A Conversation with 'Telegraph Island' John Milton Langdon

Author John Milton Langdon is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and has a master's degree in maritime civil engineering. Initially he worked in Britain but from 1972 until 2008, he dealt with project development in Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria. After an active and rewarding engineering career he retired and became a professional writer. Langdon lives in the Austrian town of Klagenfurt which has a history stretching back to Celtic times. Langdon has three children and five grandchildren from his first marriage and two step sons from the second. Langdon has many interests including travel, the British canals, music and literature, but hiking in the mountains surrounding his home is a preferred year round leisure activity.

You can visit John Milton Langdon's website at www.jmlangdon.com

Thank you for this interview, John. Can you tell us briefly what your latest book, Telegraph Island, is all about?

Telegraph Island is the second of four books that describe the life of someone born during the reign of Queen Victoria; it describes the successes and failures; the loves and the tragedies of an ambitous and honourable man. It is fiction, but loosely based on fact. In the book entitled Telegraph Island, Jason Smiley gives up the life of a sailor at the behest of the Governor of Bombay, in order to help a sick friend who is responsible for installing the undersea part of the telegraph cable connecting Britain with India. During his second visit to Telegraph Island Jason has to capture the Chief Telegrapher, who has 'gone round the bend' and manages to successfully defend and then evacuate the island because of attacks by local tribesmen. Jason has just boarded a ship and believes he has reached safety, when he receives a life threatening bullet wound. He is nursed back to health by his fiancée.

Can you tell us who or what was the inspiration behind your book?

It was actually a location. In 2004 when I was working in Abu Dhabi, my wife and I visited a small town in eastern Oman called Khasab which is located close to the Straits of Hormuz. One of the attractions is an area known as the Fjord because of its similarity to Norwegian scenery. The transliterated Arabic name for the fjord is Khor as Sham. We sailed into the fjord on a dhow and moored about half way along the waterway at an island the dhow captain called Telegraph Island

I discovered that a small group of British telegraph operators had lived and worked at the repeater station on the island in the middle of the eighteen hundreds; and also that it was one of the links in the chain of repeater stations on the electric telegraph between Britain and India. This was at the very beginning of the age of the electronic communication that we take for granted these days.

Standing in burning sunshine on a barren lump of rock, surrounded by a sea edged with equally barren but precipitous mountains, I could only marvel at the fortitude of men who could live and work under such appalling conditions. Water, food and all the other essentials of life had to be supplied by sea. They lived in Arab style huts made of barasti and must have suffered enormously in the heat and humidity. The operators spent long hours listening to incoming messages in Morse code which they then had to retransmit along the next section of the cable. It was small wonder that many became ill and the phrase ´gone round the bend´ was coined by sailors recovering mentally sick personnel from the island, which is beyond a bend in the fjiord.

I felt there was a story to be told about these men, with the development of the telegraph system as a background theme, and consequently an unplanned visit to a remote and uninhabited island provided the inspiration for my story, and my retirement from full time employment gave me the time I needed to write it.

Is this your first published book and if so, can you tell us your experiences in finding a publisher for it?

No. This was the second book and I had overcome the problems of publishing with the first. Like all first time authors I went through the 'contact an agent' phase. I must have sent off at least one hundred enquiries and it was very frustrating to find that I received only a small number of replies that simply advised me, 'sorry we are not accepting new authors'.

I turned to the internet and eventually discovered Tate Publishing. I started to organise a contract but was devasted to find that my book was too long for them to accept; twice as long in fact. I was on the point of abandoning the project when I realise that with a little amendment I could cut the existing book in half. This was acceptable to Tate Publishing and consequently Against All Odds and then Telegraph Island were published.

Where do you live and if I were coming to town, where would we go to talk books?

I live in Klagenfurt which is a city in Austria. It is located on the south side of the Alps close to the border with Italy and can trace its origins back to Celtic times. It is close enough to Venice for a day trip if my visitors are short of time. The location for our discussion would ultimately depend on the weather, but I think we should assume it will be a lovely day in late August. I would take you to one of the many beautiful lakes in Carinthia where we can alternate swimming and conversation for as long as we wish. If desired we could sit at table under a sun umbrella and enjoy a glass or two of Prosecco whilst we talk.

When you´re not writing, what do you do to relax and have fun?

I discovered as a young man that a good hike in the hills near my South Wales home was a very good way to unwind after a stressful week. Here in Austria I still enjoy hiking, but when the lake water has warmed up in summer I also swim. In winter I can still hike and I have a pair of snow shoes for the days when the depth of snow requires them.

Do you make a living off your books or do you have another job?

Actually neither. I started writing just before I retired and my books became my hobby and a replacement for full time work as a civil engineer. I wrote because I suddenly had an urge to do so, and had no expectation of making money. Which was just as well really as I haven't!

Do you have any words of inspiration from other writers who would like to be wearing your shoes?

Don't give up; listen to and think about the advice you receive, but only act upon it if you totally agree with it. Otherwise paddle your own canoe; after all it's your book.

What´s next for you?

I would like to finish the two books that have been dormant for two years and see if my ideas for a fifth volume of Jason Smiley Stewart is worth pursuing.

Thank you for this interview, John. Do you have any final words?

Yes please. I would like to thank the people who have devoted time to reading my books and then more precious time writing endorsements. I could not have wished for more thoughtful and complimentary reviews.