If you don't enjoy this interview with Damien, he'll come and steal your blood
What excites, attracts or appeals to you about the genre(s) you write in.
Fantasy as a genre is great for writing the
story I want to write. The rules of the real world can be broken to fit the
story that wants to come from my mind. I tried writing a story once based in
reality, but it didn’t work for me. I wanted things to happen in a way that
would not happen, characters I had created weren’t believable, so I started
again and created my own world. I like to stretch the rules in everything I do.
I’ll even push my luck at work if I think I can get away with it. Writing
fantasy lets me do things my way.
Do you have a box, drawer, folder etc where
you keep thoughts and ideas for future stories? Such as names you have come
across, bits of dialogue, ideas, characters - even if you have no idea when you
might use them?
I have never really been one for note taking, it
just isn’t me. I am blessed with an incredible memory, especially for trivial
information like names and numbers, so I tend to keep everything in my head. I
work in a hospital, which is a great source for new and unusual names and I
have loads in a long list tucked away in a corner of my mind ready for future
use.
How much of you is in your characters? Which
of your characters is the one you that you’d most like to be? Or be with ?
Before I started on Firestone, I read somewhere
that one’s first novel tends to be somewhat autobiographical, so I deliberately
set out to write something as far away from that as possible. I wrote it in
2003 and locked it in a drawer for nearly a decade. Reading it back through
after such a long time, I can see different aspects of my personality embedded
in each of the characters. A story of your own is a part of you, no matter how
hard you try for it not to be.
Do you become so wrapped up in your writing
that your spouse wonders if they're married to you or one of your characters?
He’s used to it by now. I can get a little bit
obsessive at times but he’s incredibly supportive of what I do, even if he
hasn’t read my book yet. Fantasy is not his cup of coffee (he doesn’t like tea
either).
What type of book do you like reading? Is it
the same genre as you write?
I do like fantasy, but I like a lot of things
too, including literary novels. I read Lord of the Rings when I was 9 years old
after a childhood diet of Roald Dahl and loved it. My teen years were full of
Terry Pratchett novels, and I met David Gemmell in my early 20’s and was sad
when I heard he passed away a few years ago. You won’t catch me reading 50
Shades of Grey though!
What lengths do you go to to convince us
readers that your book has the X factor?
Well I have just bought Tricks of the Mind by Derren Brown haha! I don’t think you can ever
convince someone your book has the X Factor. It is all subjective. All you can
do is believe in yourself and your own ability to write a good story and hope
people like it.
How do you feel when a reader points out the
spelling mistake(s) you have made?
I am very grateful. Not just for pointing them
out, but for taking the time to read my novel and pay enough attention to it to
notice any errors in the first place!
What do you like most about visiting
KUF/forums?
It’s somewhere to go when I want to chill out
and pass some time without getting up from the sofa. Everyone is friendly and
I’ve learned a lot, even in the short time I have been a member.
What is on your near horizon?
Back to work tomorrow morning. Urgh! It pays the
bills but it really holds back the creative juices sometimes! I currently have
two projects on the go. The first one is the sequel to Firestone and I am also
working on a dystopian fantasy set in an alternative London, which is turning
out to be a lot of fun!
Where can we find you for more information?
I have a blog at djnashfiction.wordpress.com and
I am just learning to embrace Twitter (@djnashfiction) for the first time.
No comments:
Post a Comment