Today, I get to welcome author, Phil Price to my little ol’ blog. Phil self published his first book, Unknown, in 2015. Unknown is a tale of vampires, other worlds, and blood harvesting. I was lucky to get a copy of Unknown during a free promotion, and you can read my review here.
I love a chance to interview indie authors and gain a little insight into their lives as writers, publishers, marketers, and all that goes with self publishing, so I jumped at the opportunity to interview Phil. Not only that, I’m a sucker for a good horror story and haven’t interviewed a single horror author to date. But right here, right now, that will be rectified.
Without further ado, let’s delve into the mind of Phil Price…
Your debut novel, Unknown, has been described as a new spin on the traditional vampire novel. Can you describe Unknown in ten words or less?
Man finds a doorway to another world, filled with vampires.
You write in many POVs and in many eras. Would you pick your favourite character and give us a little insight into their mindset?
I guess I’d go for the main protagonist, Jake. He’s a young man who has lost his wife and daughter in a hit and run. He quits the police force because the system has failed his family and he feels he can no longer protect the innocent. When he discovers unexplained abductions, he is suddenly swept along by a tide of events, almost glad that his mundane existence has taken a turn for the interesting. He is searching, although he’s not sure for what exactly.
I always offer authors a chance to showcase an excerpt from their work. Would you care to share a snippet from Unknown? Give the readers a taste of what they are missing.
My pleasure: Excerpt from Unknown by Phil Price
Have you always had a love for the horror genre, and what inspires you to write in that genre?
I wanted to draw people into the book, hopefully giving them a fright or raising the hairs on the backs of their necks. I love reading books of this genre, which started when I picked up my first copy of Salem’s Lot. People want to be scared. They want to think about what goes bump in the night. The thought of something evil and supernatural just gets my juices flowing. I was haunted for years by the vision of Mr.Barlow. Even now he gives me the willies. We live in a world full of gadgets, reality TV, and celebrity. It’s nice to read about things that lurk in the shadows, out of sight.
Are you interested in writing in other genres? Can we expect a release in the future?
I’ve got a sci-fi book currently on ice. I started it last year, but wanted to concentrate on finishing Unknown and starting the sequel. I hope to release it next year (fingers crossed). It is similar to Unknown whilst being different, if that makes sense. It will take readers to the far corners of the cosmos, with all kinds of cool stuff like wormholes, warp drives, and weird aliens. I just need to get my Star Wars/ Star Trek head on.
Why did you choose the self-publishing route? Any good or bad experiences you’d care to share?
Money. This is a guilty hobby and I couldn’t justify spending lots of money on getting published. So, I opted for the ‘indie’ route. Maybe I will choose a different way next time. I’ve had mainly good experiences so far. Nothing really negative. I had no expectations when I released Unknown. So, any experiences are good ones, which will help me next time perhaps. I’ve also met many great indie authors. Some great people who are truly talented. It’s great to read books by folk who give everything to their story. People like that inspire me to write. I’ve made some firm friends so far. Happy days!
Some writers find the idea of self-publishing a daunting one. Do you have any advice for writers who may be comtemplating self-publishing their work?
Get a friend to read it in draft form. Let them give you honest feedback. Also, get it proof read and formatted professionally. A big piece of advice for any aspiring indie, is to get themselves set up on social media well before the book comes out. I didn’t, and am now playing catch-up. Twitter, Facebook, author pages, Goodreads, blogs etc, are a great way to build a network of followers before the book comes out.
What is next for Phil Price?
Well, aside from my busy family and work life, I hoping to release the sequel to Unknown later this year. Then, maybe the sci-fi book (Zoo) next year. I have another book in the back storeroom of my brain. It will be neither horror nor sci-fi. It will be based loosely on a high profile news story of the last twenty years. It will be very dark. I can say no more than that at present. You will have to watch this space.
Thank you to Phil for joining me today!
Connect with Phil on:
Twitter
Goodreads
Instagram
For use of content in this post, please seek permission from the author, Phil Price.