Simon's works include

Aona – a dark fantasy series

Summer’s Dark Waters and The Light from Far Below– YA fantasy / sci fi

Disintegration – a short story collection.

Simon wishes he was a prolific writer, but he writes at the same pace as he runs.

He also has a great sense of humour – British humour.

Please visit his website for information on where to purchase his books -

https://www.simonwilliamsauthor.com

Hello Simon

Me - My first question is - Which aspect of the writing process do you enjoy the most? And why?

Simon - Coming up with the original ideas and developing characters- and those moments when you suddenly think of an idea for a scenario or plot, a way to “glue together” different parts of a work. That’s always very satisfying.

Me – Oh, yes, I love it when connections are made and the story gels.

What distracts you when you are in writing flow? Is there anything you do to counter this?

Simon - I try to make sure I’m off the Internet and don’t have social media open. It can be tempting, when you rest in between paragraphs or chapters, to have a little break and see what’s happening- but I remind myself that in the grand scheme of things, it’s unlikely to matter at all. I try to keep focused on the bigger picture… in other words, finish the damn book.

Me – Social media is a terrible distraction, but great for authors too. I have a love-hate relationship with it.  How long does it take from idea to finished book?

Simon - It varies- really it’s all down to how easy or difficult the writing process turns out to be for that particular book, and there’s no way of knowing that until I start (or sometimes, until I’m well into it)

Me – Some stories are harder than others to write, I agree.

What part of the story pushes itself into your imagination first? Story premise, character, setting, plot, ending? Is this the same for all your books?

Simon - It always starts with something small- a basic idea, a scenario, and a character playing out that scenario. It builds from there. I never, ever have a plot worked out at first- I let the scenario and the character help develop the plot, and quite often the plot will change markedly. I don’t worry about structure- I write the various scenarios, characters, ideas as they come to me and sooner or later they sort of come together, a bit like a jigsaw. I don’t know how that happens- it seems to be very much a subconscious process.

Me – I love the way every author has their own process and even those who plot first often need to adjust the plot and move scenes as they write.

How do you decide which story to write next?

Simon - I don’t. I usually have several on the go at a time, and quite often an idea will pop into my head, or I’ll recall something from a dream which I think could work, and then that might become one of the “next projects”.

Me – Juggling several projects at the same time must be fun. I find it so hard to choose. What has been the most satisfying moment in your writing career?

Simon - I’ve had a few of my books sneak into the Amazon Top 50 in their category a few times, and that’s always nice. But I think just finishing a book (any of them!) and launching it is always satisfying. Probably the moment I completed Embers Drift is the most satisfying of all, because it’s my favourite of my books and it turned out exactly how I wanted it to.

Me – Congratulations with the amazon lists, that’s quite an achievement, but a story turning out as you wanted it to, is a rare and fantastic feeling. I look forward to reading the book. What aspect of your personality have you explored through writing?

Simon - I don’t really have much of a “real world” personality being fairly reclusive (due to having very few real-life contacts) but it isn’t something that bothers me. So, I don’t really explore my own personality through writing- it isn’t the most inspiring thing to explore!

Me – Many writers are introverts, I guess that’s why we are happy to spend hours alone with our imaginations. I too have a quiet life. Of all the stories you have written, which have you learnt the most from?

Simon - Probably Oblivion’s Forge, as I rewrote it several times- it was hard work at that stage as I was trying to find my “voice” that I felt comfortable with. Happily, I did, and the other books in the Aona series were easier for me to create as a result.

Me – Yes, finding your writing ‘voice’ takes time and effort. I’m glad the other four books in the series were easier for you.

This last question is purely because I’m curious as to how author’s kickstart their brains and fuel their writing.  What do you eat for breakfast?

Simon - It depends on what I have available. Sometimes bread, sometimes cereal, sometimes if I’m running low I might skip it altogether (I know people say that isn’t healthy!)

Me – I think my stomach would protest and interfere with my writing if I didn’t eat breakfast.

Thank you for your interesting replies, Simon. 

Jenni Clarke