Write On! interviews author Viv Foster

Viv says:“I was born Vivien Foster in Stepney. Uncomfortable with the formality of Vivien, I now prefer to be called Viv. My dad worked in a battery factory in Dagenham as a work study engineer, so we moved to Barking just before I hit secondary school. Because of that, I was lucky enough to go to Trewern. My time there completely transformed my life, which was headed towards either a job in the Ford factory or a clerical job in London. An instructor, knowing how desperate I was to work in the mountains, put me in touch with Plas-y-Brenin. I stayed there for a year, then decided to train as a nurse, keeping my love of the outdoors as a hobby. I climbed and trekked in Europe, Mexico, Africa, Pakistan, Nepal and, of course, Great Britain. All of these journeys, places and people I met along the way culminated in the writing of Cornflakes To Kilimanjaro.

WO: How would you describe your writing to someone new to it?

VF: Epic adventure set in high mountains with strong characters and exciting side plots.

WO: Can you tell us a bit about your latest book, Maths To The Matterhorn?

VF: Maths To The Matterhorn is book one of a trilogy, Cornflakes To Kilimanjaro. It’s the story of a family torn apart when the eldest son leaves after an argument with his mother. His younger brother Sam enters a competition to win a round-the-world airline ticket and £1000. Determined now to find his brother, Sam sets off on a path he doesn’t know is fraught with danger, deception and possibly murder. Will tracing his brother’s footsteps lead Sam to finding him, or will it actually throw him into more perilous waters? Books two and three continue the story through the mountains of Corsica on to Africa, finishing in the shadows of Kilimanjaro.

WO: What inspired you to write in the first place, and what inspires you now?

VF: I’ve always loved thinking and dreaming. When somebody suggested, in jest maybe, that I write a book, the thoughts and images niggled in my head until I could ignore them no more. I suggested to my partner I had the idea for a book and, instead of laughing at me, he insisted I sit down and start.

WO: Recently, Write On! explored the theme of ‘Overcoming.’ This can mean anything from difficult times in your life to beating the dreaded writers’ block. In your experience, what’s been the best way to overcome these barriers when trying to write?

VF: My biggest barrier has been imposter syndrome. I loved writing the books; it was like having another huge adventure. But, having written them, I hid them away in the loft. People like me were not authors. It took years of cajoling and a young man named Sam, who very kindly read the books for me and said they were up there with the best books he’d read. Only then did I dare send them to a publisher.

WO: What one piece of advice would you give an aspiring writer?

VF: Choose a story that inspires you, fall in love with your characters and always remember: if you want your work published it must be marketable.

WO: Can you tell us anything about future projects?

VF: I’ve already started on the next trilogy, which will follow Daniel, the elder brother who left home. 

WO: Lastly, if you could choose one fictional animal/creature to be a pet or companion, who would it be and why?

VF: I’d love it if the trees in my garden were Ents so that I could converse with them and benefit from their ages of wisdom. 

You can connect with Viv Foster on Facebook: @Viv Foster and Instagram: @vivf8.

Maths To The Matterhorn is available to buy from all good bookshops and via Viv’s publisher www.pegasuspublisher.com

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Issue 23 is out now. You will find it in libraries and other outlets. Alternatively all current and previous editions can be found on our magazines page here. 

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