Interview & Giveaway with Andrew Weston

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome new author Andrew Weston to the blog today.  We are chatting about his new book Fairy Tail.

Can you please share with us a little about yourself

I was born in the city of Birmingham, UK and grew up in the towns of Bearwood and Edgbaston. I always loved sport and was actively involved in a variety of teams throughout the city & metropolitan area.

On graduation, I joined the Royal Marines and served in a number of roles both in the UK and abroad. And then in 1985 I joined the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary, serving as a police officer in a variety of uniformed and plain clothed departments until my retirement in 2008.

Over those years, I wrote and illustrated a selection of private books for my children regarding the life of a tiny kitten, called, “The Adventures of Willy Whiskers”, gained further qualifications in Law and Religious Studies and continued to be an active sportsperson, providing lessons free of charge to local communities.

An unfortunate accident received on duty meant I had to retire early from the police force, but after moving to the sunny Greek island of Kos to speed up my recuperation, I was at last able to devote time to the “Guardian Concept” – my original idea – developed over my years in the military and police.

When not writing, I enjoys Greek dancing and language lessons, being told what to do by my wife, Annette and hunting shadows in the dark. I have not managed to catch any yet, but I’m sure I came close on 2 occasions. (But to be honest, I was too scared to look!)

I am now contracted to Ruby Lioness Press for a number of books & short stories.

“Guardian Angels” is the first of those books and is due for release August 2012. It is the introductory book to the “Guardian Series”, a sci-fi/fantasy epic set in the near future.

The sequel to that story, “Guardians” is currently under assessment, also with Ruby Lioness Press.

The third work, however, is now my debut story. “Fairy Tail”, an erotic thriller with an unusual twist, is a short story I completed as an experiment to broaden my experience and is now available to read from Amazon.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

To be honest, I always wanted to write but, because of my busy background – 6^th generation military and police – never found the time, apart from the stories I used to write for my children. It wasn’t until my medical retirement I at last had the time to put all the ideas I had onto paper. (And look where I am now!) ha ha.

Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Some of my favorite writers are, Julian May, Stephen R Donaldson, Raymond E Feist, Trudy Canavan – and I’m really taking to Suzanne Collins. I think the author who has inspired me the most is Raymond E Feist.   His  idkemia saga, incorporating so many series and trilogies and separate stories covering the history of one world and the dangers it faces from a hidden enemy have been a constant source of inspiration. How he keeps it so fresh, so gripping over what? Nearly thirty books? Is something I can only aspire to.

How did you get into writing in this specific genre?  Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?

I could read before I went to school, being raised on ‘Dr Who’; ‘Fireball XL 5’; ‘Space Patrol’; ‘Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea’; ‘Lost in Space’ ; ‘Planet of the Giants’ etc etc – Sci-fi classics of the sixties, so loved Science Fiction from an early age. I read literally every sci-fi book in my local library. As fantasy came to the fore, I gradually became attracted to that. (Mind you, I made sure to stick to the ‘quality’ writers). So it was only natural I favored this genre. However, ‘Life experience’ also played a part. Thirty years in the military and police force meant I witnessed a lot of heartache and tragedy, and over those years I often wondered what it would be like if we had an emergency service organization that had the power, training and resources to handle disasters more efficiently. Perhaps even preventing such things occurring in the first place. (Like Thunderbirds meets the X men). So, over those years, I devised the concept of “The Guardians” – and of course – they fit the Sci-fi/Fantasy genre nicely!

Fortunately, I have some great publishers who instill a ‘family’ atmosphere among   the authors. They have encouraged me to try other things to broaden/deepen my experience. As such, I have submitted work in genres such as ‘paranormal’, ‘erotic thriller’, ‘spicy – very spicy – love stories’ etc…(I have discovered erotica is a very difficult genre to get right, so I’m very thankful for the opportunity to improve my overall standards).

What are some of your writing rituals?

My normal writing ritual involves a morning of actual writing – usually between 10.00 am – 2.00 pm while my wife is out. Then I take a break so she doesn’t kill me. (really!) ha ha. And in the evenings, I research the fields I need for the story, future projects etc. That way, I don’t have to concentrate and Annette, my wife, doesn’t feel like she’s lost her husband.

However, at the moment – I’m keeping a promise to fulfill a final summer season of employment, so work shifts everyday without a day off. Fortunately, one of my functions involves sitting in a control booth. I can make notes there quite easily, so when I come home, I complete at least a few thousand words quite quickly (My target)…And then my wife gets her husband back!

Can you please tell us about your latest book?

My “latest” book is in fact my first published work! In reality, it was my third project. I wrote and submitted a main novel to the publishers, and by that time, was close to completion of the second book of the series. When I was accepted by Ruby Lioness Press, they encouraged me to try other genres to broaden my experience. I did, and “Fairy Tail” (my third project) was the result – a paranormal erotic thriller – with a sexy and “in your face” twist. It’s a gritty story about a cop who leads the investigation of a serial killer who strikes every year in the week leading up to Halloween. 1 victim a day, every day, until a quotient of 7 has been reached. Then he disappears. Butchery just doesn’t describe what the killer does to those unfortunate enough to fall into his evil clutches. But then, the cop leading the case gets a break…but it’s not one any of us would relish!

How did you come with the idea for this story?

I came up with the idea after watching a film on TV about revenge. Someone was convicted of a murder they didn’t commit. After years in prison, they get out and try to hunt down the true offender, but never manage to discover who it is as they are very elusive. And life IS like that.

Having been a cop involved in a number of murder investigations, I though…What would happen if I was the lead detective on a case where the true offender for murder always managed to elude me? No matter how good I am, how thorough, how dogged, the killer always seems to be one step ahead. What would happen if the reason for their success was “outside” the realms of normal probability. How would I handle it? Would I believe it? Would anyone else believe it if I tried to explain it?

Basically, that’s how I came up with the concept for Fairy Tail. I can’t explain more – it would give the story away, and perhaps give you a clue as to the twist that occurs.

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

I have a number of current works in progress. The first is book 3 of the Guardian Series, entitled, “Fallen Angels”. However, as I have time on my side (“Guardian Angels” is due to be published August 2012 – and “Guardians” is still under assessment – If successful, this obviously means it wouldn’t be due for publication until 2013.) So I can devote my time to other, more immediate projects.

I have submitted a couple of short stories to Ruby Lioness Press for inclusion in Anthologies. One, I know, has been accepted – “Lovebite” a paranormal thriller, while my first attempt at a love story/romance, “A fresh Start” is under consideration and I’m very excited to see what happens there.

I am also working on a sequel to a previous short story…But you’ll have to wait and see what that is. Its great fun and I want to ensure I get it right.

AND – believe it or not – I’m completing research on a future short story. It will combine a current world wide historical mystery with time travelling combat veterans! Should be fun!

However, my main focus is on developing a new concept Ruby Lioness Press is keen to see, a paranormal erotic thriller series, “The Cambion Journals”. Book 1, “The Rage of Augustus” is about 1/3 through its 1^st draft. Its current, it’s fresh and should hopefully prove very popular as I’m developing it in a way that you can’t help but get caught up in Augustus’ feelings.

What would you be if you were not an author?

If I wasn’t an author I would be very bored. Now I’m retired I need something constructive to fill my time. Trying to constantly improve & bringing pleasure to others is a full time occupation.

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Definitely the entire trilogy of “The Hunger Games”. I don’t know how I missed this story when it came out! Because I’m in Greece, I haven’t seen the film yet, and have just finished the first book. Book 2 is underway, and book 3 is on the shelf, crying, “Daddy, read me, read me”! After that, I’m looking forward to the next releases from Raymond E Feist, Stephen Donaldson and Trudy Canavan. Quality writers, all with unique styles. (IF ONLY I could be half as good as them, I’d have a future in writing…)

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just to say, thank you for asking me these questions. I hope to work with you again in the future.

I’d like to have a giveaway (Once I find out how to ‘give’ an e-book to a winner).

In Fairy Tail – the cop does have a name. You won’t see it in the story, but you may well do in the future.

Can you guess what it is? The first to guess gets a free e-copy of Fairy Tail, sent as a gift!

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