A.J. Roberts
Here we go then! The very first guest on the blog is author A.J. Roberts.
Born in Lancashire, A. J. Roberts has been writing as a hobby since the age of 17. This initially stemmed from writing campaigns for pen-and-paper roleplaying games, and later developed into short stories reminiscent of the pulp magazines. Always a fan of swashbuckler fiction (especially Zorro), he wrote a story featuring a pair of wondering scoundrels partly inspired by Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. It was while writing this he found that he wanted to see the protagonists he created get into all kinds of trouble in different stories, including his latest one, The Homecoming.
After discovering an annual writers’ retreat in Derbyshire, he decided he wanted to take things further. In 2018, he left his job as an accountant to study for a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing. While he’s experimented with new mediums since graduating, he hasn’t forgotten the old pulp style he was originally inspired by.
And now, some questions:
Despite not being encouraged in schools, and frowned upon in social situations, do you think daydreaming can be valuable?
I think daydreaming can be valuable (more so than most stuff they teach in school, to be honest). It’s a great way to let imagination fly, and it can certainly teach us how choose what ideas to pick and flesh out. It also provides an opportunity to explore ideas we might not do so normally. For example, one of my more unusual projects occurred as a daydream; a dysfunctional family sitcom in a fantasy setting. Situational comedy and fantasy aren’t my usual genres, but the idea was so bizarre I had to consider it.
If you happened to be called upon to be a supply teacher for a short period (à la jury service), what would you teach (other than creative writing or English)?
Since creative writing is out and I’m rather disdainful of how English is being taught in schools anyway, I’ll go with history. I suppose that goes without saying, considering what I normally write and the fact I watch Extra History serials in my spare time. Of course, there’s also the fact that I wouldn’t be able to take the same liberties with history essays that I would be able to with fiction. Alternatively, I could teach double-entry bookkeeping since I previously worked in accounting. That’s probably more likely to be used in many jobs than some of the more mechanical stuff they teach.
Could any of your characters be teachers? If so, what would they teach?
Both Kestrel and Scar could teach self-defence. They’ve been in plenty of scraps, so that goes without saying.
Kestrel might also be able to teach needlework. That might sound odd, but he’s a sailor and learned to mend sails. In fact, that might also cover stitching wounds, which ties in with his original background.
As for Scar, I’d say biology. He had escaped from a plantation and had to survive in the wilderness while avoiding those who hunted him. He could teach some of the finer points of tracking, what’s safe to eat and what isn’t, and where to find water or shelter.
If you could go back to school, what would you like to study that you didn’t originally?
I had a rough time at school, so I don’t particularly want to go back. However, if pressed, my first pick would be food technology. I like cooking. At the same time, I’m afraid that the way the exam boards want a lot of subjects taught in schools might put me off it. I certainly found that with English.
Thinking back to your time at school, might there have been a book in your satchel that wasn't from a reading list?
When I was a teenager, I went through a phase where I slowly worked my way through the Sharpe novels of Bernard Cornwell. At the time, I was eagerly anticipating the release of Empire: Total War. If there’s any book in my satchel, it’s likely one of those. Alternatively, it would be The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. The way that book presents an outbreak scenario almost makes it sound real.
What else would have been in your satchel, and what are you carrying around at the moment?
There would have probably been a pack of cards. I used to play a lot of card games when I was in Sixth Form, especially Cheat and one known as S***head, where you had to get rid of cards but some had certain effects. Since the age of 17, there has been a notebook for sketching out ideas, and recently I have added a harmonica.
School’s out! If you had 24 hours to do anything you wanted (with unlimited funds and none of your usual responsibilities), what would you do?
I’d do another play-through of Red Dead Redemption, and perhaps run a table-top rpg session in the afternoon. I’d also treat myself to a nice takeaway and binge-watch a favourite show. Alternatively, I’d love to go on a trip to a convention. I haven’t been to one of those in a while.
What was the latest daydream of yours that made the leap into the real world? Here you can promote your work!
Three pirates – Kestrel, Scar, and Rosanna – sail to England so Rosanna can part ways and start a new life. But Scar is shot in an ambush with a gang of smugglers, and requires medical attention beyond Kestrel’s abilities. As the nearest physician is Kestrel’s father, he’s forced to deal with a tense reunion, along with past mistakes that caused him to leave England ten years earlier. This has now taken the form of my third Kestrel and Scar novelette, The Homecoming.
I didn’t get my first job until I was 19, I didn’t pass my driving test until I was 20, and I didn’t start university until I was 24. It’s never too late to do things.
In a similar regard, I was unhappy in my accounts job before going to university. If something isn’t working, it’s always good to have a way out.
Now for the Random Question. What is the strangest thing you have seen in a place of work?
One of the directors at my first job kept a set of replica cutlasses in her office. I didn’t get much opportunity to chat about it, but I certainly speculated about it during the day. I do remember asking one of the managers if it was for making people walk the plank (at that time, I hadn’t started any of the Kestrel and Scar stories, but I had been playing a lot of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag).
I'd like to thank A.J. Roberts for taking the time to answer my questions. I enjoyed reading the first two books in the Kestrel and Scar series and I'm looking forward to picking up The Homecoming..jpg "Book cover for The Homecoming - A Kestrel and Scar Adventure by A.J. Roberts")
Born in Lancashire, A. J. Roberts has been writing as a hobby since the age of 17. This initially stemmed from writing campaigns for pen-and-paper roleplaying games, and later developed into short stories reminiscent of the pulp magazines. Always a fan of swashbuckler fiction (especially Zorro), he wrote a story featuring a pair of wondering scoundrels partly inspired by Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. It was while writing this he found that he wanted to see the protagonists he created get into all kinds of trouble in different stories, including his latest one, The Homecoming.
After discovering an annual writers’ retreat in Derbyshire, he decided he wanted to take things further. In 2018, he left his job as an accountant to study for a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing. While he’s experimented with new mediums since graduating, he hasn’t forgotten the old pulp style he was originally inspired by.
Despite not being encouraged in schools, and frowned upon in social situations, do you think daydreaming can be valuable?
I think daydreaming can be valuable (more so than most stuff they teach in school, to be honest). It’s a great way to let imagination fly, and it can certainly teach us how choose what ideas to pick and flesh out. It also provides an opportunity to explore ideas we might not do so normally. For example, one of my more unusual projects occurred as a daydream; a dysfunctional family sitcom in a fantasy setting. Situational comedy and fantasy aren’t my usual genres, but the idea was so bizarre I had to consider it.
If you happened to be called upon to be a supply teacher for a short period (à la jury service), what would you teach (other than creative writing or English)?
Since creative writing is out and I’m rather disdainful of how English is being taught in schools anyway, I’ll go with history. I suppose that goes without saying, considering what I normally write and the fact I watch Extra History serials in my spare time. Of course, there’s also the fact that I wouldn’t be able to take the same liberties with history essays that I would be able to with fiction. Alternatively, I could teach double-entry bookkeeping since I previously worked in accounting. That’s probably more likely to be used in many jobs than some of the more mechanical stuff they teach.
Could any of your characters be teachers? If so, what would they teach?
Both Kestrel and Scar could teach self-defence. They’ve been in plenty of scraps, so that goes without saying.
Kestrel might also be able to teach needlework. That might sound odd, but he’s a sailor and learned to mend sails. In fact, that might also cover stitching wounds, which ties in with his original background.
As for Scar, I’d say biology. He had escaped from a plantation and had to survive in the wilderness while avoiding those who hunted him. He could teach some of the finer points of tracking, what’s safe to eat and what isn’t, and where to find water or shelter.
If you could go back to school, what would you like to study that you didn’t originally?
I had a rough time at school, so I don’t particularly want to go back. However, if pressed, my first pick would be food technology. I like cooking. At the same time, I’m afraid that the way the exam boards want a lot of subjects taught in schools might put me off it. I certainly found that with English.
Thinking back to your time at school, might there have been a book in your satchel that wasn't from a reading list?
When I was a teenager, I went through a phase where I slowly worked my way through the Sharpe novels of Bernard Cornwell. At the time, I was eagerly anticipating the release of Empire: Total War. If there’s any book in my satchel, it’s likely one of those. Alternatively, it would be The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. The way that book presents an outbreak scenario almost makes it sound real.
What else would have been in your satchel, and what are you carrying around at the moment?
There would have probably been a pack of cards. I used to play a lot of card games when I was in Sixth Form, especially Cheat and one known as S***head, where you had to get rid of cards but some had certain effects. Since the age of 17, there has been a notebook for sketching out ideas, and recently I have added a harmonica.
School’s out! If you had 24 hours to do anything you wanted (with unlimited funds and none of your usual responsibilities), what would you do?
I’d do another play-through of Red Dead Redemption, and perhaps run a table-top rpg session in the afternoon. I’d also treat myself to a nice takeaway and binge-watch a favourite show. Alternatively, I’d love to go on a trip to a convention. I haven’t been to one of those in a while.
What was the latest daydream of yours that made the leap into the real world? Here you can promote your work!
Three pirates – Kestrel, Scar, and Rosanna – sail to England so Rosanna can part ways and start a new life. But Scar is shot in an ambush with a gang of smugglers, and requires medical attention beyond Kestrel’s abilities. As the nearest physician is Kestrel’s father, he’s forced to deal with a tense reunion, along with past mistakes that caused him to leave England ten years earlier. This has now taken the form of my third Kestrel and Scar novelette, The Homecoming.
It's probably time for a lesson. What single piece of advice would you like to share?
I didn’t get my first job until I was 19, I didn’t pass my driving test until I was 20, and I didn’t start university until I was 24. It’s never too late to do things.
In a similar regard, I was unhappy in my accounts job before going to university. If something isn’t working, it’s always good to have a way out.
Now for the Random Question. What is the strangest thing you have seen in a place of work?
One of the directors at my first job kept a set of replica cutlasses in her office. I didn’t get much opportunity to chat about it, but I certainly speculated about it during the day. I do remember asking one of the managers if it was for making people walk the plank (at that time, I hadn’t started any of the Kestrel and Scar stories, but I had been playing a lot of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag).
I'd like to thank A.J. Roberts for taking the time to answer my questions. I enjoyed reading the first two books in the Kestrel and Scar series and I'm looking forward to picking up The Homecoming.
.jpg "Book cover for The Homecoming - A Kestrel and Scar Adventure by A.J. Roberts")
Find all the Kestrel and Scar books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/A.-J.-Roberts/author/B09H51D8C1
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/
Blog for writing and pop culture: https://
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