Interview with Michael Greenfield
Author of An Empire Forged: Book Two of the Southern Kingdom Trilogy
Born in 1970 I just missed out on being a sixties child, but I'm making the most of a bad situation. I've been lucky enough to have travelled quite a bit, first as a kid following my dad who was in the Air Force, and later as jobs and holidays. Meeting and seeing different cultures and experiences created an imaginative and creative child and I've loved reading writing since junior school.
Since adult life and responsibilities intruded much of that went by the wayside, but having bounced through several jobs and a hip replacement I've decided it's time to get back to what I love.
Currently living in sunny Blackpool, Lancashire, I split my time between writing, shouting at salesmen in a Ford dealership, and having good times with good friends. It's not a bad life.
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How did writing An Empire Forged compare to writing your first book?
- In some ways it was easier writing Empire, as I actually had a storyline worked out and written down. Though in some ways it was more fun writing Kingdom as even I was never sure exactly what was going to happen next.
Was it fun to develop your story further?
- It was great fun to bring the story on, seeing the characters develop and grow. New ideas occurring during the process have made me anxious to get on with the finale.
When do you plan to have the final part of the trilogy completed?
- I'm currently getting the detail of the finale planned out and tweaked. Writing should commence within the next week or so and I'm hoping to have it published by the end of January 2020.
Where do you see things going after you've completed the Trilogy?
- I've got a few ideas that might allow me to continue working in the world of Boraan, although I'm thinking of darting away from sword and sorcery for my next book, with a couple of sci-fi ideas and a straight thriller in the planning.
What would you say your ultimate goal is with your writing?
- I would love to see my writing carry me to the point where I can take it into a full time career, but if it pays for a few holidays I'll be more than happy.
Does your writing get in the way of reading other people's books?
- Not as much as some of my friends think it should (gotta love friendly encouragement), but I tend to try and avoid picking up a book whilst I'm in the writing process. It doesn't always work though.
How much does friends encouragement help?
- You can never underestimate how much difference any encouragement makes. Especially when you've got people crying out for you to finish the next book so they can read it. I'm fortunate to have a lot of good friends that really do appear to be interested in what I'm doing.
How do you keep to the targets you set yourself?
- Sometimes it's hard to get yourself to write anything at all, let alone something coherent, but I usually look to write between three and five pages on a week night and five to ten each day of the weekend. If I can get the numbers to go full time then pesky things like work will stop getting in the way.
How have readers responded to An Empire Forged?
- Too early to tell yet. Literally published today and I still awaiting any reviews on the net to let me know how successful my latest effort has been.
What advice would you give another writer?
- Keep at it. Find a few friends that are willing to harass you until you drop, and no matter how hard it gets, try and enjoy it. We all want to be successful, but there are different levels to that success, and you should let reaching each of those levels help you to carry on to the next.
