INTERVIEW CORNER

Hello Again, so this month interview, I think I got it big with this guy. Obviously he is an author and I for one, am his fan. I can't just wait to introduce to you this amazing person, Liam Higginson. aka Higgins (thats what I call him.)

1. What's your name?

Liam Higginson.

2. What genre do you write?

I guess you’d say historical fiction, but I’ve never really liked that as a label. It’s historical fiction in the sense that it’s based on historical events, but I’m more interested in the little people who get caught up in those big historical events than the events themselves. I’m working right now on a novel set in Occupied France in the last days of World War II, but I don’t want people to get the idea that it’s going to be full of battles and generals. It’s a very intimate story that centres around ordinary people set against the backdrop of an extraordinary time.

3. What was your published work all about?

About five years ago I started working on a book about the French Revolution. It’s such an important time in the history of the world – much more than a lot of people realise – but it’s remembered today in very black and white terms and I wanted to explore a different angle on that. The book that eventually came out a couple of years back went through a lot of changes over the course of the writing process, but it ended up being the story of a young aristocrat making his way across the country during the most brutal period of the Revolution. It ended up being a bit of everything – historical fiction, literary drama, romance, a road story – but when it boils down to it it’s essentially a journey home, both in a literal and a metaphorical sense.

4. Tell us the genre you secretly want to write about but you aren't able to.

Ever since I first started writing stories I’ve always wanted to write a really epic fantasy novel, but the scope of these things is so vast. It’s hard enough keeping track of all the people in a village. To try to imagine a whole world’s worth of characters and still make each one human and believable is a bigger undertaking than I think I could take on at this point. I’ve got a lot of respect for writers like Sir Terry Pratchett and George R R Martin who can keep these enormous but at the same time dense and detailed worlds in their heads – who can transport us to places that have never existed. I don’t even know where I’d start with a project like that.

5. What was the last book you read?

Nightwoods, by Charles Frazier. He’s probably one of the writers who has most influenced my style, certainly one of my favourites. His descriptions of settings are so vivid and detailed, and his writing has this kind of very clear voice to it – it’s poetic without ever being pretentious, and at the same time folksy and charming. I’d definitely recommend it.

6. What has writing been like for you?

It’s been a bit of everything. It’s my passion but it’s still hard work. There have been hard times that writing has helped me through, and other hard times that it’s been the cause of. There are times when it flows and I can have a rough draft of a page within an hour or so, and times when I’ll go weeks without writing a word. It’s never been something I can switch on and off – it comes when it wants to, whether that means I’m sitting at my desk begging the words to come or trying to get some sleep at 3am on a work night.

7. Tell us about your writing space. Do you have any?

Pretty much anywhere I’ve got a pencil and some paper. A lot of the time I’ll be in the middle of doing something else and suddenly it’s a race against time to find something to write with before the words are gone. I’ve got a lot of stuff written on post-it notes or the backs of envelopes. I like to write outside whenever I can, and maybe that’s why my writing ends up so full of nature imagery.

8. What inspires you to write?

People mostly. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from life is that as much as we like to think so, there are no good or bad people – we’re all a little of both, and I try to reflect that with my characters. It’s always surprising to see how people react in intense situations. I’ve been lucky enough to have been surrounded bysome very interesting people, so generally I don’t have to look too far for inspiration. Real life has inspired me a lot too.

. What else do you do besides writing?

I spend a lot of my time in the Loire Valley in France. My dad has had a bed and breakfast in an old watermill here since I was about fourteen, and I’m so lucky to be able to write in such an inspiring place with so many interesting people coming and going. I draw a little when I’m not writing to clear my head. And when I get the time I love to travel and discover new places. Right now I’m doing my best to see as much of France as I can, but who knows – maybe I’ll get to visit you in Nigeria one of these days.

10. Who has been influential in your writing career?

I owe a big debt to Stephen King for how his books have influenced not just my writing, but my life in general. He has a bad (and undeserved) reputation for only writing trashy horror novels, but that’s a very unfair judgement. His insights into character and humanity in general is something I’d love to be able to emulate. I mentioned Charles Frazier earlier, he’s another writer who’s had a big impact on me. He’s the only author I know who can make you feel nostalgic for a time you don’t even remember. But I guess I’ve had to say my biggest influences have been my family and friends. When my sister and I were kids, my dad used to make up stories on long car journeys, and my mum used to read books with me that, to be honest, I was probably a little young for. If I hadn’t grown up surrounded by stories, I don’t think I’d be trying to share mine with you now.

11. How would you know a book is good?

I think you can get a sense sometimes that an author really feels their subject matter – they lay themselves bare on the page. Honesty is a real quality I look for in stories. When I get to the end of a good book I feel like the author has shared a part of themself with me. I’ll take a story with terrible writing but genuine feeling over a story with great writing that’s just been churned out according to a sterile commercial formula any day. But I think at the end of the day, there’s a lot of emperor’s-new-clothes type snobbery around literature. A good book is a book you enjoy, whether it’s War and Peace or The Very Hungry Caterpillar. 

12. Would you advise others to write?

Absolutely, if you want to. Write for yourself, that’s the important thing. Don’t be put off by negative feedback. It doesn’t matter if nobody else likes or even reads what you write. If you enjoy it, do it and don’t let anybody stop you.

13. What would you advise young writers?

Read. Read as much as you can. Learn from people who are the best at what they do. You can always spot a writer who doesn’t read.

. What would you say to your fans?

I have fans? I guess all I can say is thank you. I’ll keep trying not to disappoint. Come hang out with me if you’re ever in France – I’m always happy to hear your stories and share a few more of mine.

Your nieces are awesome Higgins especially the one behind.
Catch a glimpse of Liam's Cot.

 

 

Thank you Higgins for your time, I am going to interview you some other time and honestly I cant wait to read THE EMPIRE OF DIRT