Official Interview: Rob Dixon

[kandscreeley]

Today's Chat with Sarah features Rob Dixon author of Prism of Her Soul.

View Official Review

View Kindle edition on Amazon

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1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a 54-year-old marketing consultant, currently spending my time between the small market town of Devizes in England and Prague in the Czech Republic. I am a father to two children, aged 21 and 27, and I have a passion for movies and music. I have travelled extensively and lived outside the UK for more than 20 years.

2. What does your writing environment look like?

I try to write when time allows, and away from the confines of four walls and life's many distractions. Being outdoors allows me the time and space to explore my thoughts.

3. Let's discuss your book Prism of Her Soul. Can you give a short synopsis for those who may not know of it?

Kate’s exciting life is filled with vanity, hedonism, and work. Fortune has favoured her with beauty, brains, and a silver-spoon upbringing. After a series of encounters, dating back to before her conception, the lives of a dozen individuals converge, and the epicentre of this unimaginable collision is Kate herself. Kate’s journey of discovery sees a series of chance meetings reveal the chilling truth shrouding her life. These dark revelations stir Kate’s spirit and lead to an inconceivable yet powerful and emotional finale.

4. The reviewer states that this book can't be classified, as it's so many genres at once. How would you classify the book?

The book is a journey, Kate’s journey, where nothing is what it seems. It’s dark, and it highlights the secrets that people keep from those they love, as well as the aftermath when these secrets are revealed.

5. The reviewer also mentions your great characters. How did you write them so realistically? Who was your favorite?

Growing up on an English council estate with working-class parents in the 1970s and progressing to the highest level of corporate business, I have met people from all walks of life. Every character in the book is an incongruous mixture of traits from individuals who have crossed my path. I started my career as a graphic designer before transitioning into marketing, so my outlook is very visual, and through my love of horror, visceral. Kate...I think!

6. What was the hardest scene to write? Which was most fun?

The hardest scene/chapter to write was Chapter 19, which was the first chapter I drafted. My reason was a BBC Radio 2 article that challenged listeners to write a 2,000-word story. The rest of the book continued that challenge. I don’t think any of the chapters were fun to write because of their punishing nature, and knowing how the ending would play out.

7. There are many themes. Is there a message that you wanted to convey to your readers?

No particular message, as I said; it’s a fictional journey that takes you to the extremities of human nature.

8. Are you working on any books or projects at the moment?

Prism of Her Soul was initially drafted in 2008; it sat on my hard drive for 15 years before I decided to complete the novel. I am drafting a sequel, now that the characters and their stories have moved on. I’ve also scoped out a book based on the Assisted Dying Bill currently being debated in the British Parliament.

I like to end with fun questions.

9. Do you write by hand, use a typewriter, computer, or laptop for your writing?

I prefer to handwrite and type up. The entire novel was drafted over a three-month period at Charco del Palo, a picturesque volcanic bay on the Canary Island of Lanzarote, which is also the backdrop for Chapter 25.

10. What's one skill you've always wanted to learn but never have?

To learn to play an instrument.

11. What's your favorite quote?

It’s pretty commonplace, but ‘Carpe diem’. We’re a long time dead!

12. Do you have a favorite word?

Please!

[Alex Sapountzis]

It is always nice to get into the mind of an author and get to know the person behind the stories!