About the Author: S.M. Warlow
What would you like readers to know about you?
First and foremost, I'm a Father and a Husband with a full-time career. It all keeps me very active!Outside of all that, I'm a best-selling self-published author from the UK.I spent many years putting off the writing as I figured I'd get around to it eventually. I finally put pen to paper after realising that only I could tell my story and not someone else!
What music do you listen to (if any) when you write?
When it comes to music while writing, I tend to stick with atmospheric music, generally without vocals. If a scene is particularly emotional or epic, I try to find something that matches the mood/vibe to help get me in the zone.A couple of big recommendations are Audiomachine, Epic Score, and Succession Studios.
What books or authors inspired you to become a writer?
I'd say the writers who spoke to me early on were those involved in the OG Star Wars canon (now known as Legends since the Disney takeover). There are also the big ones like J.K. Rowling and Tolkien, who I'd say were a big deal for most millennial readers/writers.Â
In the years since the writers who've impacted me most are...
James S.A. Corey with the Expanse series. I love the writing style and the character-driven plot.
Richard K. Morgan and his Takeshi Kovacs series.Â
Frank Herbert with Dune
Lee Child and the Jack Reacher series.
Honourable shout-outs for Susanne Collins, Hugh Howey and Alastair Reynolds.
About the Book: Heritage and Invidious
What is your book about for those who haven’t read it?
So the first book, Heritage, is based 25 years after the destruction of Earth at the hands of a totalitarian alien monarchy known as the Revenant. A utopian military coalition (the Commonwealth) rescues a few million during the attack, but ultimately most of Earth's population is wiped out.The reader is introduced to the MC, Nathan Carter, a jaded scoundrel-type who's had a rough life since the Fall.
He's hired to steal some cargo from a Commonwealth Warship but gets way more than he bargained for and is plunged into the middle of the galactic conflict.The stakes couldn't be higher, and Nathan is forced to pull together a crew. This is where the reader meets a bunch of colourful characters along the way (most of which have POV scenes/chapters).In short, there's a lot of action, space battles, heists and mystery. If you love adventure, this one is for you.The second book, Invidious, picks up a year later. Without spoiling anything, Invidious deals with the aftermath of Heritage. A lot of political scheming is going on, and the galaxy is pretty on edge. An old acquaintance contacts Nathan and the crew, and pretty soon, they're back in the thick of it: caught in the middle of a galactic-level conspiracy.Invidious is more of an action thriller than Heritage. It delves deep into conspiracy and factions, but all to a space opera backdrop.
What has been your inspiration for writing it?
On a real basic level, you could say franchises like Star Wars, Firefly, and the Expanse have inspired me. But I think my inspiration goes deeper than that. Yes, there are spaceships and aliens and magic wizard people, but the themes I'm shooting at are slightly different.
The series as a whole is inspired by the awesome sci-fi trope of those who came before (extinct alien forerunners). This concept of galactic-scale builders is a focal point of my world-building. I guess this is where writers like George RR Martin or Issac Asimov have made their impression on me. It's really important that the world your characters live in needs to be fleshed out and interesting. You need to make it feel like a lived-in place and not just a backdrop.While great world-building and lore are great things to have, character arcs and character-driven moments are extremely important to me. I think all major characters must have weaknesses and flaws. Otherwise, they simply aren't interesting.
What was your favorite scene or part of your book to write?
Personally, I love writing villain scenes. Invidious features a very calculating villain called Roth, who's basically a machiavellian man in the shadows type. There's something very different about writing and composing the antagonist. I guess you have to tap into something different.
Where can your book be purchased?
Both Heritage and Invidious are available in Print, Kindle and Audiobook.
To purchase the Paperback or Kindle you can head to Amazon
Heritage - https://a.co/d/cNh485p
Invidious -Â https://a.co/d/90gA7Mi
Audiobooks for both books can be found on Audible and the iTunes store.
To the Future Writer:
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to write a book?
The best piece of writing advice I've ever come across comes from Gareth L. Powell's, About Writing. There's a lot of great advice in that book, but the single sentence that hammers it home for me is, "Just write the f*cking thing". It's super easy to put off or delay the work, but ultimately it's down to you to make it happen.
When it comes to plotting, I think it's vital to plan your story, even if you are a plotter or a pantser. Understand how your characters get from A to Z in the story. Use post-it notes to highlight the story's major points and scrutinise the living hell out of it.
Know what you want to achieve with your work when it comes to publishing. I can't offer traditional industry advice as I'm self-published. The main driver for this decision was that the industry generally prefers to give new and non-established authors a 1 - 3 book deal, which for me, doesn't work. I intend to tell a wide story across several volumes for several years, and three books simply aren't enough.Â
When it comes to self-publishing, I'm still learning, but the single biggest piece of advice is to market your book. Know your preferred platform, know the critical hashtags and the advertising mechanisms. Try, try, try. Investigate promo opportunities for self-published authors. Know that sometimes you will fail, but it's all good learning. Most importantly, speak to other authors in your field and the community at large. Everyone is keen to learn, help and share.
What’s next for you? Any events, upcoming pubs, etc.
I've just given an interview on UK radio which will go out in the coming weeks. The big thing for me next is to dive head-first into book three and get that story out there.
Where can we find you:
Instagram- @SMWARLOW_AUTHOR
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/SMWARLOWAUTHOR
Goodreads - S.M. Warlow
What’s on your TBR list?
I'm planning to re-read the Iain M. Bank's Culture series. I read most of them several years before writing my books, so I look forward to diving into them again.Others on the TBR include;The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le GuinWar Bodies by Neal AsherDescendant Machine by Gareth L PowellThe Lightspeed Trilogy by Ken Macleod
I'm also a big Jack Reacher fan, and there's a new one out at the end of the year.