Interview with Thomas Watson
Author of The Gryphon Stone
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How would you describe The Gryphon Stone to a new reader?
- An adventurous quest containing elements of fantasy and science fiction, with the more fantastical elements being reflections of Clarke's Third Law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
What was the inspiration behind The Gryphon Stone?
- I was trying to recapture for myself, as a writer, some of the fun I experienced reading Edgar Rice Burroughs, Andre Norton, and Anne McCaffrey.
Which authors do you admire? How have they influenced your writing style?
- That would be an insanely long list, but in this case the three authors mentioned previously (Edgar Rice Burroughs, Andre Norton, and Anne McCaffrey) would be at the top.
Can you tell us a little about the locations in the book?
- Adrathea is an "altearth," our world in another level of the multiverse. The same thing, only different.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors? How would you advise a new author about traditional publishing versus self publishing?
- First and foremost, finish what you've started. You need to be a writer before you can be an author. As for traditional versus self published, try both. It's the only way to know which one is best for you.
What's your writing process?
- It starts with a daydream (this one triggered by a piece of "epic" music) that leads to the headlong rush to complete a first draft. That first draft is the key. I've got nothing until I tell the story. Then I revise it, have it edited, probably revise some more, and finally have a proof reader go through it. Only then do I hit publish. Then I start the next one. No looking back.
Where next? What are you working on now?
- I am currently working on a sequel to The Gryphon Stone.
