SOOP asked our Dear Author Andrew Hood 15 Questions so to know more about him and his endeavors and passion for writing.
Question 1. Where are you from?
Andrew’s Answer: I live in Sydney Australia
Question 2. Tell us a little about your self ‘ie your education Family life etc’.
Andrew’s Answer: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have three children that we are bringing up in the suburbs of Sydney.I have been working in the IT industry for the past 20 years and writing on the side for the past eight years.
Question 3. Tell us your latest news?
Andrew’s Answer: I am currently writing the sequel to “The Man Who Corrupted Heaven” called “The Final Confession of John Hannabery”. So far so good although it is starting to get a bit tough through the latter parts of the book.
Question 4. When and why did you begin writing?
Andrew’s Answer: I have always been creative. I started as a musician writing songs for years however they were so short and hard for me to get anything meaningful down in a format that would last forever. I first tried writing a book about 10 years ago but it was too short to be officially a novel and, although I was happy to finish it at the time, I read it back now and cringe. In fact I think that it made a lot of people that read it cringe!
Question 5. When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Andrew’s Answer: I first started my blog The Weekly Tipping Point about 5 years ago and that is where my writing ability started to improve. My early blogs where short and impersonal, however over time they started to get deeper and better written. When I finally finished with the blog I felt a little deflated like I had failed but a close friend suggested to me that I collect all of the best stories and create a book out of them. When I compiled that book i started to feel like a writer. However I was so determined to be a professional writer that when I started writing “The Man Who Corrupted Heaven” I told everyone I knew. I wanted to keep myself accountable so that I had no choice but do my best to write something amazing.
Question 6. What inspired you to write your first book?
Andrew’s Answer: There are three writers that I really admire: Paulo Coelho, Mitch Albom & Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I really loved their books with a passion and wanted to write something that made people feel the same way that I did when i read their books.
Question 7. Do you have a specific writing style?
Andrew’s Answer: Yes. My writing mantra is – Unique, Timeless, Insightful, Easy – Change the world one reader at a time.
Question 8. How did you come up with the title?
Andrew’s Answer: I came up with “The Man Who Corrupted Heaven” before I even knew what the book would be about. I was fascinated with the term “When you die you can’t take anything with you” and I started to question “why not?” and “what if you could”. That’s how I created the title. I always start with a strong title.
Question 9. Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp?
Andrew’s Answer: Yes, that your life is a perspective, your own perspective. And that sometimes your perspective can be clouded by what you want to believe.
Question 10. How much of the book is realistic?
Andrew’s Answer: I guess that is up to the readers to decide. Much of the book is written about a dead man looking back on his own life and that of his friends. The readers can decide it they want to believe this idea or not.
Question 11. Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Andrew’s Answer: Not specifically no but I have drawn extensively from my own experiences and from stories from family and friends who have been through some of these situations.
Question 12. Do you see writing as a career?
Andrew’s Answer: I see it as a passion. I am concerned that if it becomes a full career I will lose some of the creative flair I have for it. I also like being around people which is always where the best stories come from anyway.
Question 13. Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Andrew’s Answer: I think it came from a desire to be heard or understood. I always wrote in some fashion, early on it was music and now it is books.
Question 14. Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Andrew’s Answer: Yes, maintaining momentum in my writing with a challenging job and a family with three kids. This is a wonderfully busy time in my life.
Question 15. Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Andrew’s Answer: Yes, so much that this is a hard question to answer. I guess the one thing that I learnt was what I really believe because often I don’t know what I’m thinking until I write it down. This book has given me a mirror into my own thoughts on life after death and how we may live alongside those we once loved.
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For those of you who have not voted with Andrew’s Book ideas yet here is the link:
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