Interview with T.M. Fairman

Posted October 18, 2016

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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!