Wild Africa, Odyssey in a Ford Corsair GT
Wild Africa, Odyssey in a Ford Corsair GT
By Brian Dawtrey Publisher Austin Macauley PublishersISBN 1785545965
ANSI 1785545965
Published in Action & Adventure, Biographies Memoirs,Synopsis
In 1964 Jo and Brian Dawtrey and their three children set off on their second tour of Overseas Aid to Tanzania, East Africa. Leaving behind twelve years experience of farming in England, they are appointed to initiate agricultural and resettlement schemes for tribal communities enabling them to upgrade their standard of living and to grow cash crops. This story is about their extensive travel, often having to build or repair the roads before them, their wild bush adventures and their strident humanitarian efforts to bring tribal communities into the modern world. When they are finally posted to the tropical coast of Tanga Province, they feel they have reached heaven but God’ has unforeseen plans for the Dawtreys.
What is the Tag Line for your book? (A short description of your book in a sentence or two)
Easy reading with 100 pictures
Do you write full time or part time
Full time
How do you structure your day when you write
Forget to cook my lunch
Why do you write? (Example; For fun, to make extra money, a personal experience you want to share with the public)
A very extraordinary life with a very extraordinary wife, working in Overseas Aid Programmes in Africa, makes a good story, not for money.
What are you working on right now / or your most recent work
Children's book about a crazy African Ostrich
What inspired you to create this book
Our family life has been so adventurously risky over 24 years in Arica it would make a great film, and I have always been a writer.
What genre do you write in and why did you choose it
Memoir.Such a parable of achievements, surviving on a loving marriage, worthy of record.
How much research did you do on your book? (If it applies)
Masses
How do you think you have evolved creatively from when you first started writing until now
I am a creative person and am still improving with my pen.
What was the hardest thing about writing this book for you
Because of the historic nature of events, getting the facts exactly correct.
What was the most rewarding
The overall quality of the final text and the 100 photographs
If you had to start over, is there anything you would do different
No
How have you evolved from when you first started writing until now
Of course. I have been a technical writer associated with overseas government employment, and have had to change my style completely from concise brevity to painting pictures in words.
Are you a planner type person, or do you prefer to dive right in when you write
Planner
How much dialogue do you have with your readers
Not enough
Do they influence your writing
Yes
Do you recommend being a part of a support groups to help you with your writing
No experience of this. I am basically self reliant person.
Do you work with an editor If so, how much input do they have
Yes. Quite a lot but this colleagues, not a publishers.
Was there anyone in your past that you think influenced your writing
My wife of 62 years.
Do you have any tips or useful resources on marketing
Problem: the publishing world is changing dramatically.Week-end magazines/feature worthwhile.
How are you publishing this book? (Indie / self-published, traditional)
Indie
What are your thoughts on book series
Mine is Wild Africa, helps sales and recognition of author
How long do you think a book should be? (Pages or words)
200 - 250 pages
Do you have a strategy for finding reviewers
I am no good at it
What advice would you give to your younger self today
Study journalism part time
What is your favorite book or film
Treasure Island
If you don’t already have one, do you have plans to have a book trailer and what are your thoughts on them overall
???
What are you working on next
Olive Ostrich, for children, then Zambia, Central Africa
When you get frustrated, how do you deal with it
Don't get frustrated
What advice would you give a writer that is just starting out
Don't try to do it for a living
About the Author
