The Interview - John Walker Pattison

How did you become an author and get published? Share your experience.

I completely wasted my school years, leaving with a handful of worthless qualifications. The ONLY job I could secure was that of a welder in a local shipyard. However, at the tender age of eighteen, cancer gripped my feeble figure in a deathly stranglehold and refused to let go. Eventually, after years of failed treatments, I was moved into the comfort of the drawing office and away from the toxic fumes of welding. Sadly, eight years after my unexpected recovery, my four-year-old daughter was diagnosed with terminal leukaemia, leading me to review where I was in life. I left the shipyards to spend time with my daughter who went into a spontaneous remission, going on to become an international swimmer. Therefore, I returned to college and re-trained as a nurse, enjoying a meteoric rise to the top of the nursing ladder, working my entire nursing career in cancer services.

Which character do you enjoy writing the most as a writer and why? If choosing a favorite character is like choosing a favorite child, which character do you find requires the most attention and detail from you as a writer?

In reality, my book is a memoir and is about my battle as a cancer patient, and then as the parent of a four-year-old diagnosed with terminal Leukaemia. I subsequently went on and re-trained as a nurse in cancer services. I enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of the nursing ladder; retiring due to chronic health issues (as a consequence of the salubrious chemotherapy) in 2021. Today, I am humbled to be one of the UK's longest cancer survivors. My book aims to deliver inspiration to society, but particularly to anyone touched by a cancer diagnosis, which scarily is 1 in 2 of the population.

What are some books or authors that you would recommend to our readers?

Dee Brown

Describe the [book/series] in 10 words or less for people who are just learning about it.

Inspirational.....................

Would you like readers to have any specific takeaway from your book?

Inspiration.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

I think I write from the heart and when the mood takes me.

Share some advice for aspiring authors. What advice would you give to your younger self?1. What is your favorite line from your book?

Write what you love, and of course, what you know about. Understand and respect your limitations.

To date, what is your favorite (or most difficult) chapter you have ever written?

I had hoped that my memoir would be a cathartic experience and rid my psychological mind of some of the demons that lurk in the canyons of my inner soul. Sadly, it failed to do that as I live with the legacy of cancer and a recent recurrence. That said, I would argue, that life is sweet.

Have you ever experienced writer’s block? How did you deal with it?

Of course. To deal with this, I would usually pick up my camera and head outdoors. I am very fortunate to live only minutes from the coast of the North of England, and some inspiring views that can help stimulate my creative writing.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Photography, fly-fishing and touring America (not necessarily in that order).

What are you reading right now?

An autobiography of 'Crazy Horse.'

What can we anticipate from you moving forward?

I started writing children's fiction when I retired. This will be my focus moving forward.

Do you have any movie or tv adaptations in the works?

Not as yet, but I would love to.

How long did it take you to write this book?

Approximately twelve months. I would often awaken during the early hours remembering certain aspects of my cancer journey, and would feel compelled to get up and write it down.

Where do you like to write? In a coffee shop? In your home office? On the beach?

Anywhere, but mainly in the quiet confines of home.

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind of music do you like to listen to?

Sometimes. My main music these days is Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real.

Do you have any personal connection to the story or characters?

Yes, it is my life-story. It won third place at the New York Book Fair Awards 2023.