Welcome John Fishwick to Author Interview Friday. I love our tag line, “Can true love happen twice?” That is obviously the crux of the story in A Flight to Romance. I must admit that your background does not lend itself to imagine a romantic a heart.
Well, beneath my background of cold, logical science lies a hot, beating romantic heart.
Okay, LOL, please share your background that led you to writing novels?
I graduated from Liverpool University in England in 1955 with a degree in Geology and Chemistry. After studying Russian with British Intelligence, I emigrated to Canada , where I worked as a field Geologist looking for nickel deposits and as a Research Chemist for the Uranium industry.
In 1959, I left Canada for the US , where, after working on a secret project for the US Government, I became a citizen. I published a book and over fifty technical papers and holds several patents. I started a hi-tech materials company about 35 years ago, which I continue to operate.
I am a member of the American Ceramic Society and of American Mensa and past president of the Everglades Astronomical Society. I lecture on Astronomy, various Science subjects, and on several items of Topical interest, including Global Warming and Critical Thinking. I lecture at colleges in Florida , North Carolina , and worldwide on various cruise ships.
I live in Naples , Florida during the winter months and in Western North Carolina in the summer with my wife, Nancy.
What Inspired You to Write this Novel?
I am fascinated by everything, except perhaps fashion. And basketball. I would regard it as a distinct honor to be thought of as a polymath. Even a scientist-philosopher.
Following my lectures at Universities, Colleges, and on cruise ships, I am frequently asked if I have a book containing details of the subjects covered in my lectures. So, I began a technical book several years ago based on a visit to various sites in England concerned with Astronomy, Geology, and Evolution. Then my first wife, Barbara, died from cancer and my enthusiasm for writing died with her.
But my fascination with all things scientific remained and I decided, with the encouragement of my second wife, Nancy, to resurrect the book as a novel in which many intriguing aspects of science are interwoven into a conversation between my two protagonists. The lady protagonist-Stephanie-, being a retired teacher of English and a lover of art, brings her knowledge to the discussions and, I believe, gives the reader a break from science and a welcome entrée into the world of literature and art.
An old friend, now deceased, told me that everyone should, in his or her lifetime, plant a tree, have a child, and write a book. I have now accomplished all three.
Do you have any advise for new first-time authors?
I would recommend getting help from someone who has already been through the writing and publishing process before. Also, don’t approach another writer until you have done your own homework and have most of the book already planned and written.
Would you give me a synopsis of the novel: A FLIGHT TO ROMANCE?
It was true, she had thought his science trips would be a little tedious, but they were actually quite fascinating, and she was intrigued by his big quest.
Can true love happen twice in a lifetime? Find out in John Fishwick’s debut novel, A Flight to Romance. A thoughtful reflection on everything from art and science to romance and relationships, its raw emotion will captivate even the most casual reader.
Jeremy Rowlands lives a quiet life as an astronomy professor at the University of Florida. When he loses his wife in a car accident, Jeremy leaps at the opportunity to spend three weeks abroad to reevaluate his new role in life.
Meanwhile, Stephanie Marks embarks on a trip to visit the historic homes of famous British authors. As a retired English teacher who lost her husband to cancer, she has finally settled into a resigned solitude.
When Jeremy and Stephanie meet on the same flight, their lively and meaningful conversation sparks something in them both. Their decision to become traveling companions for the remainder of the trip allows their tenuous bond to grow, forcing them both to face a painful question: Is it really possible to fall in love again?
How About a Short Paragraph or Two From the Novel?
Waking surprisingly early in the morning after the previous long day, Stephanie was rewarded with the fine view she had been unable to fully enjoy the night before. Throwing back the covers, she headed to the window and pulled the curtains farther apart. Opening the window, she inhaled the clean morning air. This was not a typical day of rain and cool weather in the Lake District, but a brilliant, clear morning with the lake shimmering in the distance. A number of small boats bobbed next the pontoons to which they were tied. A sprinkling of sailing boats were moored farther out in the lake, and she saw steep peaks in the distance on the far side of the water. “O to be in England / Now that April’s there / And whoever wakes in England / Sees, some morning, unaware,” Stephanie recited. She closed the window, thinking that Robert Browning had it right. She sighed happily, savoring the early morning and imagining the next few hours with Jeremy as they explored the countryside and the homes of William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter.
As she headed to the shower, her thoughts went back to the wonderfully happy days when she taught high school Shakespeare and to the plots of his magnificent plays. She remembered that the starcrossed lovers always encountered a block to romance built by a stubborn father or a family feud. If the block remained, the play ended in death and tragedy; if not, the play was a romance. The third act, she told her students, was a critical point in each play. It foretold the outcome, romance or tragedy.
Fresh with her memories, she turned off the shower, grabbing a fluffy white towel and then heading into the bedroom. She pulled open the wooden wardrobe. A long mirror on the inside of the door reflected the full length of her body. “Not bad,” she muttered. The slightly dowdy, retired teacher who had mourned for the last few years, was now rested and enjoying life once again. She now felt attractive—and desirable. Selecting an outfit for the day, she smiled and scrutinized herself once again. Aloud, she said told her reflection, “Act 3 is about to begin.”
Where can readers go to get your book?
From Create Space: http://createspace.com/4410601
On Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-flight-to-romance-john-fishwick/1118026627?ean=9781492921097
Writing Under Fire 