Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a wandering soul. I’ve visits many countries with great intentions to visit more. I’m a very lucky fellow indeed.
I’ve written one novel, several novellas, a couple of short story collections and I have tried my hand at plays too. I hope to put on a play in February 2018.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am preparing for the launch of a new novella called Splutter. I wrote it while I was running for election as a councillor. The days were long and there was a good deal to do. Writing was a way for me to relax during the campaign, even if only for a half hour.
The book itself is a stream of conscious tale of a person with more money than sense. It’s fantastical and quirky and will require a health suspension of belief.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Everything unusual happens in the stories themselves. If I were to be unusual in my writing habits too then I’d scarcely have a moment to write.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I often read non-fiction books about history and politics. I’m fairly well-read when it comes to newspapers too, so a lot of ideas at least start with a real world happening.
I’ve read a lot of Gore Vidal, Kurt Vonnegut and Noam Chomsky. I used to read a lot of 19th and early 20th Century novels as well. The likes of The House of Mirth, Of Human Bondage and The Forsythe Saga to name but three.
What are you working on now?
I’ve just finished a second collection of bedtime stories and I’m finishing a novel about a set of storybook characters and their author. I am waiting for word back about a play I wrote which is about a god returning to Earth after a spell away and their attempts to rebrand themselves.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Honestly, I don’t do enough of it. Interviews like this are my attempt to rectify that.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be sure to get fitted for a enterpreneurial / business person hat as soon as possible. Your creative hat is probably well-worn and snug fitting but the business hat needs attention too.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I tend to give advice away, I don’t know what to do with it myself.
What are you reading now?
I was reading a book about grants. It was a real page turner. Think the DiVinci Code meets tax return forms.
What’s next for you as a writer?
A trip to the moon as a kind of extreme writer’s retreat.
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?
Really big phone directories so if it gets cold I can start a fire 😉
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