An Interview With… Philip Tyler

Today, we talked to Philip Tyler, author of the Landscapes of Love series, about his third book, Inheritance.

Tell us about yourself!

Philip’s home is an equine stud farm; he has a life-long passion for conservation, animal breeding and photography. His stud farm is home to thoroughbred race horses, rare breeds of Ryeland sheep and Dartmoor ponies.

The woodland and lakes he has created on the farm have an abundance of wild animals, birds and plants. The lakes are planted with a host of traditional wild plants and rushes giving a profusion of different colours throughout the year. This attracts hundreds of different insects from peacock butterflies to electric blue dragonflies hovering over the still waters. In the Spring the lakes are full of tadpoles attracting white egrets, mallard and moorhens. A pair of mute swans are also frequent visitors, as are a pair of otters.

The broadleaf woodland is home to roe deer, badgers, foxes, squirrels and numerous species of birds including spotted woodpeckers, tawny owls and buzzards.

The farmland is managed with traditional hay meadows, rich in summer flowers, curlews, lapwings, hares and rabbits. Each small pasture has been planted with new hedgerows and copses, interlinked around the farm, to create sheltered tracks for the wildlife. Blackbirds, wrens, thrushes, blues tits and robins frequently nest along these quite green avenues.

This haven and the beautiful surrounding Dales gives Philip endless opportunities for his love of photography using his Canon cameras.

What is the name of your latest book?

Inheritance - Landscapes of Love trilogy.

Can you describe this book?

Inheritance is the climax of the Landscapes of Love trilogy. The sensual relationships of Charlie, Daniel and Anne Marie intensifies, as they track down the poachers to the gold mines of Western Australia.

Charlie lives on the large family estate in the spectacular Yorkshire Dales. Since university, where she was physically abused by a wealthy American fellow student, she has had no interest in developing relationships and has thrown herself into managing the estate and enjoying her successful business as a landscape photographer. Daniel is an independent mercenary who works for governments and wealthy organisations around the world. He uses the financial rewards to run conservation programmes for white rhinos in Kenya and mountain gorillas in Rwanda. When his wife is killed, he uses his business skills to track down those responsible in the whole ‘white gold’ supply chain across the world and destroy them.   Anne-Marie is a very intelligent and extremely beautiful Afro-American who helps Daniel with his dangerous work. Anne Marie develops a passionate love for Charlie.

What does your writing process look like?

Chaotic.

Whether it be music, books, films, the world, or other, where do you get your writing inspiration?

The sophistication of nature and the power of love.

What was the toughest part of writing this book for you?

Hurting my characters.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of writing a book?

Write it for the joy of creating something for yourself. If others like it, that's a bonus.

What are you working on currently?

My fourth book in the Landscapes of Love series based in the Amazon Rainforest.

You can find Philip’s books on Goodreads, and available to buy on Amazon.