Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Daniel Oram and I’m an author from the UK.
Recalling Simon is my debut novel although I have written a multitude of short stories which I have as yet, not published.
I am currently enrolled to get my BSc in forensic pathology. I have an interest in psychology and neuropsychology.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Recalling Simon is the name of my first novel.
I had been working on an idea for a year or two and Recalling Simon is the culmination of that idea. I love writing books and stories which leave people guessing right up until the last moment, as a consequence I wanted to write sonething whose ending couldn’t be predicted.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I know of. I suppose one person’s unusual is another’s usual.
I can’t write without music. Although the music chosen depends on the mood I’m in and the content of the material.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Bizarrely, most of my inspirations come from non-fiction. This is despite the fact that my first book is a novel and entirely fiction.
The work of neurologists like Sacks and Ramachadran influence me and I find inspiration in them daily.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a number of projects.
I’m working on a group of short stories whose focus is on strange symptoms arising from damage or disease in specific areas of the brain. This blurs the line between fiction and non-fiction.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Right now Twitter and Facebook are my primary resources. I also blog on these as well as run a YouTube channel devoted to memory aids and mnemonics.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write primarily for yourself.
Enjoy the crafting of ideas into elegant sentences and seek out metaphors.
Go for walks which stimulate new ideas and gets rid of that ole devil – writer’s block.
Read voraciously and devour anything and everything. By doing so you add bricks to the house of ideas upon which, you can build and develop our own ideas.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Certainly much advice that I respect comes from the ‘Meditations’ by Marcus Aurelius. I would encourage seeking out other works such as this to find some great advice.
What are you reading now?
The works of the sociologist Erving Goffman.
‘Asylums’
‘The presentation of self in every day life’
‘Stigma’
What’s next for you as a writer?
More self-promotion and continuing to write and add to the growing number of short stories in my collection.
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?
I suppose a book on survival might be useful.
A list though would include:
‘The complete Sherlock Holmes collection’ By Arthir Conan Doyle
‘Hallucinations’ By Oliver Sacks
‘The Phantom Brain’ By Ramachandran
‘The Better Angels of our Nature’ By Steven Pinker
Author Websites and Profiles
Daniel Oram Website
Daniel Oram Amazon Profile
Daniel Oram’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account