Wallace Briggs

Wallace Briggs (1943 – present). Happily married to Pat, who I first met at the age of eleven. We celebrated our Diamond Anniversary in Sept 2024. My formative years were experienced in and around Durham never living more than 5ml distance from the Cathedral. Married in 1964, Pat and I spent many happy years in the North East of England before employment almost took us off to emigrate to Jo'berg, South Africa. But plans were changed in the final weeks and instead the company moved me to Sussex. After more than twenty years in Sussex, then Hampshire, employment was again responsible for the move to beautiful rural Lancashire, where we still reside. I am now retired from a long car...

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On the Edge (of a Stroke) - Wallace Briggs

What inspired you to start writing?
Making up a story, on the hoof, to entertain 4/5 children sheltering in our beach tent during a shower of rain
Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
this story began as an entry to a competition: write a story in 100 words. It did not figure in the results but I had the kernel for a story I had to flesh out and the thought of the protagonist talking to an 'imaginary' third person had crossed my mind for a story several months prior.
How do you create your characters?
Pure imagination based on ideas that arrive, unbidden, out the ether; but they must embody what lies within my life's experiences.
What does your typical writing day look like?
there is no such thing as a typical day, not when you ARE caring for a disabled wife, who I FIRST MET, BRIEFLY, WHEN WE WERE ELEVEN YEARS OLD, and have just celebrated our Diamond anniversary. Sometime the words flow so quickly I CAN HARDLY WRITE (TYPE) FAST enough. And if there is a drought, I paint a plate and fire it in my kiln, or make my fingers sore, playing the organ. But eventually the spirit moves and the inspirations return.
What has been the most rewarding part of being an indie author?
Seeing my work in print and reading the accolades.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced in your writing journey?
Affording the much needed promotion to boost reviews (and sales)
Do you have any favorite writing tools or apps?
Grammarly spell checker is a much needed crutch.
What advice would you give to new or aspiring indie authors?
Keep writing! Don't give up. Take a break if you must but come back to your destiny.
How do you handle book promotion as an indie author?
With great difficulty. I was a technical salesman and had no difficulty selling the virtues of my product. I am less successful at selling myself and telling potential readers How good a writer I am
What’s next for you? Are you working on a new book?
I have just finished my seventh in a series of children's MG fantasy stories. I swore it would be the last because of my inability (and lack of resources) to promote effectively. but, I know I have an unfinished fantasy story just waiting to be completed ... soon.