#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Marc Watson

I’d like to welcome Marc Watson to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Convincing people I never want to do this full time, ever. Seriously, people need to stop asking.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Once I hit the groove, actually writing. When my fingers fly, it’s as easy as breathing.

Things you need for your writing sessions: In the office: pink noise of keyboards and casual conversation. At home, darkness and a cup of green tea. I love working in the dark.

Things that hamper your writing: Literally everything on the internet. There’s so much good stuff on there!

Favorite foods: Grilled steak fajitas are the greatest, most complete food on earth.

Things that make you want to gag: I don’t really have a gag reflex, but the smells of canned tuna, and French Onion Soup come close.

Something you’re really good at: Cooking. It’s tasty science you can eat!

Something you’re really bad at: Any kind of carpentry. Do not ask me to build you anything.

Favorite music or song: Alternative rock, and despite my middle-age white guy appearance, I’m about the biggest hip-hop and rap fan you’ll ever meet. Rap = 1 Pulitzer Prize winning writer. All other popular music genres = zero.

Music that drives you crazy: Country. Music. SUCKS. I will accept no rebuttals. My judgement is final.

Things you always put in your books: Characters who are complex shades of grey, who the reader can relate to, even when the choices they make are morally questionable.

Things you never put in your books: Characters who like country music. I refuse to do the research to create accuracy.

Favorite places you’ve been: Kihei, Hawaii and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Places you never want to go to again: A strip club. I went once. I hated it. Maybe I was using it wrong?

Favorite books (or genre): ‘The Shipping News’ by E. Annie Proulx, for some weird (completely justified) reason.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Any harlequin romance, or anything with an AI generated cover. If that’s on the outside, I don’t even want to guess what’s inside.

Favorite things to do: Camp, hike, and be at a baseball diamond in any way possible.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Running. I hate running, so running through a fire to avoid it will likely be complicated.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Cliff jumping 60 feet into rocky water.

Something you chickened out from doing: Without sounding boastful, I seriously can’t think of anything. There’s been lots of things I won’t do twice, but once? Nah, I’ll try anything once, and have!

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “This book gave my dark soul the only reason it’s ever had to want to live.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “No one would ever swear this much in an actual conversation.” (Someone doesn’t spend much time with me and my friends or teammates, apparently.)

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: The first chapters of my Death books (Death Dresses Poorly, and Death at a Wedding) are both scenarios that happened to me personally with very few changes except where it serves the story.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: My mother is a great woman and is my hero, and she is NOT a strung-out abusive drug addict. I was told that I wrote that relationship very accurately, and I just want to clear that up. I love you, Mom

About Marc:

Hello, I’m Marc Watson, and I write stuff. I’m an author of genre fiction (primarily Fantasy and Science Fiction of all lengths). I began writing at the age of 15 with a pen and paper, and I’ve never really stopped, even though until recently it was more of a background to me than my defining trait. I have been published on flash fiction site www.101words.org, as well as comedy site www.thecorrectness.com. I’ve been a student of the excellent writing classes at Athabasca University for a number of years.

I live in Calgary, Alberta, and was spawned out of the depths of Southern Ontario. I’m a husband, proud father of two, and can be sometimes found at an actual job. I’m an avid outdoorsman, martial artist of some high repute, baseball player of very little repute, and lover of all Mexican foods. One day ‘World Famous Poutine Aficionado’ will be on my business cards.

For public appearances and interviews, I am proudly represented by Creative Edge Publicity.