Jack MacGregor
Repawter: Lisa Greener
How did you choose the names of the characters?
They mostly chose themselves with a bit of inspired imagination. But as far as the main characters are concerned, Riz is my partner's nickname. Lou was one of our dearest friends who sadly passed away before the books were written. And Jinny Lane was named after Jinny Lane, a witchy country lane in Pendle, Lancashire. The cats are named after our pets. The latest addition to the family is our springer spaniel and she's named after Jinny for good luck.
How long did it take you to write your first book?
I can't really recall. Maybe 4 months.
What was the inspiration for you to write the books?
We were staying in the Lake District in the Valley of the Golden Eagles, surrounded by red squirrels and all manner of fairy tale stuff, which prompted me to map out the characters and all their little quirks, place names, basic storyline, etc., which when I returned home, I completely ignored and began free forming, just making it all up a new. The only bit I stuck to was the beginning where Jet is sat in the middle of the road at the crossroads on a stormy night, which sounded kind of cliche but was actually true. This was exactly how we found our jet in real life.
Do you write in any other genres?
I did start writing the true story of Santa Claus, but it became impossible to keep up with it all as real work kept getting in the way. I need a large advance. I've also got another idea brewing which features a cat called Ginger Dave. Again, I haven't had time to develop this yet. To do these characters justice, I need to totally inhabit their world, and that isn't easy when home life is constantly interfering. Work and home improvements have been constant for the last 5 years, unfortunately.
Are you writing or have you written another book?
The second book, The Shadow Cutters, was written immediately after the first one was published, then it self published. I'm about 12 chapters into book three.
What is your favorite book of all time?
As a child, I loved Enid Blightton's Far Away Tree series and lots of Greek and Norse mythology. Harrison Ainsworth's Lancasher Witches, Hardy's Tess of the d’Uerbervilles, Herriet's All Creatures Great and Small. There's a lot of H's involved here. Freaky! Dickens Christmas Stories. The magpie and the wardrobe. McKechnie/Portelli, Rob Roy Scott the illustrated Lark Rise to Candleford Fiona Thompson Letters from Father Christmas JRR Tolken The Great Encyclopedia of Faeries. Lorna Dune, Blackmore, Scotland, The Autobiography, Santa Claus in Summer, Compton McKenzie, Mist Over Pendle, Neill, The Arththeran Book of Days, Diary of a Drug Fiend, Aleister Crowley, A Natural History of Fairies, Hawkins/Rue, Gnomes, Poort Vliet/Huygen, The Phantom Tollbooth, Cunk on Everything, Dracula, Stoker, The Bloody Chamber, Angela Carter, The Stranger Times, CK McDonnell, The Real Mother Goose, History of British Folklore, Dee Dee Chainey, Drinking Custard, Lucy Beaumont. There's an antique Don Quixoye 1900 hardback edition I've got my eye on, on eBay, but I'm waiting for a price drop. All the usual talking stuff. As with music, I can't just pick one. Sorry.
What one piece of advice would you give someone writing their own book?
Never attempt to emulate another author's work. I'm lucky in that I wouldn't even know how to begin to do that, but you know what I mean. Writers trying to come up with the next Harry Potter thing. And do you really want to add another a group of youngsters go off to a haunted wood, etc., etc., to the already overflowing equation?
What is your greatest accomplishment?
I'm quite proud of my books. I actually think they're pretty good. I once turned a rundown pub into one of the most respected small music venues in Europe, which took some doing. Sound engineering or roading for some major names such as Queen/Kate Bush/Uli John Roth/Wilko Johnson. Bonnie Tyler snogging me in front of her partner. Lots of fun.
What is your favorite food?
Full English breakfast. Haggis, pasta dishes, curries of all types from all countries. pies, cheese and onion/steak and kidney/minced beef and onion, chocolate, steak and kidney pudding with chips, mushy peas, scraps and curry sauce or gravy cheeses, especially Stilton, black olives.
What is your favorite kind of music?
You'll be sorry you asked this. Rock, metal, Orog, reggae, folk, folk rock, grunge, medieval, jazz, Tudor chamber music, indie, soul, pop, classical, world, anything pixieish, Beatles, Jethro Tull, Wolf Alice, Kate Bush, Rosie Cunningham, Bob Marley, Clannad/Enya, Natacha Atlas, Joni Mitchell, Dylan, Sadw, Abba, Bluehorses, Jimi Hendrix, Rush, 10cc, The Verve, Oasis, Led Zeppelin, Roy Wood in all his incarnations, Loreena McKennitt, Siouxsie & the Basnshees, Dionne Warwick, Bowie, Feeder, Sinatra, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Aerosmith, Stevie Wonder, Garbage, Black Sabbath, Anthrax, Metallica, Budgie, Mountain, Genesis, Steve Hackett, Heart, Glenn Hughes, Donna Summer, Steeleye Span, Hawkwind, Ian Jury, Jeff Buckley, UFO Hole, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Procol Harum, Judie Tzuke. In This Moment, Ute Lemper, Yes. Tears for Fears, Jeff Beck, Stranglers, The Waterboys, Nightwish, Jefferson, Airplane, Kula Shaker, Mansun, Ninet Tayeb, Patty Gertie, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Prince ZZ Top, Santana, and many, many more.
Where is your favorite place to be?
Anywhere that's miles from anywhere, especially Scotland or Wales.
Finally, and most importantly, what was your most embarrassing moment?
So many. Thankfully, I can't really remember most of them. One that does stick in my mind, though, was when I was a teenager and out on the town with my mate Jim.
We were trying to impress a couple of girls that we just met. I really fancied Margaret, but so did Jim. So, as I was taking a drink of my rum and coke, he came out with this hilarious one liner, and a flood of rum and coke blew out of my nose, snot and all, right back into my glass and right in front of Margaret. God knows how I've remembered her name, but I have. Jim was quite chuffed with himself as he thought she was now automatically his, but she didn't bat an eyelid, and I ended up going out with her for quite a while.
It still embarrasses me though.
