RB My book, Incident at Barbers Ridge was published in October 2019 through
Dovetail Press.
AW And that's semi-fictional, I believe. You've written your autobiography… how difficult was
that? It must be very hard to commit to paper events and incidents experienced
or seen that changed your thinking or the course of your life…
RB My first book, Waiting for the Rains, is
an autobiography about my life working and living in Africa. I
spent many years working and living in south-east Africa. This was in Malawi and Zambia, but I also
travelled to Mozambique, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
Also Egypt and Ethiopia in the north.
The experiences and situations I was either in or saw, I felt needed to
be told. I have been back to Africa
many times, the latest being three years ago.
The interior of Africa does not attract many tourists. Many
correspondents fly in for an assignment and then leave. I was living there and so can give a
balanced summary of what I saw and experienced.
It was
not difficult to write an account of my life in Africa. I thought it needed to be told. Not so much a mission, but necessary for
others to read about the often unique and personal situations happening day to
day.
AW What about other types of writing? Have you ever dabbled with short stories,
for instance, or other genres?
RB I belong to two writing groups. The assignments are often short, 500 to under 1,000 words. This number of words forces you to be brief
and get the story told with the minimum of description. It’s rather like being a student with an
assignment needed for Monday morning!
There is a deadline. With a
maximum number of words, you just have to have discipline.
AW Famous authors, such as Roald Dahl and Dylan Thomas,
had a special space for writing. Do you have a writing ‘shed’ of your
own?
 |
| Walking home - from Roger's time in Africa |
RB I don’t need a special place to write. Sometimes when I get ideas, they are tapped
out on my phone. Or text may be
scribbled down on a piece of paper while on the top of a bus, going into
Leeds. But usually I don’t want
background music. Silence is my best option!
I will even think over ideas while going out for a jog. Takes my mind
off the pain of going up the next hill!
AW Finally, if you had a whole afternoon to yourself and
could choose to spend it with any one individual, living or dead or a character
from a book, who would it be, and what would you want to discuss?
RB There are several people I would like to
spend the afternoon in discussion with. An ancient Greek philosopher like Plato
(several others could be on my list) would be fascinating. He had such original concepts hundreds of
years before anyone else. Especially interesting would be to ask his opinion
about how these concepts would be applied to the modern world. It would be hard work, but a stimulating
afternoon!
about the book… This is a story about a conflict somewhere
in Africa. Although the characters are fictitious, the situation is based on
facts. (The writer lived and worked in Africa for many years.) A war
correspondent is sent to report on a long standing dispute about land
ownership. The original settlers have farmed the land for generations,
producing, crops for their livelihood. The indigenous people want their land
back, claiming it is their inheritance. Both sides have a genuine claim, worth
fighting for. This leads to a minor war with the army. They are led
by 'A Squad', an experienced bushland fighting unit, who operate out of a base deep
in hostile territory. The squad is fighting in the harsh conditions of the
savannah, where the terrain is as much of an enemy as the rebels. The rebels
are born in the savannah and seem to appear and disappear into the sand and
heat haze. The story is also a mixture of politics and ethnic
rivalry. Much of the action is set in Mwanza, where the squad go to
between missions. This is a remote rest and recuperation town, full of drink,
sex, gambling and drugs. The rebels have an ace player, who could perhaps
broker a deal between both sides. In the story, the lives and aspirations of
the major players are examined. The final outcome is forged at Barbers Ridge,
the rebels major stronghold.
You can get Roger's books using the links in the text above and you can follow Roger on his Facebook page.
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