Female Focus
Going Out - Page 55
Ray Wilcox tells us about his book ‘Lock-Down Blues’
Please describe what the story / book is about. Lock-Down Blues is a story about crime and prison. The reader will follow the lives of six criminals and their descent into prison. The six find themselves incarcerated on the same wing in HM Prison Raymar, with devastating consequences. How did you come up with title? In 2004 I wrote a poem called The Lock Down Blues. At that time I was working in a long- term prison. In the poem I tried to capture the desperation, frustration, cruelty and despair an individual might experience in prison. When I started to write this novel I adapted the title of the poem because it seemed to fit with what I was trying to achieve. Who is your intended audience and why should they read your book? My audience will be adults, with enquiring minds, who enjoy reading crime thrillers full of detail and surprise. The reader will learn about prisons, and criminality, as seen through the eyes of the author who served in HM Prison Service as an officer and governor for over 30 years. Is there any lesson or moral you hope your story might reveal to those who read it? The loss of freedom where ones activities are mostly controlled by others is, for some, a step too far. The lesson in Lock-Down Blues is to cherish freedom and all its frustrations. Prison will provide all the frustrations but none of the beauty which is freedom. What inspires you and motivates you to write the most? My wife Margaret, the moment I first open my eyes in the morning and the crazy world which we inhabit. Location and life experience can sprinkle their influence in your writing. Tell us about where you grew up and a little about where you live now. If you could live anywhere you wanted to live, where would that be? I was born in Peckham, South London in 1949. Peckham Grove was a very insular community with its own code of behaviour and pecking order. My formative years saw me sleeping rough and being taught to tap dance by two prostitutes. My wife Margaret and I moved to Spain in 2005. We live in a beautiful white villa with our Siamese cat, Giorgio. The views to the Mediterranean are stunning and I can’t think of anywhere else I would rather live. Tell us something personal about you that people may be surprised to know? During my childhood I suffered with a debilitating stammer. Which famous person, living or dead, would you like to meet and why? It would have to be Eric Clapton. I would like to hear how he developed his incredible skills as a musician and how he deals with his addictions in day to day living. Which writers inspire you? Stuart MacBride, Tom Wolf and Tom Clancy. What are your ambitions for your writing career? I’m busy writing the sequel to Lock-Down Blues which I hope will be published. I would like to find an avenue for my poetry to be made available to a wider audience. To write every day and continue to be amazed at the power of the written word. What are your expectations for this book? Expectations is a difficult word to use when discussing a first novel. I hope that Lock-Down Blues sells widely, giving readers a unique insight into prison life. Is there anything else you’d like to say? Writing Lock-Down Blues has been a learning experience. It has taught me to listen to constructive criticism and to learn from it. I hope the readers will contact me through social networking sites and my website
www.ray-wilcox.com to give their thoughts about the book.
Ray Wilcox.
FF Serving the community since 1993
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