only comes to the surface years later. Margaret Thatcher’s Falklands War could be one for example regarding her friendship with General Pinochet and Ronald Regan – what was she really up to? Perhaps we will never know in our lifetimes. Tony Blair’s war on terror his relationship with George Bush what is in it for him in the long term?

CH. People seem to like a good old conspiracy theory.

DJG  If you look closer and let your mind wander there could so easily be a different motive for many of the current actions taking place. One example of a secret treaty by a royal person was the Treaty of Dover signed by Charles II and French King Louis in the 1600’s. Charles received an annual income from the French King, conditional on him becoming a Catholic – he conveniently forgot to mention this to his subjects at the time of signing the documents!  

CH. Are you just cashing in on this popular area for writers?

DJG  LOL. I think that’s a little harsh to call it cashing in, especially as I have only spent money to date. The point is when people in the public eye behave in a certain way and says things they may or may not regret later, opinions are formed - they become the characters they represent. Take Prince Philip as an example. It would have been incredulous to write a story in the present time featuring a Prince and Consort to the Queen of England called let’s say – Jim Mountbatten. There is only one and will only ever be one Consort to Queen Elizabeth II and that’s Prince Philip – warts and all.  

CH. And does that same rule apply to all of your characters in The Treaty - Camilla for example?

 DJG No, not all but certainly the key people already in the public domain. Camilla is a pretty unique person you couldn’t write about the wife of Prince Charles or ex-wife Diana by changing their names - the story would lose all its credibility in the eye of the reader. I can remember reading Fourth Estate by Jeffery Archer which I did enjoy. But it was really annoying having to mentally keep changing the characters names in my mind since it was only possible for them to be Rupert Murdoch and Robert Maxwell. I appreciate Archer’s dilemma regarding those two billionaires in particular. He would probably have been seriously sued, particularly by Maxwell, if he had used their real names. In fact I recall they did still try to stop publication of the book.

CH. Is there any risk The Treaty could be stopped for using the real names of people like George Bush Senior in the story?

 DJG I see this as very unlikely since everything I write about is essentially already in the public domain. These people we have referred to have spent their lives being talked about in one way or another - it comes with the territory. I have been very careful to portray all the characters as honestly as possible and not to represent them in an unfair way. These people are by definition of their status successful for something or other in public life and it would be crass and probably dishonest to suggest different.

CH. When you Google George Bush senior there are lots of conspiracy stories about him. Are you saying these are all rubbish?

 DJG Not necessarily it’s just that any public enquiries that have been held or investigations into his activities have cleared him of any wrongdoing. As a leading politician he probably expects all of this innuendo as part of his job. 

CH. So are we going to see a sequel to The Treaty? I really enjoyed it by the way.

 DJG Thank you. I’m not sure about a sequel but I really do like the characters and would love to come up with another adventure for Andy and perhaps Caroline.

CH. I liked Caroline Lovelace-Jones where did the name come from is she someone you knew?

DJG   My honest answer is that there are bits and pieces of different people I’ve known throughout my life in all of the characters. This is inevitable however, I’m quick to say they really are fictitious and represent no one individual in particular.

CH.   Are you saying that because you don’t want to risk being sued?

DJG   No, I’m saying it because it is true. The story is very original although I quite expect many individuals will see themselves in the characters - hopefully.

CH.    Did you have a favourite person – someone you liked to write about?

DJG   If I’m honest I do like Caroline and actually built her part up in the story. She is funny and strong a little bit of Angelina Jones, Sharon Stone rolled into one. I also enjoyed the irreverent manner of Trudy; she is very immature and a little sad.

CH. How did you manage to create so many strong characters – no two people in the story are in anyway alike?

DJG I’m really not sure they just keep on coming. This must be based upon my age and experience having met such a wide portfolio of people in all walks of life.

CH. Well best of luck with this first novel and we look forward to many more David J Grant adventures.

 DJG Thanks