Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a 21 year old student from Northern Ireland, been writing since I was a wee kid and in the last two years have started to make a ‘proper’ go of it. I love reading, writing, films, gaming, music, jogging, and going to the gym.
I’ve written 4 books, and am putting the finishing touches to number 5. I’ve got a thousand ideas on where to go after this so it’s a matter of being excited to finish one to be excited to start the next one. One of my books is currently published, with more on the way soon, especially as I write more and more.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is my debut, Cigarette, published by Rowanvale Books. It is a crime/humour novel, a darkly funny sort of pastiche on gangster and crime fiction. It was inspired by a simple sort of concept that came into my head one night, which was basically ‘This guy is missing a finger, and nobody knows what happened to it.’ And the rest of it sort of game from there. I was inspired to make it dark and funny because it’s just the way I write. Any time I try to make something serious I just end up taking the piss out of it. I figure I may as well roll with that and take the piss intentionally.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I set my self a solid amount of time every day, between 1 and 2 hours, where I write non stop, ignoring all distractions. I just throw my headphones on, get a cup of tea, and write like my life depended on it.
In terms of unusual habits, I never start with anything more than a simple line or a concept. Like in Cigarette mentioned above, in it’s two sequels, and in the two other books I’ve written. I start with no idea how it’s going to end and just go from there. It keeps it exciting for me. I’ve always found planning things out boring. Planning my writing tends to close off my ideas and I don’t let my mind kind of go all over the place like I would otherwise. Each book is like an archaeological dig. I start with a toe, and I keep digging. I don’t know what I’ve got, might be a mouse, might be a T-Rex, and I never do until I’m finished.
Then I go back and edit it and tidy everything up, and it looks like I knew what I was doing all along. Full proof.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King is my favourite author and my biggest influence – especially because of his writing style, which my own is probably quite similar to. I loved IT and The Stand, probably my two favourite books, and The Dark Tower series is brilliant.
I also love William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Hunter S. Thompson, Allen Ginsberg, Kurt Vonnegut, and Charles Bukowski purely for their completely off the wall writing style, bizarre characters, and bleak sense of humour. It’s something that’s echoed in my own writing style, too.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a quite lengthy novel about a girl who starts writing a blog when she is drunk and accidentally starts a quasi cult/religion. It’s good fun to write, and different from my usual style because of a lack of ultra violence and generally more reserved characters. It’s evolved quite nicely and I’m moving into the third act and am absolutely hooked on it. After that, there’s a few ideas for short stories and screenplays knocking about that I need to see off before I could start another book.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Since I’ve only started out promoting myself (which my first book out for about a week now) I’m still finding my feet, but Twitter and Goodreads seem to be safe bets. Both have great communities of readers and authors always looking to help each other out.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Write more. Finish it. Always finish it. Never stop, no matter how stupid you think it sounds, no matter how tired you get of it, finish everything you start. A redraft can fix minor niggles, but you can’t redraft half a book into a full novel.
Also, set aside time every day to write. Don’t make excuses, get out there and do it.
And read. Writing and not reading is like trying to be a plumber and not owning a tool box. In writing, you learn equally by example, and equally by doing. I’d always be a big advocate for saying that writing is like exercising, the more you do it, the fitter/better you get. It’s a muscle. If you want to lift heavier weights, you train your arms. If you want to write heavier stuff, train your brain. And fingers, so you don’t get CTS.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” -Stephen King.
What are you reading now?
I’ve just finished Horns by Joe Hill, moving on to anything by Brett Easton Ellis after that. I loved American Psycho and I want to work my way through everything else by him. Between that, I’ll be randomly reading the last I haven’t by Phillip K. Dick, finishing off Lovecraft’s Necronomicon, and reading a few graphic novels here and there!
What’s next for you as a writer?
Getting feedback from Cigarette, good or bad, building my presence online. Finishing my cult book, publishing a few short stories, redrafting my YA/NA book for what is looking likely to be publication in the future, and beyond that, continuing to write, read, and improve myself.
What is your favorite book of all time?
IT by Stephen King. If I had to pick one. To be honest, it changes all the time, every week I seem to have a new favourite. I don’t tend to cling to each book that much. I read it, and move on. IT lingers with me because it was probably the first adult book I ever read, and at the time, the longest book I had ever read by a country mile.
It got me hooked on the hard stuff and inevitably ended up in me writing for myself, so I suppose I have to think it for that, as well.
Author Websites and Profiles
Jason Purdy Website
Jason Purdy Amazon Profile
Jason Purdy’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account