Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Despite sitting on a whole bundle of unfinished shorts, and a full YA sci-fi novel, I’ve recently published my first piece of work ‘The Strangeling’.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘The Strangeling’ – A Tale From Original Earth. The best way to describe this short is a mish-mash of sci-fi, philosophy and ethnic re-imagination. I drew inspiration from various cultures and tribes through history, as well as our expanding understanding of science and dimensions.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can’t write without being in total isolation with music playing. If I sense someone around it’s basically impossibly to write, because I’m far too distracted by the presence of their energy flow.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Roald Dahl has always been my idol author, but my list of writing heros is vast. Janet Fitch, Isaac Asimov, Madeline L’Engle, Peter V. Brett, Stephen Ambrose, David Wong, Rudyard Kipling….we could be here all day.
What are you working on now?
Currently I’m rough drafting the next short in the Original Earth series. It will have brief appearances by the characters you meet in ‘The Strangeling’ but will primarily introduce new faces and places.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon. They know what’s up.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t stop. No matter how much you fail (and you will, a lot), no matter what every know-it-all-nay-sayer says, keep going. Creative story-telling is maybe the greatest talent a person can mold in their life. So get after it, and tell the doubters to kiss off.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Life is nothing but individual perspective. Just because there’s two different opinions doesn’t mean either one is wrong, so keep your mind open and your mouth shut until you’re sure of what you believe.
What are you reading now?
‘The Skull Throne’ by Peter V. Brett, the fourth book in his Demon Cycle series. If you’ve never read his work, drop everything right now and go purchase/check-out ‘The Warded Man’. It is the most inventive, solid work that I’ve read in years.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to chase sci-fi for a while, but I am going to start dabbling with comedy in the next few months.
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?
‘White Oleander’ by Janet Fitch. I’ve read it countless times over the past decade and it never gets old. Every paragraph is poetry, it’s pure gold.
‘John Dies at the End’ by David Wong. If I ever write with half of the sporadically mind-bending ingenuity as he does, I’ll consider my life complete.
‘Crime and Punishment’ by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. That guy was way, way ahead of his time. Fabulous, warped, beautifully written tale of psychology, philosophy and murder.
Nicole Cannavaro’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account