INTERVIEW: With Author Gabriel Woods

Interviewer: Ben Kesp

Author: Gabriel Woods

BK

Thank you Gabriel for taking the time out from your busy schedule to have this interview with me. Firstly can I ask, what has sparked your interest in becoming a writer? 

GW

Thank you for inviting me to have this interview with you. Writing has always been a way of expressing myself. I have always “danced to the beat of a different drum”; one foot in the real world and the other foot thinking often of other worldly subjects like mythology and spirituality. I have wrote in diaries, I have a high level of education and my ability to write has always pervaded my projects in my psychology degree, my life coaching education and many other college courses I have completed. There was just a natural progression then to writing books. Frankly I have been in many types of jobs and I did not really like any of them apart from life coaching. I started getting ideas into my head over time for my novel The Golden Age Dawns. One day I decided to sit down and focus on writing the novel and so now it is nearly published. I always wanted to entertain but was not sure how. Hopefully I can entertain people with my books. 

BK

Who or what has been your biggest inspiration in becoming a writer? 

GW

I was going through an extremely challenging time in my life about ten years ago. I had broken my leg in three places and I had to have an operation followed by intensive physiotherapy. I was in incredible pain. At the same time I nearly lost my home. My life was falling apart, rapidly. I became interested in angel books, specifically those written by Doreen Virtue. I was desperate for any kind of help. Her ideas and words helped, gradually my life improved and my leg healed. Some of my writing is influenced by Doreen`s work. The events I went through taught me a lot about myself and life, the lessons of which have also influenced my writing.

BK

You have amassed a huge amount of experiences in exploring African, Buddhist, Muslim and aboriginal cultures and spiritual sites in addition to living in many cities across the world. How has all of this enhanced your view of the world as an individual? 

GW

I have lived in and travelled through very diverse cultures, from busy western cities to regions off the beaten path with more of a focus on religion and spirituality than economy, and other places of simply stunning beauty. I have become conscious of the wide variety of culture in the world and the variety of the societies within those cultures. I find it really amazing, all this variety of people with different languages and cultures. How interesting the world is with all this variance! I think instead of this causing fear toward others we could view it this way. Imagine if we were all the same, billions of us, all the same with the same folklore, history and culture. That would be a little boring, don`t you think?!

BK

What lessons do you believe we can learn from studying and exploring other cultures and spiritual beliefs?

GW

I think people`s culture tends to focus on what is important to them. If a people live beside an active volcano they will try to deal with their fear by creating a Volcano god. In Aboriginal folklore there are many stories about their land and their god, the Earth Mother. They talk of the importance of respecting nature. Our western culture is beginning to realise that the earth is a living organism, not just oil, water, trees and other resources to be extracted at will in whatever is the cheapest way possible regardless of the consequences these actions will have for the planet as a whole. So this was made very clear to me by the Aboriginal culture. I admire their respect for the earth.

What I have learned by talking to holy men from different cultures and studying the religions of the cultures I have been in is the importance and the sanctity of life. That we are both spirit and flesh and so all people are precious. This is a theme I develop in my books. The resilience of the human spirit, that ‘toughness’ that people have when life gets hard. I believe it is our spirit that provides us with that strength. How the spirit can sometimes transform our personality in difficult times and hardship into better people. In many religions, particularly in Buddhism and Hinduism, the belief is that humanity is making a journey toward evolution. That humanity, at some point, will evolve. That we will identify completely with spirit, with God. That we will evolve beyond war, petty differences between each other and between countries. We will come together as one people and one world. There will be those with powerful self-interests that will move to stop this evolution. Then a struggle will ensue among mankind. This might sound like fantasy and may be difficult to contemplate but this is what is at the heart of some world religions. This is another theme that is present in my writing, particularly The Golden Age Dawns.

BK

Can you tell your readers how these experiences have allowed you to express and push the boundaries, enriching your writing and storytelling?

GW

I have been immersed in other cultures often so I have become aware of the boundaries of Western Culture. I have also experienced the differences in some of the western cultures between each other. I have always made efforts to talk to people from the area I am living in or travelling through, just out of interest. Through these experiences I think that there are many emotions and situations that people feel and experience no matter where the person is from or where we live. This is also an opinion supported in psychological and social research. I include these emotions and events that we have in common in my books. I contrast this with descriptions of places I have been to that most people will not have visited, monuments that are stunning in beauty and rich in folklore, history and religion. I also have a good knowledge of what shocks people and I am not afraid to ‘push people`s button`s’ so there are shocking scenes in my books. In my next novel I intend to include more of the places I have been to and the culture of these places will be the inspiration for my book.

BK

The Golden Age Dawns is a new book you have just released. Can you tell readers what they can expect from this book? 

GW

My novel The Golden Ages Dawns has serious themes in it for example the power of love in managing difficult situations and how people`s backgrounds affects their current behaviours. I am primarily aiming at entertaining people. I hope that my readers will sit down and forget about the world while they read about the world in my novel and forget their problems.

The story includes scenes of terrorism and what happens to innocent people who end up in these terrifying situations. Linda is a successful clinical psychologist from a wealthy background, but she is lonely, she is bored with her life and decides to go on an adventure. She is searching for love. Colin is from a poor part of Dublin. His father died in violent circumstances and Colin struggles to live in an unhealthy family situation. He finds himself in dangerous life threatening events including social unrest in Brussels. Susan is a wealthy woman. She really has everything in her life; she could not be happier or more content. Susan is a consultant in Accident and Emergency in London. She becomes faced with an epidemic that threatens to spread to Europe and causes mayhem in Britain. Her ideal life turns into a nightmare. All three are being manipulated by forces greater and more powerful than mankind that seek to destroy humanity.

This story takes place in various countries that I have travelled through myself. People can pick up on and explore the themes if they wish or simply read an entertaining story.

By Gabriel Woods

BK

Easter Rising 1916: A Family Answers The Call For Ireland’s Freedom is a novel you published at the beginning of March 2016. What has inspired you to write this novel?

GW 

To be honest with you in Ireland there is a lot of myth and untruths about the events of the Rising at the moment. One day I decided to write the truth supported by historical research and a true story from a very kind, wonderful and articulate older woman I know. The facts in my book are watertight. 

There was a lot more happening at the time than people resenting British rule. There was extreme poverty in Ireland, particularly in Dublin. Many families lived in one room with seven or eight children, the buildings were often derelict and dangerous to live in yet the rents for these places were very high. The Irish people were denied the promise of Home Rule, a form of devolved self-governance. Instead conscription by the English empire of Irish men to fight in the trenches of WW1 was becoming a serious possibility. There were many reasons for Irish people to feel threatened the English empire. People`s lives were truly at risk.

Irish culture was practically non-existent. Gaelic games that are now enjoyed by so many in Ireland now were nearly forgotten along with Irish musical instruments and folklore. The men and women that took part in the Easter Rising wanted an end to social deprivation. What most people do not know is that these same men and women revived all these Irish traditions. They were responsible for so much not just the Rising. Yet only seldom are these men and women mentioned for all they have contributed to Ireland. Terms like rebels and insurgents are often used for the leaders and the men and women that took part in the Rising. They were also artists, poets, teachers, musicians and philosophers. Patrick Pearse, the main leader, was a barrister and later a teacher who founded his own school. The people that took part in the Rising were people with advanced social ideals.

I have attempted to increase awareness of the issues of the time. There are many more details and interesting ideas in my book. My book is a provocative and controversial book and I have already received a very negative reaction from a British reader but due to the nature of the book that does not surprise me. I have had teachers who are almost republican in their ideas about the Rising although they were not republicans by definition. I do not condone violence. I know the truth of the events and wrote about it but this book is not a text book. There are fictitious characters that I use to express the issues of the time. I tell the events as a story, there is no list of facts; they are woven into the narrative. I would like as many people of different ages and countries to be able to read the book.

BK

What does the Easter 1916 Rising personally mean for you?

GW

The Easter Rising 1916 has great personal significance to me. I have very high ideals and I admire the fact that the men and women of the time cared enough about their fellow man to plan to deal with the poverty and social exclusion by challenging the English Empire. They had very well socially developed ideals that I have been reading as I researched the book. They were more advanced in their thinking than the political leaders in Ireland today. I have been learning from their words one hundred years later. I have been moved by their poetry and their beliefs. It was very difficult for me to research the violence of Easter week. The true story I was told by my older friend was upsetting. It has been an honour for me to express in my book what these amazing people experienced and an honour to write about the men and women of the family I wrote about that suffered such devastating consequences for their beliefs.

BK

What kind of research do you carry out in preparing a book like the Easter Rising 1916?

GW

A book of this genre I think needs to be researched carefully from different media to get the facts and be understanding to the different parties involved. In this way I tried to achieve a balanced view. I have included the various points of view in the words of the characters. This type of book needs to be written sensitively, so as not to attempt not to offend anyone. If someone does get offended at least you know that as an author that was not your intention and everyone is entitled to their opinion. 

I have had very open minded teachers. The Gaelic song I write in the book is a song I learned as a child and sang in the school choir. I learnt while researching my book that it was written by my favourite leader of the Rising, Patrick Pearse. I have been exposed to alternative points of view of the Rising very early in my education which are more believable and make more sense than contemporary beliefs in Ireland. The true story was dictated to me by a woman from Dublin. I took notes of what she spoke after I interviewed her so as not to influence the recording process. I was able to interview her effectively due to my psychology training. I chose to use many of her words and phrases as she told her story while adding the details of places in Dublin that she mentioned which I had visited myself. I watched two television programs to get a sense of the so called facts that were being projected by the national television channel. I have also read several history books which are listed at the end of the book.

BK

When you write, are you the person who constantly rereads what you have written? Editing it as you go along or does the writing flow naturally for you? 

GW

I write notes about what I will write as they come to me. I have a rough idea of what I want to write in terms of the beginning, middle and end of the story. I decide what the dramatic events are in-between and I try to stick to that. Then I just write and write to glean the story from my thoughts. I ask friends to read it and ask for their opinion then I may adjust some of my story if they find something too confusing or something does not make sense. I then write several drafts to make the story clear to readers. I submit my work to an editor and the grammar, spelling and the other aspects of the book are looked at to make sure the book is well written.

BK

If you were to give one piece of advice to anyone wishing to become a writer what would you say?

GW

If you hire someone for any aspect with your book check references, speak or e-mail these references personally. Talk to them about the person you want to hire. Websites can be flashy with great references but check these out and do not be fooled by well-designed websites or glowing references displayed on the site.

BK

What are your thoughts on book cover design? Do you believe a book cover is relevant to readers for the story inside? 

GW

I think book cover design is very important. People buy so much online. On online book shop sites there are multiple images of books crammed onto a page for the reader to select. For a book to stand out to the customer the image must be eye-catching in order to draw the customer to your book.

BK

What is next for Gabriel Woods? 

GW

The Golden Age Dawns will be published hopefully by the end of April. I was researching my next novel last summer when I travelled to Athens and Delphi in Greece. I was lucky to survive the trip and I am very grateful to be still alive. I suppose that means I live to tell another story! 

I would like to thank author Gabriel Woods for giving his time to this interview. To discover more on Gabriel and his work please check out: 

Amazon Profile: Gabriel Woods

Images: Supplied by Gabriel Woods.