Interview: Author Chaz Wood
Your Name (as it appears on your books):
C. Wood or Chaz Wood, depending on the book or the series
Your Blog or Author Website (no purchase links):
http://www.fenriswulf-books.co.uk
Your Facebook (if applicable):
http://www.facebook.com/Fenriswulf.Publishing
How would you describe yourself?
A driven creator, dedicated to building his own worlds and populating them with exciting, flawed characters. Artist, writer, designer, graphic novelist, do-it-yourself freak.
How would you describe what you write?
Diverse in terms of subject matter and tone, but united by the concepts of strong, down-to-earth characters; deeply-layered plotlines with intricate threads, and intentional symbolism and satire. Heavily influenced by history, mythology, the occult and science. In the last few years I’ve written a religious-themed contemporary thriller, a twisted psychological horror, and a steampunk-inspired series of epic fantasy adventures.
What inspired you to start writing your first book?
A simple desire to create that has seemingly existed for almost as long as I have.
Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla?
Neither really.
What authors influence your writing?
Anthony Burgess, Kingsley Amis, Tom Sharpe, David Lodge, Ambrose Bierce, HP Lovecraft, Umberto Eco, Sergei Lukyanenko, C.G Jung, F. Nietzsche, James Joyce
What one writing tip do you have for new authors?
To quote Hemingway: “You never regret cutting anything out of a novel.”
Did you self or traditionally publish, and why did you choose that route?
Self-published. Tired of dancing to the tunes of people who can’t be bothered to read more than the first line of a submission, and waiting 3 months for a reply to say so.
Do you have a blog, and how has it helped with your promotional efforts?
Yes. It didn’t seem to help much before this year (2011), when I finally found other writers and bloggers to swap links, guest posts and other content with me. It still hasn’t translated into sales, however, but at least it’s another step up the mountain.
What one thing are you OCD about, in general?
Time management. Having 3 jobs: day job (in tech support), self-employed illustrator and self-publisher/writer/designer, means I often have to pack a whole day into a single evening.
What is the most creative way you have promoted any of your books?
By starting a Facebook group based around a series of books with half-a-dozen characters from the books, who then posted comments, illustrations, and links as real people…before I found out that owning multiple accounts was a breach of FB Terms and Conditions. It was fun while it lasted but an epic failure really, although a couple of real-life friends did buy into it.
What would you do differently if you had to start over?
Be more pushy, more vocal, and less presumptive in terms of self-promotion.
Where do you hope to see yourself in the next five years?
Still alive and well and living in the middle of nowhere.
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