Interview With Author Chris Armstrong
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have had three careers, working as a merchant seaman and as a farmhand on the farm in the mid-Wales mountains where I still live, before reinventing himself as an information scientist working for the university, and then for 30 years in his own company, before retiring to become a poet and writer. I have five books in print: the first was collection of poems, Mostly Welsh, published in 2019 (Y Lolfa). Although initially entirely focussed on poetry, my writing has branched into short stories and my first full length work of fiction, The Dark Trilogy was published at the end of September 2022 before a poetry chapbook, Book of the Spirit, in November 2022. My collection of short stories, When I Am Not Writing Poetry, and a further collection of poems, Lost Time, were published in early 2023.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Lost Time: Chorus and Other Poems is a selection from those mostly written during the Covid lockdown, although it includes a few earlier poems as well. There are poems that relate to Place (mostly Wales), the Sea (the sea and the horizon are regular themes for me), Writing, Memories and Time… and a few poems brought about by Covid and lockdown found their way in at the beginning. There are no breaks between the themes and they do not have section headings as it would be fair to say that their edges are blurred, each one blending softly into the next.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I work at a desktop computer and tend to edit as I go – swapping words or even sentences around before continuing. I rarely have detailed plans for poems or short stories: an idea will start the poem and then my fingers just seem to take over (with occasional pauses for reflection) and the poem or short story forms itself – longer works require a little closer organisation! Kamel Daoud, the Algerian journalist and novelist described his process of writing as a dog inside his head pushing his thoughts out onto the paper… for me, a dog running wild is a little too redolent of madness but there is certainly some muse working very hard when I write!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read, and have always read, hugely so this is a very difficult question. If pushed I would have to include Malcolm Lowry, Leonard Cohen, the American Beat Poets, Durrell, Paul Auster, Dylan Thomas… it’s quite a mixed bag!
What are you working on now?
I am working on a new work of fiction called Trystan. Rather like Joyce’s Ulysses (I am NOT comparing myself to Joyce!) it follows two friends on their downward spiral through 24 hours of drinking and walking through a small town. Perhaps I should have added Charles Jackson to the list above!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I promote on a lot of social media channels so long as they do not require video clips… not good at those!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read lots, re-read your work out loud a lot, and persevere when it comes to getting published.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Believe in yourself
What are you reading now?
Ian McEwen, Machines Like Me
What’s next for you as a writer?
I need to get back to poetry; I seem to be writing less over the last few months.
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?
Laurence Durrell, The Avignon Quintet
Mikhail Sholokhov, The Silent Don
Adonis, If Only the Sea Could Sleep (I always wish that could have been one of my titles!)
Author Websites and Profiles
Chris Armstrong Amazon Profile
Chris Armstrong’s Social Media Links