Interview with Gareth

I’m really excited to have interviewed Gareth Stevens, author, blogger, and awesome guy.

Hello Gareth,

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions.

1.       You’re publishing In The End, a dystopian thriller. Would you tell us what is the story about?

In The End is an apocalyptic thriller which centres around Logan and a group of his friends who look to him to lead them to safety when they miss the call for a mass evacuation of the south east of England. It follows their fast-paced journey marked with tragedy and new heart-warning relationships forged in the depths of their struggle to keep each other alive.

2.       Would you tell us what you’re working on at the moment?

Whilst In The End is with the copy editor I’m preparing for publication and editing the draft of the follow up which I wrote over six months ago. I’m writing the occasional short story set in the same world, well they’re more teaser pieces than stories themselves.

3.       You have a very successful blog (https://gjstevens.com/2018/10/19/my-publishing-journey/) full of interesting articles, interviews, and great writing. Any tips on how to be so successful?

Thank you very much for the complement. I’m not sure I would call it successful but I’ll take it anyway! My first tip would be honest and not to put up a front. I have a clear goal of what I want my blog to be and I try and stick to that content. I make it very clear that I’m posting information as I find it out and I welcome people telling me I got it wrong, as long as they tell me what they think. My second would be to engage with your audience and with others on their platforms about subjects that interest you. If you peak their interest then they may pop along to your site and see what you have to say.

4.       An invisible question for you:

And your answer is? Invisible Answer

5.       Ask yourself a question, give yourself an answer:

How did In The End come about? One of my very close friends suggested I should write it. We have a shared fascination of what would happen if the constructs of civilisation were to fall down and we were left to fend for ourselves. A few weeks later I decided to give it a go and after sending the first chapter to her over WhatsApp and enjoying her reaction, that’s what I did for the nearly four months it took to write. Whilst I was writing she’d told one of her work colleagues about it and so I started a website and began posting the chapters there on a daily basis too.

6.       What can you tell us about the villain of your story without giving us too many spoilers?

The villain of the book will be up to you to decide and your opinion may evolve as you head through the chapters. I have my opinion but I can’t post it here or it will spoil the surprise!

7.       Can you tell us what you’re planning to write afterwards?

I plan to write the third in the series. I have ideas but no time!

8.       Which is the biggest challenge of writing a book?

Time is definitely the biggest challenge without a doubt. Then it’s grammar, but there are solutions to that too!

9.       So, you’re in a locked room with a starving, brain-craving zombie, a confused Sleepy Beauty who believes she’s still in her fairy tale story, and an angry alien whose ship has just crashed on Earth. Your weapons are: a squirrel, a cup of hot coffee, a box of Band-Aids, a bottle of Diet coke, two Mentos, and a tiny (two inches), invisible dragon. How do you escape?

Protect the Sleepy Beauty and leave the alien and the Zombie battle it out. Put the Mentos in the Diet coke and spray the surge around the room so I can find the invisible dragon. Once found, capture it and direct it’s acid breath towards the lock, hoping it’s enough!

10.   Complete the sentence: the thing I like the most when I’m writing is…Peace and quiet.

11.   If you could have dinner with a movie star, whom will you choose?

Ryan Reynolds. Probably the funniest person alive.

12.   Dragons or unicorn? Superman or Batman? Dragons and Deadpool. J

13.   Who would play the role of Logan if when In The End is turned into a movie?  Ryan Reynolds J or maybe Mark Warhlberg

14.   Last question, if you were an X-man, which power will you have? The ability to stop time.

Thanks for joining me!!