Welcome to Jack Bale…
What inspired you to embark on a writing career, and how did your journey as an author begin?
My journey as a fiction author began late in life after 25 years in publishing. It started with the unsettling question : what if the voice inside your head wasn’t yours?
The answer to that question became Merlin’s Game, in which the character of Jean-Patrique was born and the consequences of his inner struggle has serious consequences for those unfortunate enough to be in his life. The character took control, and the writing began to flow while I was on a winter holiday in Mallorca, and eventually the plot extended to some of my other favourite locations around Europe.
Can you describe your writing process? Do you follow a structured outline, or is your approach more organic?
I outline just enough. I like to know where the shadows fall, not necessarily what’s hiding in them. I begin with a skeletal structure—key characters, emotional turns, plot destinations I want to reach—but the characters often take me down side streets and alleyways.
Some writers like to control the story - I try to keep up while pretending I planned the whole thing.
Which authors or books have significantly influenced your writing style and thematic choices?
I’d say Hilary Mantel looks over my shoulder (usually whispering something terrible about a character, but beautifully phrased). I’m also indebted to the legacy of Patricia Highsmith and Earnest Hemingway for their economic prose style and their focus on the unpredictabilty of a character’s inner life. Both understood that a good plot comes from psychology first and violence second.
I’ve always been drawn to the old black and white movies by Alfred Hitchcock and the like, and I guess you could call my writing a tribute to the golden age of crime with modern psychological insights, in which case you’d have to add Carl Jung to my unconscious influences.
I love stories that ask: What would you do if no one ever knew?
Merlin, of course, has his own answer to that.
How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life, and what strategies do you employ to maintain this equilibrium?
“Balance” is generous. It’s more like steering a sail boat without a rudder between commitments. My strategy is simple, if I have one: I write early, before the day can get hold of me. There’s a strange magic in the morning—your critical mind hasn’t fully woken, but your subconscious is wide awake and looking for mischief.
To keep going with my own writing schedule, I bribe myself with chocolate and the promise that I can stop when the chapter stops - which is usually a lie, but an effective one.
When I’m not writing, you can usually find me with my family and messing about on boats.
What challenges have you encountered in your writing career, and how have you overcome them?
My biggest challenge was shifting genres. I had been writing under my own name for years, exploring spirituality, myth, and personal transformation. Becoming Jack Bale and stepping into the psychologically darker waters, required a complete recalibration.
So I stopped trying to be “a writer” and focused on telling the truth of the characters. Even if that truth was messy, unsettling, or entirely morally bankrupt - especially then.
Could you share insights into your current or upcoming projects that you’re particularly excited about?
I’m currently finishing the sequel to Merlin’s Game in a way that I hope will surprise readers. I’m not finished with JP yet. Without spoilers, let’s just say that Merlin isn’t the only voice that wants to be heard.
How do you handle periods of writer’s block or creative stagnation?
I suffer more from writer’s diarrhoea than constipation. I may deliberately take time out from writing to sit with an idea to see where it may lead, and find that back at my desk, the idea quickly takes on a life of its own.
I do work over my writing multiple times. I’ll scrap pages when I have to. My test is always - would I read this? Does the plot keep me turning the page? Are the characters real?
I guess these are the questions most writers ask themselves.
What advice would you offer to aspiring authors navigating the path to publication?
I don’t feel qualified to give advice, but these are the self-imposed rules I follow:
Write the book only you can write.
Finish the draft. Half a book leaves you with nothing.
Be stubborn. (Publishing is a long game, and the people who make it are the most talented and who don’t stop.)
How important are book reviews to you?
I have a wonderful team of critics who review my work before I publish, and I always try to take their views on board. After publication, reviews matter—not for my ego, but for readers. A good review tells potential readers, “You might like this strange, dark little story.” A thoughtful negative review, oddly, can do the same.
What I especially love are the reviews where readers wrestle with their feelings about JP and Merlin. If I’ve made someone unsettled, conflicted, or unsure who to root for, then I feel I’ve done my job.
Author bio:
Jack Bale is a storyteller fascinated by the hidden corners of the human mind. Drawing inspiration from Patricia Highsmith’s darkly compelling worlds, Hilary Mantel’s masterful exploration of psychological complexity, and Ernest Hemingway’s spare yet evocative prose, Bale crafts novels that are as intellectually intriguing as they are thrilling.
At the heart of his work lies a deep dive into character—unearthing the desires, fears, and contradictions that drive people to extraordinary choices. His debut novel, Merlin’s Game, is a spellbinding tale of identity and deception, exploring how ambition and obsession can shape, or unravel, the self.
When not writing, Jack is a relentless observer of human nature, capturing the moments where truth and illusion blur. Welcome to his world—where every character hides a secret, and every secret is a story waiting to unfold.
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