Interview With Author W Huxley Oakham
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
W Huxley Oakham writes short fiction about the quiet architecture of ordinary households, and the objects within them that remember more than they should. Three books exist so far, though “exist” is doing some of the work in that sentence. One rewrites an unfinished Victorian mystery. Another goes looking for where a hound came from.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Cloisterham Mystery. Charles Dickens left an ending unwritten in 1870. Someone had to go back for it eventually.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
The Cloisterham Mystery. Charles Dickens left an ending unwritten in 1870. Someone had to go back for it eventually.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
One left a mystery unsolved on purpose, or so it’s said. Another sent a hound across a moor and never quite explained where it came from. The gaps interest me more than the endings.
What are you working on now?
Something with a ring in it. Not a proposal. Not exactly a curse either. It hasn’t decided what it is yet, and neither have I.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
A free run on Kindle when the timing feels right, and a handful of words sent out into X into the dark. Whether anyone’s listening is the interesting part.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Finish the short piece before starting the long one. It teaches you how you actually write, not how you imagine you write.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A first draft only has to exist. It doesn’t have to be good.
What are you reading now?
A list of expired Victorian patents. Riveting, if you enjoy watching ambition fail quietly and on schedule.
What’s next for you as a writer?
A hound needs an origin story, and someone has to explain the ring in Talisman before it explains itself to me first.
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?
One book with all the endings intact, just to remember what that feels like. One with none at all. A blank notebook, in case the island has better ideas than I do. And something on Victorian patents, because apparently that’s just who I am now.
Author Websites and Profiles
W Huxley Oakham Amazon Profile
W Huxley Oakham’s Social Media Links
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