Good day Michael and thanks once again for participating in our interview.

Norm: You are quite a prolific writer, could you tell our readers what does your workday actually look like?

Michael: Well, I retired from my job two years back and now my routine is very different. I used to be out of the house by 6am, but now , I remain resting until about 730am and then get up.

I am obliged to eat a high calorie breakfast to absorb the medicine I take. After that I do research on what I am writing and then have lunch and a nap. More research in the afternoon, then dinner and watch TV for a couple of hours. That’s the day! 

Norm: Are any of your works of fiction autobiographical? 

 Michael: Every story I write draws on a personal knowledge of an event or a story I have heard. The tales, as you know, are very diversified, and I doubt anyone could possibly experience everything I describe.  

Norm: How do you deal with the exposure involved in publishing your books? As a follow up, how do you live with the way people interpret and analyze your books? 

Michael: People who read the books want to know a lot more than is actually written and they contact me for details. Others, after talking to me, still believe I was somehow involved in the stories and no denials will convince them otherwise.  

Norm: What kind of kid were you when growing up? 

Michael: I lived about ten miles west of London. I won a scholarship at 11, to a well-known school in Gidea Park, near Romford, Essex. The Romford Royal Liberty School.

Here I learned all the usual lessons, but it was who I met that meant more than anything. I was exposed to a cross-culture of boys, some who were academically brilliant and others who were, or became, international sports stars, entertainment industry figures and other trades.

I maintain contact with over 300 of them today through a school site.    

Norm: Did you ever do anything that you were ashamed of? 

Michael: Well, when it came time to leave school, examinations were held. I was obliged to inform my parents I had not passed a single examination. They were not happy! It took me 10 years to make things right when I eventually left the UK in 1959 and went to work in Panama. I studied and earned a Bsc., there in 1966.  

Norm: Do you ever feel lonely when writing? If so, how do you deal with it? 

Michael: It’s NEVER lonely. You write what you want and you can make the story go where you and you alone want it to go. It’s always exciting.  

Michael: I have started stories and realized that publishing them would cause some people distress. So, I make changes until I am happy that no one will be hurt.  

Norm: How did you go about creating the characters in your stories in Waters of the Chagres? 

Michael: The characters already existed. It’s a story I am convinced is 80% true. It was easy to give the characters personalities. 

Norm: How did you choose the names of the characters in Water of  the Chagres and where did the title come from? 

Michael: The Chagres is the largest river supplying the watershed for the Panama Canal. It sullies the drinking water for Panama City and before that, the Panama Canal Zone. They say that if you ever drink Chagres river water, you will return to Panama some day. The characters names have been changed. Many are still alive today. They themselves were not the source of the story. That came from a third party.  

Norm: What was the most difficult part about writing the stories in this collection? 

Michael: The second story, ‘Just another river’ took a great deal of research. It is mainly set in Brazil and involves flying. I had to study air routes and small airports, rivers, and environmental information. I was very interesting to learn as I wrote! 

Norm: How long did it take you to write each story? 

Michael: Usually, six weeks for a longer story and 4 for a short one.  

Norm: Where did the ideas of each story come from? 

Michael: I know a lot of people in Latin America. When I was travelling constantly, I spent many hours on aircraft and spoke with my seatmate often. You meet some strange people that way. You pick up tales or partial stories from people and you can use these to base a book on. In the countries I visited, I usually spoke with people who knew much of what was going on. Their conversations provided bit and pieces of information that could be woven together to produce an interesting story.    

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and your works of fiction? 

Michael: AMAZON.COM

This site lists all books and where they can be obtained.   

Norm: What is next for Michael J. Merry? 

Michael: At least one more full length novel, not short stories. Hope to start in 30/60 days!   

Norm: As our interview comes to an end, if you could invite three writers, dead or alive, to your dinner table, who would they be and why? 

Michael: Frederick Forsythe. (Day of the Jackal, and other’s books) He has a style which allows the reader to share in the preparation of the story as it develops. Ian Fleming.  I have so many stories to ask about the Bond series. Finally, C. S. Forrester. The Hornblower books. How did he start a series when he had already written one (‘The Happy return’)that would then fit in after five ‘newer’ books? I believe I could keep a conversation, mainly my questions, going all night!  

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors. 

Follow Here To Read Norm's Review of Waters of the Chagres