Check out this author spotlight for S. D. Howarth!

You can find all his links furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out his books!

1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!

S.D. Howarth is a British fantasy author, living in East Yorkshire with his wife, two children and two ungrateful cats with an endless yearning for food. By day, the Angry Cumbrian works as an IT Manager. By night he writes (and edits) in the attic, finally getting some use out of his degree from UCNW Bangor.

This is his debut fantasy novel, set within ‘The World of Sanctuary’ with a further two books planned in this series.

A previous short story, ‘Halidom’ from ‘Crater’, can be found in The Blackest Spells Anthology published by Mystique Press.

2. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some this or that questions. Answer 5 (or more!) of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!

Cat or dog?
Cat – human attitude in a mini superhero body.

Library or museums?
Hard one, having studied archaeology and worked in a museum that swings it.

Ninjas or pirates?
Pirates, yar! Hoist the mainbrace and run out the plank.

Plotter or pantser?
Panster, seeing where you end up is, ‘interesting’.
Pen and paper or computer/phone? All. A pad and fountain pen is great for fast first draft, then into Scrivener on Pad/Phone/Macbook for editing.  Lots of editing.

3. When you look for books to read, what trope or type of story will always catch your attention?

Something to pique my interest. An interesting character, something unusual or oddball, or a spin on the usual tropes, or something different.

4. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!

My debut novel, The Tryphon Odyssey was released in July and is described by one reviewer as ‘Harryhausen meets Tarantino’. It is a mix of alternate reality, fantasy, a nautical adventure on a world one natural disaster away from calamity.

5. What real-life inspiration do you draw from, and what are your primary fictional sources of inspiration (books, authors, films, music, etc.)? Name a few!

Alastair Maclean, Dudley Pope, Michael Marshall Smith, Glen Cook and Joe Abercrombie stand out as fictional inspiration.  Real life comes from history, particularly medieval and early modern conflicts, and the more recent wars in the last century. I look for surprising and inspiring stories and fascinating individuals. Entertaining movies are:- Serenity, Bladerunner, Aliens, the Crow, Where Eagles Dare, Riddick, Escape from New York, Star Wars & Raiders of the Lost Ark.

6. What is your writing routine? If you have one, give us the run-down!

Fit it in around the day job and the family, and sometimes lunchtime at work. In general, it tends to be a few hours late at night, with sleeping optional. As an IT Manager during

7. If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice as you started out on the path to becoming an author, what would it be?

Edit harder earlier, to clean up the structure before headbanging through the edits.

9. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!

My squeaky new website & blog’s at : www.worldofsanctuary.co.uk

Facebook: facebook.com/sd.howarth.79

Twitter: twitter.com/Angry_Cumbrian   

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58002807-the-tryphon-odyssey

The Tryphon Odyssey UK Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/TRYPHON-ODYSSEY-Voyage-Book-ebook/dp/B0947NGXLX/

The Tryphon Odyssey USA Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/TRYPHON-ODYSSEY-Voyage-Book-ebook/dp/B0947NGXLX/