Author Interview – Allan Bott

1) Do you write books as a career, or are you currently still juggling your author time with a full
or part time job?

I’m currently trying to write while working full time! It’s hard work! I was lucky enough to have a job that was quiet last year and enabled me to finish my first novel in record time. The sequel Is going much slower as my new job is really busy. It’s getting there though. Of course if the chance ever came to write full time – I’d do It In a heartbeat.

2) Have you always wanted to be an author, or did some time or event in your life set you on
the path?

I toyed with the idea when I was much younger, I wrote fan fiction for friends who I played games with online. We would joke about adventures our characters would have. It’s sad I know! But some of the ideas I came up with in those adventures made it to light in my first novel!

I didn’t start writing ‘James Knight and the Orb of Ziarn’ until late 2011. I was working away a lot and spent many a lonely night in a hotel, so without anything to do I started messing around with story ideas and plots. I wasn’t expecting to write a full novel.

3) Do you always write in the same genre, or do you sometimes like a change of theme? If you
haven’t already, is there another genre you would like to write?

I’ve never really tried! My fan fiction was always written in a fantasy style due to the nature of the games I played with friends. James Knight was always going to be a fantasy series as It was something I had experience in. I would like to try something else – who knows what will happen in the future?

4) As a writer, what is the best thing that has happened to you, and what is that most exciting
thing that could happen to you?

The best thing for me is actually being published! I was over the moon when Neil Trigger of Ghostly Publishing phoned me and offered me a contract. I jumped up and down for a few minutes!

As for the most exciting thing, there are many things I consider exciting – the book’s release, people reading it and loving what I’ve written and most of all, becoming a best seller!

5) Could you tell us something about your published book, and let us know what it is
about?

James Knight and the Orb of Ziarn is the first book of a planned trilogy, set in the fantasy world of Exoré. James Knight is magically whisked there by a steam powered airship, captained by the bold Valeria Flintlocke. With her guidance and friendship he is taken on a rollercoaster ride of magic, mystery and treachery where he meets many new people and is approached by the Crown Prince of the mighty Halandrian Empire to embark on a mission that could shake the very balance of this strange, yet fascinating world.

Click here to pre-order Allan’s fantastic book!.