First Chapters Q&A with James Harding

James Harding was a drug addict and debt collector who operated within the chaotic world of organised crime in Melbourne. Now he is the proud father of five children, a mentor and public speaker who harnesses his experiences from the ‘dark side’ to assist others to be the best version of themselves by encouraging them to unlock their hidden strengths and self-belief.

     James Harding will be reading for us from Hard Cuddles at First Chapters on Friday 6 September.

1.      Brunswick Bound has asked you to read a piece from your published work.  Tell us what we can expect from the piece you have chosen?

I have chosen to read the chapter about the pacific islander  that came to my rescue one cold and lonely night. It’s an emotional story that is based on faith, serendipity and divine timing. It is the story that I often reflect on and is where the idea of using my life experience to help others originated. You can expect me to get the audience completely engaged with an open heart.

2.      How would you describe the kind of books that you write?

Real, raw and relevant. I love to write with brutal honesty even if it makes me look in a less favourable light. In a world of social media and building your brand, political correctness and civil libertarians. I shoot from the hip with the ugly truth.

3.      What was the first book that you read (or had read to you) that left an impression on you?

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. It was so simple and beautiful, little did I know it would turn out to be my life story.

4.      Do you believe that books should answer life’s big questions?

I believe books should allow people to ponder life from another person’s perspective. Books should be thought provoking and challenging for a reader, I believe books should have a reader questioning their initial stance on life.

5.      Do you have any writing quirks?

I like writing in the middle of the night from say 2:00am – 5:00am the creative hours. I also need a clean and super organised area and I need all my papers and stationary in perfect symmetry and at perfect angles with the table I am working on.

Once I finish a chapter I love to go back, read it then really admire myself for a little bit. You have to understand that writing a book was not on the cards for me if you take into consideration how average I was at school. I couldn’t concentrate at all. So for me to have been writing a book that I knew was going to be on book shelves, was not only a therapeutic healing process, but a chance to think about my school teachers and giggle.

6.      What is your favourite word or phrase?

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

7.      What have you found most surprising about publishing a book?

Publishing a book came incredibly easy for me and I think I took the whole published author thing for granted. It wasn’t till I spent time around a woman that was obsessed with having her work published did I consider how special it is to be a author. It has opened so many doors, it’s an amazing thing to be able to drop into a conversation if a person thinks they have you all figured out. There is a bit of prestige being able to say I am a published author.

8. What is the question that you hope never to be asked in an author Q&A?

I don’t really have one, I am an open book.

9.      What question do you hope you will be asked and why?

Again I don’t really think about it. I just love that people have read my story and I am happy to answer anything the audience is keen to know about. It’s such a privilege to think that someone has connected with my catalogue of disasters.

10.  Which author that you have read do you think should be better known or more widely read?

I’m not so sure about authors, I am aware of a number of criminals whose stories would trump a lot of the stuff I see on book shelves these days. But I am biased I like true crime, it’s so gritty and real.

Find out more about the First Chapters Event Series on the Brunswick Bound website.