Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live near Exeter in Devon (England) and I love getting out and about on the beaches and moors and attending local food festivals and events with my other half who’s a cake maker.
I’ve written three books and they’re all quite different. I’ve written a travel guide for anyone planning a gap year called Your Big Adventure based on my experiences backpacking. Then in 2017 I published my first full novel The River – an epic fantasy title. My latest book is a freebie dystopia story called Adam 0532.
As well as writing I’m overly fond of watching ’90s/’00s verbose American high school dramas, travel and of course cake.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book Adam 0532 is a little different to what I usually write. It started off as a short story for a writing group exercise and I found the world really interesting and knew there was more to uncover.
It’s a dystopian story about a man losing his identity in a future where wealth has totally divided a city and its people. Adam is caught between these worlds, a daily migrant between the overcrowded poverty of the Zone and the wide tree-lined streets of the Heights where he works.
To the Fairwater’s he is just another labourer, indistinguishable and disposable. But to Adam the memory of Ella Fairwater is the one thing he’s holding on to in the hope that she’ll remember a man who wasn’t always for sale.
I was fascinated by the idea of how we define ourselves – what it takes for us to feel recognisable, valuable and fulfilled and how people would react in a world where this is slowly being eroded. Dystopian fiction always seems to be about the heroes and the revolutionaries – the ones who smash the system. I wanted to think about what life would be like for someone who wasn’t rebelling, but disappearing.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I generally write first thing in the morning or last thing of an evening and am quite a restless writer shifting between my desk, the bed, the armchair, the garden…pretty much wherever is quieter!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I find Philip Pullman’s His Dark Material’s Trilogy so inspiring – it’s such an epic work, so full of heart and I still try and read it every year. I’ll always have a fondness for C.S. Lewis and the Narnia books as I think they really cemented my love of literature.
More recently I’ve really enjoyed reading Margaret Atwood, Jasper Fforde, Kevin Brockmeier and Mark Haddon.
What are you working on now?
My main focus is finishing a romance title due for release this winter – it’s a Christmas themed romantic comedy set in Cardiff.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I mainly use social media – Twitter and Facebook.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Edit lots…but don’t let it consume you. Remember to trust yourself and to enjoy what you do.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write about what interests you, as you can’t expect other people to be interested if you’re not!
What are you reading now?
Alan Hollinghurst – The Line of Beauty. I know I’m very late to the party with this one but i’m really enjoying it. I love the beginning; so full of opportunity and hope and the hazy memories of hot summers and the glimpses of the lives of the young and wealthy and the prose is really well crafted.
What’s next for you as a writer?
The follow up book to The River, perhaps some more romance and some short stories.
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?
Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy to keep me inspired. The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne for good memories. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde to keep me smiling and The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien to keep me busy!
Author Websites and Profiles
Nick Frampton Website
Nick Frampton Amazon Profile
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