EPISODE · Oct 31, 2023 · 33 MIN
#2 PETER WISE talks about his new book DISTURBING the WATER
from CREEL · host Joff Elphick
In this episode of the podcast from Efgeeco.com Joff talks to Peter Wise a writer from north London in the UK. Via his publishers Cranthorpe Millner Peter has just released his first book Disturbing the Water - thirteen original ghost stories concerning fish, fishing, and fishy places. With reviews in Country Life and Anglers Mail already this book is sure to be in everyone's bivvy for Christmas. A new genre of reading for us at Efgeeco HQ we found each chapter had the hairs rising on our arms chapter after chapter. Peter's knowledge and interest of the past shines through with his accurate portrayal and description of historical periods such as WorldWar II, The Great Patriotic War, and Ukraine. Though based around fish and fishing the stories will appeal to anglers and non anglers alike - rigs and methods aren't described but locations whether real or imagined lead the reader into a believable world that will have them excitably turning the pages and trying to consume all thirteen chapters in a single sitting. Here's Peter's description of the book... 'This is my first book, a collection of original ghost stories all themed around fish, fishing and fishy places. It's just not aimed at anglers, however, and there's very little actual fishing in it. You certainly don't have to understand or like angling to appreciate it - but you might know a little bit more about what makes us tick by the end of it. Fish naturally have twists in their tail and so do these stories. Think Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected, with a touch of MR James and Edgar Allan Poe, and just a sprinkling of Izaak Walton. There's also a goodly amount of real history intertwined with several of them - as befits the story of how it came to be written. Inspired by a history podcast Over the years I had vague thoughts of writing fiction but never anything concrete. Then one day in 2021 I was in the bath listening to a podcast called The Rest is History. The subject was the history of ghosts. Suddenly I knew what I wanted to write about. I resisted the temptation to leap out of my bath like Archimedes and shout 'Eureka' while running through the streets, this being a bit much, even for bohemian Stoke Newington in London where Tive. My idea was to write ghost stories. But not just your standard stories set in Gothic graveyards, haunted houses or mysterious mansions. All my life I have loved fishing. And it's a pastime that often involves remote places, being on your own, the wind rising, darkness falling.... I spent the rest of the day researching online. It turns out that yes, lots of anglers do claim to have seen ghosts. Over the years, there's been the odd ghost story set in the world of angling. But there's never been a whole collection of original ghost stories about fish, fishing and fishy places. So I decided to write it. Elements of real history As a big fan of history I also knew that I would include elements of history, both real and fictionalised, within the book. The English Civil War, World War II, the Witch Craze and even a Victorian serial killer all put in an appearance. There are also a couple of other historical episodes which it would spoil the plots to mention here.'
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#2 PETER WISE talks about his new book DISTURBING the WATER
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