Author Interview: Eric Nash - Magic - Book 23 in the Short Sharp Shocks! series

Book 23 in the Short Sharp Shocks! is Magic by Eric Nash...
DEMAIN PUBLISHING: We loved Magic which fits nicely into the series so well done...
ERIC NASH: I’m very pleased to be part of this superb collection. Thank you.
DP: ...can you tell us a little about the book and how you came to write it?
EN: Having children allowed me to glimpse the magic of childhood. We tell our kids stories of wonder inhabited by tooth fairies and elves, princesses and trolls, bunnies that deliver eggs, a grandfather that gives presents to all the world’s children in one single night, and for a short time they believe. This ability, this innocence, has long fascinated me, and Magic was a way of recording this. Of course, as I explored the subject, I entered the folklore forest and discovered the dark origins of some of western societies’ well-loved beliefs, and one of these made its way into Magic.
DP: So what were your challenges when writing the story?
EN: Threading magic into everyday adult life.  The construction of [the character of] Grange’s grim reality, and the characters’ development needed to allow the story to hopefully bloom in the readers’ minds, may have meant nothing with the inclusion of an imaginary being. This is market town England, not Middle Earth, after all. I hope I’ve achieved a balance to anchor this story.
DP: Well as far as we are concerned you have achieved that balance – so well done! In terms authors / books /mentors – who has influenced Eric Nash?
EN: Ha, it would be nigh on impossible for me to choose a mentor or a favourite from the many great writers past and present, but a few have stood out. I always remember finding [Clive] Barker’s short fiction new and very powerful, Poppy Z. Brite’s work mesmerising, and the honesty and style of [Ray] Bradbury inspirational. Recently, I’ve admired the tension masterpiece, Birdbox, by the ever-changing [Josh] Malerman, as well as Emily Fridlund’s History of Wolves for its poetry. Oh, and I may be in love with Tim Winton’s prose in The Shepherd’s Hut.
DP: There’s a great selection there my friend. Eclectic for sure. You working on anything right now?
EN:  My short story collection, Marrow, is taking shape now. Among its themes, the book explores the perception of masculinity, along with humankind’s relationship with the natural world, which is quite fitting given today’s state of climate breakdown. There are plans for Magic to be in the Table of Contents so expect a little myth and mayhem, too.
DP: Sounds intriguing...looking forward to reading that...you ever suffer from writer’s block?
EN: Ideas often come when writing; the very act seems to fire up one’s imagination. I like to be writing at least two stories, preferably three, at the same time, so I can work on one while the others are ‘resting’ between drafts. This method allows imagination to smoulder with minimal brainache and prevents this thing called writer’s block. That’s the theory anyway. Sometimes, I complete a final draft and there isn’t another waiting. Ha, and then I’m in the canyon of the lost. That’s when I pick up a pen (or fingerpunch the keyboard) and write gobbledegook, utter nonsense it doesn’t matter, because I’m repeatedly striking a match until there’s a spark.
DP: So you don’t necessary outline...
EN: A character, incident, or dialogue is often where I tend to begin; from there the story builds itself. The important thing is to go with it. After all, it’s the first draft, so I should allow it to be told, before I write the story. I believe it’s important to be fluid, don’t hold yourself to a formula cos chances are at some point you aren’t going to stick to it.
DP: A good approach and actually something I’m working on right now – a short story – was borne out of just one line which I wrote down absentmindedly and which sounded interesting and I’ve managed to structure a whole story around it...do you have a favourite theme or genre you return to?
EN: I haven’t a favourite theme per se, although I’ve spotted a few recurring nightmares. You could say that currently my writing is dark-themed and generally speculative. Genre is tricky, because if you write simply to fulfil genre expectations then the stories run the risk of being riddled with clichés. I think writers have a duty to their craft and the reader, not a given genre. What I learnt from writing Magic links with the earlier question on challenges. There was a point – probably third draft – where I was ready to shelve the manuscript, not convinced I could blend the worlds sufficiently. Instead, I let it ‘rest’, then worked at it until I thought what I had wished for was achieved. Writing, like most worthwhile things, is hard work.
DP: It is that it is that for sure...bleedin’ hard work but worth it when it pays off. So finally, can you tell us something surprising about you...
EN: I have an unhealthy attraction to deckchairs.
 
And on that note – we’ll leave it there ha ha! Thanks for your time Eric Nash and the best of luck with Magic.