I mostly struggled with how I could raise some serious issues and keep the novel fun and engaging. Many characters presented themselves. In the end I focused on two characters and wrote the novel mainly in their voices.
Craig Dinsell – 16 January 2021
About the book
What is the book about?
Winning is a fictional slice of life set mainly on Wall Street and in London. Superficially, the novel is about the ruthlessness of office and sexual politics: knives and chameleons, if you will. The characters who comprise senior management are of themselves interesting and diverse, if a little too territorial and upwardly focused. But when they come together they become obsessed with self-interest and become quite dysfunctional; any notion of authenticity goes out of the window. When a tragedy occurs and the parent company schemes to sell them off, all hell breaks loose. At a deeper level Winning is about two people trying to find meaning in their lives. Backstories, one set in the UK the others on the African content and the U.S. add to the feel and texture of the narrative.
When did you start writing the book?
A couple of years ago, although many of the themes have been marinating in my head for several years.
Where did you get the idea from?
The story is entirely imagined, conjured out of bits of the situations I encountered in C-suites of financial services that I traveled over many years.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
I mostly struggled with how I could raise some serious issues and keep the novel fun and engaging. Many characters presented themselves. In the end I focused on two characters and wrote the novel mainly in their voices. There were also a few alternative endings and I struggled as to which to choose. My editor at Loudhailer Books, an independent publisher, was tremendously helpful to me throughout the process.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
None of it is true. All the same, people tell me that the characters, fiction and atmosphere resonate with their experience. I wanted to get people to think about what it means to gain the world but lose their soul, at a time when everyone has their own version of the truth.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I have always liked John le Carre, whose writing has been frequently underrated, and Ian Mc Ewan. More recently, Edward St Aubyn. And I’m a great lover of poetry, mainly the War Poets, then Auden, and on some days, Jorie Graham. Poetry features quite a lot in the novel, often in a quite bizarre way!
Do you have a target reader?
If not too grandiose, I hope Winning will appeal to people in business who are eager to read a story within which they can place themselves and engage with an affirmation that truth is important. I also hope it will find a market amongst readers simply interested in a compelling story about two people who surprisingly discover hope and identity.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Not much of one. I’m more driven by intuition than structure. In general, I start with the characters. Who are they, what are they experiencing, what journey are they on? Then I develop a broad notion of the plot which constantly evolves as I think about how the protagonists might react to events. In this case, I drew out a fictional organization chart, populated it with characters and developed the plot from there.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I don’t really do much of that. I keep most of it in my head. I do write ideas down on post-it notes though, so at any one time I have a load of those plastered about my desk.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I conduct a rough edit of each chapter as I go. And then go through the whole thing innumerable times. My wife played a major role in this! Importantly, I also worked with Loudhailer Books.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I did not. I found that distracting.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Yes in the US and the UK.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
As I developed a working relationship with Loudhailer Books it seemed the most straightforward thing to do and has been an excellent experience. Am I beginning to sound too much like an advertisement?
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
The cover was created by a professional.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Yes, there is a somewhat structured marketing effort.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Take a thorough look at the market and tread carefully. You need to have someone seasoned who knows what they are doing .
About You
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in London.
Where do you live now?
I live on a small farm in New Jersey now and became a U.S. citizen a number of years ago.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I am working on a novel about a bunch of really eccentric characters who embark on a bizarre road trip with disastrous consequences. Very funny I hope! And of course, a book of poems. I have about eighty so it’s a matter of winnowing them down.
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