Featured Interview With Gareth Howells
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Portsmouth, on the south coast of England. I’ve always lived here, and love the beach and the sound of the seagulls around me. There is always a great cultural scene in Portsmouth, and opportunities to perform your work, or showcase it somehow. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
I have always had pets; at the moment I have two dogs and a cat. Rowlf, Chico and Rosie the cat keep us busy in the house when we’re chilling out.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have been reading books since I was a boy. By the time I got to my teenage years I had developed a love of science fiction and fantasy. I dived right into big epic fantasies like The Lord of the Rings and The Belgariad, while also reading a lot of science fiction with books like the Stainless Steel Rat series, Ray Bradbury’s stories and humorous approaches to science fiction like the classic Hitch Hikers books by Douglas Adams.
With regards to my writing, I have been a songwriter for most of my life, which was a development from my poetry writing. In the last couple of years I have devoted more time to the story ideas i’ve had, and published two books from those ideas.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love to read books with wit running through them. They don’t have to be outright funny all of the time, but a hint of sarcasm, wry observation or humorous irony goes a long way for me. I mostly stick to science fiction and fantasy books, but obviously deviate from that occasionally when something comes up on my radar.
I am probably mostly inspired by stories that use an otherworldly setting to make some kind of social commentary. The TV series, The Twilight Zone was good for that, and many other storytellers, in short story and novel form, have taken a similar method to make comments on humanity and on our social misgivings.
Authors such as Harry Harrison, Robert Sheckley, Richard Matheson, Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury, Philip K Dick, John Scalzi, Becky Chambers and Jodi Taylor inspire me to write, and continue to be a beacon of what I hope to achieve one day with my stories.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is a novel titled, “Out among the ice beacons” and is set in the present day, beginning with a school scene in a post-16 class where our protagonist is being bullied. Through his ambition to complete his late father’s work, Julian, our main character, and two of the other students in his class end up travelling to another planet. Here they find indigenous people there; some who are friendly, but many who are not. The climate and the wildlife are hostile, and their presence on the planet puts them in great danger.
What follows is how they cope with that, and how the various “people” from that planet help or hinder them in their attempt to get home.
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