Writer of the Week #18: Gavin Weston

Check out Gavin's novel "Harmattan," which, as Weston puts it, "a fairly dark story about child marriage and is set in Niger, West Africa"

Name: Gavin Weston

Age: My age is...older than I wish. :)

Website: http://www.gavinwestonbooks.com/


Location: I am currently based in Belfast, Northern Ireland but plan to move to Greece soon.

When did you realize you wanted to be a published author?
I wanted to be a writer when I was about 6, (because my grandparents and father were very creative people) but I also wanted to be a visual artist. So I went to art college, but continued to write. I still don't really know what I want to be when I grow up. (I'm 50!) :)

Name 5 authors and 5 books
Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' is one of my favourites too! Wow!
Barbara Kingsolver's 'The Poisonwood Bible'.
Peter Carey's 'Bliss'.
Chuck Palahniuk's 'Fight Club'.
Alex Haley's 'Roots'.
(+ sorry...but I have to have a collection of short stories by Raymond Carver!)

Where do you get your inspiration from?
I get my inspiration from the minutiae of ordinary people. Also, the inner worlds of children fascinate me particularly, probably because I miss the freedom I had as a child; the way time was huge and things were simple. There's nothing more extraordinary than the 'ordinary' lives of other people. Mike Leigh's films inspire me too.

What do you think is the best quality a writer can have?
I think the best quality a writer can have is the ability to be able to empathise.

Any last words?
Last words: 97% of all statistics have been proven to be unreliable.

Challenge: Write a one-sentence story!
MAGIC
A boy on an old and battered bicycle turned into a clean new avenue.





Thank you so much for your insightful answers, Gavin! If anyone is interested in being a writer of the week, please read the instructions here.