Frank E Lee started writing when he was given a pen and notebook for Christmas. Over many years he has written short stories, plays and non-fiction, but has always struggled to be published – so he takes consolation in saying that he writes for himself.
Q: Do you have a lucky writing talisman? If so, what is it?
A: A pen in the shape of a feather.
Q: If you could travel in the past, which one of the great writers would you like to meet and why?
A: Dickens – a great social reformer whose story from the workhouse to wealthy landowner is inspiring.
Q: Is there a book that you keep going back to and how many times have you read it?
A: Love The Old Man and the Sea – they say the character was based on the captain of the Hemingway boat the Pilar – went to Cuba and sought out his house but he was in hospital – the captain not Hemingway.
Q: Who is your person of inspiration?
A: Irish American author John Kennedy Toole – who wrote what is now considered a classic – A Confederacy of Dunces – but was unable to find a publisher during his lifetime.