An Interview - Nathaniel Joseph McAuley

Belfast-based poet and recipient of the 2014 ACES Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. His debut pamphlet “The Dyer’s Notes on Indigo” was released early 2013. He currently facilitates poetry workshops for INST Belfast.

What are you writing at the minute? I’ve actually just finished a piece for the Aspects festival. It was a long sequence set in the Garden of Eden, written from the perspective of Adam as he begins naming all things — pre-Eve. Kind of the birth of science. It’s been a tough auld trek. It’s one of those occasions when the subject matter becomes like traditional form — there’s an in-stone template you have to adhere to and it takes you directions you’d never usually consider. Can you give us an idea of Nathaniel Joseph McAuley’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day? I find it near impossible to write in the day time. I forget sometimes though. If I’ve a deadline on the go there’ll be days I’ll near tear my hair out during the morning and afternoon trying to produce something. Once 6pm hits, I can usually get a good 3 hours of good writing done. So, the whole day kind of leads up to 6pm when I’ve a piece due. So, time’s not always a friend of mine — over the past year when I was able to buy the time, I’ve found it overwhelming. What do you do when you’re not writing? I’ve a real love of conversation more than anything — if I’m not writing I’m usually socialising. I’ve a pretty active spiritual life also. I’ve no real hobbies to speak of, any hobby I’ve ever had (music, poetry etc) has become a job, something to be thankful for.

Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the poetry scene? I’ve been asked this a few times recently — I still don’t know whether to answer and give the impression I’m not a greenhorn myself. I’d just say not to get caught up in the traditional ideas of what it is to be a poet — if you take yourself off into a forest to write your epic, fair play, but its perfectly fine to be cocktail bartender who loves Neil Diamond. Which writers have impressed you this year? I’ve spent this past wee while reading up on the Irish and British poetry that I should have been reading during my years in university, when I was more interested in North American and Afro-Caribbean poetry. So, Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney and especially Michael Longley. What are you reading right now? I’m reading a great book about the history of gin and its social implications on 18th century London — Gin Glorious Gin, by Olivia Williams… Plans for the future? …for a new project — more on that later though. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently? I would have taken myself less seriously sooner. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience? Before I knew what constituted half decent poetry, I wrote a poem for a girl who was more than aware of was constituted half decent poetry. It was not a half decent poem.

Thank you, Nathaniel Joseph McAuley!

An Interview - Mark McCann

Mark McCann is a Self Published Author of hard boiled supernatural thrillers and Co-Owner and Senior Editor of Cult Nerd Website Badhaven.com. Star of YouTubes 'The BAD MAN Show' he also contributes feature articles to Bad Haven among other online outlets and news hubs - a habit he formed from his tenure as film critic for local newspapers around his hometown of Belfast.

Q1. What are you writing at the minute? 

I just finished up a few horror shorts for an upcoming Horror/Sci-Fi Anthology called ‘Inside I’m Darkness’ and I’m working on a fairly personal novel based on a lot of my own familial experiences called Return of the Scapegoat Kid.

It’s the tale of two estranged brothers and their awkward, painful, manic and mostly blackly comic journey towards reconciliation. I’m billing it as an Irvine Welsh style commentary meets a family drama - equal parts debauched humour and genuine insight into the dysfunctional family unit.

Q2. Can you give us an idea of your typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

My day is mostly composed of frantically trying to fit everything in. I come home, powernap, drink copious amounts of coffee, put some music on and settle into my chair with my laptop and get started. I usually write down ideas as I have them and always have a mental concept of what I’m going to be writing next.

I then process those ideas into my loose plot outline until something coherent emerges at the end. A lot of writers have a much tighter structure, but I’ve always liked mine loose. I like to surprise myself with twists that might occur to me as I go, and I find those surprises translate well for a reader.

I’d love to pretend I’m more organised and locked down, but truthfully I’m not. When I get going however, I enter ‘the zone’ and type like a champ.

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing?

I work part-time for an online comic book retailer by day and up until the last few months I was editor on cult website Badhaven.com in the evenings until it became consumptive to the point where I needed to take a step back and focus on my writing again.

I train as a power lifter a few nights a week and I read a lot, whether it be books, articles, graphic novels, comics – the heap. I enjoy nights out to the cinema and the odd bit of travel, but my favourite thing is lazy days with my girlfriend in those fleeting moments when we can just chill out and read together. They are too few.

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the crime fiction scene?

Work hard, improve your style, take creative criticism well - but don’t listen to small minded or negative people and/or anyone with advice that’s off key.

Trust your gut, take heart in that nobody ever made it by not trying and always finish what you start. But most importantly - never, ever regardless of what anyone tells you or how utterly impractical, financially difficult or unrealistic it may seem – never ever give up! It’s your dream. So it’s up to you to live it.

Writing can be hard, but it’s like Bruce Lee says; don’t pray for an easy life. Pray for the strength to endure a hard one. Truer words!

Q5. Which crime writers have impressed you this year?

This year I’ve mostly been back at the classics - re-treading Hammett and Crumley. But as I write crime with a supernatural edge I’ve always enjoyed Mike Carey’s Felix Castor series. He makes me feel so fiercely inadequate about my own writing that the competitor in me is continually driven to improve.

Q6. What are you reading right now?

I just finished Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief and now I’m re-reading Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon along with Peter V Brett’s fantastic fantasy shorts The Great Bazaar and Brayan’s Gold.

Q7. Plans for the future?

Finish my current novel, pitch the anthology and begin the dogged submissions process. And maybe get an artist for a little graphic novel I’m plotting called That Dame’s Unstoppable! But that’s another story.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

I’d network more. Submit more definitely. I have a tendency of wanting to do things NOW! And with the cold mistress of harsh experience as my teacher I’ve learned to be much more patient.

I always end up doing things the hard way and I have a tendency to jump before I look. I decided to self-publish all of my books and didn’t even try for an agent or publisher past the first one, so I think I’d go back and just be more dogged with submitting the first novel while working on the others and improving my style.

Q9. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience? 

I don’t think I’ve really had any awful experiences writing. I know that’s pretty boring, but outside of my experience as a writer I’ve had plenty of unpleasantness to act as a counterweight. I’ve been beaten up, knocked out, threatened with knives/ baseball bats, almost killed by a mugger with a crowbar, followed home by paramilitaries, threatened by paramilitaries, almost had my head run over by a car (in a motorbike accident) and had a chunk bitten out of my back by a highly aggressive Alsatian. Writing by comparison has always been a positive delight.

Q10. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

I’d just like to say thanks to everyone who’s been so supportive of my writing so far, including my dear old mum, my girlfriend, all my pals and the fantastic Crime Scene N.I. And also to give my books a quick pimp: Deadfast, The Generous Dead and The Mog Princess are all available at a great price via Amazon - Hardboiled supernatural horror set in my old home town of Belfast.

Thank you, Mark 'Bad Man' McCann!

An Interview - Tara West

Q1. What are you writing at the minute?

I’m working on some narrative non-fiction, which is the fancy name for a memoir. It’s a book about my experience of depression following the publication of my first novel, Fodder, how perfectionism can be both a constructive and destructive force, and how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help even the most tenacious of depressives.

Q2. Can you give us an idea of your typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

I write even when I don’t have ideas, because bashing away at a keyboard seems to help ideas form. Writing time is different to normal time – it goes fantastically, disappointingly, quickly. I forget to eat, drink and sleep when I write. I’m in another world, and after a long period of writing time, I feel like I’ve been meditating.

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing?

In my day job, I’m Creative Director at Belfast-based advertising agency Genesis. I come up with ideas for campaigns, develop scripts and oversee creative production. I also have an 8 year old daughter, who is made of starshine and diamonds, and in whose wake I stand transfixed.

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the crime fiction scene?

I’m more a writer of contemporary fiction rather than crime fiction, but when it comes to breaking into anything, plain old-fashioned doggedness is the key. Hang in there. The more you write, the better you get, so believe in what you do, even if you don’t always believe in yourself.

Q5. Which crime writers have impressed you this year?

There is a superb novella called Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos. It’s inspired by Mexican crime fiction, and is about a crime family, but it’s more literary fiction than crime fiction. The concept is so simple, the protagonist so genuine, and the prose so tight and controlled – it completely blew my socks off. I wish I’d written it.

Q6. What are you reading right now?

I’m reading a hilarious satire of Amercian entrepreneurship called Lightning Rods by Helen DeWitt. Ridiculous concept, but so warmly and skillfully written, it’s a joy to read.

Q7. Plans for the future?

Once I finish the memoir, my agent, New Yorker Paul Feldstein, whose agency is based in Northern Ireland, will find a publisher for it. Well, I hope he will! Paul is as dogged as I am, so I’m optimistic. After that, it will be a return to fiction.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

God, yeah. I wouldn’t have burnt out after my first novel and lost five years to depression. But in a way, almost destroying myself is what it took to produce Fodder, so I can’t truly regret it. It’s not something I’d advise anyone to try though.

Q9. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

After Fodder was published, I was invited to appear at various festivals and events, all of which I really enjoyed – except one. I took part in a panel on a high profile London arts show, and was asked to decipher a poem by an Irish poet who was known for her indecipherable poetry. And she was sitting right beside me, in all her flowing, ethnic, Irish colleen, impenetrable glory. I’m a novelist, not a poet. I had no idea what it was about. So I waffled. And giggled. I made a face and looked like a dick. Then I melted into a puddle and poured myself into a bin. I developed a deep-seated fear of poets after that, but there was a silver lining – my resulting phobia was in the inspiration for Poets Are Eaten as a Delicacy in Japan.

Q10. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland and, in particular, Damian Smyth, have been crucial to the development of my writing career, and not just in terms of financial support, although that has certainly played a part. Damian’s belief in the quality of my work gave me a real boost, when I needed it most. I thought I was crap. Damian put me right. Thanks, Damian.  

Thank you, Tara West!

An Interview - Anthony Quinn

Q1. What are you writing at the minute? 

I'm currently on the edit of my Irish War of Independence thriller featuring Michael Collins.

Q2. Can you give us an idea of your typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day? 

My writing day forms the book-ends of my real day. I usually start with a cup of strong tea at about 5.30am or 6am and work through to about 8am. Then I'll do a few hours in the evening once I've begged our four insomniac children to go to bed. I find tea-drinking very helpful, so I consume gallons of it. Some days rivers, in fact.

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing? 

Carousing, bull-fighting, big-game hunting, drinking absinthe - sadly I'm not Ernest Hemmingway. I work as a part-time journalist and look after the children for the rest of the week. A great excuse to spend afternoons exploring rivers and forests.

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the crime fiction scene? 

Read broadly and deeply. Read philosophy, history, classic literature, foreign literature, newspapers, magazines, anything you can get your hands on. Even the pieces of paper you find in the street. Correct that; ESPECIALLY the pieces of paper you find in the street.

Q5. Which crime writers have impressed you this year? 

I've been reading a Russian fellow called Dostoyevsky. Wonderful sense of noir. Apart from that Gayle Curtis' Shell-house is a hidden gem. Her haunting sea-side setting has a mesmerising effect. And my interviewer's Fireproof was an entertaining read with its teflon-coated black humour. Worth the cover price for the description of Lucifer, alone. Elsewhere, Declan Burke and Ken Bruen continue to prove they are masters at the height of their powers.

Q6. What are you reading right now? 

The Psalms, in German. Seriously. A wonderful antidote to the corrupting influence of writing about the criminal mind.

Q7. Plans for the future? 

A good night's sleep.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently? 

Non, je ne regrette rien. 

Q9. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience? 

As a rookie journalist I once managed to offend the newspaper's Polish readers by misspelling a single word in a front page headline. Something to do with the death of the Pope and the unfortunate similarity between the Russian and Polish words for goodbye.

Q10. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about? 

No thanks.

Thank you, Anthony Quinn!

An Interview - Desmond J. Doherty

Left to right: Eamon McCann, Garbhan Downey, Desmond J. Doherty

Desmond J. Doherty was born in Derry and has worked there all his life. He is married with two daughters. Valberg is his debut novel. Visit his website here.

What are you writing at the minute?

A Valberg stand alone.Two pathologists are arguing about the ‘gold standard’ of the final exam a human being is involved in – their autopsy. Abigail Burns is on holiday and Valberg needs straight answers. He doesn’t like the two pathologists arguing but one has used the phrase ‘the whole gamut of a criminal investigation’. Valberg likes the word ‘gamut’. He’s focusing on that word to stop him losing his temper. He needs Abigail. I’m just wondering if I will bring her back or not.

Can you give us an idea of your typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

Endlessly rocking. I’m always working things out, making notes and drawing diagrams. My drawing is terrible but my notebooks are full of them. In between the law, two kids and my beautiful wife I keep at it. Always drawing on ideas from people I meet and situations I’m in. I go to bed late and get up early. I write a lot early in the morning.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Thinking about what I’m going to write. I work out quite a bit in my head before I put pen to paper or fingers on a keyboard. Thought processes are endless. Someone could be talking to me and I’m thinking why the body of the deceased, in an idea I have, weighs more after death. What’s inside the body of the deceased? Or why does another body weigh less? I play guitar in my band Revivor. We are putting the finishing touches to our new album, The Diving Bell. That takes up a lot of any free time I can get. Then there’s the kids…

Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the genre fiction scene?

Don’t worry about style. Like Bruce Lee, be no style but all styles. Be formless and adapt. Get the story down. Get your plan solid. I can’t stress that enough. You must have a plan and for me, diagrams. Write about what you know about. Be truthful to yourself. It makes writing so bloody easy then. In fact, as bloody as you want. Give your characters quirks. All the usual stuff. Don’t make them boring. Make them human and vulnerable.

Which writers have impressed you this year?

Brian McGilloway impresses me every year. Dave Duggan, Ian Rankin, Jo Nesbo and Lee Child. But how could you not be impressed by that list?

What are you reading right now?

Robert Bolt’s play ‘A Man For All Seasons’ not only for pleasure but research. That whole thing about the devil being entitled to due process of law is just fantastic. But I’m enveloped in Spanish criminal law books and visiting Malaga soon for research! It’s my second trip for a short conversation Valberg has with a Spanish counterpart in Malaga. I want to get the details perfect and have a holiday with my family at the same time. Everyone a winner!

I’m only really this year coming to terms with Human Chain by Seamus Heaney. I just read, read and read it again and every time I find something new.

Plans for the future?

To improve my writing and get better and to learn from others who I admire. I’d love to be able to learn to play La Villa Strangiato by Rush on the guitar. I wish I could write as well as Alex Lifeson plays the guitar. I really mean that.

With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

No. No regrets. I believe this is the right time for me. I’ve amassed a career of experiences in the dark art of law but I feel youthful enough to realise I am still learning more every single second I am alive. I feel confident about my work and my writing now and I have the brilliant Guildhall Press in Derry and the Arts Council to thank for all their support.

Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

That’s easy. I walked into Guildhall Press one day full of confidence for an edit meeting. Instead of a greeting the Managing Editor, Paul Hippsley, gently reminded me I could not have a character checking CCTV footage and photographs if he had already been murdered and buried. Yes, I thought, good point well made.

Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

A colleague was asked that question once at the end of an interview for a judicial appointment. He got the job but has told me he’s still trying to think of a more detailed answer to the one he gave. I will give the same answer he gave and it is no. But I will think about it if we can agree on that and I will get back to you.

Well just one last thing.There is no truth in the rumour that when I returned William Peter Blatty’s ‘The Exorcist’ to the library in Brooke Park Derry that it caused it to burn to the ground. Wasn’t my fault. I’m not apologising.

Thank you, Desmond J Doherty!

An Interview - Catriona King

Catriona King was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She trained as a Doctor, moving to London to live and work. She obtained her M.B.A. from Henley Management College in Oxfordshire , trained as a police Forensic Medical examiner  and worked in central London in General Practice, Community Paediatrics and Health Management and strategy. She worked closely with the Metropolitan Police on many occasions. In recent years, she has returned to live in Belfast.

She has written since childhood, fiction, fact and reporting.

‘A Limited Justice’ is her first novel. It follows Detective Chief Inspector Marc Craig and his team, through the streets of Belfast and Northern Ireland, in the hunt for the killer of three people.

‘The Grass Tattoo’ her second novel was released in December 2012. It follows lust, greed and foreign gang influences leading to murders in Belfast and further afield.

The third D.C.I. Craig novel ‘The Visitor’ will be released in March 2013 and a fourth novel is nearing completion.

What are you writing at the minute? 

I've just finished editing the third book in the D.C.I. Craig series called 'The Visitor' due out in March 2013. It's set in April 2013 and is about unusual murders set in the world of a fictional hospital in Northern Ireland. I've also completed the first draft of book four which is provisionally called 'The Waiting Room' set around the time of the June 2013 G8 summit being held in Northern Ireland this year. We're hoping to release that in late May 2013. I've also written a play which is being performed in Belfast in May.

Can you give us an idea of your typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

Well… if I'm lucky enough to have a full day free to write (I have a real job as well) then I'll start at 8 or 9 am and write until the natural light fades, somewhere between five pm in the Winter to seven pm in spring/summer. But I can only do that for three days in a row then I have to take a break for a couple of days or my head starts to hurt! :)

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I work in the real world to pay the mortgage, and I run a Belfast-based theatre company called The Studio which will be putting on two plays at the MAC in Belfast later this year. And I do all the normal things. Watch TV (crime or movies! especially anything with Viggo Mortensen or Michael Fassbender in them. Or directed by David Cronenberg. That being said a bit of Bruce Willis is fun too, especially the Die Hard movies) and meet friends for coffee, chat. Generally I just live life.

Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the genre fiction scene?

Yes, absolutely. Keep trying and don't be put off by rejections. A rejection just means that particular person didn't click with your book. Take on-board any advice they give you and take a long look at your book, and if you believe in their advice then redraft. But don't lose the core of your book or idea. Believe in yourself and trust the opinions of honest people you respect and then keep writing. There is no substitute for being a good writer except to write, practice, edit and redraft. It's hard work but it's worth it.

Which writers have impressed you this year?

Hilary Mantel without a doubt and Alifa Rifaat.

What are you reading right now?

Distant View of a Minaret by Alifa Rifaat. It's about the life of a woman in Egypt. Excellent. And I would tell everyone to look at the Perceval Press www.percevalpress.com for surprising and truly wonderful books. It's a U.S. site but they ship everywhere. And support your local bookshops.

Plans for the future?

Perhaps write another play. And I'd love to script write, for TV or film and I'm thinking of ideas for a screenplay right now.

With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

Mmm.... That's an interesting question. I had an agent for a while and I do regret that, principally because it delayed everything and I spent ages just waiting for them to submit to people that they thought I should submit to. I left them and then weeks later read an article about a Belfast Author Rose McClelland who was with Crooked Cat Publishing, a new publisher setting up in Edinburgh. So I submitted directly to them and we clicked immediately. They are brilliant and very supportive.

Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

The agent, who shall remain nameless. I think also that publishing can be a very cliquey business and established publishers sometimes won't take a risk on first time authors or less well known writers. They are also often to take risks and just go for what they know sells, which will change in any given year e.g. the vogues for vampires, reality show based books, celebrity biogs. That's why Perceval Press is such an awesome organisation. They stretch people to open their eyes and look at things differently.  And genre bookshops like 'No Alibis' in Belfast which focuses on Crime and American studies are well worth a visit.

Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

Just to say that I've deliberately set my detective series in post -troubles 2012 Belfast and onwards. I think people are tired hearing/reading about the Troubles (or maybe I am). The hero has no political or religious bias at all, and he's half-Italian to represent the other communities living in Northern Ireland. I wanted the books to belong to everyone and perhaps to do something positive to cross the divide (even if they are murder mysteries!) and I also wanted to showcase the beauty and good things like restaurants and countryside of Northern Ireland, as Morse does with Oxford and Rebus does with Edinburgh. Perhaps people will get to know Northern Ireland through the books and pay it a visit.

Thanks for interviewing me.

Thank you, Catriona King!

An Interview - Darragh McManus

Darragh McManus is an author and journalist. His first book, the non-fiction GAA Confidential, was published by Hodder. He also released a comic novel, Cold! Steel! Justice!!!, as an e-book under the name Alexander O’Hara. For more than a decade he has written reviews, features and opinion columns for several papers, including The Irish Independent, The Sunday Times and The Guardian. Several of his short stories have appeared in literary journals, in Ireland and the US. He lives in the west of Ireland. See darraghmcmanus.com for articles, updates, book excerpts and more.

Q1. What are you writing at the minute?

Two things: a novel set in mid-1990s Cork, about a group of slackers and post-college layabouts, well, laying about and slacking. Hoping for a feel somewhere between a less-sentimental Douglas Coupland (though I do like his books) and a Richard Linklater movie. As in, nothing much happens, at all – but it’s enjoyable to hang out with them. Also working on a Young Adult novel – won’t give away too many details but it’s basically a horror set in a small town, about a plague of…I’ll stop there. Totally cool title, though. Which I’m keeping to myself, ha.

Q2. Can you give us an idea of your typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

Ideally I write fiction in the morning, because I’m mentally fresher. But, article deadlines often land before lunchtime, so sometimes that’s what I’m doing when I’d probably prefer to be writing fiction! As for the act itself, generally I start a book with an idea – could be broad theme, could be specific incident/character. And then you sort of work your way into it. I find the plot etc. suggests itself as you go along. Only once or twice have I had to stop and actually plot the thing out. This happened with my next crime novel, The Polka Dot Girl (blatant plug alert: it’s out on January 24, 2013) – I had pretty much gotten lost inside this byzantine story I was inventing.

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Try to sleep as much as possible! Read as much as possible, though again, with the lack of sleep, etc… I run a bit, mainly to lose weight and so I don’t die in the next few years. Watch a lot of movies, usually something I’ve already seen – you know, like the film version of comfort-eating? Also enjoy watching The Mentalist and Simpsons re-runs, but that’s about the only telly. And my guitar stands forlornly in the corner, hoping for me to pick it up someday and learn how to play more than eight chords…

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the crime fiction scene?

Ooh, gosh…I don’t know. Whatever about getting published, I will give one bit of advice re. writing itself: read plenty crime fiction, get a feel for it, get to know its conventions and reader expectations, its limits and possibilities…but ALSO read lots of other books, too. Literature especially. It mightn’t seem like it, but I really do feel that a broad and (especially) deep reading history makes you a better writer, in genre fiction or whatever the case may be.

Q5. Which crime writers have impressed you this year?

All oldies (I tend not to read fiction as and when it comes out, for some reason, unless for review). But they’re all goodies, for different reasons: The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez Reverto, N is for Noose by Sue Grafton, The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosely, The Cold Moon by Jeffery Deaver. Am currently eyeballing Antonio Tabucci’s Vanishing Point and an ancient Lawrence Block title, A Diet of Treacle, which was reissued by Hard Case a few years back. Eyeballing them like a crazed drill sergeant, I am.

Q6. What are you reading right now?

George Orwell’s Collected Essays, Graham Greene’s Our Man in Havana, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch by Solzhenitsyn (it’s short but taking me ages to finish), a disappointing latest issue of National Geographic, and these words I’m typing…now.

Q7. Plans for the future?

Ideally, my own planet where I’ll throw kitschy, retro-1960s “moon parties” 24-7. No, ideally make some money out of Even Flow and Polka Dot Girl, sell the YA urban fantasy title I currently have out with an agent, and make this whole game financially viable. Artistically/literarily, I hope to finish my Coupland/Linklater mash-up, finish the YA horror, then – fingers crossed – get cracking on two sequels to the YA fantasy mentioned above.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

I think I’d probably start writing sooner! Apart from bad poetry and newspaper/magazine articles, I never wrote a word until I was 28. Then I struggled with a literary novel for a year, but managed to finish it which convinced me, yes, maybe you can make it as a writer after all. And from the financial perspective, I wonder if I should have started with a genre title, which let’s face it is more likely to sell than my self-indulgent debut novel. It was pretty decent, but nobody was interested and I can’t really blame them! I then followed up with an avant-garde collection of short stories on one theme…urgh. Dumbkopf.

Q9. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

Oh Christ – where do I start? They’re almost literally uncountable! Mostly to do with stupid agents, lazy publishers, stupid/lazy agent/publishers, and so on – I’m sure you have the same stories yourself. I could write a book on this…which wouldn’t get sold. Okay, this is probably the most ignorant and ill-mannered of the lot:

I emailed, under a pseudonym, a certain famous agency: “I see on your website you do not ‘currently accept unsolicited submissions’. I don’t understand. What do you mean by unsolicited? Does the writer have to get another agent who then approaches yours, or something?”

I get this reply: “We do not accept work that has not been previously published. In the past we have received work from budding, amateur authors trying to break into the industry, and they send their work to us in the hope that we will represent them and greatly improve their chances of getting a book deal.”

I write back: “‘Budding amateur authors sending their work to literary agencies in the hope of improving their chances of a book deal’ – is that not the whole point of agencies? What other function does a literary agency fulfil? This is a serious question, I am not being funny.”

Them (from a different office): “‘Unsolicited manuscripts’ are those not sent to us from a publisher or international agency.”

And me again: “And thank you for me this meaningless answer, which doesn't actually explain anything. Although it was at least not as sneery and condescending as your other office's email to my question. I leave you – in the absence of any great expectation that I will ever get a polite, respectful and informative reply – with a little piece of advice: maybe you shouldn't be so quick to needlessly antagonise people for no reason. You know that old maxim about treating people well on the way up, because you may meet them on your way down? Well, not all of us will forever remain ‘budding amateur authors’. Some of us will have some real power someday.”

Then, they reply – in an apparent state of mild panic – “I am sorry to hear you are frustrated. Perhaps I can help address the questions you posed? (Blah blah…waffle waffle…until finally) You are welcome to submit a query. And we wish you and all ‘budding amateurs’ the best of luck.”

And me once more: “Right, I think I understand now. You DON'T accept unsolicited MS, but you DO accept query letters/pitches? I must have got confused with the line on the website about not currently accepting "unsolicited submissions". BTW I'm not actually a "budding amateur author" at all: I've been published by a major house under a different name, and write for several newspapers in more than one country. I just didn't like XXX’s sneery little jibe, as I'm sure you can understand. But you were very polite. Thanks.”

I didn’t bother submitting. No further correspondence followed… 

Q10. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

Thank you! That’d be the main thing. Oh, and a little plug for the book if I may: Even Flow, a cinematic, thrilling, funny and provocative novel about a group of vigilantes inspired by feminism and gay rights, and bringing the pain to New York City’s macho men. Out now, in shops and online, print copy and e-book whatchamacallit. Second crime novel, The Polka Dot Girl, published next January 24, is a Chandler-style noir with a twist: all the characters are female. It’s Sam Spade in lipstick and a dress…

Thank you, Darragh McManus!

An Interview - Claire McGowan

Claire McGowan was born in Rostrevor, Co. Down. After a degree in English and French from Oxford University she moved to London and worked in the charity sector. She is currently the Director of the Crime Writers’ Association. THE FALL is her first novel and is published by Headline on 2 February.

What are you writing at the minute?

I’m working on a re-write of my second book for Headline, which is due out in 2013. Publishing schedules often run very far in advance! When I have time I’m dabbling with other book ideas for the future. Having the ideas is fine, it’s just finding the time to write/edit/polish them that’s the problem for me.

Can you give us an idea of Claire McGowan’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

As well as writing I have a part-time job running the Crime Writers’ Association. So I work from home full-time now, and it’s up to me to set the routine. I have to say that, having always been quite disciplined, I’ve been disappointed by how difficult I’ve found it working from home. At the moment I’m trying to do it like this: some time for emails in the morning, plus internet faffing (a full-time job in itself if you let it be), several hours of writing, then a few hours of CWA work. I have a puppy so taking him out for walks/stopping him from eating important things also gives me a good break from the laptop.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I don’t understand the question? In all seriousness, it’s tempting when you work from home to always be working in some capacity, often without actually being all that productive. For a break I read a lot – I’m trying to read more as I think it’s essential if you’re going to write – and I walk the dog, and I also watch a lot of films. I realise this is making me sound really boring so I’m going say that, as befits an Irish crime writer, I go out a fair bit too. As part of my job I quite often go to crime-writing parties and events – those people know how to have a good time!

Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the genre fiction scene?

I’d say congratulations on identifying your work as part of a genre. So many first-time writers seem to have no idea that genre even exists, and instead are trying to shoe-horn their work into the nebulous general-literary-mainstream fiction area. If you use it properly, genre can be hugely valuable to your work and you career. Think of it as a ladder, not a frame – you don’t have to be bound by the rules, but it can help you get where you need to go.

Which writers have impressed you this year?

In 2011, as part of my job, I read a very wide spectrum of crime, from noir to action to fantasy crossover. My personal favourite has always been the psychological thriller, in the vein of Barbara Vine, and so I probably most enjoyed books by Sophie Hannah, Erin Kelly, Julia Crouch, and Kate Atkinson. All women, for some reason.

What are you reading right now?

I just finished reading A Clash of Kings, the second in the ‘Game of Thrones’ books. It was brilliant but I’m feeling quite daunted at the thought of another five 900-page tomes full of intrigue and twists. I might need a rest or else I’ll start stomping round in cloaks and commanding my dog to tear out people’s throats.

Plans for the future?

Looking ahead, I’d love to write some crime set in Northern Ireland. It’s so exciting to see writers emerging from back home and I’ve already drafted up the first in what I hope would be a series. I once read something Ian Rankin wrote, where he said that compared to Scotland, there was very little Northern Irish crime, perhaps because we were too busy dealing with the real-life effects of violence. But it seems now that Irish crime is having a real moment, and I’m keen to be part of that. Northern Ireland’s such a rich setting for a crime writer. There’s so much dark history, both related to the Troubles and otherwise, but coupled with humour and a strong culture.

With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

Without wishing to boast, I was comparatively young when I got my publishing deal, so I don’t have too many regrets so far. Even so I feel like I wasted several years before knuckling down to writing. It was what I’d always wanted to do, but I never really tried because I was so sure I’d fail. It’s unlikely I would have got published any earlier, but I could have spent a lot of time writing instead of watching Friends repeats. My advice to anyone who wants to write would be to get on with it and not worry about failing. And don’t listen to your parents when they want you to do a law degree.

Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

It’s not been THAT bad, I suppose, but I’ve found the second book more difficult than I expected. Maybe because I wrote the first in happy ignorance of how publishing worked, or that it was a crime novel, or of pretty much everything. Now I’m doing it professionally I’m putting myself under more pressure and worrying a lot more. But hopefully it will have paid off in the end.

Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

As a native of County Down (Rostrevor), it’s great to be interviewed by someone local!

Thank you, Claire McGowan!

An Interview - Nigel Bird

46 years. It's been a long journey. I've been a primary school teacher for almost half of them, moving from mainstream to exceptional needs to additional support needs. I'm most happy with and most proud of my own family. Second to them comes my involvement in writing and peripheral projects. I co-edited the Rue Bella magazine for 5 years or so and am mighty proud of that too. Recently I've been more involved with writing my own pieces. I've been lucky enough to find spaces for some of my work and I'm hoping that one day I'll write a novel that's worthy of publication. I've given up gambling, alcohol, smoking and any kind of unnatural highs over the past few years and am looking for a new compulsion - maybe I've found it in Twitter. Yep, 45 years. I haven't always known it, but I've been a very lucky man.

What are you writing at the minute?

Very unusually, I’m on a break. Really.

It’s the first time in at least seven years that I haven’t had something on the go. My novel is out with readers gathering helpful tips (feedback so far, so good) and as soon as my novella SMOKE was finished it was put out by Trestle Press.

When I realised I had no new ideas or work on the plate, I decided I’d take a month just to chill. A week in and my empty head is filling with thoughts I’d rather not be having, like metal weights collecting there and telling me to go for a swim (come on in the water’s fine), so I’ve come to conclusion that breaks are for bones and for poorly-matched couples.

Can you give us an idea of Nigel Bird’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

I get up around 6:45 and check in with sales and emails. ‘Dirty Old Town’ continues to clock up a handful of sales a day, so it’s not quite as crazy as it seems. Lately I’ve been following ‘Into Thin Air’ in the Waterstone’s top 10 short story chart (it’s currently at number 7).

Work and family will keep me very busy from then until about 8pm.

Tea cleared away, packed lunches made for the next day, a token effort at housework done, I set to writing. I’ll be knackered and way past my best, but I force myself (starting’s the hard part, the rest falls into place).

An hour later, I stop and move on to the writing-related aspect of things – emails, blogs, Tweets, interviews, Sea Minor, cover-design, editing, Face-booking and the like. If I’m lucky, I’ll have something really exciting to work on such as Pulp Ink – that was a real buzz.

I might have time for a bit of TV then, but I’m a real believer in the importance of reading, so I try and read something (anything) before getting back on to the computer to much around (much the same as I did earlier) and then it will be time for bed.

Somewhere in that time, my wife and I say hello. At least I think we do.

Basically, writing has all my spare time and steals a little more of the rest than it should.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

As my life concentrates upon offering my children rich experiences of the world, that’s what I spend most of my time doing, mainly in the role of facilitator it has to be said. A big part of that is the experience of nature (sounds really naff) whether by the sea or on walks or making dens and pretending to cook things that are really leaves and berries and twigs.

I also spend a lot of time coming up with clever tricks which will allow me to sneak onto the computer (on far too regular a basis).

Solitude, reading and nature are important to me. Damn.

Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the genre fiction scene?

If you want to write genre fiction, make sure you enjoy the genre. Read lots of the best available within that genre and plenty of work of the people who are freshening things up. Connect with people who write and read similar things and keep in touch. Above all, write to the best of your ability and then raise your ability.

Which writers have impressed you this year?

For the purposes of this question, I’m sticking to work I’ve read this year which is also pretty new.

Heath Lowrance did a fantastic job with ‘The Bastard Hand’ and ‘Dig Ten Graves’; Simon Logan produced ‘Katja From The Punk Band’ and it left me breathless; Eric Beetner and JB Kohl wrote something very special indeed in their collaboration, ‘One Too Many Blows To The Head’. Paul D Brazill and Darren Sant are Trojans at Trestle; Josh Stallings sets the page on fire and ‘The Adventures Of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles’ by David Cranmer is very special indeed.

Each and every one of the contributors to Pulp Ink, the collection I edited with Chris ‘Death By Killing’ Rhatigan (a writer whose work I also love) gave me a buzz. Each and every contributor in there is a hot potato with salt and butter.

One writer in there who always excites me, whether it be poetry, micro, flash or short fiction is Bill (AJ) Hayes. The guy is ripe for the picking and I hope some publisher out there gets a sniff of him before I force him to act himself.

What are you reading right now?

I’ve just finished ‘Bucket Nut’ by Liza Cody. It’s a remarkable book in so many ways and I can’t believe I haven’t come to it earlier – it was released in 1994 (I think) and if I’d read it then, I think it would have changed my direction to crime fiction much earlier.

The amazing thing is that I felt I was reading something that had influenced my own work. I guess it must be that she had a big impact on other writers whom I love to read and I’ve benefited second or third-hand.

Plans for the future?

Plans and dreams are things I easily confuse.

My pleams are that I’ll be able to give up a day or two more of my teaching time in order to be able to work on my writing during the day. Being fresh and alert must improve output, and I really want to do little else but improve as a writer and to expand my readership as I do so.

With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

I don’t think I could have, no.

Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

It’s not a zap-pow moment or anything.

My worst writing experience is the novel ‘Orinoco Pony and his Dandelion Adventures’.

It’s a novel you won’t know because it will never make it. It will never make it because to do so, I’d have to change so much it would be a different story.

It soaked up all the emotional and physical reserves I had for over a year and the fact that some of my best friends were never to breathe life was devastating.

On the plus side, it did interest one of my favourite authors, Allan Guthrie, and without writing it that would never have happened.

Things were slightly better with my second attempt at a novel. I managed to salvage the novella ‘Smoke’ from it and managed to keep a little more of a distance between me and it as I set about it.

Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

What am I most excited about? No question – Blasted Heath’s launch in November. It’s going to be my favourite publisher, I just know it. And I can hardly wait.

Thank you, Nigel Bird!

An Interview - C.J. Box

C.J. Box (Chuck) is a proud native of Wyoming. He has worked as a ranch hand, surveyor, fishing guide, a newspaper reporter and editor for a small Wyoming weekly newspaper. With his wife Laurie, he currently owns and runs an international tourism marketing firm. In 2008, Box was awarded the "BIG WYO" Award from the state tourism industry. An avid outdoorsman, Box has hunted, fished, hiked, ridden, and skied throughout Wyoming and the Mountain West. He served on the Board of Directors for the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. They have three daughters. Box lives in Wyoming.

He is the winner of the Anthony Award, the Prix Calibre 38, the Macavity Award, the Gumshoe Award, the Barry Award and the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Novel. His novels are US bestsellers and have been translated into 21 languages. Visit his website at www.cjbox.net

What are you writing at the minute?

I'm working on the first 150 pages or so of a stand-alone that will be a sequel to BACK OF BEYOND. But within a week or so, I'll have to set that aside and begin the 12th Joe Pickett novel. I've never switched up like this so it will be a new experience, but luckily the projects are very dissimilar in plot and scope so I think it will go (fairly) smoothly.

Can you give us an idea of C.J. Box’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

After conceiving the new novel, doing the research on the topics and issues to be included within it and writing a bare-bones outline, I begin. Each day starts with a workout in the morning and then I go either to my home office in the basement (or, if I'm at my cabin -- my writing corner) and get going. I usually read over and edit the previous day's work, then plow ahead. I try to complete at least one thousand words a day but many days I double or triple that. Some days, unfortunately, I accomplish less. I take breaks to run my dogs (if in Cheyenne) or hike and fish (if I'm at my cabin) and conclude in the early afternoon to concentrate on other work or correspondence. Sometimes, I go late into the night but that's usually as I approach the end of a novel.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I like to be in the outdoors. Luckily, there's plenty of that in Wyoming. So depending on the season and the weather, I fly-fish, float rivers, hike, hunt, ski, bike, or simply wander.

Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the genre fiction scene?

Read! Too many fledgling writers don't read enough, or read widely enough. Reading is better than writing if the purpose of reading is to deconstruct what a good author is doing and how they're doing it. Then complete a first novel. Agents rarely have interest in ideas or concepts -- they want a finished novel. And keep in mind the publishing industry is incredibly low-tech. What should take months takes years. So have a good day job.

Which writers have impressed you this year?

Denise Mina, T. Jefferson Parker, Michael Connelly, Deon Meyer, Thomas McGuane, Pete Dexter, Edmund Morris. To name a few.

What are you reading right now?

"Colonel Roosevelt" by Edmund Morris. The third in his trilogy of Theodore Roosevelt. I read the first in college, and thirty years later I'm reading the third.

Plans for the future?

It will be an incredibly busy year. In the U.S., I've got two new novels coming out in 2011: COLD WIND in March and BACK OF BEYOND in August. Plus the roll-out of all my books in the UK. I'll be doing lots of traveling, talking, and writing. I hope I have some time for fishing.

With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

I'm very pleased with the way things have gone and continue to go. Each book outsells the last, and it's a great job overall.

Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

My very first agent died and I didn't know it for six months. Needless to say, that didn't exactly jump-start my career.

Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

Corvus is an incredible publisher and the UK is lucky to have them. They're enthusiastic, creative, and optimistically reckless. I'm pleased to be published by them.

Thank you, C.J. Box!

Open Season by C.J. Box is published by Corvus on 1st February 2011, £7.99 paperback. The first book in Box’s acclaimed series featuring Wyoming game-warden Joe Pickett, there will be a further ten Joe Pickett novels published monthly throughout 2011.

An Interview - Wayne Simmons

Belfast born, Wayne Simmons, has been loitering with intent around the horror genre for some years. Having scribbled reviews and interviews for various zines, Wayne released his debut horror novel, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, through PERMUTED PRESS. The book was received well by both fans of the genre and reviewers alike. In April 2010, the rights to DROP DEAD GORGEOUS reverted back to Wayne. An extended version of DDG will be released through SNOWBOOKS in 2011.

Wayne released the zombie apocalyptic horror novel, FLU, through SNOWBOOKS in April 2010.

In what little spare time he has left, Wayne enjoys running, getting tattooed and listening to all manner of unseemly screeches on his BOOM-BOOM Box…

(www.waynesimmons.org)

Q1. What are you writing at the minute?

At the minute, I'm writing the follow-up to FLU. It's to be called FEVER and will be both a prequel and sequel to the first book. All the surviving characters from the FLU will return (as well as some who haven't survived!) and there'll be new folks for readers of the series to get to know. With FEVER, readers can expect more of the same from me - Belfast-based, character-driven survival horror. With zombies, of course.

Q2. Can you give us an idea of Wayne Simmons’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

I try to write most days, aiming for at least 1000 words. The challenge is to fit my writing around the rest of my life: that's proving more and more difficult the busier I get. With FLU's ongoing success (the first print-run has completely sold-out), there's more promotion work, interviews, anthos etc. to give attention to alongside trying to maintain prolific writing output. Plus, I still work full time.

I find myself writing a lot on the train to and from work, transferring the scribbled notebook pages into my PC when I get home. I get inspired when surrounded by people and find I write best when in the company of others. I know that's not the norm, but it works for me!

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing?

I think about what I'm going to write. Hah! To a certain extent, that's completely true. I'll often be sitting at work or having a conversation with someone and an idea will suddenly come to me. Generally, I try to have a fairly healthy social life - getting out and about to gigs, eating sushi, drinking beer and collecting as many tattoos as my skin and modest wages allow.

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the genre fiction scene?

Self-promotion is key. Get out to genre conventions and onto genre message boards and get the word out on who you are and what you're about. Talk to people in the industry - you'll find most folks are very approachable via facebook etc. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Oh, and my golden rule is to keep your feet on the ground - remember that no matter what success you enjoy as a writer in the genre (whatever genre(s) you decide to write within), you're a fan first and foremost.

Q5. Which writers have impressed you this year?

This year I've enjoyed writing by Simon Logan (Katja from the Punk Band), David Moody (Hater, Dog Blood), Rupert Thomson (Death of a Murderer), Jack O'Connell (The Skin Palace), Tim Lebbon (The Thief of Broken Toys), Stephen King (Duma Key, Cujo, On Writing) amongst many others. I'm interested in character-driven fiction that draws an emotional investment out of the reader. I don't always read sci-fi or horror stories.

Q6. What are you reading right now?

Fiction-wise, I'm just finishing Tim Lebbon's The Thief of Broken Toys (which is an astounding read). Non-fiction wise, I'm reading a book on different variations of Left-Libertarianism and Rupert Thomson's autobiographical This Party's Got to Stop. I tend to read about three books at a time. Silly, I know!

Q7. Plans for the future?

A cleaned-up and extended version of my debut novel, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS is due for release in January 2011 (Snowbooks). I'm also keen to get FEVER on shelves next year as well as DOLL PARTS, the sequel to DDG. I've a cyberpunk thriller written at first draft stage which I'm keen to tidy up. After that, I'm seriously considering writing an Urban Fantasy set in Belfast.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

Not really. I've made a few mistakes along the way, but those were a necessary part of my journey to date. I think the key thing for any professional writers starting out is to seek appropriate advice on contracts. the Society of Authors is a good resource. Basically, they're a trade union for writers.

Q9. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

When I was in my early teens I tried writing a super-hero novel but lost faith in myself after about ten scribbled file pages. I ended up burying the fruits of my labour in a ditch in Portadown. I was a troubled child, let's just say...

Q10. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

Just thanks for the interview, Gerard! It's a pleasure to be on the CSNI blogspot. If anyone wants to find out more about my writing, ask me questions etc. they can catch up with me on my website: www.waynesimmons.org

Thank you, Wayne Simmons!

An Interview - Spence Wright

I'm Spence Wright. I've been a horror fan since I was knee high to a Chucky Doll. Growing up as I did during the whole 80's VHS video frenzy I just fell in love with movies. Back then you got the video covers home with you I remember sprinting (well waddling) back home with my latest 'find' studying the sleeve wondering what lay ahead, effectively making up my own stories before the tape ever hit our Ferguson video star. The first chance I had to tell my own stories I did. Eventually I gravitated from short stories to screenplays with my first feature Red Mist released back in 2008 starring Arielle kebbel 'The Uninvited' and Directed by Paddy Breathnach 'Shrooms'.

Reviws have been .. er .. um .. mixed? My favorite being Bloody Good Horror.com with "For a movie deemed not high enough quality to make it into theaters, it displays surprising maturity and balance. Yes it's gory, but there is a lot more going on under the surface for those willing to look." And in the interests of balance, Mark Kermode quoted, "Worrying about the dialogue in Red Mist is like worrying about the deck chairs on the titanic."

Laugh? I almost snapped a rib ... his if I ever get him .. grr grr grr etc.

Q1. What are you writing at the minute?

As usual I've managed to get myself embroiled and excited about a whole host of projects. Top of the List is RUNNERS another Generator entertainment project which is shaping up to be a 'Blade Runner' meets 'Gladiator' esque cyber-thriller. Currently at third draft this is a bigger budgeted affair than Red Mist with locations varying from good old Belfast to South Africa. Which is all very exciting. Not that I'll get to South Africa. I reckon being a screenwriter is like keeping pigeons. They see the world whilst you sit shivering in your shed.

I'm also co-writing Teenage Kicks (Lord of the Flies ... on speed!) with local writer John Cairns. The script is looking good and again we're hoping for a 2010 lift off with Michael Kelly of Geronimo producing.

Silent Screams is a locally set horror feature which has raised a few eyebrows (mostly of the approving variety) I just got an option and a first Draft deal with Crawford Anderson Dillon (erstwhile screenwriters ink member and now development exec at Hub Media.) We're working with horror hound Jake 'Evil aliens, Doghouse' West and thus far the Omens are all good.

Biosuite - is an experimental short film in conjunction with Gawain Morrison and Chris Martin of FilmTrip and SARC at Queens. The film is due to shoot next month and follows the story of an old, vulnerable woman who encounters an intruder in her home. (think Misery meets One Foot in the grave) What makes the film experimental is the plan to hook the audience to ECG's, and GSR's [Galvanic Skin Response] to measure their responses. These signals are captured by a computer running software, created to process the incoming data from the audience, and depending on what the audience's response is measured to be, at any particular point, determines what changes occur in the film that they are watching. PRETTY COOL, right? So for the first time the audience will be active participants in the story. The plot will change at certain story juncture points, literally who lives or does is in the hands of the audience (or hearts in this case) It was a challenging project to work on but I firmly believe this is a new way to write, watch and think about films. It goes beyond the 3d/4d trickery to actually immerse people in the story. The results are going to form the bedrock for bigger future projects, including features. But who is to say that some day we won't all be hooked to our tv's actively influencing the events on screen in the same way a computer gamer does? It has been a real kick to be there at ground zero. I think this could be the next big thing. Keep an eye on Film trips website for updates http://www.filmtrip.tv/home/

Q2. Can you give us an idea of your typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

I have the double edged sword set up of having a 9-5. That means the bills get paid but relegates writing time to; early morning intravenous coffee sessions, late nights and weekend shifts. If I'm not chasing down a deadline it works just fine, sometimes the limited hours mean you have to focus, get down and dirty fast rather than procrastinating a project to death. It makes for a slightly longer editing process but I think it's a small price to pay. If writing means time away from loved ones and the norms of society then I think you can afford yourself the luxury of enjoying the actual writing process. Everyone's different but I love working an idea in my head, hammering out some vague bullet point structure notes and then dive in to the white page like a ten year old finding a field of untouched snow. (soon to be blemished by a hundred other feet and oddly yellow pools :)But for a moment at least just yours.) That's where I get the buzz, the tingle when a character does something or gets themselves into a situation you seemingly had no idea about! A more measured approach for me has always been less satisfying. So I say 'work that laptop like you stole it', get some trusted editors around you for the next stage and enjoy the ride.

Q3. What do you do when you're not writing?

I suppose I go into a kind of recharge period. I catch up on whatever book I'm reading, dig out old and new movies, continue the battle to obsessively clear down my sky plus planner and just get on with the day to days with a slightly clearer head than usual. My wife would say when I'm not writing I'm a little more in the 'here and now' than when I am ie: not putting the tea bags in the fridge and the milk in the oven or staring gormlessly for hours at the toaster whilst my head is working through a never ending series of "What If?" or "What next?" questions.

In all honestly I probably never truly switch off. All it takes is an overheard line on the bus or a newspaper article and the wheels start churning. But downtime is essential to recharge and regroup. New ideas can suddenly solidify in your head or old ones re-invent themselves just by allowing yourselves some time away from the grindstone. So long as downtime doesn't become 'never again time' too many writers spend too long talking a good fight and not pinning their colors to the mast. The more comfortable my bum gets in the sofa the more likely I am to succumb. So I try to recharge and get back as soon as.

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the screenwriting scene?

Now there's a question and a half! I suppose it plays a little into what I said above. You need to really love what you do to endure the late nights and rejections along the way. And like love (let's grab that loose analogy and thrash it to death shall we?) you'll make some mistakes along the way, so what? Who doesn't? Get your thoughts on paper, get it 'out there' and see where it takes you. With love comes respect; too many writers don't truly respect the craft, don't think they need to look at structure or even read other screenplays. They take an all too altruistic high ground and forget that we're writing primarily to entertain. That's not to say I think we should all follow some prescriptive formulaic, welcome to McDonalds, 'meet the new script same as the old script' blue print but I think to be a good writer you have to know the rules before you break em.

Be prepared to compromise. A lot of people need to invest in your script if that means changes I say go with them. There will be things you really won't want to lose. Been there buried the burned t-shirt at a cross roads. The only defense against that is to have damn good reasons up your sleeve for every moment in your story, that way when somebody suggests a cut or a change you can hit them with both barrels. The change may still have to happen as once a movie rolls so much is out of your hands, logistics and all kinds of factors come into play. The best you can do is make your case and roll with the punches. If the changes are going ahead you have the choice; let someone else make them and live with it or suck it up, make the changes yourself and try to bring something to these new moments which makes you proud.

See other people (but not too many!) there is a tendency for first time writers to court feedback early on and try to please everyone. Before you know it the story no longer seems your own. A double edged sword this as I think being part of a circle of similar minded people is invaluable, people you can trust for feedback when the time is right. I was a founding member of screenwriters ink, we done our best to raise the profile of writers in Northern Ireland but in a way which kept the attention on writing (not talking about writing) So be wary of getting too embroiled in groups and forums where the order of the day is slagging off every film that ever makes it to screen. You need a critical voice in your ear when you sit down to write but what you don't need is a legion of unseen nay sayers holding you back. The process is scary enough. Least for me.

Q5. Which writers have impressed you this year?

Graham Joyce - The Tooth Fairy. Was weird and wonderful whilst conjuring up very real memories of growing up. A great read. I also got to touch base again with Edgar Allen Poe via an anthology book which was a deliciously dark delight. I've been devouring the uber cool speak of Phillip Marlowe in Raymond Chandlers Playback. None of whom I realize are up and coming writers! I'm trying to get more hip and with it. I heard there is a compilation of Irish crime stories just released, worth checking out .... great editing by all accounts :)

Q6. What are you reading right now?

Just finished The Tooth Fairy by Graham Joyce borrowed from the wonderfully goateed and uber-talented Gerard Brennan. I have an anthology of ghost stories compiled by Roald Dahl which I'm looking forward to and Stephen King's Lisneys Story to come after that. I also had a week in Donegal and stocked up on a range of irish Myth and Wb Yeats collections which will ensure I'm scared witless next time I'm walking the dog at night. (I really must try to read a rom-com)

Q7. Plans for the future?

I guess I'm still hoping to earn enough from writing to reduce some of my 9-5 hours just to make the writing process a little easier. The over arching dream of penning a locally set horror/thriller is edging ever closer with Silent Screams and Teenage Kicks looking good. (We almost got there with Red Mist.) So in terms of script writing I have plenty on for 2010. I've been thinking about having a pop at novel writing. I started out writing short stories and as you said novel writing would be 'exercising a whole different muscle' which I think would be challenging but well worth doing.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

I'd like to have been a little more 'contract savvy' before I signed up to some projects ... 'any other drafts as needed' can be a killer in the small print! But that's a minor quibble (now the rose tinted specs are on anyway) At times I cringe at the drafts I sent way back in 2000 to EVERY producer in the artists' yearbook! But even the most raw of them had some kind of energy, at least enough to get me a contact and/or a meeting. So every cringe has a silver lining. This answer has turned out a lot more Sinatra "regrets I've had a few, then again too few to mention." than I thought it would! I'm 37 with a locally shot horror feature under my belt so all told I'm happy with things. BUT the longer in the tooth you get the longer the development road can seem. Once you are on the road you get whisked along but I'm getting a little more wary before making the first step than I was. I've tied up some decent projects to companies who, it has later transpired, didn't have the backing to make them.

Q9. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

Are you sitting comfortably?

I attended a read through at which I was doing all the reading, although a useful experience it also served to remind me that the words you write actually do get said. I had a few tongue twisters which played better in the head than from the mouth. Also in Red Mist; Kenneth the 'Monster' possesses people and wreaks his vengeance etc. In script that character's possessed introduction was Kenneth/Bill or Kenneth/Sally etc. I didn't get the sniggers until Kenneth possessed Clark ...

On Red Mist I fought my corner a little too aggressively with the then director Peter Howitt. It was one of those breakdowns in communication that happen when fast and furious emails start flying in the heat of production. It certainly would not have occurred in a face to face. Peter and I got on well before and since. Anyway, it ended with me threatening him with a bone mallet insertion to the rectal area and him writing a five page diatribe and sending in the production big guns to scold me ... naughty, naughty ... I was right though :)

On one project I discovered at the eleventh hour that a character was killed, autopsied, buried and mourned within the course of a day ... you don't lay long in my stories.

I volunteered to be in a key scene for a short script (DOA) entered as part of the short steps scheme years ago. It involved me laying half naked on a morgue slab, complete with wooden neck block, cold metal and eerily hot heating pipes .. freaky ju ju, chief.

That was cathartic, this house feels a little cleaaannnnnner than before.

Q10. Anything you want to say that I haven't asked you about?

Nah my friend I'm spent. Keep truckin.

Thank you, Spence Wright!

John Grant

John Grant is author of some seventy books, of which about twenty-five are fiction, including novels like The World, The Hundredfold Problem, The Far-Enough Window and most recently (2008) The Dragons of Manhattan and Leaving Fortusa. His “book-length fiction” Dragonhenge, illustrated by Bob Eggleton, was shortlisted for a Hugo Award in 2003; its successor was The Stardragons. His first story collection, Take No Prisoners, appeared in 2004. His anthology New Writings in the Fantastic was shortlisted for a British Fantasy Award. His novella The City in These Pages, an Ed McBain homage/cosmological fantasy, appeared from PS Publishing early in 2009; another novella, The Lonely Hunter, is to appear from PS later this year.

In nonfiction, he coedited with John Clute The Encyclopedia of Fantasy and wrote in their entirety all three editions of The Encyclopedia of Walt Disney’s Animated Characters; both encyclopedias are standard reference works in their fields. Among his latest nonfictions have been Discarded Science, Corrupted Science and, in Fall 2009, Bogus Science.

As John Grant he has received two Hugo Awards, the World Fantasy Award, the Locus Award, and a number of other international literary awards. Under his real name, Paul Barnett, he has written a few books (like the space operas Strider’s Galaxy and Strider’s Universe) and for a number of years ran the world-famous fantasy-artbook imprint Paper Tiger, for this work earning a Chesley Award and a nomination for the World Fantasy Award.

A Scot by birth, he now lives in northern New Jersey with his wife and an alarming number of cats; their back yard features more wildlife than the average zoo, up to and including wild turkey and black bears, both of which are frequent visitors in season. His website is at http://www.johngrantpaulbarnett.com/.


Q1. What are you writing at the minute?

I'm working on my next nonfiction book, which is to be published next Spring by Prometheus. Provisionally called Denying Science, it follows along the same stream of thought, as it were, as my earlier books Discarded Science, Corrupted Science (particularly), and Bogus Science. I'm also writing the 500 or so artist/illustrator entries for the new (massive, online) third edition of the Clute/Nicholls Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, which this time has David Langford as a primary editor alongside the other two. Oh, and I'm writing a chapter about time travel stories for an academic book on science fiction's subgenres. That's in addition to the usual drizzle of short stories and such. It's a busy time.

I should also mention this cute illustrated rhyming book for kids about a velociraptor for which I've done the doggerel (the illustrator's set to be Chris Baker, a.k.a. Fangorn). It's currently being shopped around publishers.

Q2. Can you give us an idea of your typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

I'm not sure I can, to be honest. I get up in the morning; go through countless e-newsletters and the like, filing pieces that could come in useful for any of the various nonfiction books I have on the stocks; do necessary e-mail and some chattering with the informal list I belong to, The Spammers; drag myself to the exercise bike for a while; then, if I'm on a deadline or I'm really involved in my current piece of writing, I write for what can seem an obscene number of hours; conversely, if there are no deadline pressures and I'm working on something boring, I do my best not to skive. There's no set pattern, in other words.

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing?

I read. I'm a cricket nut, so follow the sport as best a US resident can on cricinfo.com. I listen to music. I also watch movies, mainly – when Pam allows it – golden age films noirs and neo-noirs. One of my down-the-line projects is a book on noir cinema – so, you see, I can count my couch potatoing as research!

(I wrote a little book on beer a few years ago. At the outset I had this excellent research plan outlined in my head. Alas, it was vetoed.)

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the fiction scene?

Don't be tempted to self-publish, even though doing so is cheap and (with the advent of e-books) becoming cheaper. You'll be told tales of how self-published authors have made major breakthroughs; but those successes are the one-in-a-million exceptions – you're looking at a winning-the-lottery-level outside chance. More likely, self-publication will destroy your career before it has even started, because people will assume your book is, like 99 out of every 100 of the other self-published novels on offer all over the internet, complete crap.

Q5. Which crime writers have impressed you this year?

I assume the question means "within the past twelve months or so". It's still a hard one, though.

I was engrossed by Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Angel's Game, which I imagine could be described at least loosely as a crime novel. I read (on occasion reread) and enjoyed various crime novels by some of the usual suspects – Ruth Rendell, Peter Robinson, Harlan Coben, Robert Barnard, John D. Macdonald, John Dickson Carr. Other crime books, not necessarily good (and in some cases lousy), that stick out in my memory for one reason or another include: Peter Lovesey's Diamond Solitaire, a charming sequel to his equally charming The Last Detective; James Hadley Chase's I'll Bury My Dead, the first Chase novel I've read and probably the last (it was sort of fun and I'm glad I did it, but . . .); Stephen Humphrey Bogart's Play It Again, an attempt at a hardboiled detective novel by Bogie's son (somewhat better than its exploitative title might suggest, but the guy should see someone about the issues he seems to have with Lauren Bacall); Dorothy Bryant's Killing Wonder (regarded as pioneeringly feminist back in 1981, but readable today as a pleasing mystery with a laudable tang of wry social satire); John Searles's Boy Still Missing (grossly overwritten in places – many places – but it still somehow succeeds by the end in being both riveting and moving and real). I know there have been lots of others but, as I say, these are ones that come to mind.

Best of all among the crime books I've read in the past few months, aside perhaps from the Zafon (it's kind of apples and oranges to compare the two), has been Stieg Larrson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. A curious thing: One day someone on one of the LinkedIn groups was urging me most strongly to read this book, of which at the time I'd only vaguely heard. That evening Pam and I went into NYC to see an Interstitial Arts presentation at the fantastic Manhattan bookstore Housing Works, all of whose proceeds go to helping the homeless. Pam shot straight off to the loo when we got there, leaving me by a book trolley of recent arrivals. Idly, my eye fell on these, and you've guessed what it was . . . at a mere $6 for the near-mint hardback! I felt that someone up there was trying to tell me something so bought the book on the spot – and am extraordinarily glad I did so.

Q6. What are you reading right now?

In my leisure time, Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife – although really it's not leisure reading but towards this essay I'm writing (op cit.) on time travel stories. During working hours I'm reading – as part of the research for Denying Science – James Hansen's Storms of My Grandchildren, a book that's frightening on two scores: it lays out what's really coming down the pike as our planet's climate changes, and it recounts some pretty vile persecution and intimidation, both officially sanctioned and "freelance", that scientists can face should they insist on reporting the results of their science rather than bending the truth to suit other people's ideological preconceptions.

Q7. Plans for the future?

As noted above, I want to do a major book on film noir. I'm also developing ideas for books on past predictions of the end of the world, on Fundamentalist hate groups, and on the profitless interaction between science and the supernatural – both how scientists who've probed claims of the supernatural have ended up with egg on their faces and how the "supernaturalists" spew pseudoscientific "explanations" for their claims. I'm also slowly beginning to get my ass in gear to put together – and find a publisher for – my second story collection, provisionally called Tell No Lies. Oh, and there are other notions bubbling around.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

Too many things for me sensibly to list.

Q9. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

I don't know if it counts as a "worst writing experience", but this is certainly the most annoying (in an ironic sort of a way) that's happened for quite a while:

A few years ago I had an idea for a fantasy story in which, in the distant past (so far as my far-future protagonists are concerned), a religiously puritanical Galactic Emperor had cracked down on the casino space cruisers then in vogue, having them hurled into black holes. What he didn't realize is that he thereby granted the gamblers, croupiers, their bosses, their environment, etc., a form of immortality, because, while the matter of which they were made up was destroyed, the information that underpinned their existences is still swirling around in a 2D film, as it were, on the black holes' event horizons; further, it has now become a popular – albeit expensive – tourist recreation to send one's avatar, which is similarly an entity derived by stripping the individual down to her/his information, from orbiting spacecraft down onto the event horizon "surface" to intermingle with the gamblers, who're still tugging away on those fruit machine handles, or whatever, aware that something's dreadfully wrong but not sure what it is.

I thought it was a very pretty fantasy image, but clearly I was using a bunch of sciencefictional tropes. It struck me as my duty to give these some superficial level of scientific plausibility, so I invented a new universal law – "The Law of Conservation of Information" – to explain why there was this thing about the casino people's information still existing even if the rest of them were long destroyed. Hm. The expression would read better if I called it "The Law of Conservation of Data", and that became the title of my story.

The trouble was that the story proved infernally difficult to write – partly because of working out the ramifications of the "Law", partly because I was trying to make my far-future humans as different from us, culturally and otherwise, as I could. I managed a few thousand words, then put the thing to one side to be gone back to again later when my brain was feeling a bit stronger. That hasn't happened yet.

And now almost certainly won't.

A few weeks ago, we were watching a Horizon documentary about how, after long years of wrangling with a US physicist called Leonard Susskind, Stephen Hawking had felt compelled to modify his original contention that even information itself is lost to the universe at black holes. I discovered that, according to Susskind and his allies and indeed most physicists, there actually is a law of conservation of information. Well, stap me – my idea's been retroactively stolen. It got worse. Apparently Susskind's latest notion of what's going on, the holographic principle (in fact originally derived by a Dutch physicist called Gerardus 't Hooft), maintains that all the information from the 3D items which fall into the black hole survives in 2D form at the event horizon. (More accurately, the 2D information forms a hologram of the 3D items . . . leading to the further notion that we and the universe we know are not 3D at all, but merely a holographic representation of the true, two-dimensional, information-composed universe. But that's another story.)

So all of the elegant flights of fantasy I'd constructed in order to build my story were not original at all – well, they were original to me, it was just that other folk had got to some bits of them first. Perhaps I'd come across these ideas in my reading and forgotten about them? In the case of the law of conservation of information, this is very possible; but it seems the popular accounts of the holographic principle, as it relates to what I've been talking about, didn't start emerging until about 2008 – which is long after I was working on my story.

My, did I swear a lot when I discovered all this.

Q10. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

One of the things I find when chattering with people who don't know my fiction (which, let's face it, is just about everybody) is their frequent desire for me to pigeonhole myself in one genre or another. "Oh, you're a science fiction writer!" they cry, and I have to explain that, no, although I do sometimes write SF I wouldn't call myself an SF writer, more of a fantasist making use of SF tropes and venues and styles. "Ah, a fantasy writer, then!" Well, yes and no, depending on what you mean by "fantasy": if you mean high fantasy with fighting barbarians and usurped princesses and pigboys an' stuff, well, um, while I've written quite a lot of this I think it must be nearly twenty years since the last time. If by "fantasy" you mean the stuff that swallows up and smears itself across all kinds of other genres, very notably including crime (most especially noir), then I guess that could be me, in a sort of slipstreamish fashion. Really, though, I like it best when people think of each new fiction by me as just a piece of fiction, and don't expect it necessarily to be anything like the last piece of mine they read.

Despite what I've just said, I guess that in some ways – while the plot and voice of "The Life Business" are original to the piece – subtextually it has something in common with much of my other fiction in the sense that the story it's telling turns out not to be the one you've been thinking it was. I'm interested in the way our minds and memories construct past realities that relate to, but may not particularly well match, what objectively did happen. It's been a recurring theme of mine. "The Life Business" has something to say towards it.

Golly, but I hate talking about my fiction like this. I always end up sounding like a pompous twerp.

Thank you, John Grant!