AN INTERVIEW WITH ROY PEPLOW
Roy is a smart and passionate writer who loves to share his views and knowledge with his readers!
Are you happy about being an Author?
I never dreamt I would be an author. I have always had a passion for reading and discovering new worlds but I never thought I would actually release my own book let alone be working on a follow up series that people enjoyed. I am (until covid struck) a self employed, full time musician and have been playing nearly 15 years. I was trying a few new techniques for songwriting and this story started to creep out from somewhere deep inside.
I knew it wouldn’t necessarily work for a song but I liked that the words just spilled out and I kept the page or two that I had written and the ideas that were conjured up to go with it. A short time after, the story was still on my mind and I found myself wondering what these characters would do and the situations they would face and I began to sit down and actually write a structured version. Like reading a good book or watching a decent tv show, I found myself unable to put it down and kept adding and I thoroughly loved every moment of it, learning the creatures and people of the world and their lives in these strange worlds.
Then came the interesting and fun part of actually teaching myself to layout a book correctly, to advertise, promote, merchandise, how to publish and what techniques to use. Some I had taken from my years of self-promotion etc in the music industry but every aspect was fascinating and continues to be as I carry on the sequel series of books. I love being an author, it is also something I find myself craving to learn more about and progress.
What's your motivation as an author?
Life, simply put. Either as an escape from the struggles of daily life or an output after having a great day, recreating those feelings and making stories to make people happy or intrigued etc. Music too is a big motivator especially instrumental music. I see stories and situations appear in the music or a strong piece can motivate to start writing that next chapter or start a new adventure.
Which book or books have you published and which are in pipeline?
My first book is called “Maitland ’95” – For 14 year-old Marshall Sanderson, life in Maitland, New Hampshire, can be hard. Bullies, homework, talking to girls. And that’s just school. But all is not as it appears in the peaceful town of Maitland and when a mysterious object arrives in his life, he will have to face his biggest adventure yet and fight more than just his own demons if he is to make it out alive!
Journey back to the Nineties and discover a world beyond your dreams… and your nightmares, in a world before mobile phones and social media, it’s friendship and family morals that he will have to rely upon if he and his friends are to survive the night in one piece! Filled with adventure, frights, friendship and eerie twists. This love letter to the Nineties is a teen horror that will throw you, full face into a nostalgic return to a childhood where anything can happen on Halloween. A call back for those who grew up in the Nineties and a new tale, for a new generation about friendship, spooks and adventure.
My 2nd book was the start of a sequel series called “Maitland Tales” They are shorter books aimed more at teens to young adult and are standalone stories but they add to a larger story line
What's your advice for budding authors?
Just write as much as you can, not all of it will work, you wont like all of it upon a second read but the more you write, the more you will find your style. Also make use of all the free resources on the internet. I googled and spoke to people in forums for advice and learnt how to construct better stories.
How do fight out a "Writer's Block" if you have one ?
So far I haven’t had too many because its still new to me I think but I know with songwriting especially one of two methods work for writers block or lack of motivation.
1. Write through it, the result may not be great but getting the brain to start creating kicks it into gear and eventually your story will appear.
2. Listen to some inspirational music, something that makes you just HAVE to create and ignites that fire inside. Failing that take a walk, run and clear your mind, often it’s because of overthinking or putting pressure on yourself to write.
What are the problems that you have faced in your Author journey?
Having the time to write was a big problem, fitting it around work etc but also getting the finished work out there and seen my people. There are so many stories out there and its so hard to get seen and have someone enjoy your book.
What Genre of Books do you create and Why you chose it ?
Horror/ Adventure. I love fun horror i.e. Goosebumps. Theres something about horror, anything can happen, it doesn’t have to be scary but the creepy/ macabre side of the world or spooky creatures, funny monsters.
They’re interesting and you don’t know what might happen. You aren’t confined by “real life” and it’s an escape into adventure to get away from the perils of the world for a bit.
What does your typical writing day look like ?
I try to watch/ read writing exercises online and learn more about the craft in the morning with a coffee. Then I set out what I want to try and achieve by the end of the day and I just write until I cant write anymore. Some days it might be re reading past chapters and editing them, some days it might be taking a character and fleshing them out.
What do they like? Dislike? What interesting flaws they might have etc so that when it comes to putting them into the story or chapter they feel like a real character.
What can readers expect from your writings?
My writings are a combination of being easy access, i.e. it’s written with a very visual style to immerse the reader into the story like a movie, also, being based in the 90s it has a lot of fun nostalgia and the allure of not relying on mobile phones.
So the characters are forced to explore rather than quickly Google answers and this helps create the bonds of friendship and family
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