Well, did we make it through another month and another story for the CSR? How did you like I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside by Ivor Slipper? Don't forget to share your comments below, but first, I gave a detailed interview that you just can't miss Ivor's replies to! 

Do you eat your fruits and vegetables?

I'll eat most of the traditional vegetables, but I don't eat much fruit other than the summer strawberries, raspberries and apricots.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I read a lot and in the right months of the year I like to spend time in my garden.

What's your favorite room in your house? Do you plot or write there?

My favorite room is the lounge where I can relax, read and watch sport on TV. Writing is done using my laptop which resides on the dining table.

What’s the best part of being an author?

Can I say two things? One is being able to express and share thoughts and ideas. The other is the friends I have made as a result of my writing.

If you could give advice to yourself when you first started writing, what would it be?

To somehow discover the skill to write better dialogue. Something I still consider a weakness.

What do you think makes I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside stand out compared to other “similar” stories?

Perhaps the fact that I was familiar with the location at about the time the story was set.

Do you resonate better with one character over the other, Chris versus Billy? Why or why not?

Great question. Chris started off as Billy's life raft, but both were dependant on George providing the lifeboat. Chris's character is more mine; Billy's what I would have liked mine to be!

Did the characters or the plot of this story come first?

The story was originally written in response to a Picture Challenge on the Iomfats site and was just what is now the first chapter. But having created the characters, I wanted to know more of how their lives unfolded which led to the other chapters being written later.

So Chris was very much inspired by the picture and from that came the plot.

Is there a scene that either really flowed or was super difficult to write?

The first chapter flowed easily and indeed the whole story didn't present many problems. Maybe it was easy to write about that era.

Would you like to share anything about your current or upcoming works with readers?

I've struggled to write anything in recent months, but hopefully the muse may be returning.