Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an oddball from the South West of England, and I’ve wanted to be a writer for just about as long as I can remember. I’ve only recently developed the balls to actually do anything about it, though; Each Little Universe is my first published novel, although I have a bunch more stories in various states of finishedness going back to when I was in primary school.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Each Little Universe was inspired by… just the way I see the world, I think. It’s a mishmash of all sorts of bizarre, joyously stupid pop culture references framing what might or might not be serious philosophical questions; alternatively, it’s a bunch of vague allusions to philosophy framing a core of nerdy dumbness.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have very few habits! I’m hoping to become much more disciplined, since releasing one book has really just made me want to do more, but as of right now I’m pretty haphazard.
I do tend to listen to more music than I think most writers do, often music that doesn’t really fit the mood of the scene I’m writing at the time.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Neil Gaiman and Haruki Murakami’s way of seeing the world – a world very much like our own, just a bit more strange – really resonated with me. I read a lot of nonfiction – about neuroscience, astrophysics, philosophy, all sorts – and take as many of the strangest ideas from it as I possibly can to work into stories that explore as much of the big, weird world as I can.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a collection of short stories: an anthology set in a dark world following the fall of human civilisation thanks to the sudden appearance of a gargantuan whale in the sky. In its shadow, strange and Lovecraftian things start to happen.
Plus I’m in the process of turning a play that a friend and I wrote in university into a novel, which is a totally different experience.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still playing around! I’ll let you know when I find out.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just do it!
What are you reading now?
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore, Shi Naian’s Water Margin, and Daniel Levitin’s Field Guide To Lies And Statistics.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m not sure. We’ll see.
My only hope, really, is just to write.
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?
Murakami’s 1Q84; Hofstadter’s Godel, Escher, Bach; Pullman’s His Dark Materials; Tolkien’s The Silmarillion.
Author Websites and Profiles
Chris Durston Website
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