Ask the Author: Phin Hall
Answered Questions (9)
Phin Hall
Somewhat macabre, but my brother died in 2014 from an unknown poison. I'd like to solve that mystery, as there was all kinds of weird elements (blood samples lost, wealthy family of influence involved etc).
Phin Hall
There are so many to choose from, but the first couple to spring to mind are Marcus and Helena, from the Falco novels by Lindsey Davis. I was still at university when I read the first book in this Roman mystery series, and it was quite possibly the first novel I'd read that contained a proper romance (not counting Bill and Josella in John Wyndham's "Day of the Triffids").
The book in question is called "The Silver Pigs" and from the instant Marcus and Helena meet there is scintillating conflict - both in personality and in social status. I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say, I read the book twice in close succession and both times found the tension and passion Davis creates for this couple wonderfully pleasing. Probably time to read it again!
The book in question is called "The Silver Pigs" and from the instant Marcus and Helena meet there is scintillating conflict - both in personality and in social status. I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say, I read the book twice in close succession and both times found the tension and passion Davis creates for this couple wonderfully pleasing. Probably time to read it again!
Phin Hall
Two major sources of inspiration are daydreaming about things I wish I could do and writing about things that I enjoy or which excite me.
Phin Hall
'Aspiring' just means that it's something you hope to be, and since writers, by definition, write, that's all you have to do. The more you do it, all the while reading other people's works and allowing them to read yours and give you feedback, the more of a writer you will become.
Plus, it's pretty good fun!
Plus, it's pretty good fun!
Phin Hall
Though I've often thought about trying to track him down, I never have. Not sure why...
Phin Hall
There are so many perks to being a writer. You can gaze into space for hours and, if challenged, explain you're busy working through a plot line. You can set up your laptop or notebook in the cafe or the pub, or even just in bed - you can write from anywhere. You can tell people you're a writer and sound more interesting than you actually are. You can swan around all day doing nothing - have a bath, watch a film, look at a corner - then cram in the day's writing work between 10pm and 2am, when everyone else is asleep.
But the best thing? That's got to be the escape it provides into a world that no one else has visited. When you write fiction, no matter how close to reality it is, you are creating a world that does not exists - a parallel universe, if you like, populated by the characters in your head and yourself as the only observer.
And if I can pass just a little of that escape on to others who read my books, I'm a happy man.
But the best thing? That's got to be the escape it provides into a world that no one else has visited. When you write fiction, no matter how close to reality it is, you are creating a world that does not exists - a parallel universe, if you like, populated by the characters in your head and yourself as the only observer.
And if I can pass just a little of that escape on to others who read my books, I'm a happy man.
Phin Hall
There's only one way to deal with writer's block in all it's many forms (which include such delights as thinking I'm a terrible writer, thinking my book is a waste of time, convincing myself I don't have time to write, comparing my work with other people's, failing to plot sufficiently, and just not wanting to write) and it's this: KEEP ON WRITING.
Write rubbish, write outside the plot, write although it may all get deleted tomorrow, write even though there is no time in the day to do so. Write. That's the only way to break through it. Did I say, "only"?
Yes.
Write rubbish, write outside the plot, write although it may all get deleted tomorrow, write even though there is no time in the day to do so. Write. That's the only way to break through it. Did I say, "only"?
Yes.
Phin Hall
You can't get more 'most recent' that the book I'm currently writing, so I'll tell you about that. The idea starting forming in March 2008, when I spent a long weekend on a smallholding in Devon (Hidden Valley Pigs - fantastic place, lovely people). It was a life-changing few days for me - an emotional roller coster thanks to chicken killing and pig injecting! - and I just wanted to try to capture a glimpse of that in a novel.
I have to make it clear, however, that the novel is not about me, nor about the owners of Hidden Valley Pigs. It's all made up in a kind of slightly, semi-autobiographical-ish kind of way. A bit.
I have to make it clear, however, that the novel is not about me, nor about the owners of Hidden Valley Pigs. It's all made up in a kind of slightly, semi-autobiographical-ish kind of way. A bit.
Phin Hall
I've always wanted to write a book about a city guy spending a week on a country smallholding, and that's what I'm doing at the moment. It's still in the early stages, about halfway through the first draft, and there's a lot of shaping work that's going to be needed, but I'm enjoying it so far.
I hope to end up with a story of self-discovery, a life changing journey and a little bit of self-indulgent nostalgia.
If you want to see how it's doing, check out my site - I'm posting each draft chapter as it's done, together with articles on the process of writing the novel.
I hope to end up with a story of self-discovery, a life changing journey and a little bit of self-indulgent nostalgia.
If you want to see how it's doing, check out my site - I'm posting each draft chapter as it's done, together with articles on the process of writing the novel.
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