Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi. I am the author of ‘The Smith Chronicles’ trilogy of YA sci-fi books: ‘The Golden Circuit’ (2013), ‘The Guardians Of The Oort Cloud’ (2015) and ‘Sempre’s Return’ (2016). I initally trained as a classical musician (guitar) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, then went on to do a PhD in Composition at the University of Edinburgh. Since then, I have written, taught and played music, but around 2010 I began to write poetry. After a few publications of some of those poems, in journals and whatnot, I realised that I wanted to try and write a novel. ‘The Golden Circuit’ was the result of that, and the trilogy began!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is ‘Sempre’s Return’, the third book in the series. I wanted to bring back the baddie from Book One, but this time make him even worse! I also wanted to investigate the lives of Polo and Kane Smith, the cousin and brother of my main character Mikita Smith. The popular character, Gompi, my mutant, also has a greater role. I got so much feedback about him from the two previous novels that I felt inspired to give him a bigger part in this one. Of course, all the weird plot lines and zany humuor is still there, and I feel like it’s my favourite of the three books.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I rely a lot on free writing in the early development of each book. The process opens up plot and character ideas one normally wouldn’t have thought about previously. I normally plot the beginning premise and the ending, but I intentionally leave the central details open. This might make the process more difficult than a fully outlined story, but I find this pays off in the end with wilder scenarios and events. Sometimes I even let my pet chimp write a bit… 🙂
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favourite authors are many, but I find Douglas Adams, Jack London, Philip K. Dick, Alexandre Dumas to be at the top of my list most days. ‘The Count Of Monte Cristo’ is perhaps my all-time favourite novel. I’ve read that several times. It’s the revenge plotline that gets me every time. What a story! Of course, London’s ‘Call of The Wild’, ‘Adams’ Hitchhikers Guide’, and Dick’s ‘Scanner Darkly’, ‘Do Androids Dream’ are all in there as Top of the Pops.
What are you working on now?
At the moment I have begun work on my fourth novel tentatively titled ‘Runna and the Flying-Ships of Nordica’. It’s a story about a young girl who leaves her horrible foster family and sets of on a journey along the ancient trade routes of Scandinavia to Constantinople, of course, travelling there as a stowaway on a Flying-ship! It’s set in no particular time or era, it could be in the past or future, I leave that open-ended. The main character is about the same age as Mikita Smith, maybe slightly younger, but they share the same sense of abadonment. I’m really enjoying investigating into the history of Nordic culture, and watching episodes of ‘Vikings’. 🙂
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like Goodreads the most. Twitter and Facebook are still new to me, I was a bit late to the party on those. I’m thinking of doing some ‘reading’ on YouTube. Maybe a chapter or two per post. I found local booksellers here in Edinburgh to be very wary of new writers, however, I have plans for Comic-Con next year. I think new ideas and methods of promotion are needed nowadays as there are so many authors out there it’s difficult to get through to your audience.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Edit, edit, edit. Then edit some more. And when you’re done with that, edit it again. And again… and… … I think I’ve made that point now. 🙂 But in terms of technical stuff I would say watch out for repetitions of words near each other, that’s a real bugbear of mine. Also, sentence flow. This really distinguishes a writer of quality. And use your commas wisely!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
‘Clean as you go’ (when preparing a meal). Seriously, the best advice for writing could be ‘Don’t write about what you know’. Whether you use that or not is up to you, but I always think that if you write about familiar things then it will be too easy, and maybe a little bit dull. Challenge yourself to delve into new territorities of research.
What are you reading now?
At the moment, I’m reading the autobiography of the knuckleball pitcher RA Dickey called ‘Wherever I Wind Up’. It’s a cracking story of failures and, ultimately, triumphs. If you like biographies then this one is must. You don’t have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it. Though clearly, that helps.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Completing my new novel ‘Runna and the Flying-Ships of Nordica’. Then the sequel!
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?
‘The Count of Monte Cristo’, ‘Morton Feldman Says’, ‘The Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot’ and ‘The Collected Poems of Robert Creeley’.
Author Websites and Profiles
John K Irvine Website
John K Irvine Amazon Profile
John K Irvine’s Social Media Links
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