“I have the privilege of living in a beautiful house, which I built, on a beautiful island, and I have absolutely no intention of selling it for under a billion”
Lord Jeffrey Archer will be signing copies of his books at the Hotel Zel in Palmanova on Saturday, April 27 from 12pm. Hotel Zel C/ Duc Estremera, 16. Entrance also on Palmanova promenade.
LORD Jeffrey Archer has owned a home on Mallorca for many years and this is where he has written many of his best sellers. He talks to the Bulletin ahead of his book signing event in Palmanova.
Q.— What do you like best about Mallorca?
A. — “As an Englishman, I am bound to say the weather. If I was writing a book in England in January, it could be minus two degrees, whereas I can go for a walk at 12 o’clock and it is often twelve to fourteen degrees.”
Q.— What is your favourite part of the island?
A. “I don’t know the island well, because I rarely leave the house, other than to go to Cap Rocat for dinner in the evening. I love Palma, which I think is one of the loveliest capitals I have ever
visited, but cannot to know the rest of the island well.”
Q.— What tips would you give for writers hoping to follow in your footsteps? A. — “I do fourteen drafts of each book. There is no shortcut.”
What is the most important thing to remember when writing a best-sellers?
Q.—
A. — “You cannot write bestsellers. You write what you are capable of doing and pray that the public will make it a bestseller. It is not your decision, it is theirs.”
Q.— You have sold millions of books, do you still enjoy writing?
A. “I love it.
If I didn’t, I would stop. I think I have about three more books left in me (I am 84), but after that you can ask me again.”
Q.— Do you ever believe that you would sell your house on Mallorca? A. — “No. I have the privilege of living in a beautiful house, which I built, on a beautiful island, and I have absolutely no intention of selling it for under a billion.”
Q.— What message do you have for your readers ahead of the book signing?
A. — “I am looking forward to seeing you. It is often the questions from readers from which I learn so much.
Q.— Out of all your books, do you have a favourite?
A. — “I don’t have a favourite, although the public have decided that Kane and Abel, now in its 132nd reprint, is their favourite. I am sentimental about Not Penny More, Not a Penny Less, my first book, and the critics were very generous about Paths of Glory.”
Which has been the most difficult to write?
Q.—
A. — “All the books are difficult to write, because you need to come up with a new subject each time and you have to remember there are people who will judge it against your best work, so it never gets any easier.
Q.— Mallorca will be marking Saint George´s day for the first time this year, do you think it is a good idea?
A. — “Fine by me. I know St George has read every one of my books.”
Q.— And finally if you could make a small change to Mallorca, what would it be?
A. — “I wish the journey from the aeroplane, when you land, to your car was less than five miles!