Author Interview w/ Lloyd Poast

Today at Uniquely Moi Books I have had the great opportunity to interview the author of BLINK.

Lloyd Poast is a former staff writer for Consequence of Sound and Hockey Future, as well as the author of several short stories that have appeared both online and in print. Blink is his first novelette. He lives in Canada with his wife and two young boys.

1.)What drives you towards your ambitions? Anything in particular?

 I’ve always admired artists in everything from painting to music to acting, and I’ve always wanted to be involved in something creative. Writing just happens to be what comes most natural to me, and ever since I took my first writing class about five years ago, I’ve been lucky to have a family that supports and encourages my dream.

2.) What was your favorite part of Blink?

I really like Lance’s first encounter with Amaisia. It really showcases the more charismatic and playful side of her.  I also have a soft spot for the ending, since it’s one of the few things that hasn’t changed from the first time I wrote it.

3.) Who is your favorite author?

 Probably Neil Gaiman. I love pretty much everything he’s done in both comics and novels. His Sandman series really forced critics to view comics in a much more artistic light and his portrayal of Death as pretty Goth girl with a big heart was brilliant. I also like Ray Bradbury, Joe Hill, and Dan Simmons.

4.) Growing up, what books do you remember reading?

 The only two books I really remember loving as a kid were The Hobbitt and Otis Adelbert Kline’s Planet of Peril. I read them both a couple of times when I was ten or eleven and I actually just realized there’s a sequel to Planet of Peril called Prince of Peril. I found an old copy on EBay, but haven’t got around to reading it yet. Comics and magazines were actually my preferred reading material when I was growing up, though.

5.) When did you first have the idea for Blink?

Blink was originally going to be a horror story that combined a few of my child hood fears and nightmares. I remember my childhood as this magical time where anything could happen and sometimes my brother, sister, and I would end up scaring ourselves, especially when we got together with our cousins (we loved to go ghost hunting).  I had a lot of crazy dreams back then and one of the most memorable was a very vivid and frightening encounter with a man in a suit and top hat. When I finally saw his face, it was that of a cat.  The first few drafts of Blink actually had him as the villain. His name was Raylan and he never talked in the story. The only thing anyone heard from him was the scream, which also had a more pronounced role in the original draft. Over time, the story just seemed to transform from a horror story into a more lighthearted fantasy and I eventually replaced Raylan with the more charismatic, Amaisia Moon.

6.) Was there anything you wish you had added or could change to Blink?

There are a couple of minor style issues that I can’t believe I missed, but other than that, I don’t think I’d change anything about the story’s more important elements such as the plot or the character.

7.) Did you have any other titles picked out besides Blink?

Actually, the very first draft of the story was called Shortcut. I had actually almost forgotten that. It didn’t last long, though, and it’s been Blink ever since.