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An Interview With Anthony Lund

Tell us a bit about yourself. What would you like us to know about you?

I'm a 25 year old of the male variety. All hair and teeth intact, no fake bits and a full MOT certificate. I have a pretty abstact sense of humour, and am always looking for my next challenge.

What are you doing now? (Career? Married? Single? Children? Pets?)

I am currently working in Business Development, which is obviously where the money comes from while I launch my writing career. Unfortunate but essential. I'm not married yet, but am getting there. Somehow my girlfriend can stand my constant sarcasm and does love me. God knows why but although i have offered bribes he won't tell me. There are no children yet, and I take more than enough looking after to have any pets...although i do have a Gremlin's head if that counts.

What is your favourite food?

Curry without doubt. Probably indian first then Chinese although I really am not fussy in that department. Anything hot and spicy and i'm gone.

What is your favourite colour?

Black. The colour of the obscure and the unnoticed. It's true as well. It's amazing how much you overhear when you're wearing black.

What is your favourite sound?

Hmm, good question. I think the sound of laughing. If i've caused it then even better.

Who is your favourite person?

I have to split this into two. One is my girlfriend...I know you're thinking "Well he has to say that" but it's true. I think second would be Bruce Springsteen. The man's music has inspired me so many times in so many different ways. I would have been a different person without it.

What is your favourite place?

Scotland. It's a beautiful country.

What is your favourite memory?

The first time I saw my girlfriend. We were meeting at a cinema and I was waiting to pay for the tickets when she walked in. She didn't know i was there and just having that first moment is my best memory.

What is your favourite article of clothing?

Actually it's a suit. I scrub up well, even if I do say so myself.

What is your favourite word?

In the company of children and old women it's splodge. Any other time, it's ratfuck.

What is your favourite writers' quote and why?

The quote is "Everyone grows up and loses their childish ways, but one day eveyone grows old enough to lose their fear of being childish and can openly love (children's) stories again." by C S Lewis. I think this quote means something to me because I have no fear of being childish. People tell you to grow up and stop watching cartoons, and stop acting like a child, but why should we? What's wrong with just enjoying life in any way you want.

What is your most favourite quality about yourself?

I think my loyalty. If i say i'm going to stick by someone then I do, through thick and thin.

What is the least favourite quality about yourself?

Some would say my sarcasm, but my writing wouldn't be the same without it.
I think it might have to be my doubt in myself. I'm my worst critic and that is probably the worst quality.

If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?

Australia. I love the idea of so much open space where you can just drive out into nowhere. Either there or the Nevada desert.

What inspires you to write and why?

Any number of things. People, places, random lines that people say. I tend to have lots of ideas and if they stay with me for more than a couple of weeks then I know there is something there. I tend to let stories write themselves, so i usually just have a single line or image or character and take it from there.

What is your favourite book and why?

How can you ask that of me. I have a library of over 1000 books. It's like asking the parent of 20 kids which their favourite is. Lord of The Rings has got to be up there somewhere if for nothing more than the number of other fantasy works that have been written by people inspired by the text. I think as well is The Stand by Stephen King, just for it's epic scale and the moral behind the tale.

What is your favourite genre and why?

Although I love humour, crime and fantasy, I think the mother of all genres for me will always be Horror. The first adult book I read was a copy of Cujo. That led to me starting to write and read a lot more so because of that I always have a soft spot for the dark of the genre.

List your three favourite authors (any genre) and why?

Stephen King is my first. The man has an ability to bring out the human side i the horror genre. When so many others rely on gore and blood, King always goes for the heart. Without a human thread at it's core, the horror genre is dead.
Spike Milligan is next. For me, Spike was the greatest creator of true British humour there has ever been, and it is mainly Spike's influence that is dominant in my humour work.
And finally it would be James Patterson. Patterson is one of the few writers who knows the true meaning of "page-turner". When you pick up a James Patterson novel you know you will have it finished within a couple of days. Even his two romance novels have an urgency about them.

What do you think makes a writer successful?

I think to be successful as a writer you need to love what you do. If you enjoy the story, then there is a chance that others will too. You haven't to be frightened to disregard the rules once in a while and do something against the grain.

Whta is it that makes you successful as a writer?

I love what i do. The stories I write are written with a certain person in mind. If that person reads the story and is glad to have read it, then I have succeeded.

What are your goals as a writer?

I'm not sure on that one actually. I think one goal was just to be able to see a copy of my book on a shelf. I've finally found a novel that had done that. I think probably my goal now is to complete some of the ambitious projects I've outlined.

What is the best tip you can give to fellow writers?

The best tip I can give is not write what you know, but write what you are passionate about. If you live for the horror genre, don't try to make a career as a romance novelist. Make sure you research your work and even if you don't plan your story make sure you plan your characters and make them real, believable and make them unique.

What do you hope to provide your readers with through your writing?

Entertainment. Simple as that. If people read my humour books and laugh, or my other novels in the future and lose themselves in the worlds and characters I create to forget their own problems for a little while,then I have given them what I set out to. If i inspire others to give writing a try, then all the better.

List your three favourite online writer-resource sites and why (include URLS).

www.writing.com
www.fanstory.com
www.firstwriter.com

All three of these sites off the one thing money can't buy - the opinion of the public. These were the sites I first turned to when i started posting my writing on the web and they have been invaluable in so many ways.

If you have published a book, tell us about your publishing success (title, publishing date and company, where it is available to purcahse).

I have just released my first novel, A Christmas Carol Retold. The book is part of a series of comedy novels that take well known stories and while being faithful to the original text they are like no version anyone has seen before. The book was released on 19th November, published by Back Side Books (a part of my Tales From The Back Side group), and is available through www.lulu.com and my personal website at www.anthonylund.co.uk. I am currently working towards having it available through amazon and other retailers.

How long did it take you to write your book(s)?

It took me two weeks to write the original version of A Christmas Carol Retold, then another week to extend it to the version that has now been published. It does always vary with me. Some things I can write really quick, others I need to take time with. My humour work usually turns out pretty quickly. I can churn out a couple of thousand words an hour. I can usually write my serious novels in a few months. It usually depends how well i know the story I'm telling and how much I want to find out what happens to the characters.

What would you do differently if you could repeat the same publishing experience?

I think having someone to help with the publicity of the book. Although I don't think i would want to change it because i have enjoyed the hands-on approach of doing press releases, posters, adverts and so forth. Doing it for every book though could take quite some time.

What have you learned about the publishing world?

Well i've don't most of the work myself. I do know that the publishing world beyond me have a liking for books that will make multi-millions of pounds. If you're aiming at a niche market, then it can be really difficult to get that elusive contract, but never be frightened to take matters into your own hands.

This is your chance to 'Talk Back' to your readers. What would you like to say to them?

I think I have to just say thanks. There are people out there who have encouraged me, pushed me to believe that I do have some talent. It does still surprise me how people have taken to my work. So for everyone who has bought my book, listened to my drivel on my video blog and stuck by me this far, I say thank you very much because without you, I'm nothing.

What's the one thing that you want them to know about your writing?

It's purely for entertainment. I try to be funny in my humour work, differnet with most of my other stuff. It always means something to me, and I write it for myself to enjoy. I'm such a bad critic of my work that if i think it's good, then it really must be.

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