Featured Interview With John A. Hopkins
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in the Midlands in the United Kingdom. I moved to London for work after university, and have lived there since. I studied Physics at university, and still have a strong interest in science, especially space exploration, physics and cutting edge technology.
Although I do not have pets, I love animals, and travelling to see them in the wild and take photographs is something I really enjoy. I am an avid sports fan, and am notorious for watching practically any sport.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I honestly cannot remember a time when I didn’t read. I started out with anything related to bears (Rupert, Paddington, Winnie the Pooh) and then as I got a bit older the Hardy Boys and The Three Investigators series. I also remember being fascinated with encyclopaedia’s and a series of books about ancient civilisations.
I have thought about writing for a long time, and even had a stab at writing a few times, but never managed to build up any momentum and finish something until recently. I have a backlog of research – things I have found interesting that I thought might make good plot points, or interesting additions, so hopefully finishing something will encourage me to make progress on my next projects – a novella about an assassin, and another thriller set in London. I’ve some ideas for a sci-fi as well.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
John Grisham, Michael Crichton, Mark Dawson, John Le Carre and Ian Fleming are probably my favourite authors, although I have quite eclectic tastes. I read thrillers and sci-fi when I want to escape, but I also read a fair amount of military history.
Styles of writing inspire me more than particular authors. Things I aspire to emulate include; engaging descriptions of locations, places, events and people, everyday life and hopefully the occasional bit of informative content (I think Crichton does this better than anyone).
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest (hopefully first rather than only) book is The Careless Fraudster. It centres on a normal guy named Steven Palmer who works in London, but his job involves a fair amount of travel. When work takes him to Siberia, and Moscow, a chance encounter in nightclub puts him at the centre of a conspiracy involving the Russian Mafia, drug smuggling and gun running.
It’s hard to say how it has taken to write, but I probably started in one form or another over a decade ago, but I have dipped in and out over the years, tried to start other projects, and then returned to it. It has certainly come together more rapidly in the last year – time is less of a problem when you cannot leave the house! The cover photograph is a favourite I took some years ago.