Over the years, I have met many cool and unique individuals online. Author Francis Powell has been one of those individuals. After we connected via Facebook last year, he did an interesting guest post for this blog. Shortly thereafter, he invited me to be part of a Halloween blog hop he was hosting (I've also been part of a Christmas blog hop and most recently, the Love is Blind Valentines Day blog hop hosted by him). Now I'm bringing him back to my blog for an interview. So read and enjoy and check out his work, Flight of Destiny at Amazon and other retailers.
TA: For those discovering you and your work for the first time, tell a little about yourself and the kind of stories you write. How would you describe your works?
FP: I write short stories. My first published book is called Flight of Destiny. My publisher describes my stories as being “Dystopian” I usually describe them as Dark Fiction with elements of wit. A reviewer wrote, “They're a little Ray Bradbury, a little Stephen King, but with Powell's own unique twists.” I think there is a lot of description and detail in stories. My stories are filled with quirky characters, odd balls, freaks, as well as tyrants and despicable characters. They are often surreal and dream like. I think they are quite British in character. I was born in Reading in the South East OF Britain. I grew up on a farm, but I was sent away to various boarding schools and had quite a tough childhood. My salvation was in the art room and I went to various Art schools once I had left school.
TA: Are there any particular writers/authors that influences your work?
FP:I met an author called Rupert Thompson, when I was at my first Art School, I really liked his work. When I was young I read a book by Roald Dahl, called “Kiss Kiss” a book of short stories, which has dramatic twists at the end. This book has really stayed in my mind and certainly influenced my style of writing.
TA: Describe your writing process.
FP: An idea for a story can come to me at any time, or I can be anywhere when an idea pops into my head.. I think about the characters, their names, their personalities. A simple idea can expand and grow into a much bigger idea. I live with my short stories in my head, and sometimes scribble ideas into my “black book”. With some stories it takes some research. I do a lot of editing and correcting. The endings of my stories are vital, so while I am in the process of writing I am often thinking about where the story is going and how it will end.
TA: What was the first story you ever wrote and what was it about?
FP: We are going very far back in time…There was a story I wrote about a Knight, that got published in the annual school magazine, reading it now would make me cringe, but I guess it was kind of cute.
TA: Now you have lived in a few different areas of the world. Do you have a favorite among them?
FP: I have lived in both Austria and France, I have happy memories of both.
TA: What sort of readers would you say that your most recent work is suited for?
FP: People who are “outsiders”. People who live in cramped dingy bedsits, who listen to dark morose music. People who want to discover an unknown writer’s unusual universe.
TA: And finally, what's coming up for you and where can potential readers and fans find you?
FP: I hope there will be a follow up to Flight of Destiny.
I can be found at…
TWITTER
Pinterest
GOODREADS
Thank you Francis!
Simply enter the code YB27E at checkout. :)
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