Dr. James Hamish Watson, Author & Blogger
Tell us a little about yourself and your background?
Dr James Hamish Watson, at your service. I’m a New Zealander in my 30s, and have a mixed
background involving serving in the army, an unfortunately-prolonged stint at university, living
and teaching in rural Japan, and a lifelong appreciation for clever use of language. Any
resemblance to Jude Law is purely coincidental.
What is the meaning of life?
The good book tells us that it is 42, but is rather evasive on what question goes with it. In the
absence of further information on that point I would say “make a difference”. Leave the world
a better place than you found it, even if only for one person. Make people glad they met you.
And don’t stop trying.
What did you want to do/be when you were a child?
Flying was my greatest dream when I was a child. I always wanted to be a pilot, and it was only
when I was near the end of high school that I realised my maths was so bad I wouldn’t be able
to join the air force. That didn’t stop me pursuing a private pilot’s licence, though.
If you could hang out with one celebrity, who would it be?
Emma Watson is intelligent, educated, and possesses a quick sense of humour. More than that,
though, she also seems earnest and sincere. I think she’d be a good person to hang out with.
Which film do you wish you could star in?
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows. Smart, fast, and tying in to many of my interests in
history. My only quibble is that the wrong character is the star…
When are you at your best?
I get progressively more capable as the day wears on, usually reaching full capability at around
9 or 10pm. One might infer from this that I am not a morning person, and one would be
entirely correct. Sadly the rest of the world is not yet arranged for my convenience, so I am
often forced to function earlier in the day with varying degrees of success.
What was your favorite story when you were growing up?
When I was young I loved the stories about Orlando The Marmalade Cat. Even before I could
read or write they were my favourite books, and I memorised them so well I could tell them to
people I met. When I was a bit older I liked the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur
Ransome, and to be honest I’m not sure I ever grew out of them.
Do you have a certain time of day or week you feel most creative?
Usually in the evenings, after I’ve had dinner. Day of the week doesn’t make too much
difference, although I try to avoid “working” on Friday nights.
Where do your ideas come from?
Often they’re influenced by other things I’ve seen or read – I find myself engaged by a
character, event or detail of setting, and want to explore them further myself. Dreams are also
a fertile source of material. Trying to include them or make sense of them in prose sometimes
produces good results for me. As a general rule, however, I write the stories that I would want
to read. If no-one else has come up with them, well, that just means I’ll have to do it myself…
Who are your favorite authors or artists?
A small sample, in no particular order: Charlie Stross, Larry Niven, Patrick O’Brian, Jim Butcher,
Nevil Shute, C J Cherryh, and Terry Pratchett. In terms of artists, I’m partial to the
Impressionists, Monet and Renoir in particular. Visiting Paris was quite a treat for me!
What's your favorite quote or saying?
“What does not kill us only makes us stranger.”
What book do you wish you could have written?
Every day I curse the cruel fate that caused Charlie Stross, not I, to write The Atrocity Archive. It
simultaneously taps into so many veins about modern life, the paranormal, international
relations and general geekery that it is almost tailor-made to my interests. Truly the fates are
capricious at times.
If you weren't a writer, what would you be doing for a living?
I used to be a soldier, and there’s a possibility I would have made that a career. It certainly feels
strange to open the paper and see the names of people I used to share a barracks with. In all
honesty, though, I think teaching is more likely. I get on pretty well with students of all ages,
and I have a knack for putting things in a way that makes sense to people. Besides, it’s nice to
make a positive difference in people’s lives.
What literary or movie character is most like you? How?
Need you ask? Dr Watson is perhaps one of my favourite characters, and one I identify with to
a large extent. He is intelligent, educated, and experienced; a dry wit and a crack shot; brave
and resolute; a gentleman with refined tastes (and some unrefined ones too). Overworked and
underappreciated, he still stands with his friends when they need him. One fixed point in a
changing age.
What's the worst job you've ever had?
One summer I worked the night shift in a freezing works (slaughterhouse or abattoir for you
overseas types). Being awake at the opposite end of the day to everyone else meant we existed
in what amounted to a private world, insular and increasingly divorced from commonly-
accepted reality. It became difficult to go out into the “real” world, and I think that sort of
dislocation can have long-term mental health consequences. Plus I went home every night
smelling of fat and blood and worse things, and it was impossible to erase completely.
What's more important: characters or plot?
Characters, definitely. Characters that I can empathise with, who are well-written and
interesting and who draw me in, can make me overlook a great many faults in plot simply
because I want to spend more time with them. Conversely, if I don’t want to have anything to
do with the characters I won’t put in the time necessary to discover the plot.
Find out more about Watson on his blog: https://doctorjhwatson.wordpress.com/
