The Kingston WritersFest is almost here! Events are selling out, so now is the time to get your tickets. All week long, Open Book will be sharing interviews with festival authors, who will tell us a bit about writing, reading and the one luxury they allow themselves while on tour with a book.
In today's Kingston WritersFest Interview, we speak with Ian Hamilton, author of the popular Ava Lee series. His latest in the series, The Two Sisters of Borneo (House of Anansi), was published in February 2014.
Ian will be reading from his novels and speaking about the creation of Ava Lee's world on the morning of Friday, September 26 at Organized Corruption: The World of Ava Lee.
For more details, please visit the Events page. You can purchase your tickets here.
Open Book:
Tell us about what you’ll be reading at this year’s festival.
Ian Hamilton:
I will be reading a short section from the initial Ava Lee novel, The Water Rat of Wanchai. It describes the first time that readers become aware that Ava isn't all that she appears to be, and that she's perfectly capable of looking after herself in any situation. I'll also read a short section from the newest Ava Lee (being published this December) The King of Shangahi. I haven't decided exactly which part yet. And note I used the word "short." I'm no fan of prolonged readings. I much prefer interaction with an interviewer, other writers on a panel and a lively audience.
OB:
How do you manage the shift between being a solitary writer and a public reader?
IH:
When I started public readings I was pretty much a basket case. I was extremely nervous, usually read far too quickly and didn't think about engaging with the audience. At the same time I was having problems coming to grips with the loneliness of the profession. I came from a business background, and was accustomed to spending hours on the phone every day. In the book business - I learned - no one, including my agent, my editor, my publisher and my publicist, wanted to hear from me other than by email, and even that was made to feel like an imposition. Gradually, I acclimatized, although I do talk to myself and my characters a bit more than is probably health. I also became comfortable doing events by thinking of them as just extended conversations with friends.
OB:
What is one luxury you allow yourself when you go "on tour" with a book?
IH:
I don't write. When I'm at home in my office, I write virtually every day. I don't have a strict schedule. I write when I feel like it. And most days I do if for no other reason that I love it. When I first started touring, I took a small computer with me and tried to work, but I found the change in the physical environment and the demands on my time made it impossible to get into a comfortable routine. It was frustrating and non-productive. So I gave up trying. Now I'm happier and I enjoy the events all the more.
OB:
What book will you have with you in your bag while you're attending the Kingston WritersFest?
IH:
Indonesia Etc., a wonderful book by Elizabeth Pisani about (what else?) Indonesia - the largest Muslim country in the world and one of the five most populous. She explores the incredible diverse societies and cultures that exist across its thousands of islands and presents, mainly through anecdote, the idea that Indonesia is a completely contrived political creation that somehow works. It is part travelogue, and that's probably my favorite genre after my own.
OB:
What are you most looking forward to about this year's festival?
IH:
Interaction with the audience. I'm doing an event by myself so there isn't a panel. And I'll be arriving late because I have a speech in Oakville the night before my morning event, and I have to leave immediately afterwards because my youngest daughter is getting married the next day in Ottawa. Thus I won't have a chance to attend other sessions, and that's something I usually enjoy. So my experience is going to be limited to my event.
Ian Hamilton is the author of seven novels in the Ava Lee series, including The Water Rat of Wanchai, which was the winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel. Ian lives in Burlington, Ontario with his wife Lorraine. He has four children and seven grandchildren.
For more information about The Two Sisters of Borneo please visit the House of Anansi website.
Buy this book at your local independent bookstore or online at Chapters/Indigo or Amazon.
Post new comment