Author Interview: Bill Sharrock and Edouard Artus
What inspired you to write in the fantasy/sci-fi genre, and how does that inspiration reflect in your stories?
Edouard : I’ve always been intrigued by alternate history and what ifs. What if dinosaurs never went extinct ? What if electricity had never been invented ? What if we no longer needed sunlight to survive ? So the inspiration from the fantasy/sci-fi genre comes from all those possibilities it explores.
This is reflected in the idea behind the Beautiful World series. Most of the worldbuilding behind it revolves around setting a stage for ‘What would society look like if everything was determined by how people looked’.
Why did you choose the indie author route to publication?
Bill : This route tends to avoid the endless rejections of scripts by established mainstream publishing companies. I worked out fairly early on that ‘the big boys’ of the publishing world are really only interested in sure-fire marketing success. Self publishing companies are far easier to deal with.
What unique challenges do you face as an indie author in the fantasy/sci-fi genre, and how do you overcome them?
Bill : I find that you have to make an obviously fantastical, dystopian world strikingly different and yet at the same time believable. The reader really needs to be able to associate with the characters you create, even though they clearly are of another time, and a different social dimension.
You also must try to avoid getting bogged down in endless explanations of things that may appear different or puzzling to the reader. At the same time, you must not confuse the reader, and allow them to be comfortable observers of the world they now find themselves in. And the story needs to clip along at a good pace.
Who are your favorite fantasy/sci-fi authors or works, and in what ways have they influenced your writing?
Bill : Tolkien has been a big influence on me, as has C.S. Lewis, and the earlier Sci-fi / fantasy authors like H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and G.K. Chesterton. They produce a special kind of believable ‘magic’ in the way that they write, and create whole worlds with a few deft literary brush strokes. Their literary themes are also clear and strong.
How do you develop your characters, and who is your favorite character from your works? Why?
Bill : I like to ‘discover’ my characters, by thinking about them in the overall plot setting, and then getting to know them as I write. Ideally, I should feel that they are almost directing me on how they will respond to certain challenges and hurdles, or ,oral questions.
Could you discuss the role of magic/science or fantastical/sci-fi elements in your stories? How do you create rules and limitations for them?
Edouard : In the same way great scientific discoveries and laws shape our world, so do the major discoveries shape the fictional worlds I create. I like coming up with a set of key discoveries and try to run with them as far as I can as to how they would effect everyday lives, behaviour and social structure. I don’t find it necessarily important to detail the science behind it. This was particularly important in Beautiful World as the psychological aspect of the masks, Glamtech, Litra and Beauty laws have a deep impact on the way people behave. Bill has done a great job in putting those subtle little insights that make all these fictional aspects credible.
How do you approach the plotting and planning of your series or novels? Do you prefer to map everything out beforehand or let the story evolve as you write?
Bill : Edouard had the overall concept and general plot worked out in his head before I came to the project. It was up to me to develop characters, describe settings, work out dialogues and interactions, and find a way through the intricacies of sub plots etc. This meant that we would meet on zoom once a week, discuss progress and then brainstorm all the variables concerning plot and character. It worked really well. You could see the ‘journey’ slowly but steadily unfolding. In this way the story ‘evolved’, but we were able to keep a firm hand on the tiller to control the basic direction of the plot. It was great to see some characters change, others stay the same, and still others drop out altogether.
What is a theme or message you hope readers take away from your work?
Bill : ‘Beautiful World’ is essentially a warning to modern society, not to repeat the mistakes of earlier societies and fall into ruin because of a fixation with image and related superficial values. It also tries to assure the reader that strength of character and a determination to ‘do the right thing’ can endure in even the most challenging circumstances. And the old themes of love, hope, trust and loyalty are never going to be out of fashion, despite the madness of the world we might find ourselves caught up in.
In what ways do you connect with your readers, and how has their feedback influenced your writing?
Edouard : That is a tricky one. I live in France and Bill writes the books in english from New Zealand so I don’t have any people to engage with physically around where I live. I have to rely on social media - mainly twitter and interact there but prefer person to person contact than general messaging. Our series is new and the reader base is still small so we don’t have much experience but we’re both very friendly and always happy to meet people, chat and listen.
As an indie author, what advice would you give to aspiring writers wanting to publish in the fantasy/sci-fi genre?
Bill: Be yourself. Don’t try and chase trends or mimic popular authors. Enjoy what you do because you are writing honestly and freely. And don’t try to force an idea: if it’s not working, it’s not working. Give it away. Nor should you be afraid to scrap sections of what you write because on a re-read they feel ‘clunky’ and inadequate. If you think it’s hollow and below par, so will the reader. Try and aim for consistency in your writing. It’s more difficult than you think, and it’s a skill that has to be remembered and rehearsed every time you sit down to write.
What are the biggest challenges you face as an indie author?
Bill: Living with disappointments, indifferent responses from readers, and even rejection - and yet using those failures to bounce back, to learn and then to throw yourself back into the task with renewed enthusiasm. Is that easy? No, but it’s necessary.
Also, it’s important to realise that what you may think is a great idea or a great theme, or an inspirational topic may not find agreement where you hoped to find it. It takes courage to ‘stick to your guns’ in such a case, and simply go ahead and write as you feel you should, even if you are not going to experience an audience that says,’Wow! Great piece of writing!’
On the other hand, it can take even greater courage to accept advice from someone you respect and ditch an idea, or a character you had fallen in love with, and return to ‘a blank canvas’.
● Twitter: https://x.com/BW_Bookseries
● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautifulworldbookseries/
● Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNGWKS1X
● Beautiful World Series website : https://www.beautifulworldofficial.com/
● Merchandise : https://www.redbubble.com/people/Glamtech-store/shop?asc=u
● Good reads : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202242355-beautiful-world
