Chris Fox, Head of Sixth Form, has just published his second novel, White Nile.

Four Sixth Form English Literature students – Amelia, Ash, Beth, Emily – caught up with the novelist in the Bellman Sixth Form Centre this week to ask him about his inspiration for the book, the writing process and his plans for the future.

You can purchase White Nile here.

What inspired you to write this book? 

I wrote the first one during COVID, and when it came out, I thought I’d better get a head start on a second book. I had a few ideas, then one night, I had a vivid dream of wandering through an unfamiliar city.

When I woke up, I thought, “Oh, that could be a good introduction for a book.” It started with walking around a city, seeing what happened at the end of the street. The book eventually took a different direction, beginning almost like a first-person travel guide.

From there, the writing evolved into what became White Nile.

Was it a city you recognised? 

It was completely random. It could have been somewhere in the Middle East, North Africa, or Africa—just being lost and wandering around. At the end of the streets, there was a barrier: a river.

I thought, “Okay, this could be Khartoum. That could be the White Nile. Now, how do I turn wandering the streets of a city into a coherent story?”

Is that something you've done before? 

I’d probably had dreams before and thought, “Oh, that could work,” but forgot about them 20 minutes after waking up. This was the first one I actually did something with.

Are the two books connected in any way or are they completely separate? 

They’re completely different. Apart from both being fiction, they couldn’t be more different. One is set in present-day England, written in third person, while the other is about a man reminiscing about events from 20 years ago, mostly set in Africa. The characters are entirely separate.

I’m currently writing the direct sequel to White Nile.

Did you enjoy writing this one more than you thought? What was the process? 

I enjoy both. Writing is a complete escape into a fictional world, but it’s a slow, tedious process. Crafting paragraphs, polishing, and rearranging takes a long time. With only weekends and school holidays to write, progress feels slow, but it’s worth it in the end.

Do you think you learned from writing the first book and used what you developed from there to make the second one easier on yourself, or do you think it was a completely different experience?

You’re absolutely right, and that’s a great question. I learned a lot from my first book, even about writing the first page where readers get drawn in.

In my first book, I withheld the protagonist's name for several chapters, but new readers want key details—like the protagonist’s name, age, or hints about the story—early on. Established authors can delay those, but for new writers, it’s better to introduce them on the first page.

So when you were writing the book, what was the most enjoyable part of the process, whether that be structurally or linguistically?

I enjoyed scenes where I knew exactly how they’d play out—especially action scenes. Another satisfying part was reading back the work after several edits. Early drafts often felt terrible, but once polished, I could enjoy the book almost as a reader.

Now that the book is finished, what do you think your audience will enjoy the most about it?

The character development is key, and since it’s a fast-paced thriller, the action and time pressure keep the story moving. The cliffhangers and action scenes drive the plot, and the flashbacks to the main character's time in Iraq reveal important details. I think readers will really enjoy those parts.

So what was the most challenging aspect of writing the novel? 

When writing a book, the story often develops as you go along. You don’t plan every detail in advance; instead, the writing takes you where it needs to go, and ideas emerge as the story progresses.

So there was no plan beforehand? You didn't lay it out and plot it? 

I start with a basic idea, then the story flows as I go along, often making it up as I write. But sometimes things don’t quite work, so I have to go back and insert plot devices. It can feel scattergun at times.

The most challenging parts are figuring out where to go next. You can spend weeks stuck on a page, thinking it’ll never end, but eventually, you get there.

Before writing, did you have an idea of each character’s traits and how you’d build them? How do you approach creating characters?

The main character was always meant to be flawed and damaged due to his experiences. Some of that is revealed later, and I go back to add depth to other characters.

I realized early on that most of the characters were male, with a few secondary female characters. I decided my main female character needed to be strong, high-flying, and someone readers could identify with. It was important to create a balanced story that appealed to both male and female audiences.

Do you think parts of the book were shaped by your own life and experience, or do you think most of it came out of fantasies and things you made up? 

Most of the story is made up, but I draw on my own experiences. For example, I used memories from a holiday in Egypt for the early parts of the book, then adapted them to create the city of Khartoum.

I also draw from things I’ve seen in the news, like describing a character's death and the journey of the hearse through Wootton Bassett. These details, based on real events from the past 15-20 years, help make the story feel as real as possible for the reader.

Was that entertaining, the research aspect of it? 

Some of it was made up. I’m not a military person and have never served, so I did my best to get into the head of an army captain and make it seem as real as possible.

I’m sure someone in the military would immediately point out inaccuracies, just like I notice mistakes in fiction about teachers, where certain actions wouldn’t align with safeguarding conventions. Unless you do the job, you wouldn’t know those details. I think I did a good job for those who haven’t served, but military veterans might notice the flaws.

When do you think the sequel is going to come out? 

It’s hard to say how long a book will be while writing it; it could be anywhere from 70,000 to 120,000 words. Expanding from 70 to 120 is a lot of extra work, and each word takes time.

I aim to write about 1,000 words in a session, but that’s just the first draft. The real work is moving things around and polishing. This time, I’m writing differently—doing everything at once and then revising later. I’m not good at setting time limits, but it took about two years to write the second book after finishing the first, so probably the same again.

Do you think your target demographic will change from your first to your second book, or will it be a mix, since they’re so different?

I didn’t consciously target a specific audience; I just wrote the books, and the audience became clear later. The first book likely appeals more to younger women, while the second might attract more men, though that’s a generalization. Some women will like both.

For publishing, I sent my work to agents, but with less than a 1% success rate, I turned to smaller independent publishers. I chose a different one for my second book because the first publisher priced my first book too high—£17 for paperback, £29 for hardback, and £7 for an ebook. Now, White Nile is priced lower: £10.55 for paperback, £4.25 for ebook, or free on Kindle Unlimited.

Would you say you feel more proud of this book, more proud of the first book, or do you think you felt the same when finishing it? Which one was more rewarding? 

I think I liked both when finishing them, but I’d say the second book is much better. The first one was a bit wacky and offbeat, while this one is more of a conventional thriller you'd find in a bookstore.

Do you think it's going to be sold in a bookstore?

The issue with major bookstores is that the big four or five publishers control the shelf space because they can afford it. They get all the big books in, so smaller independent bookstores may carry it, but most people will likely buy it online, probably from Amazon.

Do you see your author career as something to keep alongside teaching, or do you plan to focus on it fully once you leave teaching?

I see continuing to write as the key thing. Most people who think they’ll write a book never start, and of those who do, only a small percentage finish, publish, or make money. Writing isn’t likely to be a money-making venture unless you win prizes. If that happens, it could open up new opportunities. For now, the focus is on writing and creating things that don’t currently exist.

Did you always want to write a book when you were younger?

I didn’t always want to write a book. I had some ideas at university, but they didn’t go anywhere. There were a few attempts, but life got in the way. Then during COVID, I thought, "It’s now or never." Part of it was based on the books I picked up in bookstores, thinking I could do just as well. I thought I’d "smash" the first one, but looking back, it’s a bit embarrassing. However, I think the second one is much better.

Do you think your teaching career influences the way you write? Does your experience in teaching change how you approach writing a book compared to someone else?

I think teaching does influence my writing. In addition to reading fiction, I'm constantly reading students' work and helping them improve, which forces me to apply the same to my own. It’s a tough but necessary process. Our experiences shape us, so that definitely plays a role in my writing. For instance, the protagonist's wife is a geography teacher, and little details like that likely come from my own teaching background.

Would you ever include anyone you knew in real life to make up a character or to add their characteristics? 

I don’t consciously base characters on real people, though I think it’s a legitimate approach. It’s hard for me to directly model a character on someone. Sometimes, a character I create in my mind may end up resembling someone I know. For example, a few characters in this book have traits inspired by real people, whether physical traits like height or whether they’re gym-goers or not. Those details can end up influencing the characters as I write.

As you continue writing, do you think you’ll look back on this book with the same level of criticism as your previous work, since you’re obviously improving? Do you think you'll eventually think, “I don’t like this as much anymore because I know I’m better now”?

Yes, I think I will. You're always critical of your own work, and that's how you improve. When I look back now, I can see things like using too many similes. I'd probably cut some out and replace them with metaphors or just tighten the writing. The really professional writers probably wouldn't have used as many. There are also moments when I question how realistic certain parts are. But I'm coming at it from a perspective of trying to perfect it, while a reader might read through it once and not notice the things I critique.

In the last interview, someone asked, ‘Where is Dreams kept?’ Where’s White Nile going to be kept? 

White Nile is currently next to Dreams on my bookcase at home. I had to move two Booker Prize winners because I didn’t think they should be next to my books, so I placed them elsewhere!