#AtoZChallenge N is for Nick Wilford

Established Author Name: Nick Wilford

1- You have six dogs.  What can you tell us about them?  Any pics?

Our dogs are all rescue dogs that have been saved from various dire situations and given a great home. One of them was saved from a rubbish dumpster in Spain. We’ve got a split of three boys and three girls, all pretty much mixed breeds and all with unique personalities. Pippa was the first and the oldest and is the gaffer of everyone else. Tobi is a super laid back spaniel. Benji is kind of a big dopey boy who thinks he’s small. Charli is a little bundle of nerves, a jack in the box, we think there’s chihuahua in there. Skye is actually our daughter’s dog, a loving Staffie whose only weakness is being unable to control herself from going for any and all food. And Gracie is a little bundle of fluff who’s a devoted mummy’s girl, her happy place is being next to mummy at all times (who’s Skye’s granny, of course!)


2- In what category/genre do you write? Why?

I write speculative fiction and I’ve also trended towards YA in my recent books. I think spec fic is a fantastic umbrella that lets you explore in pretty much whatever direction you want. You’re only limited by your imagination. Also, there’s so much weirdness around us right now that you can’t help wondering where things are going to be even in just five years’ time, and it’s not necessarily going to be pretty. In the most recent book I’ve finished, I’ve been exploring trans rights and exploitation and right now I’m turning over ideas about AI, Meta, VR, the whole shooting game and where it’s going. These sound like weighty treatises about serious topics, but they’re not. It’s all wrapped up in an engaging narrative seen through the eyes of people who are just as bewildered about things as I am. That’s why I’ve enjoyed writing YA because as a young person you’re just discovering who you are, but you’re also discovering the world and how you fit into it, and that’s got to be harder than ever these days because of the immense pressures on young people. I’ve got three daughters aged 26, 22 and 14, so I’ve seen it playing out in real time.

3- What part of one of your stories was the most fun to write? The most challenging? (And which book/s are those in?)

Ooh, I don’t want to give too many spoilers, but I would say I had the most fun writing the battle scenes between my protagonist and her nemesis in The Becalmer, my trad pub debut that’s coming out in August. This isn’t a battle in a physical sense but more metaphysical, as they both possess the power to enter other people’s minds, but do it for very different purposes – one for good and one for evil. It is a real tense standoff and my MC has to push her powers to the limit, even resorting to dirty tactics to gain the upper hand. I would say the most challenging thing to write was the ending of my dystopian trilogy. It was actually on hiatus for a year while I tried to work out how to wrap things up in a satisfying way. I was happy with how it turned out, but possibly it still could have been slightly better. Also, I think there’s a psychological thing where if you’ve spent so long with a particular world and characters, you’re reluctant to say goodbye to them. This series was 10 years from writing the first book to getting the last one out there. That’s a long time!

4- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Don’t push too hard or try to force things. If your characters are well developed they will take the lead. The author should be an observer, not an instigator.

5- What interests do you have outside of writing?

Honestly, I wish I had time for a few other interests! I also work full time, so it’s hard to squeeze other things in. So it’s mainly about spending time with my family. We’ve got two grandkids now as well, three and six months, and we’re very involved with them, which is precious. I would say music is very important to me, it’s hugely inspiring for my writing, although I can’t actually listen while doing the writing itself! My taste is a broad church, anything that gets the juices flowing. I’ve started doing podcasts for each book that connect to the characters and scenes, I hope they’ll be fun while reading – the one for The Becalmer is here.

6- What do you love and hate most about being a published author?

Pretty simply, I love the opportunity to share my stories with people and have them inhabit a world that I’ve created. It’s like you’re getting the chance to share a communal headspace with people without ever meeting them, it’s magic really. I wouldn’t say there is anything I really hate – I even love editing, because you’re getting the story closer and closer to what you want it to be – but I probably don’t love social media too much. I’m not really a fan of showing my face on TikTok but I’m trying to get better!

7- Do you publish traditional, self, hybrid, other? Why?

I’m a hybrid author. Probably because I want to have as many experiences as possible with my writing and enjoy the different opportunities each route brings. I’ve loved having control over every aspect of the process with my self-published books. With my upcoming trad debut, I feel I’m really lucky to work with a small but growing house where the publisher devotes a lot of attention to each author. Everyone has a personalized marketing plan and I really feel like the owner shares my vision for my book, which is awesome. We can pool our resources to hopefully achieve great things, and it feels like we’re growing together.

8- What question are you dying to answer?

Probably, it would be “What does your author tagline mean?” 

Because I think it’s quite neat. “Making the impossible reality.” There’s a duality to that, a double meaning, you could take it as either making a reality that’s impossible – although possible through fiction – or taking the impossible and making it reality. For me, it opens up worlds of wonder. We don’t know where we’re going, but it’s fun to hypothesize about it. We’re all part of a trajectory of progress. The internet, TV and even plain old electricity would have been considered impossible 200 years ago. 

9- Would you please ask our audience an intriguing question to answer in the comments?

Name one book or series that sorely deserves to be adapted into a movie/TV show and tell us why you think it deserves that treatment. Who would you cast in the lead role?

10- You have a new book coming out this year.  What can you tell us about that? 

I’m really excited for The Becalmer to be released and for people to get to know Harica, my protagonist who has the power to resolve conflicts by entering others’ minds. At first she sees her gift as something of a burden, being regularly called upon to deal with petty teenage dramas at school. But then word gets out to the powers that be and she is headhunted for a task that’s much bigger, stopping a war. This leads to the showdown I described earlier. My MC goes on a proper journey of embracing who she is and what she can do and is definitely changed by the end of the story.

You can pre-order The Becalmer here.

Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge
#AtoZChallenge 2023
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