P. Stuart Elliot

Hello and Welcome to my Amazon Author Page.

It doesn't take Hercule Poirot to figure out that I am P. Stuart Elliot and my Amazon bookshelf is currently populated with the heady total of four titles:

Amy Hunter II: Death on the High Seas - Zombie Invasion

Amy Hunter: Part Time Slayer (the most recent title)

Afterlife

and Perseus Middleman: Thaumaturgic Adventurer

My philosophy in writing is quite simple; I write stories that I would like to read. Hopefully, I'm relying on other people liking the same kind of stories as myself. My bookshelves at home are dominated by names such as Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Robert Rankin, Ben Elton and Robert Sheckley to name but a few. That should give you an idea of the genre that I enjoy writing in. Don't get me wrong; I do love other authors. I have a passion for crime stories and Ian Rankin, Harlen Coben and Karin Slaughter have a huge section of my available bookshelf space. I devour every Dan Brown book within hours of its release but I write quirky humorous books.

So tell me about the books?

With the release of Amy Hunter II, my part tie slayer has more from trouble with vampires and onto Carry on Cruising with Zombies (although they're not actually Zombies but they're pretty close). DI McAdam and Gillian are also involved along with a lethal female assassin for hire.

Afterlife: If you thought life was tough - just wait 'til it's over (to state its full title) is the second of my books and the first to be set in the fictional town of Feathersham. Arnold Peter Braithewaite has woken up not knowing that today will be the last day of his life. He will have to go through many trials and tribulations before getting his afterlife, and he'll have to convince DI Neil McAdam and DS Alex Price that his wife didn't kill him.

My first novel Perseus Middleman: Thaumaturgic Adventurer was first published as a paperback by Authorhouse in April 2007 (vanity publication) but I published the Kindle version four years later in October 2011.

It's a comedy nugget that blends the humour of Douglas Adams with the feel of Terry Pratchett and wraps it all up in the form of a 17 year old wizard and an ages old prophecy to find a lost city of gold and the girl of his nightmares. It's a fantasy adventure - it's a love story - it's packed with funny bits and to top it all off the hero is just the right size to fill that "No more Harry Potter" hole. What more could anyone want?

Where and how did it all start?

As is most things in life it starts with a neurone. Just a small one and it fired across the nerve endings deep within the brain carrying a message, "Why don't you write a book?"

OK, So the book idea is on the table. But a book about what? Flora and Fauna of the Upper Amazon? Superhero Costumes : A Colourful History? Or even an anthology of 'There was a young ...' limericks? But no, I rejected all of those quite viable titles. They just weren't me. So in keeping with my inspirations, it had to be a book that would make people laugh.

Now I'd started a few of these things before and never really got past the planning stage. You know what happens. You jot down an A4 page of ideas or type out a paragraph of sparkling text and then another more interesting project ventures over the horizon. What was needed then was an idea so enthralling that I would stick at it.

Luckily since March 1997, I'd been producing a comic strip on the internet, "The Adventures of Hangin' Herman" (do a Google search!). Herman is a shepherd who gets charged on a count of 'Sheep Worrying' and receives a five year stint chained to dungeon wall. The strip is all about his daily trials and the lives of those who live in the castle around him.

Over the last seven years of his five year sentence (yes I know!), the fictional world that hosts these adventures had been developed, continents defined, towns and cities mapped and rivers named. A religion had been formed and with this wealth of information at my disposal, the mind went into overdrive. Between April 2002 and April 2003 I had sketched out Perseus' story for the Lost City of Gold.

By August 2004, I had all fifteen chapters written and the story was complete bar the fact that it took another three years to get it into print.

So what about the man behind the words. I'll refer you to a Facebook chain message (yes i'm on Facebook: like the P Stuart Elliot fan page) in particular the following section:

ARIES - The Aggressive

Outgoing. Loveable. Spontaneous. Not one to mess with. Funny. Excellent kisser EXTREMELY adorable. Loves relationships, and family is very important to an aries. Aries are known for being generous and giving. Addictive. Loud. Always has the need to be 'Right'. Aries will argue to prove their point for hours and hours. Aries are some of the most wonderful people in the world. 16 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON! I didn't pass it on; I never do. But when the next post turned out to be a "get to know me" quiz, I thought what a great idea. So, with thanks to Rachel (who sent me this questionnaire), here goes....

1) Do you listen to music when you write?

Sometimes, but normally I work with the TV on in the background.

2) Do you have certain musical genres or artists you listen to when you write?

Too many to list but I'm also a dance teacher so I love a good Salsa/Cha Cha track. 

3) How long have you been writing?

A long time. But I'm in no way prolific. Two manuscripts in ten years (one still some way from being ready for publishing)

4) Do any of your characters remind you of yourself?

Only the good-looking, rugged hero types.

5) What genre do you write?

Comic (humour)/fantasy

6) If you had to change genres what genre would you change too?

I'd like to try crime as it one of my staple reading genres

7) What comes first.....characters or plot?

plot

8) Do you have a specific process you go through when creating your characters?

not really. I draw cartoons, so sometimes I sketch the characters first

9) What do you enjoy about writing in your chosen genre?

I can do what I want including putting in really crap jokes.

10) Do you have a writing ritual?

I tend to open a document file and just fill it with ideas. Try to refine each one, fleshing it out or deleting it until I have ten or so viable threads. I then develop these into a plot creating chapter outlines. Then I just type and type.

11) What is the most work you have completed in one sitting?

I think that I once did a whole chapter - I can't remember how many words that was

12) Have any authors inspired you?

Rankin, Pratchett, Sheckley but most of all Douglas Adams

13) If you couldn't be a writer what career field would you chose?

Film trailer voiceover artiste

14) What is the best compliment someone has ever given you about your writing or books?

My mom read the whole of the book and *ENJOYED* it. And she actually read it - I quizzed her on it. I didn't think she read anything except Agatha Christie

15) Describe your writing space.

It's my lap. It's where my laptop sits. Although since taking early retirement during the pandemic, my lockdown home office because my writing nook

16) What type of books are on your bookshelf?

Humour from the authors mentioned previously and a lot of crime books - Ian Rankin - Harlen Coben - Karin Slaughter - James Patterson. I love those conspiracy (Dan Brown) type books. And I have too many Star Trek books.

17) Do you have a formal writing education?

No, I actually failed my Eng Lit 'O' level. And we'll leave it at that.

Thanks for reading.

P