INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN L. PORTER
Q: What is your routine when working on a book?
A. I don't have a routine as such. I usually write every day,
often as little as a couple of paragraphs, sometimes one or two
chapters, depending on how creative I feel.
Q: Do you ever show people your WIP?
A. I always share my work with a fantastic group of six people
around the world who work as a volunteer critique and proofreading
team. They read each chapter as its written and provide me with
terrific ongoing support. They are of mixed genders and ages,
and so I get a realistic and honest view across the reading
spectrum of how the book is likely to be received by the buying
public.
Q: Do you listen to music when you work?
A. I never listen to music, or anything else, while I'm writing.
I prefer complete peace and quiet to enable me to focus and
concentrate entirely on the page in front of me.
Q: Who has influenced your writing the most?
A. As a teenager I was enthralled by the works of Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle and also Edgar Allan Poe. 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue'
was one of my favourites. In recent years I've found myself being
influenced greatly by the works of two of my favorite authors,
Tess Gerritsen and Jeffery Deaver, and, to some extent by the
adventure-type stories written by Clive Cussler. Tess Gerritsen
and Jeffery Deaver were both gracious enough to correspond with
me during the writing of 'A Study in Red - The Secret Journal
of Jack the Ripper' and gave me great encouragement. Both of
their names appear in the acknowledgements and Tess Gerritsen
provided me with a message of good luck which is displayed on
the cover of the paperback version of the book.
Q: What have been your most memorable achievements in your
career so far?
A. Two of my e-books, 'The Nemesis Cell' (Stonehedge Publishing),
and 'Murder, Mayhem and Mexico' (Eternal Press),
received nominations in the Mystery Novel and Anthologies
Categories respectively in the recent Preditors and Editors
Readers Poll, 2007. I was delighted that 'The Nemesis Cell'
finished in 6th place, and 'Murder, Mayhem and Mexico' 9th.
Two top ten placings was a delightful surprise. As a result
of the placing, my agent subsequently managed to obtain a
paperback contract for 'The Nemesis Cell' which will appear
in print later this year, alongside 'Purple Death, and 'Avenue
of the Dead' another previous e-book publication. Also, the
recent release in e-book and paperback of 'A Study in Red -
The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper' was a momentous occasion
for me, as this book is the result of a life-long interest in the
Jack the Ripper murders, and involved a massive amount of time
and research. The initial public response has been phenomenal!
Q: Have you always wanted to be an author?
A. I can't honestly say that I always wanted to be an author.
I served in the Royal Air Force, then pursued a career in
retail management for many years until illness forced me to
give up the everyday grind of business. I then turned to writing,
initially as a form of therapy. When I found that people actually
enjoyed reading what I was writing, I realised that maybe, just
maybe, I should concentrate on writing as a new career. With
a number of successful e-book publications behind me, and five
paperbacks due for release this year, I think that proved to be
the correct decision.
Q: How do you write, free-thought, or from an outline?
A. Usually, I get the idea for a new book in one great thought
package. The story just comes to me all at once, and from then
on I just write it freely, with no specific outline, although
I do make note of character profiles etc. I also do immense
research into every book, as my work tends to involve
complex technical or medical situations, and, in the case
of 'A Study in Red' a great amount of historical research
was required before putting the idea for the book
into actual words.
Q: Where can we find your work and what are you working on now?
A. There are links to all of my books and where to obtain them
on my websites at:
A Study In Red
site
and Glastonbury The Novel
site
A Study in Red - The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper,
published by Double dragon Publishing has just been released
in paperback and e-book and is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble,
and all major online retailers. Purchase links to all suppliers
are available on my websites, the Amazon link is
Amazon link to Brian's stuff
My next release will be 'Glastonbury', a mystery thriller with
numerous plot twists and red herrings, due for release by Rain
Books in April. During March, a contest will run on the book's
website at www.glastonburythenovel.webs.com for readers to win
a copy of the book from the publisher. I am currently working
on the sequel to 'Glastonbury', 'Cold as Ice' and on a follow-up
to an earlier e-book 'Avenue of the Dead', entitled 'Under
Mexican Skies' which is already under contract for a paperback
release later this year.
Q: Do you work on more than one book at a time?
A. as you can see from my previous answer, yes I do.
Both 'Cold as Ice' and 'Under Mexican Skies' are proceeding
simultaneously, with slight priority going to 'Cold as Ice'
though both books have publishers lined up and waiting for them.
Q: What do you read when you are writing?
A. Usually I read something by Tess Gerritsen or Jeffery Deaver
though I'm currently reading 'Sepulchre' by Kate Mosse,
the follow-up to 'Labyrinth'. The book was a Christmas present
from my wife.
Q: What would you say to an aspiring writer?
A. Never give up! Don't be too disheartened by the inevitable
rejection slips that drop through the letterbox. If your work
is good enough then it will eventually find the publisher who wants
to put it on display for the public to read. It may take time,
but any aspiring writer must have patience, belief in their work,
and must always strive to improve their work, taking every word of
critique that may come their way in a positive manner. Remember,
you must write what the readers want to read, which is not
necessarily always what you, the writer, may actually want to write.
~FINIS
February 2008 Interview
