Q1: When you were first given access to Freddie Mercury’s private diaries, what went through your mind? Did you immediately know this would become a book?

Not at all. Freddie’s daughter wrote to me in December 2021 to say that my latest book about him, Love of My Life (September 2021), had come closest to the real Freddie than any previous publication; but that there were ‘still some things that I should know’. She had assumed that it would be possible to add the fresh information to the existing book. But that would have doubled it in length. Also, that’s not how publishing works. Over time it dawned on me, and I was able to convince her, that a whole new book was the best way to proceed.

Q2: You’ve written extensively about Freddie before. What made Love, Freddie a completely different kind of project for you?

I usually write straight biographies of musicians, weaving in multiple voices, new interviews and other sources to create an in-depth tapestry of the individual, and to bring hitherto hidden aspects of the individual to the fore. The psychological dimension is of particular interest to me. In Love, Freddie, I was working with a single voice, that of B, Freddie’s daughter. She not only delivers Freddie’s personal recollections in her own words but shares deep insight, from her own point of view, into their fifteen-year relationship.

Q3: The revelation about Freddie’s daughter, B, is extraordinary. What was it like to gain her trust and work so closely with her?

To be honest, it was up and down, and at times very stressful. She lost her nerve numerous times. She would tell me, ‘Right, we are done, you will never hear from me again.’ I would slump about for a week or two, depressed at the thought of all the time I had wasted on a project that was going nowhere … and then, out of the blue, up she would pop again. Something kept drawing us back to each other. At one point I found myself wondering whether Freddie himself had a hand in it! I am not, as a rule, given to fascination with things supernatural. But anxiety and fatigue can do funny things to a human! So we kept circling back and back over a long period of time – more than three years, by the time the final draft of the manuscript was submitted – and we found ourselves immersed in an unusual and most unlikely friendship. Against the odds, it continues to this day. On average, we email each other at least a couple of times daily, and we have arranged to get together again in December. She chose me to do something for her that has led to a strong bond between us. We collaborated for Freddie. It does feel, at times, as though he is alive and still among us.

Q4: As someone with a long and successful career in traditional publishing, what led you to choose the self-publishing route for this book?

I have worked successfully with a number of traditional publishers over many years. I have also had a couple of previous self-publishing experiences – I published a novel, Imagine, in 2015, and a memoir, Tumbling Dice, in 2019. Although self-publishing is hard work, particularly the marketing and publicity aspects, it can be extremely rewarding. On this occasion, I chose Whitefox after meeting one of their impressive executives. Their business model suited me. It was vital for me to retain copyright of this very sensitive material, and to be able to edit it myself.

Q5: Why did you feel Whitefox was the right partner to bring Love, Freddie into the world?

They have a sound reputation in the publishing industry, and are known and respected beyond it. I felt reassured from the beginning of our partnership that I was in safe hands.

Q6: The cover image is striking and feels very personal. Why did you choose this photo, and what does it say about the story you’re telling in the book?

I’m glad that you like it. It was taken by Mick Rock, who died in November 2021, just before B reached out to me. Mick, whom I knew, was famous as ‘the man who shot the seventies’. He and Freddie were very close friends, and had been close since the earliest days of Freddie’s engagement to Mary Austin. I wanted the cover to feature an image that would emphasise the power of Freddie’s gaze. This is something that B discusses at length in the book. As in, Freddie could make you do anything with his eyes. Mick Rock captured that power and intensity in this image. It is contradictory, in that it feels intimate yet distant. As such, it captures the essence of Freddie perfectly.

Q7: There’s been huge international interest in the book, with translation deals already secured across multiple territories. Why do you think Freddie’s private life still holds such fascination over 30 years after his death?

It is often joked among music business folk that the best thing a rock star can do for his back catalogue is to die young. Because no new music can ever be recorded, the worth of what is already available soars. Dark humour aside, Brian May and Roger Taylor, two of Freddie’s bandmates in Queen, understood the concept perfectly. Though Freddie had died, they were determined to uphold his legacy, and to introduce his – their – music to subsequent generations. Thanks to them, Freddie is more popular today than he was during his lifetime. His private life, however, was mostly a mystery. He went to great lengths to protect the privacy of his loved ones, and he compartmentalised meticulously. Now, thanks to B, we have access to his full life story as Freddie himself set it down. 

Q8: What do you hope readers will take away from Love, Freddie, whether they’re lifelong Queen fans or new to his story?

I hope – in fact I expect – that they will love him all the more for it. There is no love like that of a parent for a child. That Freddie had this precious experience, and that he considered fatherhood to be his greatest achievement, gives him a depth we could never have imagined.

Get your copy of Love, Freddie here.