Interview With Author Claude Amestoy
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in southwestern France (the Basque Country), where I spent my childhood and teenage years before moving to Canada.
Despite the passing decades, I remain an eternal teenager. Somewhere along the way, everyone else seems to have figured out how to become a responsible adult. I never got the memo. Frankly, adulthood looked far too serious.
I spent my career where rules, procedures, and socially acceptable behavior were the order of the day. I behaved myself for long enough.
Now that I’m retired, the brakes are off. The strange, twisted, slightly unhinged but still funny stories that had been rattling around in my head for years have finally been given permission to escape—one keyboard stroke at a time.
I recently self-published my first novel through Kindle Direct Publishing and have already started writing the second. I won’t apologize for either of them.
Now I’m wondering whether I’ll have any friends left after they read my books.
Oh well… their loss! The real ones will get over the embarrassment. They will recover. Eventually.
My adult children are about to discover who they’ve really been living with all these years.
My wife, fortunately, isn’t trying to stop me. In fact, she’s my favourite accomplice.
I’ve done my best to keep my filter on for this interview. I hope you appreciate the sacrifice. As for my books… let’s just say the filter didn’t survive the first chapter.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first novel, already published, is called Stranded Souls and Other Distractions.
The darkest moments in the story—although I assure you the book is funny, irreverent, and more than a little demented—were inspired by real-life experiences. Everything else is simply my way of exorcising those moments.
Writing it turned out to be surprisingly therapeutic. And, I must say, incredibly liberating.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, I’m not sure I should tell you. You know… filters!
Just kidding!
Actually, yes. I can’t write if I’m completely alone. I need company, even if it’s silent. I need the bustle of a café, a coffee shop, or a pub. I like having people around me, even if we never exchange a single word.
I haven’t tried writing in a library yet. I just need to find one that serves coffee… or, preferably, beer.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My inspiration comes from years of reading about time travel, second chances, and reliving life. It started with Ken Grimwood and was followed by Shawn Inmon, Jayson Ayres, Adrian Cousins, Adam Eccles, and my favourite of all, Keith A Pearson.
Mr. Pearson has been the one who gave me the courage to try. I am such a big fan of his writing that one day, out of the blue, I decided to email him. Something I had never done in my entire life. To my surprise, he replied with a very nice email. That’s what started it. A nice email from a famous author!
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on my second novel, whose working title is Souls on the Loose.
Meanwhile, the French side of my family—most of whom can’t read a word of English—keep nagging me to translate my book into French. I think I’ll wait until I’ve finished the second one before even considering it, even if it means risking excommunication from the French branch of the family.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That’s the catch right now! I wrote the book, celebrated for about five minutes, and then realized there was an entire world of things I hadn’t thought about. Now I’m playing catch-up.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes absolutely:
Go for it! After all, even if only one reader out of a thousand loves your book, you’ve won. One person out there connected with something you created, and that’s worth more than you might think.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Besides “take a shower every day,” I think the most important advice I’ve ever received is this:
Don’t be afraid.
Fear is probably the biggest obstacle we create for ourselves. It stops us from trying, from creating, and from taking chances. Most of the time, the things we imagine are far worse than reality.
So yes, take a shower every day… but above all, don’t be afraid.
What are you reading now?
Stranded Souls and Other Distractions. My own book: It’s too good to let it go. You see, I am learning how to promote my book.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully fame, not shame. 🙂
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?
If I were stranded on a desert island and could take three or four books with me, my choices would be:
1. The Cemetery of Forgotten Books series by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
2. Anything by Keith A. Pearson. His books would definitely make the cut.
3. How to Survive on a Desert Island Without Sunscreen, Music, and All the Other Things You Forgot to Pack. Unfortunately, that book doesn’t exist yet. Somebody really needs to write it.
4. Stranded Souls and Other Distractions. You have to appreciate this self-promotion thing.
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