1)Hello Sir, can you please introduce
yourself So that the audience would get you know you better.
Hi! I'm Sam, 34, born in London, raised in
Essex and living in London again.
I do still enjoy city life although I really do miss travelling at times.
Luckily I have some very fond memories from 2006-2010 in the cruise industry.
Some of which I've written about in this book which I can escape to whenever I
like
I love to make people laugh which truthfully is one of the main reasons I
decided to write this book.
Writing this book in my later years was a really enjoyable process as each time
I sat down to work I was effectively time travelling to the past. A time in my
life where social media was in its infancy, the internet was virtually non
existent on board, and so the world I lived in was a bubble separate to the
rest of the world.
2) Congratulations for your debut book,
what does the title says about it?
The title can be applied to a great deal many things. Something that seems
smooth at a cursory glance may not always be the case. Do not judge a book by
its cover kind of thing,
It's open ended different things to people, but I guess my main influences for
the title is to help people better understand the hard work and effort the crew
go to for the guests during their stay, and that the cruise industry is far
from being spotless like they would like you to believe.
3) Do you remember what you wrote first?
How did you develop interest in writing, when you decided to write a book?
I actually cover this question in the books
introduction which can be found on the kindle preview.
4) What is the central theme of your
books? Why did you choose it?
I'd say honesty.
I lived these experiences and so I'm just sharing my story.
If I didn't see, hear or learn about it then it's not in the book.
All you will find in 'seems like smooth sailing' is one person's account of
their time. I make a habit out of trying to keep it fun and easy to read, and
so hopefully it will be one many people can relate to.
I know honesty isn't really a theme, but it covers a lot of ground as the book
covers a lot of topics.
I talk about family, passengers, friends, inclusivity, exclusivity, excursions
and so much more.
5) What do you usually do when you are
not writing?
I'm working as a Handyman/person around London which keeps me fairly busy and
sort of fit. and I get to meet some interesting people, but I do at times miss
the camaraderie of working within a team. This is where my other line of work
occasionally fills that void, as I work on film and TV as a supporting artist.
This allows me to meet a lot of creative minds and feel like I'm a part of
something larger than myself...sometimes.
When I'm not working I'm happy to be able to go for a swim, shoot some hoops,
take a long walk in nature, go out for some nice food and drink and have a
catch up with family and friends. Watching movies, Tv shows and playing music.
6) What's sets of challenges usually
arise while writing about your life and experiences?
Maybe knowing who I can and can't talk
about, what I can say about them and what I can't? Everything is subject to
cancel culture these days and so it's a minefield not to upset anyone.
Everything has to be a lot more politically correct these days, as there's
generally very little excuse for not being respectful or sensitive towards
others. So to write a book such as this
and try not to offend anyone was something I was always rather conscious
of...and found challenging.
Finding the line between seemingly offensive humour which was contextually
funny at the time it happened, but that might not be as funny to someone else
who wasn't there was a real challenge.
Thanks to my former career as a family friendly entertainment host, I was able
to use some of what I'd learnt to advantage, and in some cases I threw the rule
book out the window.
My general rule of thumb was that if I couldn't see myself saying it on stage
to an audience, then it probably shouldn't be going in the book.
7) Why you think one must read Seems Like
Smooth Sailing?
I didn't know what I was signing up to
before I went on board my first ship, so if you want to experience the mindset
of someone going into that environment for the first time then this book will
give you some unique insights and a totally unabashed account of my first
contract way back in 2006.
If you enjoy non fiction with a lot of humour then I reckon you would enjoy
this whilst also learning all about the cruise industry.
8) How did you maintain a transparency
balance in your story?
I think in order to give your story balance
in terms of transparency one of the most important themes to remember is
humility. If I told only the stories where I came out on top and triumphed,
then my readers might not have been as engaged with my narration as I take them
through the book.
Nobody is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. When you make a mistake its
important for you to own it so you can learn from it.
9) Your book is suitable for which age
group? When is your next book coming? What it is all about?
If you have children who want to perform but
they are pre-pubescent, then maybe wait a few years till they are old enough to
understand some of the books more adult themes, otherwise the book is suitable
for any young adult and upwards.
My next book does not have a launch date, but is something I am working towards
completing.
It will cover the next two contracts I took up after finishing my first
contract in 'seems like smooth sailing', and I'm writing to include something a
bit more contemporary with relation to how the industry handled the pandemic
and what we learned about it as a whole.
10) Any life advice you would like to
give to your readers in general!
Errm... If you act like you know it all, then
you know nothing at all, and sometimes less is more...more or less ;)
No comments
Post a Comment