Interview With Author Nick Swan
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Big Data IT guy by day and a gamer, musician, and writer by night. I enjoy being with my wife and my two lovely dogs, Snow and Ekko, which have kept me going in no uncertain terms. I am also an avid advocate for mental health, as I was diagnosed with treatment-resistant major depression, which almost cost me my life in 2023.
Since I have pulled through and have professional health experts helping me, I have left my fear of failure at the door and decided to publish my writing to the world. I love to write and tell stories, but I never dared to share any of them up until now.
I have one short story self-published, ‘Whispers: Dawn,’ and the second installment of the Whispers series is already in review to be launched on Kindle. I also have a fantasy novel coming soon called “The Blacksmith,” which is with an editor and should also be released soon. And then, of course, the last installment of the Whispers series is also in the works.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Whispers: Daybreak (soon to release on Amazon). It follows my personal experience working as a student nurse in the hospital and captures some of the memories and scars I still carry. It is broken into a short story trilogy where Daybreak will be the second installment of the series.
I hope the trilogy will give people insights and some smiles along the way while tackling the deeper aspect of the mental scars.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I see stories as if they are living beings. So I never plan out any of my writing; there is no process that dictates who will enter or leave the story and allows me to go on a tangent when writing and then afterward refine the end product and clean up the loose ends.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My greatest inspiration is a co-worker and author, Mabuya Magagula, who wrote the book titled “Cooper.” I was part of his journey with his writing from an early stage, and when he published his book, he gave me the thunder in my belly to do the same.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the third installment of the “Whispers” series called Nightfall and thereafter I am just going to go with the flow writing short stories having fun and sharing my mind and experiences with the world.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am a brand new author; Awesome Gang is the only website I know of.
P.S. Thank you, Awesome Gang, for all the hard work!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you feel stuck, take a moment to get a beverage and write something unplanned into your story. It helped me a lot, While most of those writer’s block characters didn’t make it to the final cut, there are some that actually stayed and I personally grew fond of them in the process.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Success is the best revenge, a phrase that has resonated with me throughout my life when I felt people were doubting me and giving me some fire under the feet to prove them wrong.
What are you reading now?
I mostly double-check my work, haha. While true, I am not currently reading anything, and the book “Cooper” is the last one I read.
What’s next for you as a writer?
More novels, more short stories, maybe a novelette here and there. I will continue with my writing and share them with the world. I would love to be a full-time author, but that is a castle in the clouds. If only a few people read my stories and books, I will be a happy camper being able to share a part of myself. I’m not in it for the money; the writing is therapy for me, and knowing the stories can be enjoyed by others brings me great joy.
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?
How to stay alive – Bear Grylls
Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival – Dave Canterbury
I need to know how to stay alive on a desert island, so the two above would be useful.
Pet Sematary – Stephen King
I need some entertainment, and Pet Sematary is a good read.
Animal Farm – George Orwell
If others get dropped on the island, and we need to form a new society, this story will ensure we don’t get trapped in the same cycle described in the book.
Author Websites and Profiles
Nick Swan’s Social Media Links