Interview with Iain Rob Wright

I’m delighted to welcome horror and thriller author Iain Rob Wright to my blog today! Iain was born in 1984 and is the author of several novels, including the apocalyptic, critically acclaimed 'The Final Winter' and the deeply disturbing thriller 'ASBO'. Iain is also a member of The Horror Writers Association. So let's start!

Iain, tell us about yourself, please.

A few years ago, I was a phones salesman. Due to being a bit of an emotional wreck during my teen and young adult years, I had dropped out of the Army, university, and pretty much out of life. The one thing and only thing I had going for me was the woman who is now my wife. Her support and belief in me led to her pushing me into doing what I’d always dreamed of. She made me start writing in my spare time more and more, and most importantly she made me stay the course and actually finish a novel in full instead of constantly giving up halfway. Now, two and a bit years later, I have twenty-five novels out and am earning more than twice what I did working nine to five in a job I hated. Self-publishing very literally changed my life – it made me richer, happier, and less stressed (when considering how working in sales used to make me feel). 
 
Have you always wanted to be an author? How did your interest in writing originate?
 
I would write awful stories as a kid that were pretty much just blatant rip offs of movies, but I enjoyed the act of writing and moved on to poetry as a teen.  I’ve been an avid reader and movie watcher my entire life and really wanted to tell stories that moved people the way I had been moved.
 
What have been the greatest problems you've faced in gaining your success?
 
It’s difficult riding on the high that I am right now, because I want to plan ahead based on my current fortunes, but the way this business is, next year I could be a failure and having to go get a job.  The hardest part of this job is not knowing what the future holds.  There’s no contract of employment.
 
Who or what has helped you the most on your writing journey?
 
The author Joe Konrath has been instrumental in my success. When I started out, I followed the publishing/writing advice on his blog about pretty much everything.  Everything he advised worked for me and I have now reached a point where I am trying new things out for myself and passing on that advice to the new guys coming up. I think if established guys all do their bit to help the newer guys get better then everyone benefits; and Joe Konrath is the absolute embodiment of that philosophy.
 
Who's your favourite author and what is it that resonates with you about their work?
 
I don’t really have one as it changes so much.  I’m currently enjoying Matthew O’Reilly’s work, but in the past, my favourite authors have been Jeff Strand, Jack Kilborn, Brian Keene, Stephen King, James Herbert, Richard Laymon, J F Gonzalez, Kim Paffenroth, Scott Sigler, Max Brooks, Blake Crouch, Terry Pratchett…  The list goes on and on. 
 
Tell us more about your collaboration with Joe Konrath on the novel ‘Straight Up’. How did that come about?
 
Joe publicly announced that he was looking for collaborators and wanted short stories to be the test for authors to pass in order to work with him on longer projects. I wrote 'Straight Up' specifically to work with him but also used it as an introduction for one of my own characters, Sarah Stone.  I have also just finished a full length novel that Joe and I have been working on, which is a sequel to both Joe’s 'Origin' and my own 'Final Winter'.  It’s loads of fun.  

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Tell us more about your thriller series featuring your character Sarah Stone.
 
She is a broken woman with a painful background. She is also an expert on Middle Eastern terrorist cells, which is why the Major Crimes Unit tracks her down and asks for her help.  The only problem is that she’s a complete asshole and doesn’t want to help anybody.  Eventually she gets roped in and starts kicking butts and taking names.  She is a lot like Jack Bauer but with a very wobbly moral compass.  She won’t think twice about killing a bad guy.  Eventually all of the hate and hostility inside her will begin to take its toll.

Will you write in other genres besides horror/thriller in the future?
 
Yes, I switched over to techno-thrillers/terrorism books (featuring Sarah Stone) for a short while, but I imagine horror is where my career will lie for the most part.
 
Sounds great! While you are writing, do you ever feel as if you are one of the characters?
 
Not really, but sometimes I do act out scenes at my desk to get the emotion right.
 
What inspired you to write your first book?
 
Not wanting to work in a phone shop anymore!
 
How do you come up with the titles for your books?
 
Through hours of sitting there trying to think of one.  I find naming books really hard. Sometimes I have the title before I even start, but sometimes I am wracking my brains right up to the day it goes live.
 
What books have most influenced your life most?
 
Erm…The Rising, World War Z, The Rats, Under The Dome, Contagion.  Only in that they made me want to write horror.   
 
And which person?
 
Joe Konrath, Stephen King, and Joss Whedon.
 
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
 
Need you ask? Joe Konrath.
 
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
 
Just trying to improve with every book.  I know I’m not perfect, but I’m trying really hard to be.
 
Lastly, how do you see the future for self-published authors?
 
Bright! What still makes me sad, though, is that there are many decent, talented authors out there who have not had the same success. I want to see more of them stuff their unfulfilling day jobs and live their own dreams – because, right now, it is more possible than ever.
 
Thank you, Iain, for agreeing to appear in my blog!
 
You can find out more about Iain and his novels from his website, www.iainrobwright.com; on Facebook or on Twitter: @iainrobwright. Iain's novels are all available from Amazon.