Gregory Alexander Sharp interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

You can call me Greg. Born and raised in the southeast of England with an English father and Scottish mother, I guess I’m a Brit through and through. I’m married, and all of my children have four legs. My career has been in consulting and the deployment and management of systems and services to international clients. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the biggest and most well-known organisations in my field. I’m a golfer, and I used to be very much a karate guy too… now more of a writer than a fighter! 

When did your love of books begin?

It started more with movies to be honest. I found my way into watching the classic black and white horrors with Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jnr when I was a kid, and the stories those movies told really captured my imagination. It was from there that I branched out into literature. I’d read Enid Blighton when I was quite young, but those stories never really did it for me. The Orphan by Robert Stallman was the first book I couldn’t put down. I progressed from there through classics of the genre to more modern authors like Anne Rice. 

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

As a boy, it was quite a job getting me to do my homework, which frustrated my mother greatly as she was a respected teacher! Ironically, I would often write essays for my own amusement about how Frankenstein’s monster was misunderstood, or how Dracula secretly longed to die, or the parallels between the Hulk and the Wolfman. Ever since those days I’ve always felt I had stories to tell. 

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

It’s been extremely interesting. I did a significant amount of research on the process before embarking, and the number of options available to new authors these days is extraordinary. It certainly provides opportunities that just weren’t there in the past. From traditional, represented publishing deals at one end of the scale, to completely self-published at the other, and myriad combinations of services in between, you really can choose a set off options that works for you. 

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

Write... a lot. First and foremost, just write your story. Make it your ambition to give life to your ideas. Make it your goal that the images in your readers dreams were born upon your keyboard. Just do it, even if you have to do it all yourself. But it starts with writing. And, probably, be realistic, we aren’t all going to write bestsellers.  

Tell us about your book/books:

Il Lupo gave me the opportunity to bring together my love of classically told horror stories, and an urge I had to raise awareness of certain mental health issues so many of us suffer with in modern life. When I was twenty-two, my older brother passed away, and my mother too just a couple of years later. The impact of grief on me was profound and extraordinary and utterly life changing. During that time, I became well acquainted with stress, with depression, and with debilitating anxiety. I’ve woven those themes into what is a thrilling adventure and a nail-biting race against time. 

We are taken on a journey across England, and on to Naples and the Amalfi Coast in Italy, before finding our way to the Cairngorms in Scotland and back again. We also find our naked feet falling on the moonlit cobbles of ancient Pompeii in a really exciting part of the story. This is all set against the backdrop of a good old werewolf adventure yarn. 

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

I’ve been blown away by how supportive everyone is. I love the way writers amplify each other’s work, and how encouraging people are. I wasn’t really prepared for that, coming from a world in which competitive advantage is absolutely the name of the game. I also really enjoy engaging with people who are reading the work, that's incredibly rewarding.

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

Gosh, I hope you enjoy the story, that’s my goal. If you do read the book, I’d love to hear from you either through the social channels or in a review, or both. There’s nothing like feedback to inform you on how you’ve done at anything in life. I’d also say, when you're reading Il Lupo, don’t be afraid to laugh and don’t be afraid to cry, I did while I was writing this book, quite a lot. 

Where can people connect with you?

The usual places, I guess. I have a small community on Facebook which is growing each day. I’ve created a YouTube channel and I’m starting to load some camera facing content on there. I have podcasts planned in the future and I’ll announce that via Twitter and Instagram in due course. 

Twitter: @SempaiGreg 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/il.lupo.book 

Instagram: sempai_greg 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@il-lupo