Swift Six Author Interview – Derek Power #Fantasy #Mythology
Name: Derek Power
Please introduce yourself (250 words or so):
Being born and bred in Dublin, Ireland, I grew up with a healthy history of myths and legends in my blood. My grandfather instilled in me a love of reading from a very young age, pushing anything printed into my hands and then asking me about it when I was finished reading it. This led to my life long love of reading. I was probably one of the few people in my school year who asked for ten or twelve books at Christmas time, most of which I’d have finished reading before the holidays were over. The Kindle was probably the most amazing device ever invented, as my shelves buckled under the load and my floors wound up home to mounds of books going digital was just the best thing. All that reading over my formative years I guess getting into writing was bound to happen to some degree. Although the day job is one that involves working on computers, I never forget meeting my English teacher in the university canteen and telling him that I hadn’t gone into a writing degree. I didn’t think you could see a man’s heart break physically, but that day I saw what happens when somebody else’s dream for you is broken. With any luck I will keep the love of stories, both reading and telling, going in my two little ones. My wife and I have read to them since they came home from the hospital and even now I can hear one of them reading despite it being way past bedtime.
Tell us about your book(s) – title, genre etc (short)
I mostly write about Filthy Henry, the fairy detective. He is Ireland’s first and foremost fairy detective, working cases that involve magical crimes which usually come about when the magical and mortal worlds collide. The series is a fantasy-comedy one, based in modern-day Ireland. Each book is self-contained so that a person can read them in any order and not really need to now what came before, or spoil what would come after. The cases then are based off the old Celtic myths and legends, with little tweaks so that they fit into a modern day setting. In the first book, for example, Filthy Henry has to work a case involving a leprechaun’s stolen crock of gold.
When did you start your writing adventure? What was the inspiration for it?
I dabbled on and off during my teenage years, but never anything serious. Then in university I entered a short story contest and won it, which sparked an interest in writing again (after seeing my English teacher in the canteen) so I dabbled again. But it wasn’t until 2012 that I started writing properly. The idea for Fitlhy Henry popped into my head after I finished reading a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. I grabbed a notepad, wrote out the rules for his universe, and then started plotting the first novel. Before I knew it I had ten pages of an outline and I was off to the races. After shopping the first novel around a few places and sadly getting nowhere I went down the indie publishing path and the adventure has been a blast. Filthy Henry now has five novels, four short stories and a podcast to his name.
What writing plans do you have for the future?
Right now I am working on a crime novel that doesn’t have any magic or sci-fi in it. It is grounded and based in the real world. It’s actually been fun to write because it is a challenge for me to not revert to form and throw in some comedy. I’m hoping to get the first draft done before Easter and then get into re-write mode. After that I have three more Filthy Henry novels planned out, which will be fast to write since I know the characters so well.
What do you like to read?
Basically anything. I mainly read sci-fi and fantasy, but recently I’ve been getting into crime stories and murder mysteries. My Kindle is always fully loaded with about ten books to read and then I sacrifice sleep to get through them.
What piece of advice do you wish you’d had when you’d started your writing adventure?
Oh drafts are your friend. When I started writing first I spent so long trying to get the perfect line, craft the perfect chapter, and I never got past page one for weeks. The lesson being that you just need to get the story written first, then pass over it a few dozen times. Draft one just needs to be written, then draft two to infinity can be for refining, fixing, tweaking, adding, subtracting. All you have to do is get the first one finished.
Author bio and book synopsis
Bio:
Derek Power is the mind behind Filthy Henry, the fairy detective. Born and bred in Dublin, he currently lives in Skerries with his family. He predominately focuses on comedy-fantasy works, but has dabbled in sci-fi noir with his novel ‘Duplex Tempus’.
When not writing he spends his days refreshing the inbox wondering when Hollywood is going to come knocking for the film rights to his books.
Filthy Henry: The Fairy Detective:
Filthy Henry is Dublin’s first and foremost fairy detective. Something of a niche job since most people do not know that fairies are even real, let alone need a detective. But when The King of the Leprechauns has his crock of gold stolen by some humans he requires the services of a detective. Lucky for him Filthy Henry is just the man he needs. The only problem is nobody in the world can stand him. Which does not really bother Filthy Henry as he is not too fond of the world either…
Links/Social media
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dcpower_author
Blog: https://www.powerwrites.com/
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/ap/xqkYXL/Derek-Power
Podcast: https://shows.acast.com/filthyhenry
