Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a debut author and I’ve wanted to write for a long time now. I was born in London, England, now living by the sea in Kent with my wife, mother in law (HELP!), I’m joking, and three cats. I have two grown up daughters and an older stepson. I officially left school at the tender age of 15 after my father died of cancer. I immediately started working for my brother’s boss as a painter/labourer. At the time, I thought it was cool to be earning good money at such a young age, but I would never recommend leaving school so early to anybody. I certainly wish I hadn’t, although for me it was a case of circumstances surrounding my father’s death. It changed the course of my life and led me to stay in the building industry until recently. I’d also never recommend spending so many years doing something you truly detest. Life is too short! Like many people, I feel like I’ve wasted so many years. Now I’m doing something I’ve wanted to do since I was around 10 or 11. I hope to eventually become published and make a living from writing. Whether that will become the case is another matter as there are so many good writers out there with the same goal in mind. I guess time will tell, it always does in the end.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My debut novel is called The Mother of all Things. It’s difficult for me to say what inspired the story itself. At the time of writing, I was going through a rollercoaster of emotions. I was full of sadness, self-pity, anger, frustration, and rage, for myself. Anybody who chooses to read the novel will discover what I mean by the last sentence.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have what my wife tells me are very bad habits. I become consumed by whatever project I’m doing. Once I get invested in something, especially when trying to solve a problem, nothing else exists outside my head. With writing it’s worse, I’ll take a seat in the office and start to write, and if I had my way, nobody would see me until the story was completed.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The authors who led me down the path of wanting to become a writer were Stephen King and Virginia Andrews. The books: ‘Salem’s Lot and Flowers in the Attic. The authors I’ve been influenced by are many. As well as the above, I’ll mention James Herbert, Sean Hutson, Peter James, and Mo Hayder.
What are you working on now?
I am about to start work on the sequel to The Mother of all Things. It’s called Godless Creatures. I’m aiming to release it in early 2019. I’m very excited. It’s going to be immense!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As a penniless indie author, it hasn’t been easy. Until around this time last year, I’d never used any social media, ever. It was completely new to me. I guess I’ve always been a bit of a dinosaur. In some ways that’ll never change: I still miss dial telephones and video recorders. Sadly, the days of going into a video shop to see what latest movies they had in are long gone. That was my kind of buzz. I’d probably have to say I haven’t done enough promoting outside of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. It’s difficult when you have no clue what to do. I’ve had to discover many things for myself, but I have also been lucky enough to meet some lovely people on social media who’ve given me some great advice. I even had near enough a whole page in my local paper. That was quite surreal. I don’t think it made anybody buy my book, although I did get recognised by somebody delivering the shopping from Tesco’s. I suppose I am still learning of ways to promote.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a new author! I should be asking you for advice. I’m just kidding. From what I’ve learned so far, I’d say don’t give up and be patient. Very patient. I can’t emphasize this enough. If your story is good, it will find it’s way. It’s all about the reviews, and they do not come fast. I’m afraid you have to play the waiting game and hope that each review will influence others to read your story. If you’re lucky, you might get that special one or two people from Goodreads who’ll decide to give your book a try, enjoy it, write a fantastic review, and let their thousands of followers know. Like I said though, patience is key to becoming a writer. I’m still awaiting those special influencers myself. It might not even happen. Just get on with writing your next book and then the one after that.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t take rejection as a personal attack. Everything in life is about taste and timing. If one person does not like something, it doesn’t mean everybody will agree.
What are you reading now?
Need You Dead by Peter James. Also, The WynderMyre Memoirs Series Book One Trieste-Her Journey – Novel One – From Dawn Until Forever by CeDany.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, as mentioned previously, I’m about to start writing the sequel, which again will be full of twists, and unexpected jaw-dropping moments. I have many story ideas in the pipeline. There may be a delay in releasing my third novel as I’ll be sending the manuscript to some agents. You have to keep knocking on the door.
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?
A Christmas Carol: To cheer myself up during the festive season. Robinson Crusoe: It might teach me a thing or two. Les Miserables: Should keep me going for a while at 560,000 words, plus I love the musical. A Survival Guide For Life by Bear Grylls: A backup plan if Robinson Crusoe doesn’t do the trick.
Author Websites and Profiles
Gabriel Blake Website
Gabriel Blake Amazon Profile
Gabriel Blake’s Social Media Links
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