The latest volume of Jeffrey Archer’s ambitious five-part saga “The Clifton Chronicles” will be released next month in different regions. “Best Kept Secrets” is the third instalment of a series spanning a century. While keeping the central thread of the saga throughout the period, Archer also brings in new characters. Excerpts from an interview with Weekend Review:
You seem to have a winner on your hands with “The Clifton Chronicles”. “Only Time Will Tell” and “The Sins of the Father” have been wildly successful. Do you feel any pressure of living up to the expectations for the third book in the five-part series, “Best Kept Secrets”?
Absolutely. There is tremendous pressure to make each book better than the last. So, although some of the main characters will continue their journey through all five books, my aim is always to keep the reader interested and engaged in the story, by introducing new characters and taking them in directions the reader will never expect.
When is the international release date for “Best Kept Secrets”?
“Best Kept Secrets” will be published in Australia on March 1, in the United Kingdom, India and South Africa on March 14, and in the United States and Canada on April 29.
In your last interview with Weekend Review in 2011 you had said “my whole life is focused on these five books”. Is that still the plan or do you plan on writing something else on the side?
I’ve now started work on book four of “The Clifton Chronicles”, and I prefer to concentrate on one book at a time so when this is handed in to the publishers, I’ll then start thinking about the final book in the series. I do have ideas for other projects, but have pushed these to one side for the moment to focus totally on book four.
What are the main challenges when plotting a saga stretched over a hundred years?
The real challenge is to keep each book or each chapter fresh and interesting for the reader, bringing in new characters along the way while still keeping the central thread of the saga throughout the years. With splitting a saga into five books, just keeping track of names and which character is doing what is a challenge in itself.
You are best known as a great storyteller. Can storytelling be learnt? Or, is it just a gift you are born with?
I believe storytelling is a gift you are born with. Yes, you can attend creative writing classes and learn the craft of writing, hone your skills, but that innate ability to grab the reader’s interest and take them with you through the twists and turns of a story can’t be taught.
How much reading do you do as part of your job? Who is your favourite novelist?
I read a lot, but never when I’m actually writing a new book, unless it’s research material, as I find I need to concentrate totally on the task at hand and don’t want to be distracted by other peoples’ words. Once I’ve finished the first draft, I usually take a couple of weeks’ break, and then certainly catch up on my reading. My favourite novelist would have to be Alexandre Dumas — the granddaddy of storytellers.
You are deeply involved with auctions for charity. What charitable causes are closest to your heart?
I much enjoy auctioneering, and usually do around 40 a year for many different causes — both huge events such as for Sir Magdi Yacoub’s Chain of Hope charity or for Make-A-Wish, and smaller, equally worthwhile charities such as Muscle Help which raises money for children with Muscular Dystrophy. Last year these auctions raised just over £3.3 million (Dh19 million). However, the charity which is closest to my heart is Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, as my wife, Mary, was Chairman of Cambridge University Hospitals (Addenbrooke’s) for ten years until October last year and has campaigned tirelessly to raise money for a new children’s hospital for the East of England.
Are your characters inspired by real people?
Yes, many of my characters are inspired by people I’ve met — whether an inspirational teacher from my schooldays, or someone I’ve met during my life. There’s even occasionally a little of me in some of them.
Many writers and filmmakers seem to be coming up with trilogies/series. This seems commerce-driven. Do you think there is risk of shortchanging the reader? Even the writer is saved the effort of coming up with a new story.
Just because you may be writing a series, doesn’t mean you don’t have to come up with new storylines. In fact it’s more challenging than writing a stand-alone novel, because you have to interweave so many characters over a long period of time and keep coming up with new and exciting adventures along the way.
Jeffrey Archer will be appearing at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature on March 8 and 9.
