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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best book magazine in the UK“, historical fiction author Joshua Catchatoor shares the inspiration behind his new book, The Adventures of Lord Bolingbroke: Part One, and his creative writing process.
I interviewed Joshua Catchatoor about his life and career, what inspired him to start writing, and the story of his new book The Adventures of Lord Bolingbroke: Part One.
Hi, my name is Joshua Catchatoor and I am the author of The Adventures of Lord Bolingbroke: Part One. I am twenty-nine and a content writer by trade. I am also a musician, I’m writing an album currently, and in my free time I enjoy a round or two of disc golf (look it up if you haven’t heard of it – it’s fun).
I’ve always flirted with the idea of writing a book, I remember enjoying creative writing very much as a child but haven’t quite gotten round to doing anything substantial until now. I always thought that I ‘should’ write an epic, serious novel, but I found that those didn’t come naturally to me. Writing a sillier tale set in the past and aimed at making people laugh did, however, happily.
it was during the pandemic lockdown period that I started writing Bolingbroke. The book started off as a one-piece sketch, the idea for the opening scene coming to me in a moment. I wrote it down, and then maybe the next day or a few days later, I thought – actually, what happens next? And on it went on from there.
I would say about a year and a half. The writing process went at a decent pace but getting through the editing and publication process took me a while as it was my first time.
Initially – boredom, and a love of splashing funny ideas onto the page. I found the idea of writing a freewheeling story about the ridiculous trials and tribulations of a Tudor lord satisfying and liberating. I love painting a story out, and the creative process, which balances somewhere between inspiration and discovery.
Honestly, it was a bit of a joy to write, settling down once every few days or a week and firing off a chapter. I guess the hardest part was developing all the skills which are required after you’ve written the thing and it needs to be ready for publishing.
I think I’ve been connected to classic hero protagonists from a young age; dashing adventurers like Robin Hood feature prominently in my imagination; yet my natural angle is to skew the tone and make something amusing, while retaining a love of the original, inspirational material. Hence Lord Bolingbroke’s cringeworthy ways, mixed with his somewhat applaudable feats of bravery and skill.
Similarly to Robin Hood, every hero needs a Guy of Gisbourne or Sheriff of Nottingham to oppose him, and in my book, the individual fulfilling that archetype is the dastardly Lord Northumberland. I’m attracted to the idea of a peer adversary, an opposite, yet one who is quite familiar and similar to the protagonist. I believe a good villain has to be a credible threat and a capable individual in their own right, in order to properly challenge a hero.
In a large sense, I think it would be the nature of the beast itself, namely, a comedy revolving around the foibles and scruples, or lack thereof, of humans. The book opens with a difficult situation for Lord B, yet while this is true, it could as easily have been a victory for him, or just another, average, day.
The main conflict is between Lord Bolingbroke and his adversaries, of whom there are several, and for a variety of reasons. His more personal ones seem to be from a sense of competitive rivalry, while the wider threats emanate from a much higher and profound difference; that of a difference in belief and loyalty. Both speak of a certain lamentable scarcity in the world.
The very general, sparsely populated plot points I had in mind, in either a rough or ready sense, but as for the meat of each chapter, that was all made up on the spot. I’m glad it was this way, I’m quite an intuitive person, and I enjoy finding my improvised ideas happily resonating with the necessary direction of the wider story.
I did the editing mostly on my own, and it needed quite a lot, mainly for spelling and grammar – the grammar was sometimes a challenge as the tone is slightly old-fashioned for effect, though with a contemporary twist.
Try putting it down in words and if you enjoy it, carry on.
As the title suggests, ‘Part One’ means more installments are on the way. This is a planned trilogy charting several of the other major incidents of the Tudor period, and probably many of the minor ones Bolingbroke also gets caught up in.
I am proud that I wrote this book, and hope it can bring a smile to many faces. Right now though, I’m also conscious of the fact that there are two more book to write, and I almost can’t rest until they’re finished as well!
Kindle: https://amzn.to/3oRa9EI
Paperback: https://amzn.to/3oNqY3t
The Adventures of Lord Bolingbroke, Part 1 by Joshua Catchatoor | Goodreads
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