Welcome David M. Brown

Welcome to the blog, David.  How long have you been writing? What inspired you to pick the pen up one day and create characters that capture the imagination?

I first started writing in 1999 while I was still at college. I’d done creative writing at school but didn’t show an interest in the craft as a hobby until I discovered the RPG series, Final Fantasy, on the Playstation. I fell in love with the games, stories and characters immediately and they led me to Norse mythology which I found more interesting than the Greek tales I was familiar with. Not long after I created the world of Elenchera and decided I wanted a rich history filled with colourful characters and exciting storylines.

I totally understand the lure.  How long did it take for your first book to get published?

I spent around two years writing Fezariu’s Epiphany, fitting it into the evenings after work or taking advantage of the full days the weekends provided. After six drafts the novel was ready and my wife and I decided to self-publish. She was integral to the book’s publication, designing a cover and formatting the book to printing standard. Since then she has also been instrumental in the continued publicity of the book which seems to be going from strength to strength.

So many authors choose this route now.  What does your writing day look like?

Weekdays are frustrating as I have to go out to work so in the evenings I’m forced to snatch an hour or two once chores and our six cats have been dealt with. Friday nights and weekends are better and it’s this point in the week where I’ll be at my most productive. It’s not just novel writing though. I’m continuing to work on the world history for Elenchera and have a regular blog, The World According to Dave, which features reviews and tales of our six chaotic cats.

We only have two cats, but they too are chaotic.  How do you handle family and your writing career? Is your family understanding of the time that you have to give your career? Is it sometimes difficult for you? How did they react to fact that you’re an author?

My wife, Donna, was a fan of my writing before we were even together so has been very supportive and if it wasn’t for her then Fezariu’s Epiphany would never have been published. I do wish there was more time in the day to do plenty of writing but then have quality time with Donna. We don’t have any children and our six cats are largely independent, the only times they seem to need us is when they’re hungry or want our laps to sleep on. I’ve kept my writing largely quiet from my family. They’ve known for years that I like to write but, Donna aside, I try to keep my projects to myself until they’re complete.

Do you feel each of your characters lives with you as you write? Do their lives sometimes take over a part of your life?

The characters in Fezariu’s Epiphany seemed to be with me daily until I finally completed the novel. Fezariu himself had been nagging at me for quite some time and when it came to selecting a plot for my debut novel there’s no way he would have allowed me to tell any other story. Throughout the planning and writing of the novel, the characters would be with me through images of their moments in the book, ones I could visualize as clearly as if I were watching the scenes on the big screen. When it came to the final edits I wanted to be certain I had conveyed those many images as best as I could. I feel very happy with the end result and Fezariu has since left me alone so I’m assuming he’s pretty chuffed as well. The only downside is the characters in my next novel, A World Apart, are now pestering me daily. The life of a writer is always fun!

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Fezarius-Epiphany-David-M-Brown/dp/1456500597/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312852018&sr=8-1
Follow David's blog tour and comment often for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.  For tour locations go to http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2011/06/virtual-book-tour-fezarius-epiphany-by.html.

Author bio:

David M. Brown was born in Barnsley in 1982 and first conceived the idea of Elenchera in college. His love of history and English led him to read these subjects at Huddersfield University. David is inspired by medieval history, Norse mythology and Japanese role-playing video games and anime films. He lives in Huddersfield with his wife Donna and their six rescue cats.