Creative Corner: Author Andy Palmer

Wassup???


Welcome to my blog and thanks for joining us for a new instalment of the Creative Corner.


On Creative Corner, we chat with all kinds of creatives and today’s guest is an author!


Meet author Andy Palmer, whose novel, “Drowning – A Memoir” was published in July 2020. He’s currently a freelance writer and editor based in Penistone, between Barnsley and Sheffield, where he lives with his wife and two lovely daughters.


Drowning is Andy’s first book and covers his struggles with addiction and his coming of age.


Andy is currently working on a second memoir covering sobriety and getting his life back after addiction while simultaneously working on a novel.


He studied for his undergraduate degree at The University of Leeds and finally went on to get his PhD in English from The University of Lincoln. He has worked as an English teacher in secondary school and a lecturer in a university.


After getting to know Andy, you’ll have discovered a new author whose books you can anticipate adding to your book collection.

Andy Palmer author of Drowning- A Memoir

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?


No. I’ve always loved words and stories but it wasn’t until I was in my late teens that I started to write. Poems at first then disparate diary entries. They were all very heavy, emotional, and not ready for an audience but they gave me great release and a creative outlet.

What was your favourite book as a kid?


The Faraway Tree collection was my favourite when I was quite young and then as an older child, I liked The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. Then as a teenager, I loved The Pilgrim’s Progress.

Describe your writing process

Initial idea—flesh it out—write a rough draft—go back and fix it as many times as needed. This is pretty much it from articles to novels.

Describe yourself in 3 words

Loyal. Honest. Determined.

What do you think a writer needs to be a success?

A love of the written word and its ability to communicate. A determination to keep going at all odds. And a little bit of luck.

What are you currently working on?

A second memoir that follows on from Drowning covering my sobriety and getting my life back after addiction.

What has your experience with the publishing industry been like?

Frustrating. Nowadays you need an agent first as they’re the gatekeepers to big publishing houses. If you’re going to go to small publishers then you can often submit directly to them.

Over the course of a year querying agents, I had three who were interested but didn’t come to anything. So I sat on my book for a couple more years until self-publishing became so easy that I took the plunge and got my memoir out into the world.

How do you overcome writer’s block?

Just write through it. In fact, I just don’t allow the idea of it to exist. Sometimes you need a break — a walk, a bath, a read, a meal — and other times you just need to get on with it. If you really can’t move forward with a particular part then write a different bit of your novel/memoir/screenplay etc or just flesh out an idea for something else and come back to what you were working on before.

What advice do you have for the aspiring authors out there?

Get qualified for a career and earn money to live on first. Then write in and around that. Don’t pin all your hopes on writing as it more often than not will not give you a living.

Why should we buy your book “Drowning – A Memoir”?

For a memoir, it’s a genuine page-turner and a thrilling descent into dangerous addiction that reads like a novel. It isn’t myopic or all about me me me, but rather a narrative where the main character is me spiralling out of control. It isn’t full of introspection or comments from the present me but it lets the past speak for itself. In that sense, I think it’s a fairly unique memoir.

It doesn’t preach or give any answers but just shows the raw and ugly side of addiction as well as the bright light of recovery (briefly) at the end. If you want to know ‘how’ a regular young guy from a loving family who had no real issues ends up on the path of destruction then this is the book for you.

Thank you to Andy Palmer for taking part in the fun interview. I hope you’ve had a blast reading this post and getting to know him.
Catch Andy on Twitter and Facebook.

Please show your support by purchasing a copy of this author’s book, Drowning; which is also available in both the UK and the US. If you’re in other countries you can purchase the book through Amazon.

If you’ve enjoyed this blog post please share it, let me know what you thought down in the comments and subscribe (oh and sharing is caring).

Subscribe to my blog for regular updates straight to your inbox.

Which author would you like to see on the blog next? Let them know about my interview series.

Click here to check out more Creative Corner interviews!

Get in touch with me for guest posts and interviews at weirdnliberated@gmail.com.

Laters.

A true-crime-obsessed, quirky lifestyle blogger from the coastal city of East London, South Africa whose interests include reading, writing and fitness. Find me on Twitter @WeirdnLiberated.
Posts created 259

52 thoughts on “Creative Corner: Author Andy Palmer

  1. Just bookmarked your blog, it is a really great and helpful piece of information. I am satisfied that you shared this helpful tidbit with us. Please stay us informed like this. Keep writing. Allissa Chilton Geibel

  2. What’s Going down i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I have found It absolutely helpful and it has aided me out loads.I’m hoping to contribute & aid different users likeits helped me. Great job.

  3. Can I simply say what a relief to discover a person that really understands what they’re talking about online. You actually understand how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More and more people should look at this and understand this side of the story. It’s surprising you are not more popular given that you definitely possess the gift.

  4. Hi are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you need any coding expertise to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  5. Thanks for a marvelous posting! I certainly enjoyed reading it, you might be a great author.I will be sure to bookmarkyour blog and will come back someday. I want to encourage yourself to continue your great posts, have a nice holiday weekend!

  6. It’s an amazing post in favor of all the internet visitors; they will get benefit from it I am sure.

  7. UFABET ศูนย์รวมเกมคาสิโนออนไลน์ที่เหมาะสมที่สุดในยุคนี้และบาคาร่า เกมที่ได้รับความนิยมที่สร้างรายได้ให้ใครๆเยอะๆ UFABET เว็บไซต์บาคาร่าออนไลน์ที่จ่ายจริง จ่ายแรง ค้ำประกันด้วยยอดสมาชิกที่มากขึ้นทุกเมื่อเชื่อวัน มาแรงแซงทุกเว็บไซต์เลยขอรับ

  8. Usually I don at learn post on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do so! Your writing style has been surprised me. Thanks, very great article.

  9. You could certainly see your expertise in the article you write.The sector hopes for more passionate writerssuch as you who are not afraid to mention how they believe.Always go after your heart.

  10. This is a good tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise info… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article!

  11. Howdy! This article couldnít be written any better! Looking at this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept preaching about this. I will send this article to him. Pretty sure he will have a very good read. Thanks for sharing!

  12. After looking over a few of the blog posts on your web site, I honestly like your way of blogging. I added it to my bookmark webpage list and will be checking back in the near future. Take a look at my web site too and tell me how you feel.

  13. I’m extremely impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to see a great blog like this one nowadays.

  14. There is definately a great deal to know about this issue. I really like all the points you have made.

  15. Hi, I do think this is a great site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going to revisit yet again since I bookmarked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Posts

Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel.

Back To Top