How did you get interested in the topic that’s featured in your book?
Music is a big part of my life – I’ve played various instruments since childhood. Working with other musicians was a major inspiration. Loss of memory, along with other mental phenomena have interested me since I minored in psychology at college.
Tell us a bit about your background. What have you done in the past that relates to your book and that topic?
I’m glad to say I have no first-hand experience of memory loss! Aside from the musical influences, this is very much an imaginary tale and bears very little resemblance to my own life.
What advise would you give to someone who is interested in your topic?
Fantasy, music, mental chaos, mystery... if you like this sort of thing you could do a lot worse than read one of my books.
What do you see as the benefit to participating in groups and organizations? My first thought would be networking opportunities and the chance for personal and business growth. What are your reasons?
Most of my inspiration comes from people I meet. The various groups I am in have given me opportunities to connect with some truly amazing people.
Who is the ideal person to read your book? If each person that reads this was going to recommend your book to one person, what sort of person would they want to chose?
People who like fantasy but don’t want another epic adventure with an unpronounceable barbarian hero on a quest to find a magical sword and kill the ultimate evil. My fantasy work is NOT epic, it’s about strange and wonderful people encountering strange and wonderful things. And terrible things. Plots, mysteries, adventures and magic all on a very human scale.
What do you think ignites a person’s creativity?
For me, all of life is an interplay between what I experience and what I imagine. In Druidry, there’s a concept called ‘awen’ – a free flowing force of inspiration that you can just reach out and engage with.
What have you found to be the biggest stumbling block for people who want to start writing?
Having enough ideas. Plenty of people have ‘an idea for a book’. The trouble is, an idea will give you a short story. For a novel, you need dozens of good ideas that all mesh together into a coherent whole.
How would you suggest they can overcome that?
Either write short stories – which is a good way to develop your skills anyway, or wait, gather more ideas, do more research, plan more and then write.
What do you find is the biggest motivator for people to succeed? Is it money, security, desire for fame or something else?
I can’t speak for anyone else here, but for me its the desire to move and inspire others that keeps me writing.
Who is the “perfect” person to read your book?
My ideal reader for this one would be the lad who most inspired me, but he just doesn’t read all that much, sadly.
