Author Interview with Mark Towse
1. When did you start writing?
Roughly only six years ago. Back in the eighties, the arts were frowned upon, so I ignored the pleas of my English teacher and played it safe, studying for a degree in mathematics. A thirty-year career in sales followed that bled me dry of every nuance of passion. I needed something more, something to inspire that childhood awe and wonder we once took for granted. After having my head buried in the sand for nearly three decades, I finally ripped it free, more determined than ever to bring the magic back.
I got busy writing, bile mostly, but found it to be a tremendously cathartic and therapeutic experience. After a few cringeworthy tales, I finally devised a short story called ‘Hugh’s Friend’ that I thought was half-decent. I sent it to a magazine called Books & Pieces, and they paid me seventy-five dollars for it.
I was an addict.
2. What was your journey towards becoming an author like?
Hard work but incredibly freeing. After all, I was living in magic land again. I loved it. I couldn't get enough. I woke up thinking about it and went to bed and dreamt about it. Damn, I bored my wife silly with story ideas and concepts. Bless her.
Rejection did hurt at first (from publications, not my wife). It was difficult not to take it personally, as, after all, you're essentially putting yourself on the page. Even though people threw around the term "subjective," it still carried an undeniable sting. That said, after a few wins, you develop enough confidence to believe it might have been subjective or just not a right fit for that particular publication. And then there are occasions when you have to raise your hands, swallow your ego, and accept you've written a piece of garbage.
Getting paid for the shorts helped give me a well-needed confidence boost. I started with amateur mags, then pushed myself to semi-pro until I began to win a few pro-rate contracts.
After writing a hundred short stories and getting most of them picked up, I graduated to longer fiction. Fifteen novellas later, I finally sat down to write my first novel, Chasing The Dragon.
Writing shorts and novellas undeniably helped me sharpen my toolkit for long-form fiction. I'd recommend that until I'm blue in the face. I'll never regret doing things the hard way as I feel more than equipped for what lies ahead.
3. What can you tell me about your latest book? (Feel free to include an excerpt.)
It stemmed from a novelette I wrote called Watch Me Fly. I knew at the time 'Reformo,' our main protagonist, was too big a character to contain within a few thousand words. And when readers started asking me for more, I had to oblige.
Chasing The Dragon is my best work, culminating all the aforementioned. A dark concoction of all the genres I've touched on, it was an absolute thrill to write. It is horror, thriller, romance, crime, fantasy, and mystery, with the staple thread of Towsey humour to lighten the load.
Synopsis (unofficial): A town on its knees, dread's bony fingers wrapping around its throat and squeezing, death rattles soon to follow. Drugs, filth, and a lack of human decency are starving it of hope. Introducing Simon Dooley, our trauma-driven wannabe superhero, the relentless voice of his dead mother pleading with him to "end the chaos."
Dressed in a leotard and armed only with a dozen dog poop bags, Simon's plight will find him falling in love and going head-to-head with the seediest characters walking the streets.
The town needed a hero... it got Reformo.
One reader described it as “Tragic but as funny as all hell.” I think that’s the perfect description. People have laughed and cried reading the ARC, and that tells me they have truly connected with Reformo, that my work is done.
4. What sort of methods do you use for book promotion?
Haha. That old chestnut. It's a real love-hate relationship for me. I love talking about my work, but promoting is a different kettle of fish altogether. And as an introverted Australian, I don't get to do the rounds like many other authors. Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are really my only means of reaching out, and with that comes the danger of over-selling, something I know I'm guilty of sometimes. But how else does one get their work out there?
These days, I'm working with some good publishers who take on some of that responsibility, but it's still a complete mystery to me.
Looking back, I was certainly naïve when I started this journey. It's been a harsh lesson, and I know I need to get myself out there more.
5. Where do you get your ideas for stories?
Wow. Everywhere. It becomes instinctive after a while; anything is fair game. I’ve now written one hundred and eighty-five short stories, fourteen novellas, and two novels. I’m never short on ideas, just time. Inspiration could come from a conversation, scenery, or even a smell. If it’s decent enough, the idea will stick, and then all it takes is that first line. I’ve always been a ‘pantster,’ which keeps the journey exciting. I mean, if I don’t know where the story is going, the reader sure as hell won’t.
6. What are you working on right now?
I’m taking time to breathe over Christmas after finishing my second novel, The Sound of Suffering. Wicked House Publishing will release that one in January 2025. It’s a killer book! In a week or two, I’ll start working on my third novel and a secret collaboration project. There is so much to do, so little time.
Over the coming weeks, I’ll also be promoting the hell out of Chasing The Dragon. I might have mentioned it before, but this one means the world to me J
7. Any advice for other authors?
Practise. A lot. Be brave. Experiment.
One piece of valuable advice I got from my writer pal, Erik Hanson, was something along the lines of placing characters into awkward situations and forcing uncomfortable dialogue. Don’t take the easy route. You’ll learn more about them and give readers one hell of a firework display.
For beginners, don’t shoot for the novel first. Spill your bile. Find your voice. Write flash fiction and shorts until you feel comfortable moving to the next stage. As ‘Reformo’ would say, “Small steps make climbable ladders.”
Importantly, have fun!
ABOUT MARK:
Mark Towse is an English horror writer living in Australia. He would sell his soul to the devil or anyone buying if it meant he could write full-time. Alas, he left it very late to begin this journey, penning his first story since primary school at the ripe old age of forty-five. Since then, he's been published in over two hundred journals and anthologies, had his work made into full theatrical productions for shows such as The No Sleep Podcast and Tales to Terrify, and has penned fifteen novellas, including Nana, Gone to the Dogs, 3:33, and Crows. Chasing The Dragon is his debut novel.
