Today, I’m pleased to welcome James Collins, an author who makes his home on the small Greek island of Symi. James has recently realized the dream that all authors seem to share: he’s been involved in a movie based on his own work! Join me as I ask him a few questions to find out more.
An ancient curse? Desperation in the economic crisis? What is causing the suicides of so many adults and children on this small Greek island? When Chris Trelawney arrives on the island to take away his late father’s belongings, he finds that he has been left little more than a mystery. Was his father mad at the time of his death, or did he actually believe that he had awakened a powerful evil? An ancient evil that now stalks the islanders, growing stronger by the day…
VISIT AMAZON
A collection of writings that present an honest and often humorous account of two Ex-pat’s experiences of living on Symi, a small Greek island. This book also contains extracts from the symidream website and the complete guide ‘How to move to a Greek island or other place in the sun.’ “Even if you are not thinking of moving abroad this little collection will entertain and inform.”
VISIT AMAZON
A mysterious iron chest arrived on the island of Symi, Greece in 1882 and was immediately hidden for its own safety. 121 years later and Jason is working as a holiday rep for SARGO holidays. When his grandmother turns up as one of his guests she brings with her a locked cigarette case, left to Jason by his recently departed grandfather and given to him on Symi in 1944. The case is opened and reveals a piece of music, but the music is not what it seems and Jason and his small group of pensioners soon realise that they have stumbled on a secret that has been kept hidden on Symi all these years. A secret both dangerous and valuable. Jason and the Sargonauts is a contemporary comedy adventure full of fun and mystery, ‘A comic, camp and musical romp.’
VISIT AMAZON
Hello James and welcome to my blog!
Thank you, Effrosyni! It’s great to be here.
I must say, your thriller, The Judas Inheritance, sounds absolutely intriguing! And now, it’s been turned into a movie, right?
Thank you. Yes, the film is titled “The Thirteen”. It’s 99% finished and we’re now waiting for the backers to watch a copy. Then, they’ll find a distributor for us, fingers crossed (*smiles and crosses fingers*)
Good luck, James, and well done! What has inspired you to write this story?
The Judas Inheritance was inspired by two things. First, I was approached by 1066 Productions, a British film company, to come up with a story for a low-budget, indie movie. It’s a film-world fact that horror sells best, so they were looking for a good horror story but also for something that could easily and cheaply be filmed with a small cast and an incredibly low budget of £20,000.
Photography by Neil Gosling
Secondly, I have always been fascinated and enchanted by the ruined houses on Symi, left abandoned during the depression and after the World Wars. And so, I decided to write a story set on an unnamed Greek island that combined history and these dark, sad ruins.
The Judas Inheritance (later filmed as ‘the Thirteenth’) grew from that. It takes a solid ‘horror’ premise along the lines of ‘The Omen’ where historical and Biblical myths collide with the present day in the form of cursed pieces of silver, 30 of them, naturally. This curse becomes the reason for the abandoned village (and, later, spreads to become the cause of the state of the Greek economy, to give the story some wider relevance), and the ruins play a large part in the background and action.
Wow, sounds riveting! What was the first thing you ever wrote and how old were you then?
I was nearly 12 years old when the Moorgate tube crash happened in London, England. We were asked, in an English class, to write a story based on this horrific event. I know, not what you’d normally be asked to use for inspiration when at that age. I wrote a story about archaeologists exploring a pyramid that then collapsed about them. I remember this story not because it was horrible, but because I was asked to re-write it again in my best handwriting so it could be presented to the school. Hours of laborious handwriting later and I had what I would now call a reasonable second draft. The story didn’t put me on the road to writing horror (I have only written two horror novels) but it taught me valuable lessons: let your imagination flow, don’t be scared to shock, and above all, re-write until it’s written right. (Poor use of English is intended there.)
What other writing have you done? Anything else published?
I have written four full-length stage musicals (book, music and lyrics) that were staged in Brighton, England. Two of them won Arts Council Awards, one of them was also shown in London and elsewhere. I have written revues and cabaret songs, choral pieces for local choirs and other artists and incidental music for theatre companies.
You said the magic word – Brighton! And, very impressive background, I must say!
Thank you, Effrosyni.
How many books have you published?
Nine self-published books so far . . . Three are about life on Symi, Greece. (‘Symi 85600’ is a compilation of emails, letters and posts reflecting my first five years here; ‘Carry on up the Kali Strata’ is the second and contains articles, a short story and photos; and ‘Village View’ is a collection of edited blog posts through 2013, again with photos by my partner, Neil Gosling.
Two are horror stories, two are thrillers and two are comedies. One of the comedies, ‘Jason and the Sargonauts’, is also set on Symi.
I am shortly to publish a new body-swap comedy (through RC Publications, our own small indie endeavor), and am working on another comedy about Greece’s first gay civil partnership. This is called ‘Shocking the Donkeys,’ and it is taken from a screenplay I wrote a few years ago.
What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).
As usual, for me, I have several projects on the go and being worked up, even if only in my head and notebooks.
Soon we shall bring out ‘Remotely,’ a gay/straight body-swap comedy set in a small seaside town in the UK. This is all about the brainless state of British ‘reality’ and ‘talent’ show TV, but mainly about how solid friendships can be made, lost and made again through miscommunication. As with a lot of my comedy, it’s slightly camp, a little bit gay and has something to do with theatre.
Meanwhile… A few years ago I co-wrote the screenplay for ‘Shocking The Donkeys’ which was about a gay civil partnership taking place in Greece. It’s not based on the actual civil partnerships that took place on Tilos and resulted in the arrest of various people involved, it’s more about what would happen if a small Greek island (very traditional) found itself hosting a gay civil partnership between one of its own and a man from America. Civil partnerships in Greece are now legal but still cause an amount of uproar – hopefully that will be satirized in the book version which I am slowly putting together.
But also… I am working on a mystery thriller, and taking a course in scriptwriting. I shall be heading for my annual writing retreat on Tilos in June to work on this mystery, or ‘Donkeys’, or something else. So, several projects all at one time!
You keep yourself busy, that’s for sure! What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?
I prefer to read autobiographies and history books but also delve into literature as much as possible. I know every writer should either be writing or reading and I am, but I am not always reading other novelists’ work. Books about writing are on the shelves, as are books about screenplay writing and the use of the English Language. Right at the moment I am reading an English history book in print version, and Thomas Hardy’s ‘The Return of the Native’ on my Kindle. The Kindle also houses a collection of books about true crimes, mysteries and Jack the Ripper. (I know!) Funnily enough I read very little comedy, which is the thing I most enjoy writing.
But then when you live on a Greek island, comedy is all around.
Oh sure! Anywhere in Greece, I believe! Tell us about your website/blog. What will readers find there?
I have been writing an almost daily blog at www.symidream.com for about the last nine years. It is about our life on Symi and my writing. Some days it’s fun and satirical, other days it’s informative (I hope), other days its publicizing my books, or those by others that I have enjoyed, but always it’s about what I see going on around me on this small, Greek island.
It’s quite popular now, and I have loyal readers who tune in each day to catch up on my writing, film and Symi news, or to get what some call their ‘Symi fix.’ We also have a very popular deaf rescue cat called Jack, also known as The Alarm Cat due to his early morning alarm calls; he’s proved very popular and has his own following on the blog.
As well as the blog posts and photos each day, there are links to our old Symi Dream, site that carries articles on Symi history, travel to the island, books about, and films filmed on Symi and other things related to the island and ex-pat life in Greece.
What do you enjoy the most as an indie author that you imagine you wouldn’t if you were traditionally published? If you had a choice would you still go indie?
I most enjoy the freedom that publishing through a small indie arrangement brings. Having worked in collaborative arts such as theatre, I find the freedom to write alone and for fun the biggest draw for me. However, I appreciate the importance of having someone else edit and work with me to make each book the best it can be. And yes, it would be great to have a large publishing house pick up one of my books and take care of it and sell it, but as for the publicity trail, the book signings, the interviews and all that would go with it… That’s not really for me. I am happy where I am.
So, at the moment, I can’t see me aiming for traditional publishing though I have tried many times in the past. What I really need is a secretary to handle submissions and rejection letters, not because I can’t cope with the rejections and not because I am lazy – sorry, not just because I am lazy – but because it takes up so much time and energy; resources that can be better spent on my creative writing. I admire authors such as Anne Zouroudi (Bloomsbury’s Greek Detective novels, and a friend of mine) for their persistence in not only their writing routine, but in their bashing away at publishers until their work was (quite rightly) accepted.
I understand you’ve brought some more stills from the filming to show us today. And if you’d like to tell my readers more, or to mention the cast, this would be great! I’m sure I’m not the only one who would love to see and hear more.
Thank you, Effrosyni. The film was filmed in its entirety on Symi. Local businesses helped out, local people were involved as actors and extras. Starring in the film are British actors, Richard Syms (‘Gangs of New York’, ‘The Iron Lady’), Kurtis Stacey, an actor best known for his role in the British soap drama ‘Emmerdale’, Rebecca Grant, a West End, film and TV actress, and Wookie Mayer, a very popular and successful German actress who also has a house on Symi.
The cast and crew team were made up of people from Greece, England, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Wales, Afghanistan, Scotland, America, Canada, Ireland – and a local goat. A truly multinational effort.
Photography by Neil Gosling
Starring in the film are British actors, Richard Syms (‘Gangs of New York’, ‘The Iron Lady’), Kurtis Stacey, an actor best known for his role in the British soap drama ‘Emmerdale’, Rebecca Grant, a West End, film and TV actress, and Wookie Mayer, a very popular and successful German actress who also has a house on Symi.
The cast and crew team were made up of people from Greece, England, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Wales, Afghanistan, Scotland, America, Canada, Ireland – and a local goat. A truly multinational effort.
Thank you for being here today, James, and good luck with all your exciting projects.
Thanks a lot, Effrosyni, for letting me present my work on your site!
James is a British born writer who now lives on Symi, Greece. Having worked in musical theatre and cabaret in the UK, he moved into writing novels and travel books in 2002 when he moved to Greece. Since then he has indie-published three books about living in Greece charting his experience as an ex-pat, and six novels one of which has been adapted for film. James is also a composer, pianist and screenplay writer.
Daily blog about our life on Symi: www.symidream.com
Links to James’ books etc.: www.symidream.com/james
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jamescollinsauthor/
Neil Gosling Photography: https://www.facebook.com/NeilGoslingPhotography/?fref=ts
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