Interview with author, Tim Andrewartha

I’m pleased to welcome author, Tim Andrewartha to my blog.

Originally from the UK, Tim now lives in Tokyo. Like many native English speakers there he teaches his mother tongue, as well as finding the time to write fiction. He gets inspiration from reading books by authors such as Philip K Dick, China Miéville and Haruki Murakami.

Tell us something about yourself and how you became a writer.

Growing up in Dorset in the UK I tried various ways of expressing myself creatively, including drawing cartoons and playing guitar in a band. I went to university in Southampton and studied Media Writing.

After graduating I made a short film about a paranoid milkman using a script I’d written before realizing I wanted to focus on my prose. I moved to Japan in 2006 to teach English and I found the different culture and lifestyle provided a good environment for nurturing my ideas. After finding my style though writing short stories I progressed onto my first novel, Vitality. Now I live in Tokyo with my girlfriend and am currently working on my second novel. 

Tell us about your novel and where readers can purchase a copy.

Vitality is a weird soft drink dystopia. 

Set in an alternative version of the present day, Stylo Green moves to a nameless city to work for Vitality. The company is making a purple soft drink which they promise will change people’s lives – a welcome gesture in a place where society is spiralling down towards its demise.

The New Movement Party hope to win the next election and clean up the city. Real food is banned so everyone eats plastic-tasting Easy Food except the few who dare to eat illegal fruit and vegetables available on the black market. Dr. Mooseball produces recreational narcotics which are legal and a popular way to relax while Soft Dreams employs people to suck up the ghosts that float around the city.

Emulla, the girl with the beautiful voice, is different from the others. She and Stylo hit it off, and Stylo's packaging designs are chosen. Things seem to be going well for him, but he begins to notice something peculiar about his colleagues. The truth starts to unravel but not without bloodshed. When he finally faces his nemesis, nothing can prepare him for what he is about to discover.

Vitality is going to be published on February 14th 2012. It will be available from various websites including Dam Good Publishing, Smashwords and Amazon. 

Tell us a little about your road to publication. Was it a long one?

After writing Vitality I posted some of it on the website Authonomy and was able to get some valuable feedback. I then submitted it to a few places and fortunately Dam Good Publishing offered to publish it.

What do you think makes a good story?

Originality is very important for me. I’m excited by imaginative ideas that make me think about something in a different way.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I like reading books, watching films and listening to music.

How long does it take you to write a book?

Including all the editing and rewriting Vitality has actually taken a few years for me to be happy with it. However, I think I should be able to finish my second novel much quicker. I’m now about halfway through writing it and I started in January this year.

Where can readers find you?

http://onlinefantasybooks.com/

http://timandrewartha.onlinefantasybooks.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/purpleliquid