Richard M Pearson interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

My name is Richard M Pearson and I am the author of six self-published Scottish based Ghost/Suspense novels. Although I was born in England I settled in Scotland at a very young age, and it is now my adopted and much loved country. My books are more about the power of the unknown rather than out and out horror stories, i.e. no blood and gore, and definitely no zombies.

When did your love of books begin?

My mother was a massive reader and I think she influenced me. When I was young I was given many of the classics to read, e.g. Kidnapped, Ivanhoe, Dickens etc. It was all of a bit of a chore until I discovered, The Lord of the Rings in the school library. From then on I realised that books could help me escape from the reality of growing up in a tough world.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

I used to write poems for my family and friends for weddings, christenings, and even funerals. My sisters pestered me to write a book of poems but research told me that poetry is a difficult sell. I wrote my first novel, The Path in 2018. It was supposed to be a one off but it did better than I expected. I have published another five since then but I now feel as though I am finished, at least for a few years.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

The actual writing part comes easy for me. I always think this question should be, How have you found the process of becoming a publisher? Writing is about 30% of the work involved, the rest is marketing. It is extremely tough to get your books in front of potential customers. I work every day on it and use my website, Instagram, twitter, Facebook, Tiktok, local ads, paid amazon ads etc. It is this part of the process that has worn me out a bit.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Publishing, be it either self-published or professionally published is hard work. There are millions of authors/books all looking for customers. Don’t under estimate how much work you will need to put in to find any level of success. It can be done though if you are serious about it.

Tell us about your book/books:

Even though I market my books under the ghost/horror genre, I hope they are a bit more than that.  My first book, The Path, is about two alcoholic men who go on a walking trip through the lonely mountains of Scotland. One of them holds a terrible secret from the past and is really running from his guilt. The men start to think they are being followed but is it guilt or reality? My sixth and last book, Porcelain, is the tale of a man who has spent his recent years looking after his very ill wife who he loves. He is given the chance to go on a cycling holiday for a week to give him a break from being a full time carer, but things don’t go as planned for him as his life starts to unravel.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

So long as you are willing to take feedback and improve, then all the writing groups on social media are a brilliant source of learning. I have made so many new friends on the community and also been introduced to some fantastic books.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Thank you so much for giving my books a go. The only reason we write is in the hope we will also be read.

Where can people connect with you?

I have a website, RMPEARSON.NET. It has the links to my social media pages as well as more detailed descriptions of my books.