Today I am delighted to be having a slice of cake with author Sam Kates. Sam writes mainly science fiction, fantasy and horror. He lives in South Wales, U.K. with a family, a computer and way too many books.
What kind of stories do you write?
I write fiction that tends towards the dark side. My first completed novel involves a haunted village and vengeance from beyond the grave. My best-selling books are the Earth Haven trilogy, an apocalyptic tale about a manufactured virus that wipes out most of the earth’s population. I have another trilogy about a group of reluctant strangers travelling between dimensions in an elevator, encountering otherworldly perils along the way. My most recently published work is a trio of dark novellas called Moths.
Can you describe your writing why?
When I first read this question I thought, ‘Blimey! That’s a toughie.’ But when I thought about it a little more, I realised it’s not at all. The answer, for me, is quite simple: what motivates me to write is the possibility of people I’ve never met reading, and being entertained by, words I’ve written. I still get as much of a thrill from each sale as I did when my first story was published in a magazine many moons ago. It’s the greatest feeling of job satisfaction I’ve ever known.
Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most
The book I enjoyed writing the most is always the last one I finished. So here’s an extract from one of the novellas in the Moths collection:
Griff’s eyes were wild in the light from his phone. “Fucking hell, Dai! It’s not even possible.” He peered into the hole. “Look at that coffin. Remember how heavy it was. It’s made from oak or teak or something. Wood, anyway. Solid bloody wood.” He turned back to David. “We both went to see him before the end. It was, er…”
“Six days ago,” said David quietly. “And I know what you’re going to say. There’s no way he would have the strength to break out of that coffin.”
“Too bloody right. He was barely seven stone soaking wet. He was being fed by drips. Even if it’s possible they somehow mistook him for dead when he was alive and he survived three days of being kept in a fridge, he couldn’t have punched through solid wood. And never mind the coffin. How in the hell could he have pushed through six feet of wet earth?”
David shrugged. “He couldn’t, but it looks like he did.”
Griff shook his head slowly, like a bewildered bear.
“So where is he now?”
Tell us about your latest project
As mentioned, my most recent publication is a trio of dark novellas, called Moths. Each one is quite different from the others, so there’s a good chance that readers will enjoy at least one of them. There’s what starts out as a mystery of a young woman with amnesia set in 1950 Devon, which takes a dark turn when the protagonist ventures into Dartmoor in search of a former lunatic asylum. Another tells the tale of the childhood and puberty of a young man whose increasingly bizarre behaviour culminates in tragedy. The final novella begins with a funeral when a certain sound makes itself heard; it’s the sort of sound you might hear at any time, except you never want to hear it at a funeral.
What is your favourite cake?
You can’t mean just one, right? I know someone who makes the most delicious carrot cake I’ve ever tasted, but I’m also partial to my mum’s lemon drizzle and my mother-in-law’s chocolate cake. I have a friend who makes cakes for a living—even her simple iced sponge with buttercream filling is to die for. To celebrate the publication of my first novel in paperback, she made a cake in the shape of a book with my cover. It was a shame to cut it, but it tasted so amazing it made up for what felt like vandalism. Then there’s coffee and walnut cake. Oh, and red velvet cake…
It's always good to meet another cake aficionado - great choices, all.
Join me next week when I will be chatting with Kelly S Marsden.
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Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find all her books on Amazon. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop.
Enjoyed reading this post. And that extract was good.. I still haven't finished the Earth Haven trilogy book one was fantastic, I recommend it. So many books to read really need to get cracking to read more new stuff.
ReplyDeleteMe too, me too!
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