Sam Bowring has been writing and performing stand-up comedy since he was sixteen years old. He has been on radio and written for several television shows. In 2006 Sam was nominated for Best Emerging Comic at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and for Best Newcomer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Sam has also written several plays.
Welcome
to Strange Candy Reviews Sam! Thanks for joining us.
SCR:
Seeing as this is a Spotlight on Australian Authors can you tell us a
bit about where you grew up?
I
grew up in Glebe, Sydney. Opposite our house was a park around
Blackwattle Bay, in which you could catch the filthiest of mullets,
and big black sea slugs which could be used, believe it or not, to
have sea slug fights.
SCR:
What is your fondest memory from your childhood?
One
time as an experiment, I took a rubber glove out into the laundry,
tied it firmly onto a tap, then turned the water on full blast. The
result (I was surprised to learn) was that the glove filled up
quickly and exploded. Terrified of getting into trouble, I decided I
had to do away with the evidence – but I also knew that gloves
come in pairs, and what could
be more suspicious than a single intact glove sitting about without
its partner? So not only did
I bury the exploded glove deep in the vegetable patch, but I also
buried a perfectly good glove too. Best to be thorough about getting
away with such great and terrible crimes.
SCR:
Did you family have a favorite holiday spot?
Ulladulla
was the recurrent destination. There was a channel from Burrell Lakes
out to the ocean, which would empty with force as the tide went out,
which was a hell of a lot of fun to ride along in … although I’m
told that the sand has now closed in, and the channel is gone. I also
remember a huge rockpool, where I used to catch little blue
damselfish, and where an octopus once stole my sister’s thong right
off her foot. When I visited it again recently however, there was
nothing much to be seen alive in there. Can’t say I didn’t feel a
little bit guilty.
SCR:
Could you give us a little overview of your books?
They’re
about a blue haired boy prophesied to forever destroy the balance
between light and shadow, whose soul gets ripped into two different
entities. One part gets taken by each side, and they grow up separate
to each other in enemy lands. There’s a big ensemble cast too,
including an undead mage, an insane dragon, shape-changing mud
monsters and a particularly malevolent psychic bird.
SCR:
You're also a television writer, playwright and stand-up comedian. Do
you ever find any of these conflicting with another?
It’s
difficult getting established in any writing field, so maybe the
worst to be said about trying to do all those things at once, is that
you feel yourself pointed in many directions, whilst making little
progress. On the other hand the different disciplines will often
inform each other, and cross pollinate.
I
got this idea in my head when I was a kid that reality is boring …
and although I don’t necessarily hold to that anymore, it was
habit-forming at the time, and consequently most books I read are
fantasy. As for what inspires me to write in the genre, I guess it is
the freedom to invent, to imagine absolutely anything, and to dream
and escape. Plus goblins are fucking awesome.
SCR:
The premise of two boys and one soul is quite different. What was the
initial thought that spawned this idea?
I
started thinking about the story in school over ten years ago, and
I’m afraid I’d be lying if I claimed to have any idea where it
came from. Guess you’ve got to occupy your mind with something
while the girls aren’t kissing you.
SCR:
Is there a message in your books like you would like readers to
grasp?
Yes,
but it is very wrapped up with the ending, so I can say nothing about
it here.
SCR:
The world you have created with Fenvarrow and Kainordas is
impressive. Do you ever find the world building difficult?
Sometimes
– the biggest challenge I guess is, because you are making up the
rules of the land, you then have to stick to them. With the magic
systems, for example, it was sometimes hard keeping track of all the
nonsense I had already made up about them previously, and what was
therefore now ‘possible’ and what was not.
SCR:
Did you encounter any problems while writing your books?
Plenty
– for example, coordinating a big cast, and getting them where they
need to be at the right times, with the right companions, is quite a
balancing act. One technique, when I run into an issue or block, is
to lie down, tell myself I am just going to think about it for a few
minutes, and then fall asleep instead and dream about velociraptors.
SCR:
The last book in your trilogy, Soul's Reckoning has been released,
what do you have planned next?
I’ve
just finished a play about feral cats, and I’m moving onto another
fantasy, set in a different world.
SCR:
Are there any new authors that have grabbed you interest? If so, who
are they?
You
know what – this is embarrassing - but I don’t read very much at
the moment. Mainly it’s on the toilet. I think this is because
after writing all day, I usually want to do something that doesn’t
involve words. So I’m not really up on what’s coming out at the
moment.
SCR:
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Everyone
is more concerned about how they come across, than how you do. So
don’t worry about going down the shops in your pajamas.
To win a copy of Sam's first book in The Broken Wells trilogy, Prophecy's Ruin, just answer: What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
Please leave your email in the comment.
Update: Giveaway ends Oct 2nd!
Please leave your email in the comment.
Update: Giveaway ends Oct 2nd!
I have two other current giveaway's on my blog. First there's my Almost 100 Follower Giveaway, where you can win books from some of my favorite Australian authors. There are 10 books to choose from.
Don't bet on the horses. LOL....I give my kids the "don't count your chickens before they are hatched" one though.
ReplyDeletemeredithfl at gmail dot com
Mary D
ReplyDeletezenrei57 (at) hotmail (dot) com
My dad always said not to *charge/go into debt*. He wisely maintained that it was WAY easier to save up for something than to pay something off!
Don't put all your eggs in one basket! How true? I do that too often and regret it afterwards.
ReplyDeleteCount me in if this is international please.
k_anon[at]hotmail[dot]co[dot]uk
I was told, everything you do is a choice or a consequence of a choice. That is not an easy piece of advice to follow, but I think it is really important.
ReplyDeletetwoofakind12@yahoo.com
"Give more than what you want and you will get more than what you need." and "Count to ten before you say or do something you regret; if you're still mad, count higher. Remember numbers are infinite."
ReplyDeletePlease enter me if this is an International giveaway. Thank you!
ljeni at yahoo.com
I think the old saying "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
ReplyDeleteI really believe persistence pays !
Please enter me in the giveaway is open worldwide.
Thanks.
Carol T
buddytho {at} gmail DOT com
If you dream it, you can do it! Never give up.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this awesome giveaway! Please enter me if it is international.
Giada M.
fabgiada (at) gmail (dot) com
no one can humiliate you without your permission
ReplyDeleteand
always believe in yourself
forceofstars(at)yahoo(dot)dk
You guys have been given some really good advice. I was told to always be myself and never let anyone tell me otherwise.
ReplyDeleteThat was a great interview and the plot of this trilogy is really original and refreshing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting and reccing this! :)