Ask the Author: A.J. Sendall
Answered Questions (6)
A.J. Sendall
Four or five years ago, I was anchored off Petit Saint Vincent in the Caribbean, a small privately owned island lying a few miles northwest of Carriacou. A mile to the west was another small island called Petite Martinique, AKA Smugglers Island.
At around 11 pm, an unlit boat moved slowly and silently into the anchorage, stopping a couple of hundred feet behind my yacht. Using binoculars, I could make out it was a fishing boat of around 50 feet. There were low voices, and the occasional glow of a cigarette.
Within a few minutes, several small boats arrived alongside the fishing boat from the direction of petite Martinique, all unlit, all quiet. Unusual in the Caribbean where loud music and loud voices are the norm. It was hard to make out exactly what was happening, but one by one, the small boats rowed silently away towards Petite Martinique.
The following morning I departed that anchorage bound for Tyrell Bay on the southern side of Carriacou. When I got close to Carriacou, I was surprised to see the fishing boat from the previous night washed up on a rocky headland on the northern tip of the island. As I sat in the cockpit looking at through binoculars, the fishing line screamed out. I grabbed the line and started reeling in. It was heavy, but not kicking and fighting like a fish…
At around 11 pm, an unlit boat moved slowly and silently into the anchorage, stopping a couple of hundred feet behind my yacht. Using binoculars, I could make out it was a fishing boat of around 50 feet. There were low voices, and the occasional glow of a cigarette.
Within a few minutes, several small boats arrived alongside the fishing boat from the direction of petite Martinique, all unlit, all quiet. Unusual in the Caribbean where loud music and loud voices are the norm. It was hard to make out exactly what was happening, but one by one, the small boats rowed silently away towards Petite Martinique.
The following morning I departed that anchorage bound for Tyrell Bay on the southern side of Carriacou. When I got close to Carriacou, I was surprised to see the fishing boat from the previous night washed up on a rocky headland on the northern tip of the island. As I sat in the cockpit looking at through binoculars, the fishing line screamed out. I grabbed the line and started reeling in. It was heavy, but not kicking and fighting like a fish…
A.J. Sendall
From the outset, I decided to self-publish. In part because I am used to running myself as a business/freelance contractor, also because of the rapidly shifting nature of publishing. There seems little, if any, advantage for emerging authors to sign with a legacy publisher. You still need to do nearly all of the advertising and platform building yourself, and for many there is not any included editing, cover design etc...
So for me it was a clear choice.
How about you?
So for me it was a clear choice.
How about you?
A.J. Sendall
Write of the sake of writing, not for some ideal of being published or rich and famous. Listen to your peers, follow your instincts, and ignore the naysayers.
A.J. Sendall
I am constantly inspired to write. It is not something that I have to work at.
A.J. Sendall
I seldom get 'blocked'. But if I do, I go into the garden and pull weeds, or walk in the forest surrounding our home. I try to forget about the story.
A.J. Sendall
I am currently working on a prequel to Heather. It is set in Colombia and is the story of how Sam Autenburg ended up in Australia.
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