Terry Waite Q&A

rubylady

Hello Terry, it was one happy day when you were released from captivity. The visions I had had of you chained up were awful and my heart went out to you during your ordeal.

Recently I have wondered how my life would have panned out had I not done this or that. Have you ever thought about how your life and you yourself would now be had you not been captured?

I moved house recently. I donated my furniture I couldn't use in the new house plus toys, games, clothes etc to Emmaus UK as I believe that no one should be homeless these days in our society and so this was my choice of charity to help them.

Your book sounds very interesting to read and I look forward to meeting the characters described above. I have read a book recently "The 100 year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared" by Jonas Jonasson. I actually miss the character. It's the first time this has happened to me and I am an avid reader. I hope this happens with your book too.

Take care Terry, and thank you.

Yes, I have thought about the question you raise and without a doubt life would have been very different had I not been captured. When I returned home from spending years in captivity I did not resume my old job at Lambeth Palace. I decided that I would attempt to earn my living by writing and lecturing and then give my time away to Emmaus, YCare, Hostage UK and other charities that I have been involved with. Prior to captivity I doubt that I would have had the courage to give up a regular salary and launch out in the way that I did. Thank you for your support of the homeless. There are so many people in this world less fortunate than ourselves.

gillybob

Hello Terry

My question to you is;

Thinking about the world we live in today, the global threat of terrorism and some of the horrific acts carried out on an almost daily basis, if you could have a day or two in which you could sit down, face to face and share a cup of tea with the leaders of Isis or al-Qaida (or ideally both) what would you say to them? Would you start by condemning their actions or would you try to understand what has lead them to do what they do?

Many thanks Terry.

An interesting question! If I was sitting down with any one of the groups that deploy violence as a weapon to achieve their ends, I would want to listen to what they have to say. I would have recognised that not all members of the group are psychopaths and that it would be possible to listen and understand the deeper reasons for their behaviour. It would be a long and difficult process. I would at the right time make it clear that I could not condone the murder of innocent people, no matter what their beliefs.

jinglbellsfrocks

Hello Terry

Which is your favourite Archbishop of Canterbury of all time. Or perhaps, within your memory. For me, no one tops the late great Robert Runcie.

Robert Runcie was the Archbishop for whom I worked for 12 years and like you I rate him highly. He was a classical scholar who never wore his scholarship on his sleeve. He was compassionate and humorous and a good friend. I continue to miss him and am grateful that I was able to work with him. A truly great man.

rosesarered

Hello Terry,
I think a lot of people of a certain age will enjoy reading your book, as the subject is a cruise, but after reading it, will they still want to book a cruise, that's the question!I think it may be safer just to read about one and be an armchair traveller.Have you ever been on a cruise yourself, and if so, was that the inspiration for the book?

My book is a comic novel and as such is not a record of upsets and mishaps that have happened in real life. Having said that it builds on real experiences and makes them into ludicrous situations. It is mean to be funny and someone who has read it twelve times as it was being written says it still makes her laugh! It will certainly not put people off cruising but if they read this book before going it will give them an insight into what to look for. I have been lecturing on cruise ships, large and small, for over thirty years and do have some understanding of the business. Yes, I was stimulated to write this book after experiencing a cruise director who had some of the characteristics of the one in the book.

rubysong

Welcome to GN Terry.
What made you chose Grimsby as a setting for your book? Do you have Lincolnshire connections?

I well remember your arrival back in UK. A group of us were having lunch and watched on TV. It was very emotional.

I chose Grimsby because it's a place where I have no connections whatsoever and so would not be influenced one way or another. It's a port and the sort of place the two main characters in the book, Albert and Alice, are likely to have come from.

nonnanna

Welcome to Gransnet Terry, I heard you on the radio a few weeks ago. You were talking about how you returned to talk to your captors and how amazed they were that you had made the decision to see them. How did you prepare yourself for that meeting and how did it make you feel afterwards?

I made no special preparation for the meeting. I felt the best thing to do was to be as natural as possible and simply be myself. I had no ulterior motives other than to try and make my very small contribution towards healing. Afterwards I was glad that the meeting had taken place.

Leticia

Hello Terry
Do you keep in touch with those who were held hostage at the same time?

Yes, I only had an email from one of my fellow captives today. We don't meet too often as some are overseas but we do keep in touch.

sharonne

Hello Terry, I would like to know how you kept your mind occupied while in captivity especially when in solitary confinement. I imagine that must have been very difficult. And did the power to use your mind and imagination from that time help in terms of writing you rbook?

Part of the secret of maintaining sanity in such a situation is to keep one's mind active. During those years I was able to develop my creative imagination and it was this ability that was able to lift me out of the cell into other realms. Without a doubt the experience was of considerable help in writing this book and the others I have written

middleagespread

Hello Terry
You are a household name - and an inspiration. Do you think your writing has been influenced by your lifestyle? Are the characters completely from your imagination or have you drawn inspiration from the many people who have passed through your life? Do you find writing relaxing and a release from the pressures of the world. It sounds like a great plot and something both myself and my husband might read and enjoy - and that would be a first.

I think all the characters portrayed in the book have been put together from individuals I have met across the years. In the book I have, of course, made them into larger than life individuals. I wanted people who read this book to have a good laugh and so far many who have read it have done just that!

rummy

Hi Terry
Have you ever had doubts in your Christian faith?
Blessings Sonia

I have had doubt and questions about the whole of life. Faith does not mean the elimination of doubt . I think we should constantly question, for that is the way in which we grow and develop.