Recently, AF Stewart was on my radio show, Introducing WRITERS! and when I discovered she was working through a virtual book tour on her own, I offered Writing Space for her use. I hope you will seek out Ms. Stewart and her work.
1. Tell us about yourself. Please share a short bio with us.
I’m just a single gal from Nova Scotia, a province on the Atlantic coast of Canada. I’m the youngest of a family of seven children, and a self-professed sci-fi/fantasy geek. I’m a huge fan of action movies, I love my TV shows (my favourites are Supernatural, The Mentalist, Bones and Dexter), I collect comic books and sword replicas, and my main hobby is painting landscapes. I adore a good book, especially if it is a mystery or in the science fiction/fantasy genre; there is nothing more relaxing than to be curled up with an engrossing book.
My writing consists mostly of fantasy tales that tend to be a bit dark in tone, and I like to mix in a bit of history and mythology. I also write poetry in much the same way; I’m not one to write love poems.
2. Tell us about your book and where it can be found.
My latest book, Chronicles of the Undead, is a horror novella written entirely as diary entries (with no dialogue) told from the point of view of three different characters: Samuel Harrington, his son Edmund, and Edmund’s daughter Charlotte. The book is divided into different sections; the first part involves the life of Samuel Harrington, the second section narrates the plight of Edmund Harrington, and the last portion tells the story of Charlotte.
The plot unfolds in London, England, starting in the late 18th century with the diary of Samuel Harrington, whose interaction with two vampires begins a chain of events that impact his family; one horrific, selfish act has far-reaching consequences. Edmund’s diaries overlap events in his father’s and continues the story. The last diary of Charlotte Harrington takes place in the early 19th century, beginning when she discovers her family’s dark secrets and inherits their strange legacy.
The print version of Chronicles of the Undead is available at Amazon.com and at Lulu.com. The download version (a PDF ebook) is only available from Lulu.com.
3. What age did you discover writing? What is your earliest work about?
I’ve always been scribbling something, since I learned to scribble. Mostly poetry and short stories when I was younger, then I started penning books. I’m not sure what my very first work was, but I do have a fond remembrance for a short story I wrote as a school assignment, about a woman who became obsessed with an evil samurai sword. My first attempt at a book was an awful romantic/adventure mess; I shudder to think of it.
4. Who has inspired you as an author?
My main inspirations are: Ray Bradbury (a brilliant sci-fi author, who just transcends any genre); Neil Gaiman (to me he is a genius and can do no wrong); Guy Gavriel Kay (a Canadian author, who writes beautiful, lyrical fantasy); and Agatha Christie (her plots are clever classics).
5. What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
One reader thought my short story collection, Inside Realms, had a seething undercurrent of romance. It was an interesting point of view, but I certainly didn’t write the stories to have romantic subplots. Only one story was actually written as a romance, and even that story, Harbinger, isn’t a typical love story.
6. Do you have a specific time or place that you write?
I like to write in the solitude of my bedroom, usually on the weekends, or whenever I have a spare hour or two.
7. What’s next for you?
I’m working on two books at the moment: a non-fiction entertainment book, The Incomplete Guide to Action Movies (a follow-up to The Incomplete List of Action Movie Clichés) and the first book in my proposed Song Mage series, Song of the Wind and Sea (this book is set in a world where musical ability equals magical ability). Song of the Wind and Sea follows the life of Diarmid, as he enters the Order of the Song Mage and becomes a wizard.
I’ve also begun dabbling in flash fiction (fiction that is 1000 words or less) and hope to shop some stories around to magazines.
You can find Ms. Stewart's book at Amazon and more about this great author at her website
AF STEWART SITE
~finis
3 comments:
I always loved reading Ray Bradbury. Found a set of DVDs of TV versions of his stories recently; I'd never seen them before, but they make great lunch-time viewing. I used to be an Agatha Christie fan too. And my son has introduced me to Neil Gaiman.
Interesting post, Kim. You are a good interviewer. It's fun to interview authors, isn't it? I had the distinct privilege to interview author Kate Jacobs on my blog a few months ago.
I'd never heard the term "flash fiction" before. I will keep a lookout for Ms. Stewart's unique writing.
I enjoyed this interview. I came here from A. F. Stewart's Gather.com articles, stopping off at Linda K. Rudder's site along the way. I happen to read a lot of fiction, and have my own book review site at Nearly nothing but novels. I've also been lucky to interview some authors, in the flesh and virtually. I'm a fan of Bradbury, though I mainly come into contact with his work through my kids, these days. Thanks for the terrific interview and for the insights into Ms. Stewart and her writing. I love the idea of the "incomplete guides" mentioned and must admit to being an action and sci-fi film fan, too. Best wishes, Jim
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