I have such an exciting author interview for you! Ben Galley has written several books, and is one very talented writer! If you have not checked out his books, then you need to get out and find a copy. You will not be disappointed at all! Get to know him a little more here! Please feel free to drop any questions for this fabulous author!
Interview with Ben Galley
RH: Hi, Ben, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself and your background?
BG: Hello and thanks for having me! I’m Ben Galley, and I’m a fantasy author originally from the UK. I’ve been writing since I was old enough to spell. I always wanted to be an author, but it took chasing a career in music to realise my original passion. While working as a server at dead-end jobs, I spent every moment of my spare time writing my debut novel, The Written. In 2010, aged 22, I self-published, and haven’t looked back since. I now write full-time and work as an advisor for fellow authors who want to know how to publish and market their books. When I’m not writing, I’m normally exploring British Columbia,
RH: What are your ambitions for your writing career?
BG: Originally, all I wanted was to see my book on a shelf. In a bookshop, and without me having snuck it onto the shelf! I was thrilled to achieve that in 2011, and since then my ambitions have changed like the tides, shifting as different milestones are reached. Right now, I’m set on achieving another bestseller with my new series. Overall, my main ambition is to be a lasting name in the fantasy genre. I’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that!
RH: Which writers inspire you?
BG: That is one large list, however, my main inspirations are Neil Gaiman, Joe Abercrombie, Robin Hobb, and the inimitable JRR Tolkien.
RH: What have you written?
BG: I’m the author of the bestselling Emaneska Series, the weird-west Scarlet Star Trilogy, which won the Library Journal’s Indie eBook of the Year, a standalone called The Heart of Stone that won the Booknest Fantasy Awards in 2017. Most recently, I’ve published The Chasing Graves Trilogy, which has received critical acclaim since its December launch. I’ve also had the honour of writing stories for the Art of War Charity Anthology, and the Lost Lore Anthology.
RH: What are you working on at the minute?
BG: For years, I’ve been longing to revisit the world of my original series, and finally, I’m doing it. I’m currently toiling away on a brand new trilogy called the Scalussen Chronicles. It’s set a decade or two after the events of the Emaneska Series, and I couldn’t be happier being back in this brutal, frozen world of mine.
RH: What’s it about?
BG: Without stepping into spoiler territory, it follows the continuing story of Farden the Written mage. In the original Emaneska Series, Farden fought Emaneska from the machinations of an ancient enemy, lost to the time of gods and demons. Now, peace has finally settled across the war-scarred lands. A new empire has risen from the ashes. Magick has been banned, and yet there is something hollow in the victory, and Farden, now an outlaw, must once again see Emaneska through hell.
RH: What genre are your books?
BG: In broadest terms, they are fantasy books. I dabble in subgenres such as dark fantasy, epic fantasy, western fantasy and grimdark.
RH: What draws you to this genre?
BG: The possibilities. When you write in worlds of your own making, there are few laws to restrict your imagination. With fantasy, you can essentially dream as big as you want. The only challenge is making the human element relatable to your readers.
RH: Do you write full-time or part-time?
BG: I’m thrilled to say I’ve been full-time since 2015!
RH: Where do the ideas come from?
BG: Ideas come to me from all kinds of places – mostly film and TV. One piece of dialogue, one scene, or one character might spark a concept. Then an avalanche starts to build. First, as a trickle of snow as other ideas emerge, and then concepts start to knit themselves together to become a flood of ice and rock and powder. Usually, the best ideas sweep me away just like an avalanche. Those are the ones I focus on expanding into plots and books.
RH: Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
BG: I’m a hefty outliner, planner, or architect – whichever term you’d like to use! The ideas that pop into my head are quickly ordered into notes on characters, worldbuilding, histories, and plot arcs. I usually write a good 5,000 words minimum before I start a single chapter.
RH: What is the hardest thing about writing?
BG: The dedication. When it comes to writing, not every day is the same. Putting in a set number of hours doesn’t necessarily guarantee a certain word count. Some days can feel like you’re wading through the sand. Other days, the words fly out of your fingers. The hard bit is managing the tough days and remembering that any time spent on a novel, whether you write one word or three thousand words, is work.
RH: What is the easiest thing about writing?
BG: I would say the stage before writing. For me, that’s the planning stage, when I can let ideas flow and the excitement is building to the moment I can put the first words on paper. There’s a magic in that stage when the book can take any shape. The possibilities are thrilling.
How can readers discover more about you and you work?
Website: www.bengalley.com
Blog: www.bengalley.com/fiction-factory
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bengalleyauthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/bengalley
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/Ben-Galley/e/B0067LPVAU
Book Links: All can be found at www.bengalley.com.books
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4522335.Ben_Galley
