For the first of my Five Question Author Interviews, I spoke with David Arrowsmith, a fellow indie author whose work I love. You can also learn much more about him on his author bio here:
www.amazon.co.uk/David-Arrowsmith/e/B0759X89ML?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1601736029&sr=8-1 David’s most recent work, Nevada Noir, is a collection of short stories straight from the Nevada badlands that take in a trip to Sin City too. They are as you would expect, dark tales full of grit, offering a snapshot into a world where life is as hard edged and fast as David’s dialogue. 1 – The Idea for Nevada Noir is a great concept – did it come to you and you just had to get it down, or have you been carrying the ideas for these stories around in your head for a while? Initially it just came to me - I woke with the image of an old man in a hut as a storm breaks over the land, and I just had to get it down (on my iPhone in the shower and on my commute). But that was only the start of what ended up being story 1 : The Last Storm. I had no idea what it would become until I wrote more of it. I wrote that story, and the next one (One Good Deed), quite quickly at the end of 2017. But it took a couple of years for me to finally complete the trilogy and then release it as Nevada Noir. 2- What books by other Indie Authors have you read recently that you really enjoyed? Other than yours of course (which is great, seriously people, check it out if you like Philip K Dick and Black Mirror)? I devoured Then Came Darkness by D.H. Schleicher recently - it’s a fantastic novel and just my cup of tea. Dark, brooding, atmospheric with a tragic nostalgia. 3- If you had to choose (a la Sophie’s Choice), which of the three stories from Nevada Noir is your personal Favourite? A lot of readers seem to love One Good Deed, because of the pace and dialogue I think. I really enjoyed writing it and I think it shows. And perhaps the most mature in terms of style of writing is the last tale, A Slow Death. But perhaps it’s true what they say about the first born child (which sucks for me as the 3rd of 3!), because I think The Last Storm, for all its faults, will likely always be my favourite. It was such a watershed moment for me, the spontaneous creativity and then the fact it led to all of this, that it has a special place in my heart. 4- Is there a genre that as a writer you’d like to try in future? I’m currently writing something a bit more dystopian (more below!), as well as my take on “Scandi Noir”... but I’m not ruling anything out for now! I love to read fantasy and sci fi as well as Noir, detective and spy fiction, literary fiction, historical fiction... but I think I’m drawn to the moral ambiguity of characters in noir and similar genres so that’s probably my heartland. Sci fi and fantasy involve such epic world building, I’m not sure that’s how my mind works! 5- What’s next for you as a writer, and will we see more from the Noir franchise in future? I’ve nearly finished the first draft of what might become my debut novel - it’s a dystopian tale set in South East London in 2021, heavily inspired by JG Ballard, The Road and Mad Max. But I’m also absolutely bursting with plans for the Noir franchise (I like the sound of that, I’m gonna borrow it!)... firstly I’m going to dive back into the badlands of Nevada, for a prequel trilogy, and also possibly a postquel trilogy - and if they go well then I’m considering combining all 6-9 tales into one single Nevada Noir novel. And then I also have 2-3 more Noir trilogy ideas, each trilogy set in a different, distinct and exotic part of the world that means something special to me. And finally I have written the first chapter of a new Scandi Noir story that I have entered into a competition. If I win I’ll be co-writing it as a full novel with a Swedish crime author. If I don’t... I think I’m going to write it myself anyway. My wife, for one, is desperate to know what happens! You can find Nevada Noir here (and I would highly recommend that you take a look) www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0876BPP7Y Also, follow David on Twitter @mrwriterman79, you wont regret it!
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May 2022
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