Interview with Steve McHugh | Colin F. Barnes: Author

A fellow UK writer and twitter friend, Steve McHugh has released his first novel. I put a few questions to him to find out why he went indie and what his book is about.

1. Hi?Steve, can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your writing background?

Well, I?m?Steve?McHugh. I?m originally from a small town in South Yorkshire called Mexbrough. My family and I moved to Southampton when I was about 6, and I?ve lived here ever since? so 26 years now. I?ve been married for nearly seven years and I have two young daughters, aged 7 going on 25 and 2.

I started writing stories at school, mostly in English lessons when we?ve be given assignments for creative writing. My first attempt got me in trouble for excessive violence and swearing. But my teacher saw a spark of something and I was soon writing bits and pieces all over the place. I never finished anything until my first book was completed, which will never see the light of day. Crimes Against Magic is my first published work.

2. Was there a specific point in your life that made you decide to write a novel??

I was about 12 when I first started to want to write a novel. I wanted to be up there with Stephen King and Terry Pratchett, both of whom I was a huge fan of at the time (and still are). I?d always write the first few chapters and then give up. It wasn?t until I was about 25 that I got serious about it.

3. What made you go the Indie route? Do you think you have benefited or missed out on anything specific that you might have got if you went the traditional route?

I?ve probably missed out on a marketing budget. And it would have been easier to get the books into shops, but both of those things are possible without, just slightly more work.

I wanted to go the Indie route for a few reasons. The control was a big one. The fact that I could decide the cover, when it went out, how much it was, were all big plus factors.

It helped that the traditional scene is in a case of flux at the moment while they decide what they?re going to do about the ebook industry. They seem less willing to take a chance that they did before, but hopefully that will change.

4. What were some of the challenges that you?ve had to deal with you might not have expected?

Formatting the book for mobi. There aren?t enough swear words in the world to describe how much of a pain in the ass that was. Fortunately I found scrivener to the rescue, which did it all for me. Best. Software. Ever.

5. Tell us a bit more about your book ? what was the inspiration for it? Are there key themes/messages that you wanted to explore? Is there more to come in this world etc??

The inspiration for it was simple. I wrote a book I wanted to read. I?ve always loved mythology and history and wanted to combine it with my love of Urban Fantasy. I wanted to create an action adventure with a story and characters that people would enjoy reading about. Hopefully I achieved that.

Book 2, Born of Hatred, is being written as we speak. It should be out within the next 6 months. After that I have detailed plots for another dozen books and notes for a dozen more. So, I think it?s safe to assume I plan on staying in this world for a while.

Thanks for the interview, Steve. Good luck with your book. You can find out more about Steve and his book by visiting:

His Blog

His Twitter Account

And you can buy the book from:
Amazon UK And Amazon US

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