Hi Anthony! Thanks so much for being a part of The Cavanaugh
Connection! It’s so good to have you! :)
Please, tell the readers a little more about
yourself and how you knew you wanted to be a writer!
My full name is Anthony James Price, but my friends call me
Ant. I do get the occasional Tony thrown
my way too. I’m 28 years old and I live
in Canterbury, Kent in the South-east of England. I think I’ve always wanted to be a
writer. It’s something that I just did
when I was younger to pass the time. My Grandfather was a cleaner at a local
High School and used to bring home spare notebooks. I would go around their house and we’d play
cards for a while, then I’d dive in to the notebooks and scribble away. I filled them all with stories and
poetry.
So you knew you wanted to write, but what was
the catalyst that made you decide to actually do it?
I know a lot of people who
have the passion, but not the drive, or the self-doubt is too great.
When I finished my second undergraduate degree, I really
didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, but I always knew I wanted to get
a Masters Degree under my belt. When I
found that I could study Creative Writing at that level, I jumped at the
chance. It reignited my passion for
writing. I think self-doubt was probably
in me somewhere, but when I set out to do something, I give it my all. I just
had to take the bull by the horns so to speak.
What has been your greatest obstacle to
overcome?
I think that my biggest obstacle to overcome has been
myself. I’m one of life’s many
procrastinators. I never thought that I
would have the discipline and the drive it takes to succeed as a writer. But as I said, I just had to knuckle down and
get to it.
I'm a big procrastinator too! How did you overcome it?
I managed to knuckle down and gave myself a big kick up the
bottom. Doing my Masters degree in
Creative Writing really helped me focus my writing and got me in to a good
working routine that by and large, I’ve stuck to. It was a case of wanting it not being
enough. I had to apply myself to the
task. Thankfully, I did it.
If your life were a movie, who would you want to
play you?
Ooo, that’s a tough one.
There are so many great actors out there. I did see James McAvoy play a character with
a similar disability to myself. He
really did the role justice, so I’d be honored for him to play me. Plus, he’s a great Professor Xavier.
Haha. Yeah, he is great. Can you tell me a little bit about the first
project you ever completed?
Funnily enough, The House of Wood is actually the first
novel I’ve ever completed. Up until that
point, I’d only written short stories and poetry. It was an amazing feeling getting to the end.
Getting to the end has always been a challenge for me! Until recently, it never happened... Do you have any projects that have been put on
the back burner for a while, sort of forgotten about? If so, do you think any
of them will ever see the light of day?
I always tend to have several projects going on at the same
time and quite often, a few of them get put on the back burner. Ideas seem to just come to me out of the blue
and I’m the type of writer that has to start work on them immediately until
it’s out of my system. I get very
excited by the ideas. Hopefully though,
everything that has been put on the back burner will see the light of day at
some point, whether it be a novel, T.V show, or film. They all still hold a place in my heart.
I think a lot of writers feel that way. I currently have like 6 started projects! What happens, during the writing process, for
you to decide to push a book away and not continue to write it?
It’s purely down to the fact that I get this burning desire
to work on a new idea as soon as it comes to me. Nothing ever gets forgotten and it all goes
in my notebook for a later date. I am
getting better at working on one project at a time though!
Now what about The House of Wood, where did you get the inspiration for this?
The House of Wood started out as a small exercise on my
Creative Writing Masters. I was
originally going to write it as a short story, but there were so many things
that I could add to it and ideas just kept coming to me, that I couldn’t do it
justice in a few words. It had to be a
novel.
Can you describe The House of Wood in 10 words or less?
A chilling portrayal of one girl’s attempt to escape her
past…Ooops, that was eleven! We won’t
count the “a”.
I know this is your debut novel. How’s it seem
to be going so far?
It’s been going great.
There’s been some amazing feedback with regards to reviews on
Amazon. I’ve been very humbled by the
support and enthusiasm from my readers.
It’s been amazing.
Where can readers go in order to get their very
own copy?
How long did it take you to write it? Would you
say it was in the average of how long it takes you to finish a book?
It took me a very long time to write The House of Wood. Around about three years! It kept getting put to one side due to
university commitments and short stories that I was writing to get my name out
there. But if I was to put all of my
writing sessions together, I would say it took around about two, maybe three
months to finish at an acceptable level to send off to publishers. Then I spent another month polishing it off
after it had been picked up by Crooked Cat Publishing.
What’s your favorite thing you’ve written?
In all honesty, I think my favourite thing is actually The
House of Wood. It started off as something
so small and has grown in to something so big.
I always believed in the story and its ability to entertain and enthrall
people. I really enjoyed writing it and
bringing the characters to life. So much
so, I’m writing a spin-off for it.
Oooh! That sounds fun!
What are you working on now? Or is it top
secret?
I’m actually working on a spin-off novel from The House of
Wood. I can’t say too much, as it’ll
give away some of the plot twists in The House of Wood. Let’s just say, I’m upping the scare stakes!
Sounds awesome! If you could go back and change one thing you
did in your writing career what would it be?
Well, my writing career has only just begun, but if I could
change anything it would be to go back and start thinking about writing as a
professional career much earlier and not spend so much time playing computer
games. Focus is the key.
I hear you! I feel the same way. If you could have lunch with any famous person,
dead or alive, who would it be and why?
That’s a very good question.
I think as an alive person, I’d have to say Stephen King. I’ve been a massive fan of his work since I
was a teenager and if I become half the writer he is, I’ll be a very happy
man. I couldn’t pick a dead person, as
they’re far too many people I admire.
Stephen King is pretty awesome! As a writer, I’m sure you’re also a reader! What
is your favorite genre to read?
My favourite genre is definitely horror. I’m a big fan of Stephen King, Dean Koontz,
James Herbert and Clive Barker. But I’m
also a history graduate, so I do enjoy a good historical novel, mainly Bernard
Cornwell. His Sharpe series is
excellent.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
As I said, my favourites have to be Stephen King and James
Herbert. James Herbert was the first
horror writer I read with his Rats series and Stephen King single handedly
saved the horror genre from obscurity by giving it a fresh, new take with
Carrie. I admire them both very much.
Have you made any connections yet through one
form of social media or another, where you got to have even a quick exchange
with an author who you look up to or have inspired you?
I haven’t been able to find Stephen King on Twitter and
sadly, after his passing, I won’t get a chance to connect with James
Herbert. But, I have made a lot of
connections with other authors from all over the globe. They’re a fantastic bunch and I’ve made a lot
of friends, particularly with the authors at Crooked Cat Publishing. They’re always there with advice and support
when needed.
Thanks again so much for being here Anthony! Is
there anything else you want to add before we say goodbye?
Thank you for having me.
It’s been great chatting with you.
Thank you also has to go to anyone that buys a copy of The House of
Wood. I hope you enjoy reading it as
much as I enjoyed writing it. Look out
for future updates on me and my writing.
Where can readers keep up with you? (You can
include links to blogs, websites, twitter, FB profile, FB fan page, Goodreads,
etc.)
I seem to be all over the internet these days. Anyone that is interested in following me and
my writing can find me at…
Twitter - @anthonyprice84
I’m also on Goodreads, but I haven’t quite worked out how to
use it properly yet. Watch this space!
