A Good Editor is a Writer’s Best Friend - Heike Phelan

 

A GOOD EDITOR IS A WRITER’S BEST FRIEND - HEIKE PHELAN

 

Heike Phelan has spent her working life in tourism, traveling throughout Europe with groups from all over the world. She has a BSc in transport and logistics management from Huddersfield University and is a qualified transport manager for both freight and passenger. In this special interview with Wole Adedoyin, the author of “Child Convict” shares full details about her life and writing vocation.

 

WA: TELL US ALL ABOUT YOUR WRITING BACKGROUND- WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN, WHAT YOU’RE CURRENTLY WRITING

HP: When I embarked on writing a book, I doubted I had the patience or the literary skill to write anything worthy of reading. It was my husband’s life in a Texas maximum security prison which inspired me to write about that.  My first book Child Convict was published in May 2018. It took me two years to write whilst travelling around Europe, working 70+ hours a week. That was the first in my ‘Convict series’. The second one, Career Convict was published in March 2020.  The third one, Convict Code was written during COVID lockdown and released in December 2020. Eventually there will be five books in the series. I will also be releasing a book of associated short stories shortly.

I am currently writing about women in an ICE detention centre, and the way undocumented immigrants are treated in America. It will be released towards the end of 2021.

 

WA: WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT A PIECE OF WRITING?

HP: I like a certain amount of escapism, the opposite extreme to what I write about because the prison system is an emotionally draining subject. There are certain authors I re-read periodically because I am inspired by their literary style. I like uncomplicated with a wide array of descriptive terms. Elizabeth Peters in her Amelia Peabody series is an example of that.

 

WA: WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE WRITERS AND WHY?

HP: My favourite author is Agatha Christie. Her knowledge and use of psychology in her books, written at a time when psychology was viewed with great skepticism is inspiring. I love the action and flawed characters in the books of Andy McNab and Chris Ryan, clearly written from their experiences in the SAS. Elizabeth Peters writings about Amelia Peabody are entertaining, the audible versions are superb. John Grisham, Lee Child and Mick Herron. I am part of a group called Promoting Yorkshire Authors. We have many fantastic authors and I am working my way through them.

 

WA: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A NEW WRITER STARTING OUT?

HP: Just sit down and write. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar initially or writing in correct order. You will edit and rearrange later. Just write.

 

WA: WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?

HP: My husband is my inspiration. He provides all the stories and gruesome detail of what happens in prison. It was my desire to let the outside world know the reality of life behind bars that keeps me writing. There is still much to tell.

 

WA: DO YOU HAVE A WRITING ROUTINE? A PLACE THAT’S SPECIAL?

HP: Before COVID, I would have to write whilst working my day job, in tourism. Any time I had a couple of hours I would write. It was not ideal. It was difficult to focus sufficiently, and as soon as I became absorbed and the writing flowed, I would have to stop. During COVID, unable to work, I could focus on writing. I made that my daily routine. I had read an interview at some point with Lee Child and his writing methods. He said he writes 1500 words a day. That seemed to be a manageable goal, so that is what I do. If I write more it’s a bonus. If I write less, I’m annoyed with myself.

 

WA: HOW, WHEN AND WHY DID YOU FIRST START WRITING?

HP: It was my husband who encouraged me and even pushed me to start writing. I hadn’t thought of it before he mentioned it. It was 2016 when I began writing Child Convict. I had spent months hounding the prison administration to give my husband life-saving medical treatment which they had denied him for years. It was my outrage at the negligence of the prison system administration towards the inmates and in particular my husband that inspired the decision to write the books.

 

WA: WHAT WAS THE FIRST PIECE YOU EVER HAD PUBLISHED?

HP: Child Convict in May 2018. It was nerve-wracking. Working on that book was a huge learning curve in how a book is written. Maybe not my best work, but I am proud of it regardless.

 

WA: DO YOU ADDRESS PARTICULAR THEMES OR ISSUES IN YOUR WRITING?

HP: I focus on writing about the Texas prison system from the perspective of the inmate and the families. The negligent and sub-standard care of the inmates and the exploitation and profiteering from the inmates and their families are particular issues of concern for me.

 

WA: HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SENDING YOUR WRITING OUT INTO THE WORLD?

HP: Each book that I publish there is a huge sense of achievement. I learned the hard way that in promoting my books, I had to put myself out there. I have always been very private, but there is always huge interest in ‘my story’, that story being how I met my husband, given that he is an American in a Texas prison and I am from Ireland/UK. The media love the story, and I have to be very careful how I present myself in interviews as the media like to portray certain stereotypes, of which I don’t subscribe to.

 

WA: WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS FROM?

HP: The ideas for my books are all stories and experiences from my husband’s life behind bars. Also from my own experiences having a husband in prison and dealing with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in all its forms.

 

WA: HOW DID YOU GET YOUR PUBLISHER?

HP: Child Convict was picked up by an Independent Publisher in America, Koehler Books. I had submitted the manuscript to several publishers in both the UK and America. Career Convict and Convict Code, I self-published with Ingram-spark which allows the books to be sold in book stores world-wide. My current work I am considering submitting to a publisher, but I’m not sure yet.

 

WA: TELL US WHAT KIND OF RESPONSES YOU GET FROM AUDIENCES\S.

HP: There is huge fascination over ‘my story’. On the whole I receive mostly positive responses and receive quite a lot of supportive messages. As is to be expected with the subject of prison, there are always those who feel the need to be rude, ignorant and nasty. I generally ignore those attitudes; life is too short and too interesting to get caught up in keyboard warrior negativity. People are always surprised that I would write about a subject like Texas prisons, particularly as I am European. People are always surprised I don’t fit the media’s stereotype of a ‘prison wife’.

 

WA: HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOU?

HP: There are numerous articles, interviews and appearances by me in mainstream media, although the content isn’t always entirely accurate. I have a Facebook page and a website. I will be attending literary festivals once COVID lock-downs are over and they are allowed to take place. There is also a plan in motion to visit different prisons and do talks with the prisoners.

 

WA: TIPS, TRICKS, THINGS TO PASS ON TO DEDICATED WRITER?

HP: Keep at it. Set small goals and keep writing. Read plenty to help with language usage.

 

WA: ANY TYPICAL/COMMON MISTAKES THAT NEW WRITERS TEND TO MAKE?

HP: Over-thinking. Worrying about the end result. A good editor is your best friend!

 

WA: WHICH OF YOUR BOOKS WERE THE MOST ENJOYABLE TO WRITE?

HP: The book of short stories I am working on.  The subject of prison life, particularly as it is about someone I love living that life is emotionally draining. It can become all consuming since dealing with the prison system and advocating for my husband is a large part of my everyday life too. I can write them in and amongst working on a longer book. It helps bring perspective back to change focus occasionally.

 

WA: TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST PUBLISHED BOOK? WHAT WAS THE JOURNEY LIKE?

HP: I didn’t have much confidence in my writing. I had no idea how many words an average length novel was. I didn’t know about formatting and I was far too reliant on the publisher’s advice, particularly when it came to the differences in words that the British and Americans use and say differently. I was clueless about the publishing process. It was a huge learning curve in a very short space of time.

 

WA: WHAT IS THE KEY THEME AND/OR MESSAGE IN THE BOOK?

HP: Prison life. Institutional violence, abuse, corruption, neglect and exploitation.

 

WA: WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?

HP: www.heikephelan-author.com, https://www.facebook.com/heikephelanbooks