Ask the Author: Daniel Pugsley
Answered Questions (10)
Daniel Pugsley
Karl lay back, groaning, his neck twisted and the seat belt cutting into the skin of his chest. The last thing he saw was the face of the man he'd crashed into, the pupil-less, soul-less black eyes glinting above two-inch bared fangs.
Daniel Pugsley
I lived in Japan for a while and had all kinds of adventures there, some of which were pretty crazy. I also accidentally went alone to a Mafia bar in south Italy and made some, shall we say interesting, new friends. That could have been the opening of a whole Pandora's box of stories!
Daniel Pugsley
I edit, proofread and beta read novels. I love it partly because I get to read things I might never have chosen but that I end up thoroughly enjoying. I also keep a lookout for anything new by my favourite historical fiction authors.
Daniel Pugsley
I know it's more TV although I have read a couple of books set then, but I would love to visit the Star Trek universe! Harry Potter would be pretty cool as well, as would Lord of the Rings.
Daniel Pugsley
I have a trick where I never stop a writing session at the end of a scene or chapter. If you leave things unresolved, you find yourself walking away still thinking about them, and then you often come back full of ideas.
I love using characters in TV and movies or real life people as templates. Reading about Brunhilde and Fredegunde in Shelley Puhak's The Dark Queens gave me some great ideas for female characters.
I love using characters in TV and movies or real life people as templates. Reading about Brunhilde and Fredegunde in Shelley Puhak's The Dark Queens gave me some great ideas for female characters.
Daniel Pugsley
I honestly don't have a big problem with writer's block. I have a chapter outline and if I don't know what to do with a scene, I skip to the next one and leave the outline. Then when I'm feeling more inspired, I come back to it.
Sometimes that can lead to more re-writes than are strictly necessary, but I find it's better to keep momentum going and then fix things later.
Sometimes that can lead to more re-writes than are strictly necessary, but I find it's better to keep momentum going and then fix things later.
Daniel Pugsley
The best thing is the next day, when you look back over a key scene that was difficult to write, and you find you're still pretty happy with it. That gives me a great feeling. That and being able to tell my English and ESOL student's I'm a published author!
Daniel Pugsley
I have a whole series of articles with advice for budding writers on my website, danielpugsleyauthor.co.uk/writing-and.... I think the main thing I advise is to be ruthless about cutting scenes that aren't moving the plot or the characters forward. As the Sum41 album says, all killer no filler!
Daniel Pugsley
I'm working on a book about three brothers who accompany Richard the Lionheart on the third crusade. I'll be looking to traditionally publish that one. I've also completed the second draft of Saviour of Babylon, the second book in the Babylon series, and I'm hoping to release that in early 2024.
Daniel Pugsley
I have always been interested in those civilisations that don't get the same attention as the likes of Rome, Greece and Egypt. I watch history videos on YouTube and came across some interesting ones on the rise and fall of ancient Babylon. The more I started to research, the more I got sucked into this amazing culture and world, and then ideas for characters and storylines started to form. The novel grew organically from there.
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