Interview With Author Nick Snape
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
At the time of writing I have released two books in the Weapons of Choice Series, Hostile Contact and Return Protocol. Another, Zuri’s War is due early May with Finn’s War currently being edited ready for a June release. Today I started Book 5, with a working title of ReBirth. Wow, all that since I put finger to keyboard on the 12th January with no AI (except actually in the stories) in sight.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest release will be Return Protocol, the follow on to Hostile Contact. To be honest I got caught up in the characters and when I finished the first one I knew I wanted to know more about them. Funny that, I refused to write a character arc for each one preferring the story to dictate where they end up. Sometimes, and you’ll see this through the books, it even takes me by surprise.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I suffer with nerve issues in my hands and fingers. This means I need to shake out my hands often, and as the action gets fast and furious so does my handshaking. Strange but true.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
That’s a tricky one. I love Ray Bradbury, Julian May, Frank Herbert, the classics really. But have they influenced my writing? Only in so much as I know Sci-Fi is my genre but perhaps I shy away from the high concept work they wrote because I couldn’t possibly match their level of conceptual development. And I have found the gritty approach suits how I think about writing, seeking a punchy style that has a pace to it.
What are you working on now?
The remainder of the Weapons of Choice Series. Whether it is popular or not, the readers who are already along for the ride deserve a conclusion to the characters they’ve engaged with. Besides, I’d quite like to know myself what happens next!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I wish I knew. So far my Amazon Ads have drained the budget, with the Book Bub Ads being more successful but leaving the purse empty. At the moment I am using promotion sites as the email promos seem to work well to garner some interest and push a surge in uptake.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, keep writing and listen to others. Take the courses on offer out there and if you struggle with promotion then seek the help of a professional. You can waste a lot of money if you try and go alone.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.”
― Ray Bradbury
What are you reading now?
Many-Coloured Land by Julian May
What’s next for you as a writer?
Ah, I would love to have the permission to carry on doing what I find I love. But to do that, I must look back on my first series and say, “Can I carry on? Is there someone out there that wants to listen?”
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 first four Malazan Book of the Fallen. Thick enough to wait a while for the next boat along.
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