HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
I pondered long and hard on the best way to introduce renowned author Seumas Gallacher, and the first word which came to mind was Charismatic (full of charisma and charm) and – as he calls me ‘m’Lady’ – thought it entirely apt and fitting.
Like most inhabitants of the planet, we can only fervently hope that 2021 is hugely improved on last year. Surely, from many viewpoints, there has never been a more tumultuous twelve months since World War II!
So, we can do no better than respect the obvious and kick-start the year with someone as interesting, capable, talented and entertaining as Seumas, who is known to many users of the internet and a myriad other souls scattered all over the planet, more especially those who read! Naturally, some folk know more about our author than others, so I’ll now switch to first person and ask Seumas some direct questions.
Me. Hi m’Lord. First off, the warmest welcome to my home in sunny Spain. Please make yourself comfortable. May I offer you a tipple, or would you prefer tea or coffee?
S. Diet Coke is my poison of choice, thanks, with ice – lemon not necessary…
Me. What is the most enduring memory you have of childhood, and where was it spent?
S. So many, good, and some not so terrific… my infant school days, as a totality, I think, where I was completely comfortable…
Me. Is there anyone or anything special that lingers in your mind from those days?
S. The teaching staff, all of whom were ladies, Miss Knox who taught us all how to knit and do crochet, even the boys … Miss MacLeod, who gave every child as much time as she felt necessary to help them, and Mrs Burnside, who ruled her class with a siren voice, but a gentle giantess in her own way, and an absolute hero of a headmaster, Carl Caplan (you will read about him in my memoir).
Me. Were you born brainy, or did you have to work hard to reach your goal/s?
S. It seems I was supposedly a bright child, and have always had a fascination for learning things… I have SO MUCH trivia in my head from through the years… I have a capacity for remembering detail from years ago…
Me. Does writing fulfil you? And have you hankered after any other role in life?
S. Writing certainly has fulfilled much of my desire of being able to express myself… to unload a lot of things from my inner being, especially in my poetry… I believe that real poetry is a highly selfish, personal thing, a matter of taking emotions and wrapping words around them… and I have no qualms about that… as for other career ambitions, I would dearly love to have been allowed to sing on stage for a living.
Me. If you could grant just one wish for the betterment of the world, what would it be?
S. Let all Mankind take note of the second part of their description…’kind’… and ease all manner of anxieties and sufferings anywhere it exists around the planet.
Me. If you were invisible, what mischief would you get up to?
S. If somehow it were possible to get invisibly into political lawmakers’ offices and rewrite all the laws to equalise pay and conditions for all of the front line and support services people who sustain our hospitals and other areas of public service.
Me. Describe your favourite way of relaxing.
S. Watching professional English Premier League football on television… in Bahrain, we get every match televised live… I also get therapeutic pleasure from being active on the few social network channels that I indulge.
Me. Do you have a bucket list, and if so, what’s on it?
S. Not a bucket list as such, as that almost accepts an ‘end’ to everything… I would like to be financially well off enough to spend a lot of my life travelling the world meeting fellow writers.
Me. What do you feel the most passionate about?
S. Depends what day you ask me that question, as there are so many things… but I am big on ‘giving back’ in many small ways on a daily basis if I can, and not letting people know about it…
Me. Pet hate?
S. Bullies in any form or station in life, in business or in private life… I generally meet them head on, for better or worse.
Me. Which two people would you like to have dinner with? (Dead or alive.)
S. Peter Ustinov and Billy Connolly… but again, ask me on other days and there will be plenty of different pairings…
Me. Name two favourite pieces of music.
S. Anything haunting from the Celtic genre, and the past concerts of The Highwaymen (Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and the magnificent Kris Kristofferson).
Me. Name two favourite authors.
S. So many again to choose, but Charles Dickens and John Steinbeck are always high on my list of favourite literary giants.
Me. Name a Favourite holiday destination.
S. The small township of Tobermory on the beautiful Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, where I lived and worked as a young man in my late teens.
Me. What is your favourite genre, Seumas?
S. Anything by the old authors from a century and more ago, as they had a command of the English language which I adore and rejoice in reading.
Me. Why do you enjoy writing so much? And which one of your books means the most to you?
S. Exercising my mind has always been something I have been conscious of… use it or lose it! My favourite among all my writing is the autobiography… I like reading about the guy I became.
Me. How would you like to be remembered?
S. As someone who would rather do right by people than otherwise…
Me. That wasn’t too painful, was it, Seumas! It’s been great having you here and learning so much more about you. Live long and be happy. Cheers!
S. Thanks for allowing me space on your pages, m’Lady!
© Copyright Joy Lennick 2021
Seumas’ website is here and you can purchase his books here on Amazon.
Today, it gives me much pleasure to welcome seasoned author Don Massenzio to my humble patio. He has travelled from northern Florida, fortunately safe from the devastation and threat of the recent hurricane.
Joy Lennick 