AN INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD VAL

First and foremost I am a wordsmith, without the ability to write I wouldn’t be able to survive. Writing provides me an outlet to release thoughts and deal with the experiences I’ve had throughout my life both good and bad.

My writing tends to take on a darker tone due to my experiences in the U.S. Army and fighting as an Infantryman in places like Iraq and Afghanistan where I’ve lost countless friends to the ravages of war. So it’s safe to say I’m a haunted man and without the ability to write, I wouldn’t be here today.

My motivation to write is really a survival instinct at this point in my life.

When I was younger, I enjoyed writing but after being in the military it has become so much more because it is the only way I can effectively express myself because my emotions have been all but destroyed, not everyone will understand this but those you have dealt in death on a daily basis for years surely will.

I currently have two published books of poetry, my first book which was titled: Enlightened Heart/ Darkened Soul is no longer available due to a contract disagreement with my publisher at the time.

My second book titled: Black Rose, Dying is available and can be found on Amazon. My third book of poetry which will be titled: As I Wait For Death will be published in April 2021 and my Heroic Fantasy novel titled: Of Tooth and Nail will be published in November 2021.

There are two pieces of advice I give to fellow authors all the time.

The first is “Writer’s write, editor’s edit”. The second piece is be true to yourself and do not pay attention to what others say, always remember to write for yourself first, then others. If you don’t you’ll end up losing your voice, and become what others want you to be.

For me, the best way to battle “Writer’s Block” is to stop forcing words and begin writing something new. This can be a new poem, a new chapter or even a song.

You’d be surprised at how this gets the creative juices flowing and often times leads you new ideas that get you unstuck.

One of the biggest issues I’ve ran into throughout my writing career is how difficult it is to break into the industry and actually sell books, especially within the poetry genre

Though a lot of work contains elements of various genres the main genres I work within are Poetry and Fantasy.

I enjoy poetry because it allows for self-expression and emotional release, I chose to write Fantasy because your only limited by your own imagination and find that the freedom of creativity leads to some of the most complex and compelling characters.

On a typical day I write when I can and when I can’t I use a voice recording app on my phone to record my ideas until I’m able to either write them down or type them up. In the evenings, before bed I write at least 1,000 words.

Fans and fellow writers can contact me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/edward.val.9/

They can follow me on Instagram at Edwardvalpoetry
 
Or if they wish you support my art they can do that at www.patreon.com/EdwardValPoetry

I feel the best thing about my writing is the raw honesty and insight I provide on my subject matter. My words have saved lives and touched people and that’s really the only way I connect with the world anymore