 I met Tom Benson through a Facebook writing group almost two years ago that is now called Indie Author Support and Discussion. I was new to the group and Tom always held out a hand of welcome and kind words of support, in fact it was Tom who took a look at the first chapter of my book and pointed out a few rules I should follow when editing. I know I wasn't the only one Tom helped back then, and I know he's still doing it now. He's also one of the talented admin of the new Indie Author Support and Discussion website, where you will find an amazing array of new and upcoming authors of every genre you could think of, along with tips on everything from writing to marketing and all that falls between.
Tom's writing career started in 2007 and since then has written a multitude of works, from novels, to short stories for anthologies (which I had the pleasure of working with him on one called You Are Not Alone in aid of MacMillan Cancer Care), and even some poetry. For many years Tom served in the British Army, finishing his career there as Staff Sergeant before breaking in to Retail Management, both positions of which Tom believes taught him about human relationships and what matters most in life. Here is what Tom Benson had to say... Why did you decide you wanted to become a writer? During my army career which ended in 1992. Towards the end of my 23 years I had a yearning to write my military memoirs – similar to an autobiography. I followed my military life with a career in retail management, and occasionally relaxed by scribbling scenes on a notepad. I knew the urge to write was still with me. Now, having a stable of titles behind me, I’m finally working on that first idea, but it is fact-based fiction in five parts. What was the thing that drove you the most to do so? I had a head full of ideas, and I’d enjoyed reading most of my life. I believe the vast majority of service personnel become storytellers. The natural progression if you enjoy such a thing is to fulfil your potential and get ideas down in print. How long have you been writing? Since 2007, although then I was trying my hand at poetry, and after a few hundred poems I experimented with short stories before moving on to novels. Why did you pick the genre/s that you have? Whether it is a short story, or a novel, and whether it be thriller or erotica, I imagine myself in the situations, or I have the desire to play judge and jury. Imagination is a bonus, but I believe having life experience is helpful in a writer’s work. Working from a memory creates an integral authenticity. I have no control over the real situations in today’s world, but I can be on hand in my worlds, and bad guys get what’s coming to them. Who is your favourite character, and why? My favourite male character is Phil McKenzie (Hawk) from the Beyond The Law stories, which will have a third one added this year. My favourite female character is Annabel Strong who plays Hawk’s sidekick. Annabel is hot on so many levels and deadly too. Do you have any particular quirks when writing? If I’m writing an action scene I get out of my chair and choreograph the character’s movements. This is usually in cases where there is shooting, fighting, or a scene where the physical description must work fluidly in words. I make brief notes as I realise complications. My aim is to make the scene feel like a movie – not an instruction manual. If I find a character, a piece of dialogue, or a scene which doesn’t work well enough, I cut it out – but I save it to a file full of similar ‘cuts’. What does your family think of your work? Neither my wife, nor my son (who lives on mainland Europe) have ever read any of my work. To the best of my knowledge, neither has my mother, or any of my five siblings. Do you belong to any writing groups? And if so what do you think are the pros and cons? I attended a local writing group a few years ago, and within three seasons realised there was a dependency on mutual back-slapping. They were lovely people, but improvement is about effort and integrity, not being nice. I’ve been a member of a variety of online groups. I presently belong to the best online writing group I’ve come across – the Indie Author Support and Discussion group. What’s so good about it? It’s international, and does what it says on the tin. How do you deal with writers block? I rarely suffer from this mysterious affliction, but when I find myself pausing over the notepad or the keyboard, I change to a different scene, or a different project. What would you say is the most difficult part of writing? Editing with honesty is key. To be a writer of a decent standard I believe we have to be able to wipe out words, sentences, paragraphs, and characters without worry. A passage should not be in a story because the writer likes it. Every word must have a purpose. What do you enjoy the most about writing? I enjoy developing something from a simple idea. Whether it is a novel, or a short story I imagine a situation and write. While I’m writing the notes my ideas are blossoming, so I will occasionally stop and scribble a note on my pad, perhaps a name, location, or weapon. Where do you find your inspiration? I find inspiration in every part of every day. I’ve thought of romantic or erotic scenes while cycling to work. I’ve imagined car chases when I’ve been on holiday and driving in the countryside. I’ve imagined clandestine meetings and murders while in a cafe having coffee. A lot of my inspiration has come from life experiences. Are your characters based on anyone you know? My primary character in Beyond The Law, Phil McKenzie, is loosely based on the author Chris Ryan. He wrote the factual and thrilling novel ‘The One That Got Away’. He was the only member of an SAS team who escaped from behind enemy lines in Iraq in 1991. Phil McKenzie’s sidekick Annabel Strong is based (in appearance only) on a woman who worked in a jewellery store opposite where I worked several years ago. The main character in my five-part novel ‘A Life of Choice’ is based on me. What do you do in your spare time to relax? I read, draw, paint and occasionally cycle or go for a walk in woodland which always inspires me. When conducting any of these activities I daydream, and when possible I make notes. I’m never without notebook and pen. What do you like to read? Adventure, thrillers, military, and espionage are my favourites. I’ve enjoyed some fantasy and paranormal in recent times. I read some erotica which was so bad it inspired me to write my short story anthology and novel in the genre. Who is your favourite author? Wilbur Smith is my favourite, although I enjoy several. Where are your books available? Only on Amazon - presently as eBooks. What are you working on right now? The second part of a five-part novel. The third novel in a series of three. Two different anthologies of short stories. Two short stories for different IASD anthologies. Guiding / mentoring a new novelist with his debut novel. I strive to keep the WIP updated on my blog and website. What is your ultimate goal? To be successful - which doesn’t mean rich. I’d like to earn a steady modest income from my writing. Do you have a favourite film? And if so what is it? ‘Death Wish’ starring Charles Bronson. Here is how you can find Tom Benson Website's: www.tombensonauthor.com www.tom-benson.co.uk www.tombensoncreative.com FaceBook: TomBenson.Writer Twitter: @TomBensonWriter Google: TomBensonWriter Stumble: TomTheWriter And of course at the Indie Author Support and Discussion Website. This was the last thing Tom said at the end of our interview... I’d like to thank you Sallyann for the opportunity to take part in your interview, and for good questions. My response to this has to be, it was an absolute pleasure! I thoroughly enjoyed having a little insight into Tom's mind, a man that has a wonderfully giving nature and the patience of a saint, and believe me, dealing with so many authors to get them all satisfied with what's going on with the new site is never an easy task, Tom would have needed all his patience at some point. Tom started out as an acquaintance, quickly becoming someone that would answer this newbie's questions (trust me some still make me flinch at how naive I was back then) without ever making me feel I was any less than he was. Now I am honoured to call him friend, and can only hope he looks at me the same way. Please take the time to follow, friend, or visit Tom at any one of his links above, and please pop on over to Amazon and pick up one of his works. You won't be disappointed you did, and do please remember to leave a review ;) Once again, thank you Tom Benson for taking the time to interview with me.
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 I met Fletcher Brown when I first opened my own Twitter account. I was nervous of the whole thing, and pretty unsure what I was doing. Fletcher was one of the first people I followed who followed me back, and his light hearted easy manner helped me settle in to the unknown workings of the Twitter universe. I've known him almost two years now and we speak regularly, I guess you could say we know a couple of each other's secrets ;), shh! Don't tell. I admire his work dedication along with his wicked sense of humour that just emerges when you get to know him.
Fletcher is an erotic stories writer, which began when he wrote them for fun for friends, and it was one of those friends that encouraged him to go the publishing route. I know I for one am glad that he did because his stories are well written, easily flowing, and above all steamy hot. Here is what Fletcher Brown had to say... Why did you decide you wanted to become a writer? Aside from the fact that writing was my favourite subject in school, I find that it’s the best way for me to convey my thoughts, feelings, and ideas. What was the thing that drove you the most to do so? I used to write erotic short stories to a friend in Sweden and she suggested that I seek publication. How long have you been writing? I’ve been writing all my life but I’ve only been a published author for the past 3 years. Why did you pick the genre/s that you have? The reaction I got out of my friend convinced me to write erotica but I want to branch out to other genres as well. Who is your favourite character, and why? Damien in 2 o’clock Sexperience Vol 2. I like that character because he is devious, smart, and cunning beating the Psychologist at her own game. Do you have any particular quirks when writing? Yes. Sometimes when I have writers block, I pace back and forth in my office trying to decide how to move the story forward. What does your family think of your work? My children think its cool and are very supportive of my writing. Do you belong to any writing groups? And if so what do you think are the pros and cons? No I don’t currently belong to any writing groups. How do you deal with writers block? By pacing back and forth in my office. Sometimes I’ll walk away from it and if I can’t push through it, I’ll start all over. What would you say is the most difficult part of writing? For me the most difficult part of writing is picking up where I left off. I will read what I’ve already written so that I can regain the feeling and flow of the story. What do you enjoy the most about writing? Bringing interesting characters to life and tossing them head-long into outrageous situations! I also enjoy the feedback. The positive because well…who doesn’t love praise? And the negative because constructive criticism will make me a better writer. Where do you find your inspiration? From my experiences, my devious mind, and my love of storytelling. Are your characters based on anyone you know? Yes. Welcome to Stockholm Sexperience Vol 1 is the true short story of my meeting a friend from Sweden in a chat room and our inevitable sexual encounter years later. What do you do in your spare time to relax? I like to work out, read, listen to music, jot down random ideas, or watch a good movie. What do you like to read? Erotica, history, Financial Times Who is your favourite author? James Patterson Where are your books available? My books are available on Amazon. What are you working on right now? Sexperience Vol 3 which will be five unrelated short stories including one from my time contracting for the White House. It will also feature my first collaboration with Welsh Erotica Author Dakota Storm in America’s Best! What is your ultimate goal? Right now I’m working with a media group who’s interesting in turning my short stories into a television series. Do you have a favourite film? And if so what is it? Yes. The Usual Suspects. Great film that keeps you guessing until the very end! Here is how you can find Fletcher Brown Website: www.fbrownebooks.com/ Amazon: www.amazon.com/Fletcher-Brown/e/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/fbrownebooks FaceBook: www.facebook.com/FBrownebooks I'd like to take this last moment to thank Fletcher for his time, and patience, in answering my questions and being a willing participant in my interviewing progress. I hope you'll take the time to follow Fletcher on Twitter, or Facebook, or check out his site, maybe even pop on over to Amazon and pick up one of his hot and steamy reads, but please remember to leave a review, it's the best compliment you could pay an author. Once again, thank you Fletcher Brown.  I met Stephen Pellow through Twitter. We started to talk and found out we both hailed from the UK, though many miles apart, and a true friendship was born. Stephen is one of those rare finds of people, he's polite, kind, very much a gentleman, and will always help wherever, and whenever, he can. I really count myself blessed to be classed as one of his friends.
Stephen is a creative writer, loves reading comic books, sci-fi, and fantasy, is a WWE Universe member, and a big fan of all things Disney (aren't we all?). In May of 2000 Stephen's web site was awarded the title of "Link of the day" by the User Friendly site. On his site Stephen created a template of a pair of boxer shorts, yes, as in the underwear kind, and asked people to design them however they wanted before emailing them back to him to put on a gallery on his site. What a geinus idea! Not only did he get people to explore their creative sides, he also made it fun to do. Would you like a look? Then pop on over to Stephen's Design-a-pants Gallery. This is what Stephen Pellow had to say... Why did you decide you wanted to become a writer? I don’t think I ever consciously made a decision to become a writer; it’s just been something I’ve always done, from a very young age. I guess I started getting really serious about it when I was doing my A-Levels and I wrote my first sci-fi novella. After that I took a correspondence creative writing course with the aim of getting into print but things didn’t quite work out that way! What was the thing that drove you the most to do so? I can’t sing, dance, play an instrument, draw, paint, sculpt… make origami… so writing is my one creative outlet. All these things that swim around in my head have to go somewhere, so pen and paper it is! How long have you been writing? I’m 38 now, but can’t remember a how old I was when I picked up a pencil! There were a few years where I unfortunately didn’t/couldn’t write but on and off I’d say a total of 20 years. I got back into it a little over 4 years ago. Why did you pick the genre/s that you have? I grew up on a healthy diet of sci-fi movies and TV shows. Star Trek. Doctor Who. Star Wars. So the genres sort of picked me, rather than me choosing them. I read exclusively horror and fantasy. Clive Barker, Stephen King, Terry Pratchett and Robert Rankin. So early on it was sci-fi or fantasy but now it’s more reality based with just tinges of these genres. Who is your favourite character, and why? Favourite character of mine? Answering this wouldn’t mean anything to anyone aside from a few people nobody knows about them… yet. There is one I’ve been working on for a long time and while certain facts around him have changed during the process of creating the story, at his core he’s remained the same character and I’m very proud of inventing him. Do you have any particular quirks when writing? Probably, but not knowingly! Maybe that I prefer to write initially with pen (or pencil) and paper. A large majority of what I’ve written has never made it to a word processor. What does your family think of your work? My mum was my biggest supporter. She really encouraged me to explore writing once I had finished my A-Levels and she paid for the correspondence course I took. My brother and dad care, but don’t show a great deal of interest. To date my dad has not read, or asked about, anything I’ve written. My brother has read one that I know of. Do you belong to any writing groups? And if so what do you think are the pros and cons? I belong to a writing group called Storyslingers based locally in Shaftesbury, Dorset. It’s largely informal, very welcoming and friendly. I started going just over 4 years ago and until that point I hadn’t been writing for quite a long time. I don’t like to think that I had given up on it, but in truth if I hadn’t said yes to a friend and gone along to that first meeting on 1st November 2011 I might still have not got back to it. The best thing is obviously the support, advice and encouragement you receive (and share back). I’ve met people I would never have otherwise met and become good friends with a few as well. The cons are few and I’d think it’s the same with any group of this kind. Sometimes “real life” gets in the way and people can’t make it to meetings. You can go weeks or even months without seeing some members. Or there are times when the group can lose focus and things get disorganised a bit. But there is no denying the positive impact Storyslingers has had on not just my writing, but also my life in general. How do you deal with writers block? I journal. I pick a life event, or even just what happened that week, and write it up. It just gets words out and flowing. Some have become the basis of stories, an element or two has been used elsewhere from time to time. Largely though it ends up rather too private or personal to ever see the light of day! What would you say is the most difficult part of writing? Actually writing. When I do it I like to think I’m pretty good, but it takes A LOT for me to get to the point of actually sitting down and getting it done. No matter how well I can have it formed in my head, actually getting it down on paper can be a big struggle for me. What do you enjoy the most about writing? Those little moments where I dare to imagine I’ve actually just created something new and unique! Or just the realisation that something that’s been rattling around in my head for weeks or months has finally found somewhere else to live. I just love coming up with stories. Where do you find your inspiration? In the bath. I’m always coming up with stuff in the bath. Seriously though, I think it goes back to the movies and TV I grew up with. All that science fiction just expanded my mind and left me receptive to so much. Also my dissatisfaction with other stories, be it from any medium. On screen, books or video games – several ideas have started from how I thought something could have been executed a little differently. With music, some I listen to there may be a lyric that could send me off in a direction I wasn’t expecting or the style may influence the tone of what I want to write. Are your characters based on anyone you know? Ha! Well the actions of someone I know may inform some of my characters but outright based on, no. I do “cast” a lot of my stories with actors, musicians, models etc. to help me write them but nobody directly from real life. What do you do in your spare time to relax? I have a full time job so writing is what I like to do in my spare time! For me it would be defined as a hobby but that doesn’t mean I don’t take it seriously or lack ambition. I, of course, read and watch far too many TV shows and movies. I play video games. I enjoy walking (although not so much in the winter) and spending time in the company of a few special people. I’m also a passionate WWE fan and lover of all things Disney. It all adds up to a lot of procrastination! What do you like to read? These days it seems to be exclusively the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, interspersed with the odd sci-fi novel for good measure. Not as much fantasy or horror as I used to. There is also the work of the wonderful writers I’ve met, or am in contact with, regardless of the genre! Who is your favourite author? A tough question but I’m going to have to answer with Terry Pratchett for the impact his work has had on me, not necessarily reflected in my writing I hasten to add! Where are your books available? They aren’t yet! Last year I published a flash fiction story to Inkitt as part of their “Shiver” competition which is the first time any fiction I have written has been made public. I’m sure most writers wouldn’t have second guessed sharing like that but it was a pretty big step for me! There are also some past issues of Trucking magazine that feature DVD and CD reviews I’ve written. What are you working on right now? The on again/off again novel broken up with flash fiction and short stories here and there. What is your ultimate goal? I just want to keep writing, and to enjoy doing so. If opportunities become available to take it further then that would be great. The dream would be to develop an original IP that had the potential to become a franchise. I would love to be able to afford the time to wholly focus on writing. I do have ambition, but I’m also a realist! Do you have a favourite film? And if so what is it? The answer can change at a moments notice with me, but I always end up back at Die Hard. When it does change to something else, you can pretty much guarantee it’s from the 80’s or early 90’s. Here is how you can find Stephen Pellow Website: To come Twitter: @Stephen_Pellow Storyslingers Blog: www.storyslingers.wordpress.com I'd like to take a moment to thank Stephen for his time, and his patience, to answer my question, and for being a willing interviewee for my blog. It has been an honour to get to know him during the interview, as well as in real life, and I'm sure you'll join me in wishing him all the very best for his future endeavours, and I also hope you will join me in following such a charming, friendly, and down to earth man on Twitter. I can promise you you won't regret it! So, once again, thank you Stephen Pellow. |
Author
I am a wife, mother, and grandmother, and I live in Wales in the U.K. Sallyann Phillips is an IASD member.
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