I recently had a chance to sit down and talk to Oliver Strong about his writing. So, Oliver, tell us about yourself as a writer.
I'm an independent author, based in the UK, with over 10 books self-published in the Sci-Fi genre. I've been writing for about 13 years now.
What got you into writing your own stories? I woke up after having a rather vivid dream thinking to myself "I should write this down". I didn't, and the following night I dreamt the second half to the previous night's dream. On waking I quickly wrote down what I remembered from both dreams and 3 years later I self-published my book Queen in Exile.
What genre do you write? mainly sci-fi, though I do dabble in other genres.
Tell us about your WIP. It's a historical romance based in colonial South Africa or the Cape Colony/KwaZulu around the events of the Anglo-Zulu war.
How would you describe your writing style? It's changed over the years, but what has remained is that it's character centric and based on the give and take between characters. However, like I said, I like to dip my toe in everything to gauge the results.
What comes more easily, plot or characters? Characters are always first, plot comes afterwards. However I'm not sure if one is easier than the other, it's just my preference when writing.
What is your "writer's den" like? It's a PC on a large wooden desk in the front room, I sit on a leather recliner most of the day at work.
How do you get into the flow for writing? Do you have any rituals? I always write first thing in the morning while listening to music. I spend the first 5-6 hours of the day solid writing before I take a break to eat lunch, I eat breakfast and drink coffee while typing at the PC.
What would be the greatest achievement for you to aim for as a writer if anything were possible? To make a viable living from my writing alone.
What are you most grateful for as a writer? The enjoyment it gives me and the fact I've found a pursuit that means I enjoy hard work.
Do you read the same genre you write? Why, or why not? I read the classics but when it comes to modern authors I generally read sci-fi. Mainly because of the possibilities it allows the story to take and that I grew up in a time when the space race between the USA and Soviet Union was still on.
Do you read fellow indie authors' works? Why or why not? No. Why? Because I just don't read much at all as I have little time to do so, so when I do (I'm not a fast reader) I read classics from Authors I know I like.
Is there an author who inspires you? There are several, classical Authors from Homer to Sartre and in sci-fi I'd say Arthur C.Clarke inspires me most.
What's your favorite season? Winter, I prefer the cold since you can always wrap up and the dark nights help me wind down.
Do you have pets? No, pets would be a distraction.
Featured Book: The School of Hard Knocks
Why would you like to feature this book?
It's a great book for one, second I've just released it on audiobook and the narrator did a top quality job.
A review from mylittlebookcase_:
A book I recommend and will read again!
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I love this book, I have to say this book isn't what I usually go for, but I'm so glad I read this, it a great book!
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I love the characters, I love how it's not just a simple story line but how it's full and crazy and everything I love in a good book, the first thing I loved was the song in the beginning
“Come on, Let the spirit inside you, Don't wait to be found, Come along with my sound, Let the spirit move you.”
This I found great, things like this I love in a book!
So that drew my right in on page 1, from that I knew it was going to keep me wanting to read more and not put it down!
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This book had a lot happening and I found it great how it all blended into one and made the story just happen.
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I have read this book twice, I like to make sure I get everything in and I don't miss anything, but definitely if you haven't already you need to read this book, it's a must!
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I cannot wait for more books by this amazing author!
Who was your favorite character to write and why? Rick, he's a sort of late night watershed version of Dave Lister, and I really love the TV show Red Dwarf, so the book has shades of Red Dwarf.
What was the spark that started this book? I based the character on a friend of mine.
What was the most interesting random fact you researched for this book? I think it was the distance between our star and its closest neighbours.
What's the message you worked into this book? Don't let the bastards grind you down!
Find out more about Oliver Strong here.