Gareth Wiles is another author that I had spoken to many times, but never had the chance to grab him for an interview at one of the conventions that we were both at, such as the Wales Comic Con and Sci Fi Weekender, so I was over the moon when Gareth agreed to do this interview with me.
What inspired you to write your first book?
My first book was I AM DEAD in 2011, and it took me over five years to write. I’ve got quite a macabre mind and was partly inspired by current issues in life such as an increasingly ageing population. In puzzling how to deal with such an issue, I went down the sinister path of having everyone over a certain age disposed of.
Do you have a specific writing style?
At first my writing style was first person narrative, with everything coming from the main character Peter Smith. In that sense, I AM DEAD was centred on his thoughts. There are ways where you can have Peter telling the reader a deliberate lie or getting things wrong, and the first person style worked well when you want the reader to be unsure whether or not Peter is the one actually committing all the crimes he’s purporting to solve.
In my second book, ICON’S REQUEST, I used a mixture of first and third person narration, with a number of different characters telling their stories of having them told for them. I like to mix things up and try different methods out. As part of the overall story arc, it then becomes a mystery to solve about who the third person narrator might actually be if not one of the characters.
How did you come up with the title?
I AM DEAD is kind of a statement that nobody can ever realistically say, because the dead can’t talk, so I thought it would be quite enticing and mysterious to the potential reader. Peter Smith is supposedly dead, yet returns to right a wrong in his life so he can claim the honour of stating that he is dead… but is he really dead, or is it all in his head?
ICON’S REQUEST comes from the malevolent character Reaping Icon, who is collecting all these psychopaths to try and kill Peter. He requests the pleasure of their company.
A MATTER OF DARK is a play on dark matter, even though the book has nothing to do with astronomy. In a way, though, it hints at what the strange entity known only as The Space is – it is explained as the summation of everything that ever was, is or will be – and scientists believe dark matter makes up a vast percentage of the universe even though we can’t see it. Maybe The Space makes up that unseen percentage? The book also deals with very dark issues such as suicide.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
There are lots of ideas that I toy with in my books, and I guess there are messages to take away from these. One strong message is that we don’t know when our end might be, so we need to seize the day and not waste our lives thinking about what we might do tomorrow – do it NOW! We put up a lot of boundaries and repressions for no apparent reason; we need to live more freely.
Another strong message is not to allow bad experiences in our past shape our decisions in the present and future – the character of The Leader flippantly agrees to wipe out the elderly in I AM DEAD because he was abused by an elderly man in his youth, and his young wife was also killed in a car crash involving an elderly couple.
How much of the book is realistic?
There are lots of little bits and pieces from my life that seem to sneak into my writing, even though you don’t think so at the time. I wouldn’t like to give too much away, but I’m certainly nothing like Peter Smith thankfully! I did sort of wonder what my life might be like in ten years time if I just let myself stagnate, and that is what happened to Peter – he showed potential in his early twenties, but just let life pass him by after his fiancée was murdered.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
I’ve worked closely with the elderly, and a lot of them feel that society would rather they were disposed of, so that has come into play with that particular storyline!
What books have most influenced your life most?
I’m a big fan of Joseph Conrad, particularly THE SECRET AGENT, and Albert Camus’ THE OUTSIDER is another great book about a loner unable to hold on to society and integrate.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I’d have to choose my own grandmother, Hope Wiles. Even though I never even met her as she died before I was born, she wrote poetry and I definitely get my hunger for writing off her.
What book are you reading now?
I’m reading a book on Elizabethan England as a bit of research in preparation for a historical novel I’m planning.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
There’s this cool cat called Gareth Wiles, I hear he’s worthy of grasping! I haven’t been reading many novels lately as I’m busy writing, working and currently moving house, but there are some great writers doing the convention circuit such as Sam Stone.
What are your current projects?
I’ve just finished book four in the Peter Smith/Great Collective series, and I’m putting the finishing touches to a musical as well.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
It’s very difficult letting a book go once you’ve written it. The urge is to keep tinkering at it forever and ever, but I just push it out there and block it from my mind after it’s done!
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I was encouraged by my Aunty Betty, as well as a kindly old English teacher, who said my handwriting was pitiful, but what I was writing was good!
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Book four is the final part in the Peter Smith saga, which started with I AM DEAD. Inspector Noose’s life is turned upside down when he’s framed for murder and ends up in jail, all whilst Peter is very much dead (having died in A MATTER OF DARK). However, being cursed by The Space, Peter isn’t guaranteed to remain dead! Can Peter rescue Noose, or is his best friend condemned?
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Dealing with all the dark issues! I’m a jolly, happy chap, but I seem to want to write about the evil in the world!
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Crafting a first chapter that would make the reader carry on reading.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I learnt that I can be satisfied with something I created, and I’m not bothered if nobody else is. Luckily I’ve found a great audience at sci-fi conventions, who have embraced my books and are enjoying them.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Don’t hide in the shadows – get your work out there, and put in the hard graft with lots of book signings.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I’m watching you all! I know what chapter you’re on.
What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?
Research-wise I basked in the horror that is my own mind! I took everyday events that have happened to me and twisted them around a bit. Psychologically, I was surprisingly unscathed by the stuff I’ve written about. I’ve tried to use humour to deal with the horrors that befall the human race, and in life I try to find the funny side to things. It’s amazing how people’s perceptions differ so widely – one reader couldn’t find any laughs, whilst another couldn’t stop laughing! I guess an extreme is more true to life than a happy medium, so I salute both readers.
Thank you Gareth
Big thank to Gareth for doing this wonderful interview, if you would like to find out more about Gareth Wiles you can follow him on Twitter @sheepbone and check out his website, http://www.garethwiles.co.uk/, you can also find his works at Amazon.
The post Author Interview with Gareth Wiles, The Great Collective Saga appeared first on Blazing Minds.
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