George Roberts

George was born in 1976 in Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey and moved to Malvern, Worcestershire in the late 80's. It was in the early 90's that his whole life completely changed. At the age of 14 he was diagnosed with having a brain tumour. The removal and treatment was successful, however, the experience changed his whole view on life, in a very positive way.

George has always enjoyed writing and loves the moment a new idea starts to unravel in his mind, an idea that can be sparked by the smallest of things.

George is a person who tries to see the humour in things when it may be tough to do so, but he believes that a good sense of humour can help people in the darkest of times, and for him, it has, Georges writing reflects this.

'From Ten Down To Three' is a thought provoking read full of wit and a dash of tragedy.

Hello! My name is George Roberts, and I am the author of ‘From Ten Down To Three’. I have been asked to write a little something about my experience as an author so far.

First of all, writing can at times be the most frustrating thing ever; it’s also the most amazing thing to do. My writing usually starts with the smallest idea, maybe an unusual event, a strange encounter, or just anything that will trigger a series of thoughts and twists. That first click in the brain that unfolds into a story is the most enjoyable part for me. In ‘From Ten Down To Three’ the story is based on my own life, which means that all of the emotions, feelings and escapades are (mainly) true. The story is told through the eyes of a teenage boy, James, who starts to question the idea that fate has played a part in his life. The fiction in ‘From Ten Down To Three’ knits well with the reality. I believe the reader can explore the reasoning behind James' thoughts.

‘From Ten Down To Three’ has been enjoyed by people of all ages, but is primarily aimed at young adults. Writing a book for young adults was, let me tell you, amazing - it did help that both my boys (now men) were teenagers!

As I started to write, the words began to flow and I could feel myself getting so involved in the emotions that James was experiencing, as I had felt them years before. There were times I cried and times I laughed; there were times that the words triggered memories, memories that I had somehow forgotten (at first this was strange). My fingers were somehow subconsciously one-step ahead of my thoughts, but I found this, after a while, comforting. Writing can be a very powerful thing and is great therapy.

James goes through some very tough times - events that teenagers are going through today. He explains his emotions and his belief in the possibility of fate. I hope that by reading this book, people will connect with James and know that they are not the only ones going through a hard time. We have all, at some point, felt vulnerable. James remained positive and was always looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. Nobody is ever truly alone in these tough times as you will discover in ‘From Ten Down To Three’.

James inherited his humour from his parents, and uses it as a tool to help him get through tough times. They do say that ‘laughter is the best medicine’!

As an author, I find that easiest way to write is honestly and from the heart. Life can be hard, it can be a roller coaster in fact. One minute you could be experiencing the best time of your life and in a split second everything can change; nobody knows what is around the corner. After all, is this not one of the most amazing things about our lives, the ‘not knowing’ part? It gives us hope and helps realise our dreams and our potential. We roll with the punches when we need to and ride the waves when it is asked of us. We also savour and cherish the times that make us adore life.

I truly hope that you enjoy 'From Ten Down To Three' as much as I did writing it. Join James on his journey of discovery and you might, just might, discover something you didn't already know about your own life…

Q&A:

Q) For the readers, can you talk us through your background and the synopsis of your new novel?

A) Hi, I was born in Kingston Upon Thames during the heatwave of 1976, my mother often reminds me of this as she was also carrying my twin brother. My mother was an ex police officer and my father was a prison officer. I lived in New Malden until the age of 11. In 1987 we all moved to Malvern, Worcestershire, this was my father was born, Malvern is the place that I still consider home.

From Ten Down To Three is partly fiction but a lot of it is based on my own life, my own thoughts, feelings and events, although this is told through the eyes of James, a fictional character. For many years I had always been writing short stories, stories that would pop into my head at any given time. I may have seen something that was slightly out of the ordinary, this led to a trigger in my mind and would often evolve into an elaborate story as to why that man may have been walking along with one shoe, a woman may have been crying in the middle of town. I’d always think why?, why was she crying? I just love writing, but I love it even more when I get the burst that begins the start of a story, I really enjoy how the plots unfold in my mind. From Ten Down To Three looks into the feelings, thoughts and scenarios that James finds himself in. James is very inquisitive and is always looking for answers as to why things happen, happen to himself but also to others. After the discovery of a brain tumour these questions just got bigger and bigger, James starts to look into the events that led him to certain points in his life, he questions himself as to why they happened, if they hadn’t of happened where would he be now. The tumour was found by luck, luck that happened just before it was too late. James starts to examine the possibility of fate, and he has a strong feeling that he is being helped by someone or something during the darker times in his life. James has a great and strong family who help him during the recovery after having the brain tumour removed. James, although going through this rough time deals with everything with his strong sense of humour, a humour that his whole family have, a humour that leads him to some hilarious moments, moments that follow him into his adulthood.

n 1986, James collapses after a game of football at school. The cause is diagnosed as a tumour on the brain. Although treatment is successful, James will never be the footballer he was. The story of James continues on into his thirties as he falls in love, starts a family and becomes, in a modest way, a hero.

In From Ten Down to Three George Roberts examines fate as events happen in James’s life that leave him questioning whether things are meant to be or are simply coincidence. A phone call made in error lead to him finding love. A bang on the head reveals the presence of the tumour. Saving a young woman’s life leads to an unexpected encounter.

From Ten Down to Three is a delightful read full of wit and a dash of tragedy.

Q) Can you talk us through the journey from idea to writing to publication?

A) The journey from writing for me was at times quite a difficult one, and very frustrating. I’d often read articles by authors that writing the actual book was the easy part, getting an agent or finding a publisher was the hard bit. I now realise that this is very true. So, the book was finished, well in my eyes it was. Right lets find an agent, this was tough. The rejections, the near misses and the criticism was not was I was expecting. Eventually I had some great news, an agent had seen my work and decided to take me on. I had the book edited and refined, all was looking great, where was my agent? I couldn’t get hold of him at times, the times that I did speak to him he seemed to be away with the fairies. He promised me many things, publication, book signings etc, nothing. I made the choice that it was best that we went our separate ways, trouble is I could not get hold of him to let him know. I eventually did but I had wasted nearly three years with him.

All of this taught me much, and all of the trouble that I went through was for the best because I then found Austin Macauly, they took on my book and the process was so much smoother. The rejections in the early stages toughened me up and they also gave me the motivation to keep trying. I never gave up, it is not in my nature. Nobody should ever give up on their dreams, keep going and always remember that just because some people say it’s not good enough does not mean that they are right, KEEP GOING!!

Q) What are your favourite authors and recommended reads?

A) Wow, I have so many. I love Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, I could read these over and over again. I really enjoy Dan Browns work, The Davinci code was amazing, although the film….erm. Digital fortress is another favourite. You can probably tell that I like anything with a great plot with plenty of twists, these two authors are exceptional at delivering both. I did however enjoy the Harry Potter books, and I really love Stephen King also, his best work for me is The Green Mile, the film was great too. I would recommend any of these books to almost anyone.

I used to read a lot of Sherlock Holmes as a teenager actually. I loved Roald Dahls books, The BFG, THE TWITS and THE WITCHES, that’s just to name a few. It was around the time when I was reading these books that I would start to write short stories myself. Roald Dahl, I guess was probably my earliest recollection and my introduction to the world of books.

Q) What has been your favourite moment of being a published author?

A) OK, there have been quite a few moments, my first radio interview, my first book signing, the people I have met along the way, most have been lovely and so helpful. The best moment for me, and I would think for most authors is that moment they get their finished book in their hands for the first time, let me tell you, its an incredible feeling. All your hard work is there in the palm of your hands, it is actually quite an emotional moment really.

Q) Who has been your source of support/encouragement, throughout the writing process?

A) Throughout the whole process from writer to published author I can honestly say that my whole family have been so supportive, it is however my wife and children that have had to put up with my frustrations, disappointments and the odd hours that I would find myself writing. My wife has been fantastic and so honest, if she doesn’t like something that I have done then she will tell me, she is good like that,

Authors Links:

Twitter: @FTDTTGRoberts