Interview with T.M. Fairman

Today we’ll be featuring an interview with T.M. Fairman, author of 3 Days: A Passion. You can find more about him and his works on Facebook or Goodreads.
Welcome to Reveries Reviews, T.M. Fairman. Could you tell the readers a little about yourself?
Hi Kellyn. I am a Christian father of four based in the South of England and am currently working as a Maths and Economics teacher in a secondary school, teaching 11 to 18 year olds.
Where did you get the idea for 3 Days: A Passion?
Within a few years of each other, my Grandma died from Alzheimer’s and my father-in-law succumbed to a variety of illness after a long struggle. Within their struggles, their partners’ strength, dignity and love really touched me. Then as I was preparing for Easter, I was struck by the similarities of their journeys and that of the Apostles during Jesus’ Passion; the sense of helplessness whilst the one you love suffers. The idea grew out of these two thoughts; that you can still love and hope in these situations and these situations are a part of all our lives.
Why did you decide not to name your main characters?
As a teacher, names are particularly tricky. Any teacher will tell you how difficult it is to name a child, given that they probably know at least one student with any name that is suggested! Also names automatically create an image in your head and I wanted the story to be a personal journey, one that makes the reader the centre of the story so they can answer the questions that the book poses for themselves. I know it seems a bit depressing, but the questions of death underpin all religious pursuit. To be alive is to know that death is inevitable. However I feel that it is a conversation that has been neglected recently and I wanted to get people to engage with it, preferably with hope rather than despair.
How long did 3 Days: A Passion take you to write?
I lived with the characters for about a year, before finally finding the thread that would hold the story together. The actual writing took about 6 months. Although the editing and revisions took another 6 months after that.
What was the hardest thing about writing 3 Days: A Passion?
The hardest thing about writing the book was probably the aftermath. The writing seemed to flow and I think I was quite fortunate in that respect. Whenever you create something, it becomes very precious and hearing people’s feedback, positive or negative, becomes a judgement about you. Trying to separate the opinions about the book from judgements about my self-worth was a particularly hard job.
If you could go back a year and tell yourself anything (writing-related), what would that be?
I would suggest that I approached writing in a more professional way. I started writing as I felt inspired and had something to say, but did not believe it would get this far where people who I did not know would be reading it! In particular, the release and the marketing lacked a coherent plan.
Thanks for being here with us today, Mr. Fairman!
Thanks Kellyn for the opportunity to share.

About T.M. Fairman:

TM Fairman is something of an unexpected author. Currently residing in the South of England, the father of four studied Economics and Econometrics, leading on to a career teaching Mathematics and Economics in secondary schools. Although reading has always been a hobby, the inspiration to write came as a bit of a shock for him and those around him.
The main inspiration for his work comes from a Christian faith and the wide variety of people that being a teacher gives him the privilege of meeting. From a literary point of view, writers such as Dumas, Tolkien and Sterne feature highly on his bookshelf although he lays no claim to being anywhere near belonging on the same shelf!

Well, that’s it for today, everyone! Thanks for reading. 🙂
~Kellyn Roth