1. When
did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I started to take it seriously
when I was eighteen or so, at around the time that I finished writing my first
novel. I was planning on going to study web development at university, but at
the last minute, I decided to switch my degree to creative writing instead. I
haven’t looked back since!
2. How
long does it take you to write a book?
It depends upon the book and
how I write it. As a general rule, I’d say around a year or so. I used to write
my books by hand, which took a lot longer, although I’ve switched to using a
computer now. You also have to factor in how long it takes to go through
editing and layout. Former.ly took over three years; Social Paranoia took about
six months, but it took place over a period of a year and a half because I kept
stopping and starting depending upon what other projects I had on the go.
3. What
is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I’m always writing! I have
quite a specific schedule which I adhere to whilst watching Netflix. Every five
minutes, I switch activities, rotating through doing things on my computer to
tidying my flat to writing stuff. That’s the simplified version, but it’d be
going into too much detail to explain the whole thing.
4. What
would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
It’s quite difficult to
quantify, but it’s my writing style as a whole. It’s sort of alternative and
occasionally dark, but also approachable. If you’re familiar with my work then
you’d be able to recognise it without my name being attached to it.
5. How
do books get published?
It totally depends upon the
author and the publisher, if they have one. Everyone has their own publication
routine, and the ease of use of self-publishing routes such as CreateSpace mean
that people can really do whatever the hell they want to get their books out
into readers’ hands. But in my view, a couple of rounds of professional editing
and proofreading, as well as a competent cover design, are essential.
6. Where
do you get your information or ideas for your books?
I do most of my research
online, although I do read books in similar genres to see what works and what
doesn’t. As for the ideas, it really depends – I often start with a vague idea,
which just simmers in my head for a couple of months and picks up details here
and there. Then, when I’m ready to actually plan something out, I start to
commit it all to paper, making changes and additions when appropriate.
7. When
did you write your first book and how old were you?
I started writing it at
seventeen and finished it at eighteen. It was a book called ‘Annie’, which told
the story of a teenage girl who was being sexually abused by her alcoholic
stepfather. It wasn’t very good and it’s not ready to see the light of day, but
it was good practice at least.
8. What
do you like to do when you're not writing?
I’m almost always either
writing or working. But when I’m not doing one of those, I like to socialise or
to play guitar – often both, by going to open mic nights.
9. What
does your family think of your writing?
I don’t get on very well with
one side of my family and so I have no idea – I don’t think they think of it at
all. But on my mom’s side, they’re all very supportive, and they’ve been buying
and reading all of my books ever since I was just ordering limited print runs
of a dozen or so, before I started to release my work to the public.
10. What
was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
I’d have to reiterate myself
and talk about the importance of professional editing and cover design. As both
a writer and as a book blogger, I can’t stress that enough. It’s very, very
rare for an author to put out a perfect book without outside help. Why take
that chance? Why not work with a creative team to push out the very best book
you can? It’s a no-brainer!
11. How
many books have you written? Which is your favourite?
I’ve written far more books
than are actually available, because that’s all part of learning your craft.
Some of them will eventually be re-released (after going through editing), and
some will never see the light of day. In total, I’ve written XX books (and
three albums of music), but only four books and two albums are currently on
general sale. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but I’ll always have a soft spot
for No Rest for the Wicked, as that was the first one that underwent a proper,
professional release.
12. Do
you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are
they?
It might sound a little
obvious, but read as much as you can and write as much as you can. There’s no
better way to learn than via hands-on experience.
13. Do
you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I do, but not as much as I’d
like to – I always encourage people to post a review, whether they enjoyed the
book or not. The feedback is mostly positive, and when I do get negative
feedback, it’s generally constructive stuff that I can learn from. And they’re
often just two sides of the same coin. For example, the most common piece of
positive feedback for No Rest for the Wicked is that the reader devoured the
whole book in one sitting. The most common piece of negative feedback is that
they felt that it was too short. You can’t really have one without the other!
14. Do
you like to create books for adults?
I’ve never been one for
writing for an audience. I write books that I want to read myself, and then I
just hope that my readers enjoy them. So far, it seems to be working well. But
as I’m an adult, I guess all of my books have adults as the primary target
audience. This was a long-winded way of saying the simple answer: “Yes.”
15. What
do you think makes a good story?
A mixture of strong characters
and a good plot, combined with accessible language and a pace that keeps you
turning the pages until the end.
16. As
a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
I wanted to be a rock star
when I was little, but I figured that was unachievable and so I switched my
focus to writing instead. That said, I still write music and perform in front
of audiences, and I maintain that my music is just an extension of my writing
overall. It’s just another format for me to play with.
