About Derek Power:
I began writing in early 2001, mainly focusing on short stories. After winning the odd contest here and there I figured I would try and write something a little longer. A few false starts later I managed to complete my first novel, titled Filthy Henry: The Fairy Detective, in early 2013.
I currently live in Skerries, Dublin, Ireland.
What inspires you to write?
Write a book that you want to read yourself, isn't that the saying? Well that's why I write. I have stories swimming around my head constantly. Growing up I used to keep a small notebook with me and I would jot down ideas, one-liners, anything that came along. I still have the notebook. Never used anything in it, but the voices in my head want out and writing gets them out.
Until the next idea crops up that wants to be written, ha ha.
I also think that comedy-fantasy is not a genre that is overdone in fiction these days. Plus coming from Ireland I like to take some of the old Celtic myths and Legends and put them into the wider world eye to be enjoyed.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Terry Pratchett, Philip K. Dick, David Eddings and Alice Feeny. Anything these people have written (or in Alice's case will write) I read.
Tell us about your writing process.
I'm an plotter til the day I die. I will have the general idea for the story appear in my head and then spend a few days jotting down ideas onto my pad. Maps will be drawn, dotted lines placed, and finally I open a word file and start spitting out the info into chapter 'blocks'. Once I am happy with this I start to write the first draft.
Most of the time the plot will evolve a little from the outline document. I treat the document as a sort of 'roadmap' that I want to get to. Each chapter has a 'point' I need to hit, so the changes don't really bother me if they make those 'points' all the better. Then it is rewrites, edits, rewrites, edits.
When writing the first draft I will do a minimum of 500 words a day. Some days that happens after two hours of dragging the words out. Others I can knock out three thousand words without realising the time has gone. The main point is I write a minimum of 500 words a day. I learned long ago that the words may not survive until the final draft, but that doesn't matter. Getting the first draft written is what matters – rewrites polish things.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I do talk to Filthy Henry, the main character in my series, a bit. A lot of him comes from me. We are both sarcastic folk and can push buttons when needed to get the job done, even if people don't like it. We get the job done. What's worse is Filthy Henry 'looks' like me, so most of the time I get a mirror and just have a full blown conversation with a figment of my imagination.
What advice would you give other writers?
Little acorns grow into might oaks. People always think that writing a 70k novel is some huge task, but you just have to break it down into easy tasks. Write 500 a day, then the next, then the next. Do that for a few weeks and you will have your first draft done. You just need to write every single day. No excuses. Yes, that means Christmas and your Birthday!.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Originally I shopped it around to all the publishers I could think of and a number of agents I found online. It was right around when the Kindle came out and that basically did to books what the iPod did to music – the publishing industry wasn't ready for it. After getting many 'no, we aren't taking a risk on you' responses one publisher came back and said that I should look at self publishing to build up a following which would then get me noticed. So I because an indie-author and to be honest I've never looked back.
I have so much control over the entire product from start to finish. I have met some fantastic people going to conventions and online. I was involved in a few indie published anthologies. It's been an adventure and a half.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I can see more indie authors coming out and giving it a go. E-Readers have made it just easier for people to publish their works without the overhead of storing print copies anywhere. Then again Print on Demand services help in that area as well. Publishers/Agents don't see to take a chance on complete unknowns anymore. You seem to need to prove you can go it alone before they take a chance – or you can just go it alone and do the hard work and then laugh when they come knockin.
What genres do you write?: comedy-fantasy, detective, crime, sci-fi noir
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Derek Power Home Page Link
Link To Derek Power Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Twitter
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
