The novelist said that during his visit to Chennai, a boy came to the window of his car asking if he would like the latest Jeffrey Archer. “I am the latest Archer,” the novelist responded.
Looking at the large gathering, novelist Lord Jeffrey Archer said, “I am often asked why I keep returning to India. This is the answer.”
There was loud applause as Archer was welcomed on stage at a retail outlet on Wednesday, where his latest book, Only Time Will Tell, the first of a five-book series, was released. By the end of the event, 1,448 copies of the book were sold at the venue.
“During my visits, I am puzzled by your country. There are intelligent, well-educated people. But will someone explain why the white line is in the middle of the car?” the novelist asked, wondering at missing lane discipline on city roads. Archer said he could challenge the minister for transport, but “You won’t, then, get a book for the next 100 years. There are so many problems.”
Narrating pleasanter experiences, the novelist said that during his visit to Chennai, a boy came to the window of his car asking if he would like the latest Jeffrey Archer. “I am the latest Archer,” the novelist responded.
Recalling an exchange with a 12-year-old who had finished reading Only Time Will Tell in 24 hours, Archer said, “He asked when my next book would be out. I said that I have written other books which he could read. He said he had read all 17 of my books,” said the author. And did he have any regrets? “A real Indian storyteller is RK Narayan. It’s sad I didn’t get to India sooner than I actually did, to meet him.”
The audience was packed with young people aspiring to be novelists. The questions were about Archer’s source of inspiration, and the novelist asked how many in the audience were interested in penning books. Many hands went up. He asked how many had already authored a book, and there were few hands. “Talent and energy go hand in hand. If you’ve got it, you have to work on it. Sachin Tendulkar may be the best batsman, but he still practices for hours every day,” Archer said.
Giving the audience a sense of his work routine, Archer said, “The first draft of my book takes around 400 hours, that is 50 days. The final one takes around a thousand hours, nearly nine months.” He added that he spent almost eight hours writing each day. And how about film offers for his novels? “I’m desperate that my books be made into films. I have got 42 offers, but it has never worked out,” lamented Archer.
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