Author Interviews: Lucia Harle-Cowan

Another author interview, this time with Lucia Harle-Cowan, who has been instrumental in copy-editing our authors work and has been a huge help in the production of Crashing Through the Looking Glass. You can read her full story, ‘Mute’ in the full release, soon!

What is your story about?

‘Mute’ is about a girl who uses the fact that she doesn’t speak to fulfill her darker desires.

What inspired your story?

When you can’t speak for whatever reason, you can still communicate to an extent because people make connections and assumptions about what you would say if you could. I thought it would be interesting to create a character who’s seemingly benevolent silence completely shrouded her sinister intentions.

What thoughts are you trying to provoke?

Appearances can be deceiving maybe? Everyone has secret desires that they can’t satisfy in good conscience, I suppose Mute asks whether you would satisfy them if the opportunity arose – and if there was no chance of getting caught. Everything always comes full circle.

Tell us a fun fact!

I’m really clumsy, I fall on my face on a regular basis and have broken bones. And I like cats, like, I really like cats.

An Authors Favourites: Charlotte Lam

Charlotte Lam is the author of ‘Tommy and I’ and ‘Monsters’ in our upcoming anthology, which will be released incredibly soon! Find out some of her favourite literary heroes and books below!

Favourite Literary Hero

I don’t really have a favourite one considering most of the books I read hardly have a hero-like kind of aura, to me anyways. Most of the characters were just ordinary people in unusual circumstances who just happens to be the person at the wrong place, wrong time but they still try to make thing right anyway.

Favourite Literary Villain

Okay, I actually have one but it is actually an odd one. It’s King Richard from Shakespeare’s Richard III, but only because I admire his methods of being able to cleverly manipulate people and situations and technically he didn’t do any of the dirty work himself. Not to mention have you heard his pick-up lines? A girl could swoon if you’re into bad boys who will probably murder you in the next few scenes.

Favourite Book

These questions are too hard, my favourite books tend to change all the time. I can tell you my most memorable books but that’ll take too long so I’m going to say right now A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness who actually carried on the original idea from Siobhan Dowd, who had passed away. It has raw emotion from a child’s point of view as he tries to grasp the concept of grief and anger of himself, people around him and at the world. He’s helped out by a monster who is neither good nor bad, the whole book just drags you into this moment of this boy’s life and it holds you there till the last page is read.

Favourite Author

Patrick Ness, the author previously mentioned. I actually own a few of his books and the way he creates stories just resonates with me. The books I’ve read from him don’t follow the usual mainstream plot stories and there’s always a slight debate about the human condition. He’s able to put raw emotion into his characters and his plots never go seem to go with the clichés so even when you expect the unexpected it always takes you by surprise. In his foreword he always talks about Siobhan Dowd and how he hopes he can do her ideas justice as he tries to finish her stories and he encourages people to always run with their ideas and go as far as they pleased. Personally, I think Siobhan Dowd would be proud of what he has done with her ideas.

Favourite Book Quote

“There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.” – Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls.

I think I’ve written too much about this guy but I can’t help it, I’m one of those people who are picky with their favourites but once they have one it’s the only thing I can talk about. This quote though, I read the book after one of our lectures that debated about good and evil, if they were actually facts and this quote just helped that fact click into my head that there really isn’t much of a difference between the two or if there really is a difference to begin with. This line was concluded all the lessons that were taught to the main character as he made ventured more about himself.

An Authors Favourites: Nicholas Lunnun

Nicholas Lunnun is responsible for ‘An Unremarkable Man’, a story that will shock you throughout as each moment is filled with tension and fear. You won’t want to miss this one! Check out where he gets his inspiration from with just a few of his literary favourites.

Favourite Literary Hero

Bilbo Baggins. What makes him so appealing to me is the delightfully simple nature of his growth as a character. Initially a man (or rather, a hobbit) completely content with what he already has, his journey across Middle Earth makes him more confident and wiser to the nature of the wider world, letting him see things he would never have dreamed of inside his cosy little hobbit hole.

Favourite Literary Villain

Professor James Moriarty. While initially nothing more than a narrative device used to kill Sherlock Holmes, Moriarty has grown over time to become who many would consider Holmes’ archenemy. Cold, cunning and lacking any sense of morality.

Favourite Book

There are just too many to choose from. Would it be cheating to pick a series? Michael Grant’s ‘Gone’ series is certainly one that sticks out from recent memory. In this YA series, every human aged 15 or older in the fictional Californian town of Perdido Beach suddenly vanishes and the town is surrounded by an impregnable barrier. In addition, many of its inhabitants develop supernatural powers. I enjoy this series as it’s a story of survival, dealing with issues rarely addressed in these kinds of stories, such as food production. Besides, I’m a sucker for anything involving superpowers. I’m pretty sure it’s been described as like ‘Lord of the Flies’ meets ‘X-Men’.

Favourite Book Quote

“It sounds plausible enough tonight, but wait until tomorrow. Wait for the common sense of the morning.” – H.G Wells, The Time Machine

I enjoy this quote because, out of context, it has an incredibly simple meaning: Think. Before you make any major decisions, be sure that you’ve thought them over carefully rather than rush in headfirst. Also, I’m sure it has a special meaning for any students who have stayed up late into the night in order to finish an essay.

 

Author Interviews: Natalia Kiwatkowska

Another exclusive author interview, this time from Natalia Kwiatkowska, who has crafted two stories for our anthology, with ‘The Chase’ and ‘Rotten Bench’. Here, she talks about the latter of the two, so read on!

What is your story about?

My story is mainly about death and the protagonist has been possessed by so-called dark forces.

What inspired your story?

The inspiration had come from an actual bench which stands right around the corner of my house. Just one random bench placed by the walk path.

What thoughts are you trying to provoke?

The thoughts that I am trying to provoke are the awareness and thoughts of depression and delusion. I’m trying to let the audience know that depression can lead to lethal things, even death.

Tell us a fun fact!

I have written this story over a year ago, and the story was an outcome of boredom and overthinking.

An Authors Favourites: Amy Burchill

Amy Burchill, who penned ‘Francois’ for ‘Crashing Through the Looking Glass’ reveals her favourite author and favourite novel! Let us know what your favourites are!

Favourite Literary Hero

Miriam Black, who features in a series of books written by Chuck Wendig, the first being Blackbirds. She has the ability to foresee how people die, just by touching them. She’s an outcast and lives most of her life on the run, hitching rides and stealing. She has a dark personality and has no real human attachments… but that’s what makes her such a badass.

Favourite Literary Villain

Pennywise the clown from Stephen King’s IT. He’s terrifying and he can do pretty much whatever he wants, what more can I say?

Favourite Book

It’s a tough call but Trainspotting, by Irvin Welsh, jumps out at me. The Scottish dialect can be a bit tricky to get your head around at first, but basically, it’s a novel about heroin and Mark Renton’s loathing for his country. There is also a great bit involving a suppository and a sudden attack of explosive diarrhoea… don’t do drugs, kids.

Favourite Author

I don’t have one particular favourite, but I’ve read a lot of Stephen king and Daphne Du Maurier who wrote The Birds which Alfred Hitchcock adapted into what was possibly one of the scariest films I’ve ever seen.

Favourite Book Quote

“Fuck it, we would have injected vitamin C if only they’d made it illegal.” – Mark Renton, Trainspotting.

 

 

 

Author Interviews: Talitha Langlois

Talitha Langlois is our next author to be interviewed, as she tells us about her inspiration and thought process behind her story, ‘Burning Our Horizons’.

What is your story about?

‘Burning Our Horizons’ is about a lost friendship between two students, only to be rekindled when one finds forgiveness and the other is brave and loving enough to give it.

What inspired your story?

The story was inspired by a song I’d been listening to on repeat for a few weeks. I’d been wanting to write something for the song and this is what came from it?

What thoughts are you trying to provoke?

Barriers being broken down, forgiving others and self-forgiving are very important to the piece. I’d like the readers to reflect on themselves and what they’ve seen my characters do in terms of relationships.

Tell us a fun fact!

I have a secret talent for identifying actors and celebrities voices/faces after only having heard or seen them once. I’m not bad at mimicking them either!

 

Author Interviews: Laura Huckle

Another one of our interviews with our authors, this time with Laura Huckle. Laura has written two stories in the anthology, ‘The Old Man and the Soup’, and ‘The Vigilante’. She talks about both of them below. Her stories are short and sweet and we can’t wait for you to check out the full versions when the book is released!

What are your stories about?

‘The Old Man and the Soup’ is about a lovely old man opening his door to a stranger and paying the price. ‘The Vigilante’ is about a man who takes it upon himself to take the lives of others, avenging his lost love- or so he says.

What inspired your stories?

Batman.

And soup.

No, I just wanted to write a story where one person’s motives are unknown and the other person’s motives are completely transparent.

What thoughts are you trying to provoke?

Is trust a valid reason to let someone in? Is love a good motive for revenge?

Tell us a fun fact!

No.

Editor’s note: Laura is fun

Author Interviews: Lauren Marshall

Another one of our new features in the weeks leading up to Crashing Through the Looking Glass’s release. You may have seen our YouTube interviews with some of our authors and here are some insights to the rest of our authors and their stories. Our first interview is with Lauren Marshall, who wrote ‘The Lost Path’ and ‘The Grand Overlord’, with this interview about the former story.

What is your story about?

My story is about a girl who unconsciously makes a journey every day to a deserted house without knowing why.

What inspired your story?

The inspiration for this story came from wondering why we make unconscious decisions and what the result is from them.

What thoughts are you trying to provoke?

The thoughts I’m trying to provoke are really finding out why we make these decisions sometimes under unusual circumstances.

Tell us a fun fact

I once took part in two local drama competitions with school around the age of 8 and 9.

An Author’s Favourites: Alex Lewis

This is the first installment of a new feature we’re running, to let you wonderful audience members find out a little bit more about our authors, and what their favourite literary heroes and books are. You might just notice some parallels between their work and the work of who they admire!

Favourite Literary Hero

Sherlock Holmes. It’s cheating because I’ve watched more of him than I’ve read, but I love his intellect and wit, and also complete lack of self-awareness. It’s tragic how a man who knows so much about the world, knows so little about his own.

Favourite Literary Villain

Joffery Baratheon, from ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’. He’s just horrible and spiteful towards everyone. He feels he’s above people, because of his heritage and ancestry. Beneath all that, he’s a little coward who always gets his way and he makes my blood boil!

Favourite Book

‘The Martian’ by Andy Weir. I really love reading about survival tales, where the odds are against the protagonist, and this book has that from beginning to end. In a tale full of loneliness and desperation, there are some small, great moments of comedy also, to alleviate the tension.

Favourite Author

Stephen King. Not many writers can pen a 1000 page book and keep me hooked for the entirety of it, with ‘The Stand’. He makes such unique characters, which he can easily kill of without a moments hesitation when you least expect it. ‘The Dark Tower’ series is also amazing, blurring fantasy with reality as he designs a unique setting which feels like it can change and evolve at any moment.

Favourite Book Quote 

‘The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed’. 

It’s such a strong opening line to a novel, (‘The Gunslinger’ Book 1 of ‘The Dark Tower’ series) and raises so many questions. Who is the man in black? Why is he running? Where are they? Who is the gunslinger? Why is he chasing him? Who is the bad guy here? So well done and hooks you in from the moment you start reading.

 

What Came Before: Francois

It was unfortunate. Two nurses had disappeared from their duties; they’d just vanished; done a runner; skipped town.

“Ms Taylor,” the head nurse had asked Francois one day: “Are you sure Miss Polly and Miss Dorothy didn’t come and check on you last Tuesday? We really are stumped, dear.”

Francois really wished they wouldn’t patronise her, but she only smiled back and assured them that, to be quite honest, she couldn’t really remember who Miss Polly and Miss Taylor were. That trick always worked.

Francois always felt a strange excitement after her interrogations were over. Maybe it was the thrill of getting away with it again, or the thought of the two delicious prizes that lay in waiting for her, down in the basement.