1. Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
No :). The reason is that as I write short stories I like readers to have no preconception of what to expect. Some people think I'm still at school, others that I'm retired, some think I'm a woman , others a man (I think that one's fairly obvious!). That way my readership is broader which is what I'm aiming at.
2. What inspired you to write? Old Sci-Fi novels -HG Wells, Ray Bradbury, John Windham etc. I love the ideas and the styles of those writers.
3.Do you have a specific writing style? I try very deliberately not to. I try to approach each story with a new eye in the hope I can capture something strange, odd or unique. In a way it's a test for myself- can I write a coherent story from different perspectives and still keep readers interest.
4. How did you come up with the titles of your stories? My book covers are not the greatest (except perhaps for Daedalus Krane) so I need story titles that I think will entice readers in- 'Stranger Things' or 'Life on Mars' I think will appeal so I try to select those types of themes. Again the idea is if I can draw in a particular group of readers then they may go on and have a look at other stories in the collection- it works. Sometimes!
5. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?Oh yes . I'm really keen on a human theme in my stories -it can be our strengths or weaknesses or curiosity my characters have about the situations they find themselves in. One of the characters who I've used a number of times is the Captain of a Mining ship-Brooker-he's rather full of himself which I can use to humorous effect. Other characters can be sad or tragic or worthy and brave. The thing is with short stories is that all of these emotions can be explored to full effect.
6. How much of the book is realistic? As it's Sci Fi you could say none of it but because the stories are essentially about people I'd like to think there is a fair chunk of realism in the characters that readers can relate to.
7. Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? I have drawn upon people I've met for some of my characters but essentially they are figments of my imagination. Certainly when I'm out and about what I see often influences my writing. I once had a great idea for a story when I saw a pair of shoes left on the Underground. The odder the sight the better- see something and weave a story around it.
8.Imagine your characters are on survivor. Who will they vote out of the book? If it was Grace I think she'd vote out Brooker but keep his moustache!
9. What job did you want to be as a kid? All I wanted to do was read -if I could have spent my whole life doing that I'd have been happy.
10. What is your main goal with writing books?
To see if I can write well enough to inspire others to have a go. Short stories are the best way to learn to write I think. I'm still learning but on Wattpad I've certainly seen a number of short stories that have been impressively written. I like to write well and see others do the same.
11.Do you ever experience writer's block?
No not writers block - I have loads of ideas but unfortunately many of them never make the cut -I write them up, read them and then realise they are not up to much so I dump them. It's hard to find something unique.
12. Do you work with an outline, or just write?I get an idea and then write -but often I do not know how a story will start or end. I can write from the middle out. The idea for 'The Museum' began with a tattooist described in one of The Orangutan's stories. If you read it you can see what came out was very different than a story about a tattooist.
13. Imagine your main character dies on page one. Everything else remains the same. Describe the new plot to your book.This actually happens in Forgotten Gods my short story which I extended into a longer story as 'The Shadow of the Moon'. I killed off my main character in the first Chapter-so had to build a whole new story around the one surviving character. Bit tricky!
14. What do you do when you are not writing? I'm a keen walker -often alone as it helps me think of new stories. I have a family which keeps me very busy and I work fairly long hours for a big Danish company.
15. Do you see writing as a career or a hobby?Hobby, I enjoy the challenge each new story brings.
16. Will you have a new story coming out soon? If so can you tell us about it? Luckily with what I do I can bring out stories all the time-I'm building up my new short story collection 'Stranger Things' at the moment.
17. What was the hardest part of writing your book?
I think feeling confident that anyone wanted to read it- I was fortunate that a few hard core Sci-Fi writers on Wattpad were complementary about my early efforts and that made a lot of difference.
18.Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
What did I learn ? That writing is not easy, when you read established writers it all appears so effortless but the reality is very different- for me anyway. It's a lot of time and commitment but it only takes a few positive comments and it's all worth it.
19.Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Yes ,thanks for reading, voting and commenting-I know you've heard this many times but it does make so much difference, I'd have stopped long ago without your support.
20. Do you have any advice for other writers?
Look at other writers and what makes them successful and decide what you want to write about and the style you are going to use. First person narrative seems to be in at the moment for many Sci Fi stories. Keep you first chapter fairly snappy unless you want to present a story style with lots of detail in it. Look for an eye catching cover and a story that is genuinely different - And check your spelling (my worst fault!).
And Good Luck ! TL
YOU ARE READING
365 Interviews
RandomIf you liked 100 Interviews with 100 Wattpad Authors you'll love this! Your favorite authors plus more! Update: I could not interview someone each day so I gave up on this project.
