This month I had a chance to sit down with an old friend of mine, Patrick Samphire (by which I mean we’ve been friends for a long time. I’m not calling him old!) His first novel, Secrets of the Dragon Tomb, came out on Tuesday – and we begin our interview talking about it. It’s a very fun middle grade adventure, set in 1816 in a British colony on Mars.
The thing about Patrick that makes his interview ideal for this site, though, is that he’s the first person I’ve interviewed who is not only a full time writer himself, but is married to another full time author, Stephanie Burgis. Together they support their two young children in their home in south Wales.
As is always the case with my interviews, if you click over to Youtube and expand the description, there are hyperlinks that allow you to jump to whatever part of the interview that interests you the most. He’s got all kinds of excellent advice, from how to stay afloat financially to keeping your life and art in perspective.
Interesting stuff!
Yeah, Patrick is great, isn’t he? Perfect example of the temperament that makes living off a writer’s income possible. It takes a combination of a strong work ethic, while at the same time the ability not to obsess every moment of the day.
I’m still trying to achieve that balance in my own life…