Ask the Author: Mark Gillespie
Answered Questions (6)
Mark Gillespie
Hey Celandine, sorry for the delay in replying. Ha-ha, no I'm not the guy from Big Fun. But I do remember their cover of Blame it on the Boogie. Wonder what happened to him? :)
Mark Gillespie
Write. Finish. Congratulations.
Mark Gillespie
It's a weird unconscious cathartic release. You get all the love and the hate buried deep inside you out there on the page - and you don't even have to try. It just comes. No matter what form/genre your fiction is - there you are. It's always you.
Mark Gillespie
Thanks very much Paul. I will indeed get in touch if I need any of your services - thanks for pointing me in the direction of the site. Always good to know about these things.
All the best!
All the best!
Mark Gillespie
Thanks Paul. The Plot Against America is definitely one of the best works of alternate history and even after so many others written about the Nazis and WW2 - and there are so many! - it still stands out.
You're absolutely right. There are so many subjects for writers to either screw up or put right. Sometimes though, screwing them up is more interesting as well as fun :) As mentioned, most alternate history concentrates on WW2, and also the American Civil War (in which the South win). I like messing with popular culture myself, although the next alternate history idea I'm working on tackles the London riots of 2011. And in this reality, the riots don't stop after four days - they don't stop at all and London starts to fall. It's told from various perspectives: those taking part, the media, government, police etc...and I used a lot of documents taking from the real riots to research the various perspectives. Hopefully it works!
Thanks very much for the question Paul. Don't hesitate to get back in touch if you ever feel the need.
All the best,
Mark
You're absolutely right. There are so many subjects for writers to either screw up or put right. Sometimes though, screwing them up is more interesting as well as fun :) As mentioned, most alternate history concentrates on WW2, and also the American Civil War (in which the South win). I like messing with popular culture myself, although the next alternate history idea I'm working on tackles the London riots of 2011. And in this reality, the riots don't stop after four days - they don't stop at all and London starts to fall. It's told from various perspectives: those taking part, the media, government, police etc...and I used a lot of documents taking from the real riots to research the various perspectives. Hopefully it works!
Thanks very much for the question Paul. Don't hesitate to get back in touch if you ever feel the need.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gillespie
Two ways. Either I sit down and churn something out, no matter how painful it is to write or how bad it is to read. Or I just walk away and wait for my head to find its way back into the clouds.
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