Fear Blog Tour: Author Interview with Tom Gillespie + Giveaway!

Welcome to my stop on the Fear Blog Tour! hosted by Carmen@Book Me!

60 Authors

Two Incredible Volumes

One Terrifying Ride!

                      

Fear: A Modern Anthology of Horror and Terror brings together, for the first time, tales of murder, monsters and madness, by sixty of the world’s best indie horror authors. 

Discover what lurks in the water at the end of the garden, learn of the unforgiving loyalty of a loving toy and meet a writer, just itching to finish his latest horror story.

Every author in the Anthology has generously contributed their work for free. All royalties from sales will go directly to the international charities, Barnardo’s and Médecins Sans Frontières.

Fear, with forewords by international bestselling authors, Peter James and Sherri Browning Erwin, is released in Paperback and on Kindle, October 3rd 2012.

Today I get to interview Tom Gillespie, we talk about his work, writing process, favorite authors and also discuss the Apocalypse. There is a giveaway in the end. Don't forget to enter!!

INTERVIEW

Without going all spoilery on us, can you tell us a little about your short story, The Sculptor? What was the inspiration behind this story?

When I was a student, my flatmate was a sculptor, and he would often return from his studio with half completed clay heads or twisted, disfigured limbs sticking out of an old, battered and broken suitcase. I don’t know how he survived the underground ride back to the flat without getting arrested.And also Hammer House of Horror, the fabulously scary and slightly camp British TV series from 1980. I wanted to try and capture the feel of the show.

How did you become involved in the FEAR anthology?

My novel, Painting by Numbers is published by Crooked Cat, and I spotted their call for submissions. Many of my short stories veer off into psychological scariness, so I thought I’d give it a whirl. I also wanted to support the two nominated charities, and the brilliant, lifesaving /changing work that they do.

Describe your protagonist in three words.

Damaged, deranged and disfigured

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

 I love that existential feeling of disconnecting from the outside world and disappearing into the world that is forming in the front of my mind. But I also love carving, shaping and sculpting the story until it makes sense and I am happy with it (or as happy as I’ll ever be with it)

Who is your favorite author? And  why?

I don’t have a single favourite author. And my favourites change continuously. But if I had to name one writer that has changed the way I think about writing, it would have to be Raymond Carver.  Carver creates landscapes of back and forward story around disarmingly simple, precise situations and ordinariness of setting.  He somehow manages to convey whole worlds of meaning using a style that is stripped down, austere and elegant. He is the master of ambiguity.

Did anyone ever tell you not to quit your day job? If so, is there a special message you'd like to send them now that you're a published author?

No one has ever said that to me. Everyone I know desperately wants to quit their day job, so they wouldn't want to jinx any possibility.

If you could have dinner with any one of your characters who would it be? And what on earth would you say?

I would love to have dinner with Jacob Boyce, the central character in my novel Painting by Numbers.  Jacob is an obsessive, egotistical alcoholic who doesn't care for people all that much. So dinner with him would be an interesting experience.

If you could choose just one book to leave for future generations, what would it be?

 Lanark by Alasdair Gray

Is FEAR your writing debut? If not, can you tell us a little about your previous work?

What can we expect from you in the future?

Fear is not my debut. PBN is out in the world now . . . roaming the streets looking for homes to haunt.  I’ve also been writing shorts stories and flash fiction for quite some time. Flash fiction (stories under 1000 words) is really interesting because you have to work on a very tight narrative arc, and try and find a way to drop the reader right into the middle of a moment.  I’m working on a second novel. Another tale about an obsessive weirdo, and I’m also putting together a compilation of dark, surreal short stories

And finally, the Apocalypse is here. The world has been overrun with Zombies or Vampires or some other freakish thing that wants to chow down on humanity. Before the human race is completely eradicated you get to save two literary legends (don't ask me why you can only save bookish people, I don't make the rules) who do you save?  

All my literary heroes are dead  . . . so they would be zombies . . . oh wait  . . . Alasdair Gray is still breathing. But I’m pretty sure he would save me. Zombies would run a mile from him. His brilliant brain would eat them alive  . . . or dead.

Tom Gillespie:

Tom Gillespie grew up in a small town just outside Glasgow. After completing a Masters in English at Glasgow University, he spent the next ten years pursuing a musical career as a singer/songwriter, playing, recording and touring the UK and Europe with his band. He now lives in Bath with his wife, daughter and hyper-neurotic cat, where he works at the University as an academic English lecturer. Tom writes long and short fiction. A number of his stories are published by East Of The Web  He is also a regular contributor to Friday Flash. Tom’s writing has been described as terse, minimalist, hyper-realistic and ambiguous, where layers of meaning are conveyed using a concise and economical style. He is currently working on a second novel and a collection of short stories. His debut novel Painting by Numbers, a dark, psychological drama that explores the surreal complexities of the human mind, is out now, published by Crooked Cat.

Connect With Tom: || Website || Twitter ||

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