Today we’re welcoming Queensland-based author S. A. Tawks. Known for the Spirit Series and crime novels including Mule, Misadventurous, Hacks, Double Feature, and Skinflick, Tawks has also written The Norfolk Solution and the short story collection Life, Death, Money & Other Monsters.
Away from writing, favourite enjoyments include the outdoors, travelling, and anything creative. In this interview, we’ll be chatting about the books, the writing process, and the inspirations behind the stories.
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Can you tell us about your background and how it influenced you wanting to be a writer?
I was a reader before I was a writer, so I’ve always put reading above writing. I say I’m an avid reader who writes from time to time. I was very fortunate to be brought up by many readers, so I’ve always had a book in hand from an early age. Around the age of six was when I realised I enjoyed replacing the book with a pencil or pen from time to time, and my dream to be a writer began to take shape.
Do you have any early literary influences that inspired you to become a writer?
I consider Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings the greatest book ever written. The six great books that make up one almost perfect book have been read by these eyes countless times. Joan Lindsay, Bryce Courtenay, Thea Astley, Stephen King, Dennis Lehane, JK Rowling, Alex Garland, Emily Brontë, Irvine Welsh & Chuck Palahniuk are a handful of authors I’ve read, at least, a handful of times and gained inspiration from.
Can you describe your typical writing process?
My writing process is made up of six parts. Every book I’ve worked on has been put on the figurative and literal conveyor belt that moves it from my mind, to a consumable product, to a reader’s mind, where it may live on forever or be forgotten minutes after the last sentence is read. There are six major steps along the production line that is my writing process. I could probably write a book about the six steps and that book could probably fascinate some and absolutely bore others. Maybe one day I’ll write that book. Who knows what the future holds!
Do you have any specific rituals or habits that help you in your writing routine?
Listening to music and having a good drink (usually tea or coffee) by my side is the norm. Every book I’ve written has a particular song tied to it. This song I find before the first draft is started. Once I’m certain it’s the song to go with the book, I listen to it at the start of every writing session before the shuffle takes control of whatever playlist I’ve selected for that session.
How do you approach character development in your stories?
Each of us, every second of the day, is malleable. It all depends on who and what we expose ourselves to and how confident and set in our ways we are. This belief is also how I approach character development. For example, my crime stories all involve questionable characters who are doubting the lives they’ve landed themselves in. Lacking confidence and questioning their ways, my characters always have interesting and entertaining journeys through the stories and settings I throw them into.
How has your writing style evolved over the course of your career?
Having just released my eighth book (Double Feature), currently putting the final touches on my ninth book (The Norfolk Solution), and soon turning my main focus to my tenth book (Skinflick), you’d hope I’ve learnt a thing or two and let those lessons evolve my style for the better. I believe almost having ten books under my belt has provided the experience and time needed, and me maintaining a humble attitude and willingness to adapt when needed, has allowed me to produce the best book every time I’ve begun scribbling with the initial idea for the story.
Have you consciously experimented with different writing styles?
I’ve written stories in first-, second- and third-person. I’ve written stories in past, present and future tense. I’ve written stories set in my home country of Australia just up the road from where I currently live and stories set in far-flung places such as a small speck of land 40km-or-so off the Mozambique coastline in Africa. I’ve written linear and non-linear narratives. And I’ve written stories with conservative structures that are a breeze to follow, and not-so-conservative structures that are more of a challenge to follow along with. I like to think each of my stories offer something for everyone while offering something unique, from me, only found in that story.
What was the inspiration for your Spirit Series?
The Spirit Series came about through the collision of two short stories. One of those short stories is a version of the first chapter of The Spirit of Imagination (Finding Spirit) which I tweaked a little here and there so it could be the start of a longer narrative. The other short story I will keep close to my chest until the final instalment of The Spirit Series is available to read. And, even then, I might not let it out of my chest pocket.
Outside of personal inspirations, The Spirit of Imagination is Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 meets Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Then, as the series continues with The Spirit of Pessimism, reality intrudes and the spawn of Bradbury and Dahl takes on both a darker and a more inspirational tone as the series matures and takes on a life of its own.
What have been some of the challenges you faced writing this series?
The biggest challenge has been the balance of staying in touch with the series while producing other, much different, works in between. It has been tough but also very enjoyable and rewarding.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of this series for you?
Apart from the aforementioned challenge, having the series remind people or reignite their love of reading is even better than my personal benefit. If I can play a part in getting someone to read and help them fend off boredom, and the mundane to irreparable results boredom brings to life, well, I couldn’t ask for more. And I have the peace of mind that I’ve already achieved this, so any more readers of my work is just gravy from here on.
What can we expect from you next?
I recently released Double Feature (a romantic-psychological-crime-thriller-drama) and am preparing my next novel The Norfolk Solution (a horror/adventure) for release.
Are there new genres or themes you’re eager to explore in the future?
I would love to write an erotica novel that gets couples excited about one another rather than flustered about a make-believe other who only drives an imaginary wedge between them and the one who truly matters.
Is there anything you would do differently for future books?
Stop and smile more about how fortunate I am to get to do something from start to finish, multiple times, which some can only dream or talk about doing.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers trying to get published?
Keep going and going and going and going. Because there will always be something worse out there that someone read and enjoyed. All the rest is persistence, push and luck.
Are there specific writing habits or techniques that you believe contribute to success?
Go at it head-first, within some reason, and be your worst and best critic because then nobody will come up with something worse to say about your work and no praise will make you feel like your best is behind you. And always hold onto and tweak what you believe works for your process and trash and burn whatever you think doesn’t. If you stick at it, there will always be a fresh idea to explore or new techniques to learn from around the bend.
What do you hope readers take away from your books?
Enjoyment, small or large, from the words I’ve written and I’m fortunate to have them read.
Check Out S. A. Tawks’s Books
A big thank you to S. A. Tawks for taking the time to share insights into the writing journey and creative process. It’s been a pleasure learning more about the stories, inspirations, and what goes on behind the pages. We look forward to seeing what comes next.You can check out all of S. A. Tawks’s books right here and be sure to keep an eye out for their next release.