Jeffrey Archer sets sights on Dubai's Burj Khalifa

Dubai - "There are some autobiographical elements in my novels."

Jeffrey Archer, a politician-turned writer, will be in town for the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature 2017 next week. We caught up with the British author for an interview ahead of the festival. In an email interview, he spoke about the pressure to stay on the best-seller list and his plan to get to the top of the Burj Khalifa during his visit to Dubai.
What about the pressure to deliver another bestseller? Has that at all eased off?
The pressure is always there to produce the next book, and even if every book has gone to No.1 on the bestseller list, you can never take it for granted, and have to push yourself even harder with the next one.
Something on Dubai ... A memory you want to share or something you're looking forward to?
I've visited Dubai several times, and it is a unique city. Sadly my visits have always been short, and I've never really had the chance to appreciate all that the city has to offer. However, on this visit, I'm looking forward to seeing the view from the top of the Burj Khalifa.
Do you ever run out of people to base characters on? And are interesting people you meet stowed away in your head to use as characters? 
There are some autobiographical elements in my novels, The Clifton Chronicles, for instance, where there is a bit of Harry and Giles in me; and certainly Emma is based on my wife Mary. I count myself fortunate never to have run out of ideas for characters, and yes, I think I do store away little snippets of a person's character, or something they might say, for future use.
Do you still use pen and paper?
I write the first draft of every book by hand, and then work on later drafts in pencil on a typed manuscript.
Has your disciplined work schedule shifted at all with time? Or is it still 1,000 hours and 14 drafts for a book?
A book will take around a thousand hours, and I do up to 14 drafts of a book before handing it in. And I'm very disciplined when I'm writing, sticking to the same routine seven days a week - writing 6-8am, 10-12, 2-4pm, 6-8pm, and in between going for a walk, having something to eat, or watching a film.
You're very fit. Do you still run once a week with your wife and go to the gym thrice a week as you've earlier said?
I do still train in my basement gym in my home in London, and have a New Zealand trainer come in three times a week. I do some cardio and weights, with lots of stretching. When I'm at my home in Mallorca, writing, I walk every day.
Do you travel often? And how do you cope with the disruptions in work when travelling? Also, favourite place you've been to in 2016 or  even 17?
Mary and I go on holiday in the summer - it could be to stay with friends in Italy, one of my favourite parts of the world, or it could be on a cruise - we've recently had two wonderful river cruises with Viking, on the Danube and the Rhine, plus experienced the Mediterranean on one of their magnificent new cruise ships.
At 5.30 -6 am when you say you wake up, is it tea or coffee?
I don't drink tea or coffee. It's usually half a glass of fresh orange juice.
Shepherd's pies crop up often. Presuming it's a favourite of yours, what's a second favourite? 
Any Italian dish!
What can fans look forward to?
I've just completed a new set of 12 short stories, which will be published later this year - title to be announced shortly. And I'm now working on a new novel, for release in 2018, which I'm very excited about.
nivriti@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai