Interview With Author Steve Reilly
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a reader and writer of science fiction and fantasy, children's stories and poetry, anything really. I have written technical documents and football newsletters.
I now have four books published, the first three being a YA trilogy about witches and auchs, and now begun my new series. I have trouble writing short stories, they always seem to grow of their own accord.
I live in Australia on the east coast and enjoy fishing, kayaking and all things aquatic. I relax in my garden and growing orchids.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My newest book is 'Dragonfang'. It is the first in the series 'The Telling of the Maal'.
The Maal are the oral histories of the people, and they are being documented by Sumulat, the storyteller.
The idea came to me after visiting the Tower of London to tell the stories of the people living in such a place, but it soon grew to be much more than that.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write in the morning. I find a quiet place and begin. My first draft is ALWAYS with pen and paper. I go through a lot of exercise books.
Why mornings? I feel refreshed and inspired in the morning. As the day progresses, I find life infringes on my world.
Transferring my notes to the computer is when I do my first edit. They say no one is meant to read your first draft, and that is easy. My handwriting is that bad, sometimes even I can't read it. My excuse is that my hand can't keep up with my mind.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many. Let me see … authors, Tolkein of course, Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb, Stephen Donaldson, and my Matthew Reilly (no relation). As far as books, anything by these authors and anything else I can lay my hands on.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on book 2 of 'The Telling of the Maal'. The working title is 'Assassin, Lord and Dragon'. Each book in the series is a story in itself, being about the lives of a people, but the flow of the stories continues through the series.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am only learning about promoting my books, but I have been impressed by Awesome Gang.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Anyone can become an author. I trick is to stay an author. It takes practice, and more practice. We are all apprentices of a craft where no one becomes a master.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I would offer a quote by Robert Lipsyte. Writing is really rewriting – making the story better, clearer, truer.
What are you reading now?
I have just completed Matthew Reilly's 'The Secret Runners of New York' and not sure which will be my next book.
What’s next for you as a writer?
As I said, I am working on Book 2 of this series, with 2 more books to come. I am also drafting an alternative history of Earth book.
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?
Only 4? I would want 'The Wheel of Time' series, "Battlefield Earth' series, all the Thomas Covenant books, …. As you can see, I like my stories to be long and engaging.
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