Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a TV news producer and I’ve so far written two books. I live in Godalming in Surrey, England and I love reading, writing and drinking wine. Not necessarily in that order!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Strangely enough my original title for Three Way was ‘Sex Friends.’ I wanted it to be a sort of sequel to Sex Lessons, my first book. I knew the main character would be different from James Kennedy but I liked the characters in Sex Lessons and wanted to carry on some of their journeys.
The genesis of Three Way and the reason it was going to be called Sex Friends was because I thought the story was going to be about two people who basically had sex outside of a relationship. But whenever they began seeing each other as a couple, things would always go wrong. As I got further into writing it I realised this wasn’t the story that was coming out. I didn’t want to force it to become something it wasn’t, so I went with it.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write on days off sometimes getting my target of 2000 words a day sometimes less, occasionally more. I normally write in my front room, laptop on my lap. I put on a movie soundtrack to get me in the right place emotionally, then I write for as long as I can. Again, it changes every time I do it. Sometimes it’s a couple of hours, sometimes it’s a whole afternoon. Whenever I have some time and I’m by myself. I have quite a long commute into work so I listen to soundtracks on my iPod whilst thinking about my story and it’s almost inevitable inspiration will come. I use Evernote to log my ideas.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Nick Hornby, David Nichols and Nick Spalding are absolutely my genre but I love reading more serious stuff as well. Books like The English Patient and Middlesex.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on my third novel which I’m about 30,000 words into. This is quite different to the my first two books and it’s got a cracking story. Just have to find time to get it finished.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Goodreads Giveaways have worked really well for me and having my own website and Twitter also seem to yield results.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write your book all the way to the end, don’t keep going back to the beginning to polish those first few chapters. Polishing is much easier than writing but resist the temptation.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Once you’ve finished your book, celebrate, pat yourself on the back and then leave it alone for at least six weeks. Don’t read it, think about it or look at it. After six weeks, sit down and read it from start to finish. Firstly you’ll see a lot of the mistakes, secondly it’s one of the most surreal experiences you can have as a writer. I find myself thinking ‘did I really write that?’
What are you reading now?
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing my third novel and also I’m working on a TV series which I’m pretty excited about.
What is your favorite book of all time?
The English Patient. Beautiful, soulful and a great story.
Author Websites and Profiles
Daniel Grant Website
Daniel Grant Amazon Profile
Daniel Grant’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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