Meet Tony Riches, Author of Queen Sacrifice
What inspired you to become an author?
Like many authors I began writing short stories and contributing to a range of magazines. When I wrote my MBA thesis I realised it was a long as some books but it was when I read Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft that I really felt inspired to begin writing a novel.
How did you come up with the idea for Queen Sacrifice?
Queen Sacrifice was one of those rare creative ideas that came into my mind ‘fully formed’. I had been looking into the early history of Wales and suddenly realised how the battles between kings reminded me of a game of chess, as there were bishops and early knights supporting both sides. Looking at the map of early Wales, I also realised it would be possible overlay a chessboard over the whole country and identify four castles as the ‘rooks’. I started looking at some of the most famous chess games and decided it would be fun to faithfully follow every move in the 1956 Queen Sacrifice game known by chess players as ‘the game of the century,’ with every piece a compelling character in the story.
What do you think readers will enjoy most about your book?
I put a lot of time and effort into researching the details of life in 10th Century Wales and went to a lot of trouble to find authentic Welsh names for all the characters (and a Saxon name for the white queen.) Readers seem to fall into two groups - chess players who enjoy checking I haven’t missed out any moves and people who have told me they quickly forgot it was anything to do with chess!
What advice would you give to a new author trying to get their book published?
Don’t give up! I recommend a great book How to Get a Literary Agent by Michael Larsen see http://tonyriches.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/book-review-how-to-get-literary-agent.html The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame was rejected by his own publisher as 'an irresponsible holiday story' and Lord of the Flies by William Golding was described as 'an absurd and uninteresting fantasy which was rubbish and dull.'
Are you currently working on other books?
I am in the final editing staged of a non-fiction book Terra Nova: Antarctic Voyager about Captain Scott’s ship, inspired by the recent discovery of seven letters from a member of the crew - and of course the centenary. I was very lucky to have the support of Scott’s granddaughter, the artist Dafila Scott. I am also half way through my second novel which is based in Mombasa (I grew up in Kenya) about tourists kidnapped from the beach by Somali pirates.
You can find out more about Tony Riches and his books by visiting http://tonyriches.blogspot.com.
Like many authors I began writing short stories and contributing to a range of magazines. When I wrote my MBA thesis I realised it was a long as some books but it was when I read Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft that I really felt inspired to begin writing a novel.
How did you come up with the idea for Queen Sacrifice?
Queen Sacrifice was one of those rare creative ideas that came into my mind ‘fully formed’. I had been looking into the early history of Wales and suddenly realised how the battles between kings reminded me of a game of chess, as there were bishops and early knights supporting both sides. Looking at the map of early Wales, I also realised it would be possible overlay a chessboard over the whole country and identify four castles as the ‘rooks’. I started looking at some of the most famous chess games and decided it would be fun to faithfully follow every move in the 1956 Queen Sacrifice game known by chess players as ‘the game of the century,’ with every piece a compelling character in the story.
What do you think readers will enjoy most about your book?
I put a lot of time and effort into researching the details of life in 10th Century Wales and went to a lot of trouble to find authentic Welsh names for all the characters (and a Saxon name for the white queen.) Readers seem to fall into two groups - chess players who enjoy checking I haven’t missed out any moves and people who have told me they quickly forgot it was anything to do with chess!
What advice would you give to a new author trying to get their book published?
Don’t give up! I recommend a great book How to Get a Literary Agent by Michael Larsen see http://tonyriches.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/book-review-how-to-get-literary-agent.html The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame was rejected by his own publisher as 'an irresponsible holiday story' and Lord of the Flies by William Golding was described as 'an absurd and uninteresting fantasy which was rubbish and dull.'
Are you currently working on other books?
I am in the final editing staged of a non-fiction book Terra Nova: Antarctic Voyager about Captain Scott’s ship, inspired by the recent discovery of seven letters from a member of the crew - and of course the centenary. I was very lucky to have the support of Scott’s granddaughter, the artist Dafila Scott. I am also half way through my second novel which is based in Mombasa (I grew up in Kenya) about tourists kidnapped from the beach by Somali pirates.
You can find out more about Tony Riches and his books by visiting http://tonyriches.blogspot.com.
Stacie Theis / beachboundbooks@yahoo.com / copyright 2012