Author Q & A with David M Brown

David Brown, author of Fezariu's Epiphany (which I reviewed back along), is currently on a blog tour. As well as finding time for a guest post a couple of weeks ago he has also been good enough to agree to do an interview.

David was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and first conceived the idea of the Elencheran Chronicles at college in 1999. He moved to Huddersfield in 2000 to read History with English at the University and today lives in West Yorkshire, now with his wife, Donna, and their six rescue cats Razz, Kain, Buggles, Charlie, Frodo and Bilbo

When did you first think of becoming a writer and who or what got you interested in writing?

I’d always enjoyed creative writing at school but it wasn’t until college that I wanted to be a writer. I’d been spending hours playing the Final Fantasy games on the Playstation and their stories were utterly compelling. Those games led me to Norse mythology which remains my favourite to this day. From there I decided I wanted to create my own world, draw the maps, build an epic history and write novels set there.

How would you describe your books and style, and who has been the greatest influence on your writing?

My novels belong in the fantasy genre though I am trying to do something a little different. Though set in a fictitious world, the stories give more precedence to the characters rather than the land they inhabit. In essence some of the stories wouldn’t be out of place in our world, they just happen to take place in Elenchera. In terms of influence I’d have to cite Tolkien as the teacher many of us fantasy students aspire to. My writing is more inspired by the likes of Hemingway and Murakami, their prose seems so simple but as a whole it is magnificent and beautiful to read. I try to write in a straightforward manner that won’t leave the reader bogged down with endless descriptions.

Do you start a book knowing what the beginning, middle and end will be or does it take on a life of it's own as you write? 

I tend to know the beginning, some of the middle and the end. I knew how Fezariu’s Epiphany would start and end but there were many gaps between those two extremes and I had to just write the story to see how the events would unfold. Sometimes inspiration would come easily, other occasions it would involve a lot of head scratching but I always found a way to the end.

Are you self-published or traditionally published, and what has been the best and worst thing about the route you have taken?

My wife and I decided to go down the self-publishing route with Fezariu’s Epiphany and I imagine we’ll be doing the same in future. It’s great having full control of the book and being able to appreciate the positive feedback knowing it’s down to our individual efforts. My wife has taken on a lot of the publicising of this book and done an amazing job, I have to say. The flip side of course is that going it alone involves a lot of hard work such as formatting the book, arranging avenues to publicise your work and market it too. It’s not for the faint hearted but it’s been an amazing journey so far.

If this isn't too much like asking a dad which of his children he likes best, which of your characters is your favourite?

I’ll focus just on Fezariu’s Epiphany. There’s no way I could pick my favourite character from 47,000 years of Elencheran history! That would be mean! Certainly in this novel Fezariu is an important character but I have a soft spot that lovable toldere, Vintaro, the one who likes a drink and has the gift of the gab as well. He offers some light relief in the book and was a really fun character to write. I think the fact he is humorous makes those rare moments when he’s serious all the more poignant. 

If Fezariu's Epiphany was going to be turned into a blockbuster movie who would play Fezariu and where would it be filmed?

My wife and I are in agreement on this one. If he’s listening, we’d like Jake Gyllenhaal to play Fezariu. He was superb in Donnie Darko and Brokeback Mountain and I believe he could get to the heart of Fezariu’s character. Where would it be filmed? New Zealand tends to be a good location for fantasy films, doesn’t it? I travelled there in 2008 and it’s easy to see why.

What do you like to read and do you have any other passions?

I read many genres of fiction, always plenty of fantasy to admire the work of my peers, but I do enjoy general fiction as well. I also love biographies but I do struggle if I don’t regularly read a history book. It was my favourite subject at school and has inspired me a lot when it comes to Elenchera. Away from books I do love films, especially world cinema. I’ve broadened my horizons a lot in recent years and have started going back to some of the really old films. There are so many hidden gems from the past.

Finally, what are you working on at the moment that you can tell us about?

I’m working on my second novel, A World Apart, which will take place in the western colonies that feature in Fezariu’s Epiphany. The basis of this book will be a tragic love triangle between three friends that starts in their teens and continues to affect them into adulthood. These kind of scenarios seldom end well and I can promise that A World Apart is designed to make tearful readers want to reach for their

Thank you to David for fitting this interview into a no doubt busy schedule!

Fezariu's Epiphany & Short Stories I-IV - are both available in Paperback/Ebook

To find out more....

Blog - The World According to Dave: http://blog.elenchera.com

Website - The Elencheran Chronicles: http://elenchera.com

Facebook - Fezariu's Epiphany: http://www.facebook.com/fezariu

Twitter - David M. Brown: http://twitter.com/elenchera