Welcome to the weekly Irish Independent Authors Collective (IIAC) author interviews. Today on my blog, I’m delighted to introduce you all to Derek Power. I hope you all enjoy learning more about Derek and be sure to check out his books.

Irish Independent Authors’ Collective – Derek Power

Tell me a little bit about yourself and why you decided to join the Irish Independent Authors’ Collective?

Derek Power – I’ve been writing as a hobby for about ten years but only really got into it properly in the last six. With the advent of Kindle and Print on Demand services like Createspace I figured why not write a story and see how it went. After being involved in Dublin Comic Con at the Artist Alley for the last four years one of the IIAC walking around pointed out that this fantastic group existed. I figured writing is lonely enough a hobby, why not join a group and see how others get on.

How long have you been writing and why did you decide on self-publishing?

Six years ago, I finished my first complete novel Filthy Henry: The fairy detective. I tried going down the traditional route but nobody was talking to me. One literary agent replied that they had read the sample chapters and liked it, but recommended that I go down the Kindle road. In his own words “Kindle is the iPod of the publishing world, they weren’t ready for it and now are playing catch-up.” So, I published on Kindle and never went back.

Do you think the stigma surround self-publishing is lessening?

No, I don’t and that’s a hilariously strange thing. For readers they don’t care, good stories sell and bad stories don’t. You don’t have to be indie or traditional to be in that bucket. But for things like awards and industry recognition, it is scary how things have not changed.  Amanda Hocking did it herself and publishers then tried to get her onboard after she succeeded on her own. The Martian was turned into a movie, originally a Kindle published story by Andy Weir. Fifty Shades…all these indie published things becoming mainstream success stories and yet the industry continues to snub indie.

What do you feel the hardest part of self-publishing is?

Marketing. I’m very bad at marketing, writing and editing is the easier part. But I can’t get traction. I run some Kindle ad campaigns and do the giveaway every three months but it doesn’t turn into a stone rolling downhill success. I’m a stone that gathers moss, gets cleaned off, then gathers moss again. I try to see how others are doing it, but having a young family and a full-time job leaves little room to dedicate to what I need to do to get “out there” for others.

What genres do you write?

Primarily comedy-fantasy, although my current (fifth) book is a sci-fi story that has been bouncing around my head for a while.

What is your favourite story or character that you have written?

I would be crazy not to say that Filthy Henry, my main character in the series, isn’t my favourite one to write. He is what I would love to be in the world. He is a fun character to write and most of the time his dialogue just flows so easily I have a hard time ‘shutting him up’.

What time of day do you prefer to write?

Ideally in the morning at the weekends, because I get up early and can find a bit of peace. During the week though, my writing time happens mainly at night when the kids are in bed. I stick to a rigid schedule of writing a minimum of five hundred words a night. I have a tracker app on my phone that goes off at 10pm daily to ensure I keep on target. Some nights I manage 1500 easily, others it can be an hour of struggle. But it gets done. I’m at the stage now where I get a mental itch if I don’t get the daily target done before the alarm goes off. I’m not allowed to do the relaxing things (TV, xbox) until that target is hit.

Do you have a special writing space?

Not really. I’m a tech-head by trade so I have a laptop and desktop and tablet with a keyboard. I just need a spot and some silence. Easier said than done.

Do you outline your books ahead of time or just go for it?

Outline all the way. I use Evernote and plot out the book, each chapter being a paragraph with ancillary notes all over the place. The outline may change as the story is written, but the guideline is there for sure. You can’t just jump in and do it, that way the story never gets written.

Who are your favourite Irish authors?

Stoker, I just loved Dracula and how it was written. In fact, I loved him so much that he appears in my first novel with Filthy Henry.

Your latest book, Stolen Stories, a comedy-fantasy, what was the inspiration behind it and is there anything you would like readers to know?

Stolen Stories tells the tale of a storyteller from Celtic Ireland who is in modern day Dublin causing some mischief.

Is your latest book part of a series and if so how many books are planned for the series?

It is the fourth book in the Filthy Henry series, but I write each one as a somewhat self-contained story. The cast are the same, but like Discworld you can read them in any order. I make sure to include in each book anything you may need to know from the previous one.

Where can readers find out more about you?

Facebook has a Filthy Henry page that was auto-generated one day and now is mine. I also have a website, http://www.powerwrites.com, and a Twitter.

Filthy Henry: The Fairy Detective: Volume 1 by Derek Power

Filthy Henry is Dublin’s first and foremost fairy detective. Something of a niche job since most people do not know that fairies are even real, let alone need a detective. But when The King of the Leprechauns has his crock of gold stolen by some humans he requires the services of a detective. Lucky for him Filthy Henry is just the man he needs. The only problem is nobody in the world can stand him. Which does not really bother Filthy Henry as he is not too fond of the world either…

Filthy Henry volume 1 along with volumes 2, 3 and 4 are all available in ebook and paperback from Amazon.

Until next time,

Keep reading and writing,

Amanda