John Parker
The West Winford Incident comprises three separate themes. The first concerns the failure of a steam turbine at the fictitious nuclear power station of West Winford in Hampshire in 1969 and the urgent investigations to find the cause. Family history and the search for a particular ancestor are the focus of the second. These two activities are played out against the backdrop of dramatic changes in the relationships between men and women at that time, putting the concept of traditional roles within marriage under scrutiny. This is the third theme.
Please tell us about the characters of Dave and Sue Harrison.
Dave, a metallurgist, has lived in Birmingham all his life. He is happily married to Sue. They have two daughters. The Midlands, with its abundance of industrial concerns is home to very many metallurgists. The working life for the majority is essentially routine with little opportunity for advancement. Dave is ambitious and is delighted to be successful in his application to become a group leader in a government laboratory located in Wiltshire. He tackles his new job with vigour.
Sue, happily married, is also a native of Birmingham. She, together with her brother and sister, belong to a close-knit family. Early in her marriage she is content with her life bringing up the two girls. However, as both Josephine and Katy are in their teens, Sue anticipates the future as an opportunity for her to take up some meaningful occupation, just for herself. The move into Wiltshire seems an ideal opportunity for her to begin this process.
You have an interest in literature; who are your favourite reads?
Favourite reads: Neal Stephenson (The Baroque Trilogy), George Eliot (Middlemarch), Jon Macgregor (If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things).
You also enjoy running – how much does this give you time to think through your stories?
Running, particularly long distance, has proved to be a great help both in my working life - preparing papers, lectures, etc. and now, as a novelist - developing characters and thinking through plots. Certainly, on a bright, frosty, day a couple of hours slow run can help enormously.
There can be a downside however, as I found to my cost a few weeks ago. Whilst lost in my thoughts I fell flat on my face. Actually, thinking about it maybe it’s not all bad news especially if my next novel requires some detailed knowledge of A&E procedures.
The novel emerged from the framework of an autobiography – can you tell us a bit more about this?
The decision to write arose by virtue of a period of enforced idleness. Ten years ago I was told that I needed a pacemaker. The bad news was that I would have to assume invalid status until this could be done - a few months. As a consequence I found that I had a couple of hours per day to fill in lieu of training.
Drawing upon my autobiography seemed the simplest approach as this required no research; I just had to write. Quite soon I realised that I was a boring sort of person - where was all the action? In addition, I thought that doing a bit of research would be fun. The West Winford Incident is the result.
What made you set the book in Birmingham and rural Wiltshire?
One of the mantras in the literature bible is write what you know about and I think it is good advice unless you have the imagination of Terry Pratchett. Accordingly, my novel is largely based upon my own experience. I was born and bred in Birmingham and together, with my own family, I moved to Wiltshire (though not directly).
What is next for you?
The next year or so looks to be mapped out for me as my wife needs a driver-cum-bag-man-cum-researcher-cum-dogsbody to assist in her upcoming project. This will be based upon the true history of a family whose daughters flaunted the traditions of 1900 by supporting the Socialist trends of the day, much to the chagrin of their father and brothers.