Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Doctor, landlord, author and hobbit… that’s me in a nutshell. Originally from the UK, with a PhD in animal welfare, I’ve lived in New Zealand and S.E. Asia, and have been writing full-time for almost two years. That’s quite a long time if you think about it, but I have had a few breaks for tea and biscuits along the way. So far, I’ve written four books, including the ‘DATS Trilogy’, which follows the adventures of schoolboy Johnny and his best friend, Eddie, the Death of Children and Drynwideon, a comic fantasy adventure for supposed grown-ups (more about that below).
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called ‘Drynwideon, The Sword of Destiny – Yeah, Right’. The ‘yeah, right’ pretty much says it all, really. Featuring a supremely sarcastic and self-centred anti-hero, a claustrophobic-agoraphobic dwarf and a psychotic half-fairy with a bad wing, it’s definitely a few steps away from your usual epic fantasy fare. I got the inspiration for it while being quite seriously unwell a year ago. At the time, there was a lot of hype around the new series of ‘Game of Thrones’ and while lying in my sick-bed one day, I thought, why not write something which turns the traditional ‘hero story’ on its head? The result was ‘Drynwideon’, possibly the world’s first ‘anti-fantasy’ novel.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. It would be nice to say that I typed with my toes so that I could plat my nasal hair at leisure with my fingers, but that would be a lie. No, I’m afraid that it’s just the usual repertoire of bad writing habits for me: staring blankly at my laptop screen, gazing vacantly out of the window for hours on end, chewing anything vaguely pencil-like lying within reach, that sort of thing.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Just about everything that I’ve ever read has influenced me at some level or another. That said, I’d have to say that some of my biggest influences have included C.S. Lewis, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, David Zindell, Tom Sharpe and Geroge MacDonald Fraser. Yes, I’m a big Sci-Fi and Fantasy geek… as well as a hobbit.
What are you working on now?
I’m just putting the finishing touches to my second novel, this one a bitter tale of revenge, spanning seventy years during the last century, involving two friends and a cache of gold. I’m not going to say any more about it, other than it’s called ‘Yogol’s Gold’ and will likely be out at the end of this year or early 2019.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Like so many other authors who have posted here before me (I’m starting to sound like Captain Kirk, aren’t I?), I don’t have one particular favourite method for book promotion and come on, if I did have a magical recipe for instant success, would I really be sharing it here? No, sorry folks, I just use a range of different avenues, including social media, Facebook groups, Twitter, my website (www.rob-gregory.com) and anything else that happens to drift past my desperately grasping arms.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Words of advice for new authors… Don’t! Haha. Only joking! But be prepared for a long and very frustrating ride, unless of course, you happen to write the next Harry Potter books. There’s a hell of a lot of competition out there and it’s really hard to get noticed at the beginning, even if you’ve written a fantastic book (like everyone else has). So, hunker down, save up for that extra-thick skin you’ve always wanted and keep on going, regardless of what the world says. You’ll make it one day, kiddo. Just keep your eye on the gravy and you’ll be fine!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice or the most interesting advice I’ve ever heard? The best advice is: ‘everything in moderation’ but it’s utterly boring and so conservative, besides, where would The Rolling Stones be if they followed that mantra? The most interesting advice on the other hand, as someone else here has already pointed out, is: ‘never eat anything bigger than your own head,’ which has, in my case, led to a life-long and fully justified suspicion of watermelons.
What are you reading now?
At the moment, I’m reading ‘Guards Guards’ by the late Terry Pratchett. I really love the Discworld series that he wrote and periodically go back through the entire series. This one, the first to involve the ‘Night Watch’ is one of my favourites.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My next two projects are to compile the DATS Trilogy into a single volume, which I hope to complete before the end of the year and to write a Sci-Fi comedy novel, which has been trying to claw its way out of my subconscious for the last six months. Wish me luck on both counts.
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?
I would bring an ebook reader, a solar panel charger and take my entire collection with me! However, to enter into the spirit of the question, I suppose there would be ‘The City and the Stars’ by Arthur C. Clark, ‘Brother in the Land’ by Robert Swindells, ‘The Pyrates’ by George MacDonald Fraser and ‘A Brief History of Time’ by Stephen Hawking (not to be confused with the cookbook of the same name).
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