Tom Barry ? Schools Territory Partner & Author of - Brit Writers Awards

Who is Tom Barry??

One of eight children, I was born to Irish parents and grew up in the sixties in what was then the small market town of Northampton. It wasn?t Angela?s Ashes, but you knew it was where you were starting, not where you wanted to end up. I first smelt the coffee when I flunked all my GCSE?s, but somehow bounced back to study Economics at Bangor and Liverpool Universities.

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How long have you been a writer and what inspired you to write ?When the Siren Calls??

My journey to published author began as a student, when a series of my articles appeared in an an international journal. After 20 years as a management consultant, where persuasive writing skills were key, I wanted to see whether i had what it takes to use creative writing to entertain, rather than educate, inform or persuade. So what better testing ground than the crowded world of commercial fiction. My debut novel, When the Siren Calls, is both an emotional drama and a page turning thriller.

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Please tell us more about ?When the Siren Calls??

The heroine is the restless and neglected Isobel. When she meets the? suave and streetwise Jay, she imagines a life of excitement outside herstagnant marriage. Torn by loyalty and guilt, she pursues Jay to an idyllic Tuscan retreat and abandons herself in a passionate love affair. But the Tuscandream is not all it seems and naive Isobel finds herself caught in a web of feminine intrigue, artful deception, and cold betrayal, as her desperate lover fights for hissurvival. Isobel?s problem is that she is hopelessly bound in Jay?s spell, and she must discover whether he isher saviour, or her nemesis.

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Tell us more about your journey to publication?

The road to publication, if you want to give of your best, is a tough one for many. It took me a year to write the story, another year to edit and revise it, which is mainly about saying more with less words in a more compelling way, and another year to navigate the publishing process. You need to be pretty thick skinned and be able to handle criticism and rejection, but perseverance wins through in the end. I published in two stages; first i released a ?Prequel?, a short story which is intended as an appetiser, followed by the full book due out in August 2012, published by Troubador. I realised the story leant itself to a sequel, so it is now part of a trilogy, and the Prequel to the second book, titled ?Saving Jay?, is also available now on Amazon.

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Why did you decide to become a Schools Territory Partner for Brit Writers?

I?ve supported a number of schools charities in the past, both in the UK and in Africa, including the amazing Nordoff Robbins Centre for Music Therapy. As a management consultant my job was to serve clients, but my fulfilment came from nurturing new talent and watching them grow and succeed. When a friend introduced me to Brit Writers, the opportunity to become a Territory Partner was simply too good to pass up.

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Why do you feel it is so important to encourage parents and children into creative writing?

When?I was a kid?I was told TV was the great enemy of reading, which is key to an interest in writing; now I?m told the enemy is the electronic age with kids constantly using text speak to communicate. I think that is all baloney. The digital age is a superb opportunity for schools and kids to read more and to develop their writing skills, and Brit Writers is a great vehicle to promote that potential. In life the key skill to success may be communication, and more and more we communicate in writing, albeit often electronically. Being able to capture and hold people?s attention in your writing is a great asset to have, and creative writing capability can help give you that.

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What would you like to say to anybody reading this right now?

Anyone who can write, can write better. You will be amazed how by reading and writing more, your creative writing skills will improve without conscious effort. Add to that a little insight into what makes for writing people want to read, and you are well on your way to being an author, if that?s what you want. And who wouldn?t benefit from a book on their resume?

To read more, please visit ? http://tombarrywrites.com

Thanks?Tom!

Brit Writers ? Encouraging people of all ages and backgrounds into creative writing

http://www.britwriters.com/business-schools-territory-partners

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