42 Stories Anthology Presents: Geoff Brough Interview

 

Geoff Brough is the Honorable Mention Award Winner in the Thriller/Suspense chapter for 

VERY HOT IN INDIA AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, EMMA

                                   

BAM: Where are you located, Geoff? 

Geoff: UK, Shropshire, Shrewsbury

BAM: Where is your writing space? 

Geoff: Home

 

BAM: Who is your favorite author?

Geoff: My favorite author has to be George Orwell. I find his straightforward prose style very easy to read, even when he is expressing very powerful ideas. 1984 is, in my view, his masterpiece.

 

BAM: Definitely his masterpiece. I read it back-to-back with A Brave New World back in uni. Another masterpiece. So, who's your favorite musician?

Geoff: I love Bruce Springsteen. The male angst he brings out in his songs really speaks to me. His Born in the USA album helped this lonely 17-year-old through some bleak days.

 

BAM: Springsteen is apparently a nice person in real life, too. Let's talk about writing, now. Could you tell me about any writer’s circles that you’re a part of?

Geoff: Until recently, I was in a very supportive group of local writers that always inspired and energized my writing. But it has ended now after the sad and untimely death of Annemarie, the tireless Chair of the group.

 

BAM: Sorry about your loss. Losing friends sucks. Geoff, every writer, whether they notice or not, has a message for their readers. Is there is anything you want the human race to stop doing, which might appear in your writing?

Geoff: I passionately want the human race to stop being “woke”. This movement thinks of itself as Liberal, but it is just curtailing free speech and thought, and demonizing certain groups.

 

BAM: I think part of the problem is acknowledging the term itself. If you tell a child they're bad, they're more likely to become a criminal. This idea is backed by some research. Of course, genetics might also be a factor. As such, if you tell someone they're "woke," well. Anyway, what inspires you to write?

Geoff: What inspires me to write? A few things. The thrill of creating characters from scratch, knowing that I can make them do absolutely anything. Thinking up stories and finding the words to tell them. Hopefully making the reader feel something through my writing. But most of all, simply because I enjoy it!

 

BAM: Writing and creating can be a freeing experience. Sometimes, though, there are walls. That said, what are some strategies for you to overcome writer’s block?

Geoff: Overcoming writer’s block? I just keep writing. Anything. Shopping lists, To-Do lists, bucket lists. Limericks, random thoughts, a diary. Ideas for stories that I know are rubbish. Fan fiction that infringes copyright, so will never be published. Anything. Everything. I power through it until the muse comes again!

 

Biography: 

I am 54, happily single, and living in Shrewsbury (England). My job is drafting legal orders, and my passion in life is writing. My literary achievements to date are: working for the Textbroker website, and writing questions for a radio quiz show.