Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Andy Rigley, a UK based author living on the Derby/Nottingham border. I’ve been writing for several years now and have an MA in Creative Writing. The Lost Dark is my first novel. Previously I’ve published over 20 short stories in magazines, anthologies, online, in regional newspapers and in America.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Lost Dark is my first novel and was actually inspired by a piece of homework set whilst on a creative writing course at Nottingham University. The idea was to write a piece of dialogue between a character and an ‘inanimate’ object. On the way home that evening, ideas circled through my head. Nothing really made sense, nothing gave me that hook I needed to write a compelling short. Until I noticed I had a second shadow, cast by the street lights. The story was very well received and it became the opening chapter for The Lost Dark. From there the story grew.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say ‘unusual’. I jot down interesting ideas, snippets of dialogue or plot-points on Post-it notes whenever I think of something. That way I can re-arrange them, or discard them as necessary, play about with narrative structure and ‘see’ them as a whole story potential. I even find some, weeks after I wrote them, that have fallen behind my desk. They’re great writing prompts.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a kid, I read graphic novels of classics such as Dracula or Frankenstein. Then I read Barker, King, Laymon and Koontz, as well as Tolkien, Lewis and Carol. More recently I’ve been influenced a lot by Chuck Palahniuk, Tom Spanbauer and Amy Hempell.
What are you working on now?
I’ve already completed a children’s steam-punk novel called Children of the Ash. I’m currently working on The Pattern of Birds, a dark, uncanny tale about a girl living in Ravenscar, The Town That Never Was. I’m also a huge fan of video games and am designing an ‘interactive’ story telling experience based around the world of The Lost Dark.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Get word out on promotional websites, but tie it in with your Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads announcements. Mix up the types of exposure (blurb, interviews, guest blogs) and write each one fresh. I think that adds interest to your social media feeds and gives more varied information about you and your work . I’ve also created a lot of physical marketing material such as postcards and badges that I can hand out which create a talking point. And don’t forget the importance of word of mouth.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I recently hosted a ‘How I got Published’ talk at a writing group. I’m sure we all know to ‘write what you know’, but my main point was to ‘write what you would want to read’. Write something that excites you. A guy came up to me afterwards and said it was really inspiring – that he sometimes worried too much about who he was writing for.
If you spend hours, months, years writing something you love, then you can be sure others will love it too.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I remember Stephen Booth doing a talk, and someone asked him if he ever got writer’s block. He said, “You should have more ideas than you have time to write them down.” Okay that’s not advice as such, but it goes back to the Post-its idea. Write everything down. Don’t get hung up a single project and think that everything you do has to be for that piece. Take ideas that don’t ‘fit’ into other projects, maybe a short story or a poem. I find that having multiple projects on the go gives each of the others breathing space.
What are you reading now?
The Assassin Princess by Blake Rivers. It’s a beautiful, sometimes dark, exciting, fantasy adventure. I’m also reading Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer. Reading non-fiction and biographies is fantastic for character insight.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Promoting and supporting The Lost Dark with both online and ‘live’ events. As I mentioned earlier, I love the idea of storytelling across media formats, so video game story scripts is something I’m looking at. I also went on a ‘traditional storytelling’ workshop- standing in front of an audience telling stories from memory – it’s great for confidence building. It was wonderful and I’d like to get out and do that more.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Weaveworld by Clive Barker. There’s something about that book that never let me go.
Author Websites and Profiles
Andy Rigley Website
Andy Rigley Amazon Profile
Andy Rigley Author Profile Other Bookseller
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Goodreads Profile
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