Michael Bollen's hilarious SF satire, Earth Inc, was released by Picnic Publishing last year. Mike lives in Brighton and as well as writing novels and having a real job in a library, he is also half of the satirical cut-and-paste band Cassetteboy.
We have a signed copy of EARTH INC. to give away! All you have to do to enter the competition is leave a comment below. The Strictly Writers are not allowed to win, but everyone else's name will go into a hat and we'll announce the winner on Sunday.
The first story/poem I remember writing was ...
about a hunter called Peter. All my stories at primary school featured main characters called Peter. I’ve always hated thinking up names, so I guess that’s why. It wasn’t always appropriate though – Peter the Pirate, Peter the Pharaoh, and on one occasion an exotic Martian invader called Peter.
My family think my writing is ...
good, but not necessarily aimed at them. I think they’re excellent judges, on both points.
The best thing about writing novels is ...
finishing writing novels. Or that moment when, having written yourself into a corner, and having stared exasperatedly at that corner for days on end, you realise how to write yourself an escape hatch.
The worst thing about writing novels is ...
everything else.
Longhand first or computer? ...
Longhand. The major advantage is that pads of paper don’t have distracting internet access. Or Solitaire.
When I run out of ideas I ...
walk away from my pad and don’t turn round and come back until I’ve had an idea. This method is quite expensive on shoes leather, but it does keep you fit.
Ideas come to me when ....
I’m in the bath and I can’t write them down or when I’m just about to fall asleep. Convenient eh?
My advice to new writers would be ...
it’s harder than you think. Even if you think it’s really quite hard.
about a hunter called Peter. All my stories at primary school featured main characters called Peter. I’ve always hated thinking up names, so I guess that’s why. It wasn’t always appropriate though – Peter the Pirate, Peter the Pharaoh, and on one occasion an exotic Martian invader called Peter.
My family think my writing is ...
good, but not necessarily aimed at them. I think they’re excellent judges, on both points.
The best thing about writing novels is ...
finishing writing novels. Or that moment when, having written yourself into a corner, and having stared exasperatedly at that corner for days on end, you realise how to write yourself an escape hatch.
The worst thing about writing novels is ...
everything else.
Longhand first or computer? ...
Longhand. The major advantage is that pads of paper don’t have distracting internet access. Or Solitaire.
When I run out of ideas I ...
walk away from my pad and don’t turn round and come back until I’ve had an idea. This method is quite expensive on shoes leather, but it does keep you fit.
Ideas come to me when ....
I’m in the bath and I can’t write them down or when I’m just about to fall asleep. Convenient eh?
My advice to new writers would be ...
it’s harder than you think. Even if you think it’s really quite hard.
Three authors (dead or alive) I'd like to invite to dinner are ...
PG Wodehouse, Kurt Vonnegut and Dan Brown. Dan Brown is paying, he’s not allowed to say anything.
My favourite writing clothes are ...
When I’m stuck I sometimes put on a stupid hat, just to lighten the mood.
My favourite writing snack is ...
organic grapes and fat-free barley clusters. Or very occasionally some chocolate. Oh, alright then, just chocolate, always chocolate. I’ve eaten a Ritter Sport in the time it’s taken to answer this question.
The best book I've read during the last three months is ...
Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. It’s a gripping detective story with a really simple sci-fi idea at its heart.
