I was nominated by writerly friend across the pond Courtney Cantrell to collaborate on a bit of a blog hop.
1. What am I working on right now?
A novella called ‘Wheel Justice’ which is part of Literary Grindhouse, a concept developed by William Vitka and myself. We’ve set up the beginnings of a site at literarygrindhouse.com . I’m also writing the first book in a fantasy series, this one called ‘The Bloody North’. I’ve conquered Scifi Adventure, so this time around I’m setting my sights squarely on the Fantasy genre.
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Character-driven, sometimes humorous, often looking at how people react to different events. If someone dies in one installment of Far From Home, you have to deal with the fallout in the next one. You can’t just move on.
3. Why do I write what I do?
With Far From Home, I’ve always set out to write SF Adventure. This isn’t speculative, Arthur C Clarke level stuff. It’s spaceships, explosions, chases through asteroid fields, intrigue, mystery, internal dilemmas and lashings of drama. And I’ve always sought to make it family friendly. No swearing if I can help it. Allude to sex but don’t go into detail. With my other work, for example ‘Dead Pretty’, I shoot for the other end of the spectrum. Plenty of potty mouth, lots of sex. With that work, I let my other side loose. The ‘Literary Grindhouse’ stories that William Vitka and myself will be writing have plenty of that. In fact we’re aiming for gross-out violence and hardcore slasher action type stuff. The Literary Grindhouse is going to be a fitting home for that stuff. I think the message here is: Know what audience you’re writing for. And: Don’t be afraid to write something because it’s edgy.
4. How does my writing process work?
I usually plot, and plot and plot again. I will plot it out on paper until it looks right, until all the pieces come together. And then, when I’m writing, the odd detail here and there will change. Characters will do what they want, go off in unexpected directions. Drama and tension will come from places I didn’t plan for. I plot to have a map. But how you get there? That’s the joy of writing. As for when I write, you have only to come knock my door after 7pm Monday to Friday and you’ll find me at the dining table, headphones plugged in, fingers tapping away at the keys. Saturday and Sunday are my days off. That’s when I like to watch some TV. Lately it’s been marathon sessions of Breaking Bad but now I’m finished with that, I’ve gone onto Justified. They sort of compliment each other.
Nominations:
I nominate bother David Hulegaard and Brendan Swogger!
Tony Healey 