Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an indie author and freelance writer from the north of England. Before making a living from writing I worked in a whole variety of different jobs, including as a teacher, an administrator, an academic, and very briefly in a call centre. Lowlights of my career have included trying to stop an eight-year-old attacking his classmates with a chair and reassuring an angry customer that this time someone really was coming to stop sewage spilling into her garden. Highlights have included dressing as a mad scientist to teach physics and exploring the display of body parts at the Royal College of Surgeons.
I’ve had about fifty short stories published in magazines and websites, and have now collected some of them into three anthologies – Riding the Mainspring for the steampunk stories, From a Foreign Shore for history and alternate history, and By Sword, Stave or Stylus for the fantasy stories.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s called By Sword, Stave or Stylus, and contains thirteen short fantasy stories. Many of them are inspired by my fascination with art and with history.
For example the first story, Live by the Sword, is about gladiators in ancient Rome. They find an escape from the horrors of the arena through the arts of their homelands, whether that’s singing, dancing or carving models from wood. That gives them a life beyond those short, brutal minutes entertaining a bloodthirsty crowd. But Ubu, the central character, is using art for something more, tapping into ancient magic in the hope of finding a real escape.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I get stuck I talk to the Batman action figure on my desk, who’s been with me since my call centre days. Batman’s one of the few superheroes who achieves good not through superpowers but through the determination and hard work that has let him develop the skills to do what he wants. For me, that’s an inspiring example.
Or course from another point of view Batman’s a dangerous criminal who can only live that way because he inherited a fortune, but no role model’s perfect!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Terry Pratchett is a huge inspiration, though I don’t often write comedy like he does. He has a fantastic ability to bring a world vividly to life, and to combine important messages with exciting stories. Plus his characters are often misfits and underdogs, and who doesn’t love an underdog?
What are you working on now?
I’m revising two steampunk novellas that I’m hoping to release early next year, and writing the third one. I’m also editing together a collection of science fiction short stories, and planning a piece of historical fiction. I write a flash fiction story – a short story of less than a thousand words – every Friday for my blog. So I guess the answer is ‘all sorts of stuff’.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For me, the best method has been making friends out on the internet. Don’t just tell people about your book, but get into conversations about the things that interest them. If they’re interested in you as an author then they’re far more likely to be interested in your books.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s so important that it’s almost a cliche, but I’d have to say write every day. It took me years to get into that habit, and I wish I’d done it sooner. It’s only through constant practice that you’ll get really good.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you’re passionate about. If you’re not doing that then you probably won’t stick with writing, and even if you do the writing won’t be so good. Passion shows on the page.
What are you reading now?
Prince Thief by David Tallerman. It’s the third of his Easie Damasco fantasy novels, about a thief who gets reluctantly drawn into saving his homeland from invasion. Easie’s constant attempts to avoid heroism, and his reluctant acceptance of his own good side, make for a great character arc, and it’s full of exciting action.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Another self-published collection – Lies We Will Tell Ourselves.
After that it should be publishing some steampunk stories in the new year. And all the while trying to learn how to better market my books. That’s a hard thing to learn, and one we can all keep getting better at.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald – it’s the only book I’ve ever read where I got to the end and went straight back to the beginning to read it again.
The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks – Banks wrote some of the best science fiction of the past thirty years, and I’ve been meaning to re-read it for years, so if I’m stuck on a desert island I can take my time.
Robinson Crusoe, because I got halfway through it once and really wasn’t a fan, but the amusement value of reading the ultimate castaway story while in the same position is too much to resist.
And Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay – I love Kay’s books, which are some of the richest explorations of character, power and art in the whole of fantasy, and I’m looking forward to reading it.
Author Websites and Profiles
Andrew Knighton Website
Andrew Knighton Amazon Profile
Andrew Knighton Author Profile on Smashwords
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