Tevun-Krus #1 - First Contact Read online

Writing Rituals

  What was the first writing piece you were ever really proud of?

  A Gift in the Dark. It was one of the first short stories I ever wrote and it won a competition which surprised me somewhat at the time. I was supremely proud and it gave me the impetus to keep going.

  Who is your favourite author?

  I don’t really have one, but I love Terry Pratchett, Arthur C Clarke, Neil Gaiman, Larry Niven, and many others. Have a look at my Goodreads profile, you’ll see what I mean.

  When you write, what do you use to get a muse going?

  I usually don’t need a muse as such; the idea is what gets me going. Sometimes I write with a picture in mind, and occasionally an idea will be prompted by something I’ve seen, heard or read. Ideas can come from anywhere at any time.

  What do you use to write?

  normally Word on my computer, but I’ve been known to write in a notebook, on my tablet, even on my phone on occasions

  Out of all the things you have ever written? What was your favourite?

  A Gift in the Dark remains my favourite short, but I’ve also done poetry and longer stuff too. All of them have something that I like about them. There’s no point not liking your own work. If you don’t like it, what chance has anyone else got?

  Was there one idea that you had that didn't turn out the way you envisioned it?

  ideas are twisty little things sometimes. I’ve had some stories, particularly the short ones, which have changed and morphed as I’ve been writing them. I rather like that.

  Do you use real life experiences to assist your writing? If so, which parts?

  Much of my work has bits and bobs of my own life in it. For example, A Gift in the Dark was inspired by marrying a Cornish lady, and working around the tin mining areas in Cornwall. There are some great local legends down there. A lot of my characters are loosely based on people I know or people I’ve met, and some of my strongest ones are people I’ve greatly admired in my life or who I’m close to.