Straight Chatting from the Library: Nick Wilford

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READ THE INTERVIEW

What is the favorite book you remember as a child?
Edward Lear’s Nonsense Omnibus is one I remember reading over and over again. It gave me a real taste for the whimsical and fantastical.

Tell us about your current book in 10 words.
Magical, futuristic, mindbending, complex, human, tense, metaphysical, thrilling, uplifting, dramatic

What are you reading right now?
The Blue Monsoon by a fellow 2023 debut author, Damyanti Biswas. It’s actually the sequel to her debut, The Blue Bar, released earlier this year. These are police procedurals set in the seedy underbelly of Mumbai. There are a lot of political, social and cultural overtones, which all add colour, but ultimately they are gripping thrillers where you’re hanging on by your fingernails. Recommend!

Do you have any bad book habits?
I would probably say taking too long to read them – that’s always been an issue. I like to soak everything in without rushing too much, which I know could be seen as a good habit, but then it obviously means there’s a lot of books I don’t get to!

E-Reader or print? and why?
I enjoy both, but the vast majority of what I read are ebooks now, unless I’ve received a paperback as a gift. It’s just for the convenience and being easier to carry around, and also having no limits to storage. It’s great for holidays. Also, my bookcases are full!

One book at a time or multiples?
It’s pretty much always just one book. If I have read more than one at a time before, then it’s not been more than two. I struggle with multitasking in most aspects of life really. Definitely can’t write more than one book at a time, I’d get confused and they would leak into each other!

Favorite book you've read this year?
In the Pines by Mariah Stillbrook is one of the best books I’ve read in ages, not just this year. It deals with a family of witches trying to rid themselves of a curse that has stalked them over multiple lifetimes. It’s modern day, so they have day jobs on top of the witchy stuff, but there’s a really deep system of lore that has been well thought through, and I really feel like it does something new with the fantasy genre and this type of book. I read it as an ARC, so it’s not out until November – look out for it!

When do you do most of your reading?
It tends to be early morning and late at night, as I’m working and otherwise on the go during the day, but if I go on holiday I do take that as a good chance to catch up.

What would make you not finish a book?
If something’s not clicking – probably if I’m not gelling with the characters. I think having empathy for the characters is so key because you’re seeing things through their eyes. It doesn’t happen that often thankfully!

READ THE BLURB

Harica is gifted with the ability to defuse conflicts using her mind. When she is recruited to assist in resolving a war via an arranged marriage, she discovers that the reluctant bride-to-be has similar powers. Princess Jasmila doesn’t use her powers for good and when Harica arrives to help with the marriage arrangements, she fights back and sends Harica into a coma.

It is through this comatose state that Harica discovers a mysterious liminal space populated by others who share her gift. In this new realm, she learns to do things she never believed possible, but soon things spiral out of control.

In the face of a terrifying and seemingly unstoppable adversary, Harica wrestles with the decision to come to terms with the dark side of her gift.

Will she take ownership of it or turn her back on it forever?

READ AN EXCERPT

I couldn’t say that everything went black. Or that everything went white. Those are both colours, and therefore they’re something. This was a total mass of absence, an aching emptiness, a void so all-consuming I couldn’t even register my own existence. I couldn’t tell where I ended and the void began.

I don’t know how long I was there for, either. Not even time can escape a black hole.

Eventually, somehow, I became aware of myself again. Two arms, two legs, a head. I had a body, and I was bizarrely grateful for it. I wasn’t in the void anymore, or at least not in such a bleak, hopeless version of it. But neither was I in the conference room, or whatever it was, or my room upstairs, or even my room back home. This new space was all white, with no discernible floor or ceiling or walls. But there were voices. I wasn’t alone. When I tried to turn towards them, however, they receded. I saw no one, and I couldn’t pick out anything they said.

I stayed very still in the hope they would come to me. Maybe they could help me get out of here.

“. . . only here for a short time, I think. We’ll see how we can help her.” A woman’s voice. It seemed to be getting closer again. I held my breath, although I wasn’t sure whether I actually needed breath in this place, whether my bodily functions were just a reassuring approximation based on memory, whether I was alive or dead.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Nick Wilford is originally from Brighton, England and now lives in a quiet town in Scotland with his wife, three daughters and six rescue dogs. Wanting to make a career from writing, he trained in journalism, but soon realized that the fictional realm was where his true passion lay. He enjoys writing speculative fiction, exploring the things that cannot be seen and “making the impossible reality.” Nick is the author of the Black & White YA dystopian series and has also published a collection of shorter fiction as well as curating, editing and publishing a fundraising anthology featuring a diverse array of talent. By day, he works as a freelance editor, and he also enjoys travelling to inspiring locations with his family, listening to music and helping unwanted dogs find loving homes.

Website: https://www.nickwilford.com
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Blog: http://nickwilford.blogspot.com/

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