A.D. Landor interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

I am the author of 'Angel Falling', which released last weekend and is the first in an epic fantasy series which are mystery adventure thrillers in fantastic wrappers. 

When did your love of books begin?

I was fortunate to grow up in a household where reading was valued and encouraged. My father, Neil Landor was an actor, theatrical agent, journalist and BBC presenter. He produced and presented a BBC Radio 4 show called 'Enquire Within' - a UK listener favourite for many years and I grew up among fascinating stories and anecdotes. Paul McCartney even changed my nappy!

From childhood I quickly took to the works of CS Lewis, Arthur Ransome, Susan Cooper and Alan Garner and a delight in the fantastic was deeply rooted. In adolescence I discovered the work of JRR Tolkien, Fritz Lieber, David Eddings, David Gemmell, Anne McCaffery and many more.

I also worked at a speculative fiction bookshop near Richmond Upon Thames in South West London called 'Sign of the Dragon' run by the wonderful Richard and Marion van der Voort where every delivery day brought new boxes of literary treasure.

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

I have been writing for about 25 years and have worked on a few projects that never came to a conclusion. This time, with technology having moved on and no interest from literary agents after two years of submitting, I decided to have a go at self-publishing and see if I can build a following. I have a dream of being an author full time, so this is the foundation stone of that vision.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Can I slightly re-frame this to 'becoming a self-published author? Actually a bit of a curate's egg so good in some ways and bad in others. Maybe bad is the wrong word - harder is probably more correct. Essentially, I have always had stories and plots and characters running round my head and I have been an RPG writer and player for many moons so that has helped me understand and hopefully master character design and motivation, snappy dialogue and interesting plot structures. That side of things I have been blessed to find relatively easy. What's been a revelation is how hard it is to gain any traction or momentum in a very crowded field and the diligent work required to sell books. In this phase of development, I accept I am unlikely to shift many copies but I have big plans for the series and I know I have a lot of rock pushing to do to get that rock up that hill!

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

So generally on writing: 

1. I have found preparation is key to maintaining writing momentum – try and sketch out a synopsis before you begin. You’re going to need it in the future anyway. Unless you know where you are going and have a plan of how to get there, it’s easy to get lost. Of course, your characters and your creative mind will add things in as you go along, so be prepared to adapt and change as needs be.

2. Don’t seek perfection in your first draft. You will probably read your work a number of times and there will be distinct times when you will hone and polish your work but don’t let that get in the way of your writing engine.

3. Understand your industry as selling books is a business. If you are planning to submit to agents, make sure you have some knowledge of how they work and follow the submission guidelines they set out on their sites to the letter, first making sure they actually represent the category of fiction you have written. I am always surprised how few aspiring authors don't do this and how little they understand of the process on the other end. For example your package is screened by young interns (usually English grads) who are under instructions to find reasons to sift you out . As there are so many submissions in a given week to a literary agent it genuinely is the only way they can function.You can do research ahead of time and ensure your submission packages are in keeping with their guidelines. 

If you heading down the self-publish route then be aware getting the book up on the retailers sites is where the work STARTS not where it ends. You will have to work very hard at building a following and getting reviews published before anything is going to happen and if you are looking to make a living at it or even a solid part time income, you will need to be prolific.Definitely invest in cover art relevant to your genre or market expectations. A good proofer and an editor too are vital unless you are completely certain you know what you are doing.

4. WRITE! Writing is a craft just like any other and you will get better at it the more you do it. To quote the inventor Thomas Edison, it is ‘1% inspiration and 99% perspiration’. You need to get words down on the page as often as you can.

5. Finally, maintaining discipline is key. I try and write something every single day. Some days you get good words and some days you get bad ones. You can keep the good and rewrite the bad down the line.

Above all, back yourself and believe. Good luck – there’s no better feeling than seeing your work on a shelf – virtual or otherwise and then seeing others get involved in the product of your hard work and creativity.

Tell us about your book/books:

'Angel Falling' is a mystery crime novel set in a fantastic universe of angels and demons. It’s about Azshael, an outcast angel who is drawn into a deadly conspiracy where a scheming cabal is trying to restart a war that the two sides previously fought to a standstill.

The angels came to judge what they thought was a rapacious race of killers, only to find the reality was somewhat different. This makes their Archangel leader question their entire purpose and whether they are really doing the right thing. It’s an existential puzzle that others are trying to solve through violent means and Azshael finds himself in a race against time to prevent an atrocity which would be the needed excuse to restart the conflict.

I wrote it because there weren’t enough Machiavellian Angels versus Bushido Vampire novels around. This is the first of the series and I am presently working hard on the sequel Angel Rising which I hope will be out Summer 2023.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

We are all in it together (obviously) and I have been really heartened by the community feel and level of support being offered by total strangers. There is a truly brilliant feeling when someone connects with your characters and story. It's the same buzz as performers get from an appreciative crowd. There's nothing quite like it.

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

You are the reason this book and the ones to follow it exist. I have 'raised' it as best I can - now its in your hands to give it a life out in the wild! Also, now more than ever your opinions matter and make a big difference to whether an author will rise or fall. If you love it review it everywhere you can, especially if algorithms are involved and please help spread the word.

Where can people connect with you?

Facebook: A.D. Landor

Twitter: @Seraph7th

Web site: www.7th-flight.com

email: admin@7th-flight.com