I was lucky to get an interview with Steven Paul Watson, the author of Fairywood Falls, one of this year’s #SPFBO9 entries.

Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
Growing up I was a quiet child, always had my nose in a book, a lot of the time it was a comic book. I enjoyed spending the better part of my high school years in the art room growing my creative side. I’m a husband, a father, and a construction worker. I spend most of my free time enjoying time with my family and all our dogs, or out in nature. There is no better way to stoke one’s creativity than being outdoors where things are allowed to run wild.

Why should I buy your SPFBO9 entry?
Being from the Appalachian area I wanted my readers to appreciate a part of where I am from and the adventure that is Appalachia. Fairywood Falls is a mix of fairytale meets fantasy and a touch of Horror. It’s a short read that will keep you interested and captivated especially if you’re interested in an Appalachia fantasy or folklore.

What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
As a kid I always loved telling stories. I never really approached it as something I wanted to do beyond a hobby until much later in life. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be where I am right now. Over the past few years I’ve started to take a more serious approach and push myself to go to the next level to achieve my dreams and aspirations as a writer.

Have you participated in the SPFBO before and where did you hear about the competition?
This is my first time participating in SPFBO. I heard about it about two years ago when I started reading The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French (a trilogy I absolutely loved by the way) and was doing some research on the authors other projects and I kept seeing information come up about SPFBO so I investigated on and was determined to publish something for the competition.

Why did you choose to write fantasy?
I’m not sure if it was a choice, I set out to make. Since the first time I read Lord of the Rings it has been my favorite genre. And more so since I picked up reading Urban Fantasy. It was just more of what I liked to read so I ended up translating very heavily into what I write.

Which other author has had the biggest influence on your writing?
I’m not sure if there is any one major author. I draw my influences heavy from Comics to Tolkien with an mix of Martin all the way to Patricia Briggs. So, it’s more a collective of people who I have drawn my influence from.

If you were to win the SPFBO, what impact do you think this would have on your writing career?
I came into this competition fully expecting to go nowhere with so many talented people in the competition, I’m just glad I got in. That being said if I were to win the SPFBO I think that the positive impact would enable me to feel more confident in my writing and allow my creative drive to publish more of my novels that have laid dormant over the past years. To win SPFBO would be a milestone in my writing career.

What challenges did you face during the writing or publishing process, and how did you overcome them?
Marketing myself, not just as a writer but as a person, has been the biggest challenge that I have faced in the publishing and writing process. Being an introvert, I never thought that I would have the courage even on social media to put myself out there the way I must now. It is sometimes overwhelming. And I am still working my way through it. Learning the process and ways to improve on marketing myself.

Do you have any tips or an author app, tool, or resource that you can really recommend we try?
For me, word of mouth is the best “app” that I have found. As for advice; No one is going to do it for you.  Push yourself to go beyond the expected and go for it. My wife once told me I needed to quit waiting and go after it and since then I’ve found a bit more focus on myself as a writer and chase after my dreams.

And now it's time to yank out your Palantir! Let’s talk about the future. What new projects are you working on?
I’m currently working on a steampunk trilogy, adding more depth to the first book now that I’ve got a draft of each book. The first of which I wrote over ten years ago. I’m working on the next edit of the first one in hopes of releasing it early next year. Beyond that I’m working on publishing a series of short stories and novellas to my Patreon as well as the third novel in my Howling Moon series. Further down the road I’m working on some Grimdark High fantasy that should one day be out, sooner rather than later. I have also dabbled with the thought of spice writing since it is a well read and popular genre.

Apps that are based on artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGTP and Midjourney, along with apps aimed specifically at authors, have caused quite a stir. Do you expect these new technologies will make your life as a self-published author easier or harder, and do you expect that they’ll mean you’ll earn more or less?
I’ve only tinkered with AI programs so far, mostly when I’m trying to do character profiles for my own personal use.  As for using the programs for anything beyond that, I don’t have any intention of using them. I don’t fault anyone for doing it, I just don’t think it’s for me. And, I don’t see it replacing actually authors or artists, but I see it will become a tool that isn’t going anywhere now that it’s out there.

Do you have any dreams you’d like to share?
I don’t have anything beyond writing. This is the dream I’m chasing. As for where I would like to see this go, I’m not entirely sure. I recently did a solo book signing at a local bookstore that by my standards was a huge success and it has blown me away.  I don’t know, maybe one day to see something I created on the big (or small) screen would be a creative dream that I would like to see come true.

Anything else you would like to say before we close?
I just wanted to say a big thank you to my wife, Sam, and to my family for pushing me. I wouldn’t be doing any of this if it wasn’t for that. I would probably still be sitting looking at files on my computer and over thinking everything that I do to the point that I don’t do it.

That was some interesting answers. I wish you the very best in the SPFBO. I hope a lot of readers discover your writing. Thanks for doing the interview.