Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Though I’ve been a professional writer for most of my life, it’s only in the last five years that I decided to commit to writing fiction. I spent the time writing and have only recently published on Amazon/Kindle/other major e-book publishers and through Smashwords.
I have two e-books out now that are hungry for readers – The Big Crunch by Medeas Wray – set in Leeds in 2002 and featuring a character called Malkie, whose life is going into free-fall as all kinds of mayhem erupts around him. He’s a video games inventor and computer graphic artist and sometimes it seems that he’s locked into one of the games he’s invented. As he wrestles with his demons, he realises – reality kills.
Down To Zero is a larger work of fiction – the first in The Eaters of Light series, featuring Mallory Vine and Bob Dario, two seasoned murder-detectives as they discover an artist-celebrity cum serial killer who’s been hiding the evidence of a long-term killing spree in the art-works he sells to an A-list clientele. Set in London, in 2018, Down To Zero is where crime thriller meets the paranormal, as the two investigators start to uncover evidence even they cannot believe, taking them into the world of a psychologist/parapsychologist working in Paris in 1895 – and eventually, rocking the very foundations of the investigative culture world-wide. (Don’t want to say too much – give away the spoiler.)
I’ve also a compilation of short stories with the title ‘Jabberworky and The Other Odd Story’ in the pipe-line – just awaiting its cover as I’m writing this. It will probably be available Free through Amazon/Kindle and the other major e-publishers – and is amusing in places, a little scary in others and hopefully, intriguing.
I’d be interested to know what readers have to say about this and my novels – after all, readers are what it’s all about – and my aim is to entertain, always, and provide a page-turning experience that’s memorable.
Often, when I write, I only have a sketch of where the story is going to go when I start off, then I write further wondering where it will lead – as if I’m the first reader of the work. I’ve always loved reading. The world of books is incredible and immense – a place where we can travel anywhere, back in time, into the future, across many lands, experiencing all kinds of lives along the way. It’s a fantastic world out there.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Big Crunch is the title of my latest book and is something I’ve worked on for some time. It’s set in Leeds in 2002 as Leeds United are starting to slip down the league tables and was inspired by living in Leeds at that time and working in the design and media field where you find yourself rubbing shoulders with all kinds of disparate – and occasionally, mysterious – characters and wondering who they are and what their lives, away from work, are like.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sometimes I don’t actually write for days and spend time mulling my thoughts over whilst watching TV or a film. Then suddenly, I’ll have a big burst of writing, sparked off by something as mundane as a rain-shower, or observing someone in a cafe. Sometimes, I find myself writing at inconvenient times, when the rest of the world is asleep, I’ll be hammering away at my keyboard.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the work of too many authors to name but some of the greatest influencers on me have been: John Steinbeck, Iain Banks, Ken Kesey, Jean Rhys, Raymond Chandler, Lilian Hellman, George MacDonald Fraser (the mad romp of The Pyrates and his character, Flashman, the cad to beat all cads). I also thoroughly appreciate the consummate professionalism and hard work of crime-fiction authors like Ian Rankin, Val McDiurmund, P.D. James, Patricia Cornwell and a host of others. And then there’s William Gibson, Hunter S. Thompson, Ray Bradbury – I could probably go on and on.
I was an avid book-worm as a teenager and those books are still memorable to me – particularly the Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake, the stories of Franz Kafka and Edgar Allen Poe, the Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse. These all sound dark and gothic but then I also the writings of Bill Bryson and Richard Condon novels. (Forgot to mention him in the first paragraph).
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the second – and third – novel in The Eaters of Light series, following on from Down To Zero – though the book delves into the past as well as heading off into the future as well. I’ve written the Prologue and at least three chapters and it’s going well, with a few hiccups or hiatuses – when I spend more time thinking than I do writing. I’m hoping to finish it in September 2014 or thereabouts.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m absolutely not sure – but would have to say Amazon/Kindle because of their prominence in the market-place – and Smashwords as well as they distribute to Apple, Barnes & Noble, Sony and a host of others.
Twitter as well – and I need to look at places like Facebook Authors as well. But sites like yours are invaluable – giving space for authors to describe themselves and their works further. All of them are the best method – that’s the only answer I can really give you.
Word of mouth recommendation is they say, the best method. Readers enjoying your work and telling other people about it whether that’s through social networks, tweeting or face to face, is probably the most invaluable means of promotion.
Giving away free samples and tasters of your work is a good idea, connecting to other authors and readers through sites like these, being open to others. And of course, having your own web-site – mine is www.medeaswray.com where you can find news about my books, samples of my writing, see my covers and discover more.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Not sure if I’m actually qualified at this stage, to give advice about writing and what makes for a successful career as an author.
But I have written a 12 point guide to formatting your work as an e-publication for Smashwords/Kindle/Amazon that some people have found helpful – find it on my web-site at www.medeaswray.com
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
‘Write drunk. Edit sober.’ – Ernest Hemingway. (Only joking).
Stephen King’s On Writing is probably the best advice and encouragement you’ll find – to be read again and again – and skimmed in a few places.
What are you reading now?
Empire of The Sun by J.G. Ballard.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I think some in-put is required after all this out-put – some hanging out with friends, enjoying the summer, doing a bit of weeding, some travelling, catching up on some movies. (I’m so ambitious).
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?
Probably manuals helping someone to survive on a desert island would be a good idea I’d have to say. But for entertainment value, optimism and sheer good fun, think it would be a few of George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman novels.
Author Websites and Profiles
Medeas wray Website
Medeas wray Amazon Profile