Paul Kane Quotes

I also paint, draw and I`m into film and photography as well, and the same thing applies to all of them. You`re presenting this material to the general public and hoping that they`re going to `get` what you`re doing. Some don`t, some do.

I don`t know anyone who actually likes the dark or night-time. I don`t care how much they say it doesn`t bother them. That`s why we used to huddle in caves and light fires when the sun went down.

Because I`m such a creative person, and I`ve always got my nose in a book, I suppose it was only a matter of time before non-fiction turned into fiction again. But I never consciously set out to become a writer and I never thought I`d be doing the things I`m doing today.

Unlike life, you`ve got more or less complete control over what`s going on in your stories. That`s not to say you can make characters do whatever you want them to - they usually have a life of their own if you`ve done your job properly.

I`m fortunate in that I`m a lecturer too and this gets me out and about and away from the computer. I also have loads of friends all around the world, plus a core group of special people in my life that I can lean on, chat to, or just hang with.

The most terrifying thing I can think of is being alone - and I mean utterly alone, like no one else in the world alone - at night. That`s the nucleus of the first story in my collection and it`s also where the title came from for the book.

I know it`s popular to say this because she`s the woman of the moment, but Halle Berry. Not only does she have obvious audience appeal and star quality, but she`s a damn good actress too.

For English assignments I was constantly coming up with these strange adventure stories... But I actually wanted to be an artist, or maybe work in the comic book industry.

I believe that, like most writers, my personality comes through in the fiction. So in that respect my writing can`t be like any other author`s really.

This sort of encouragement is vital for any writer. And lastly the publication of Touching the Flame, which was on hold for two years and went through a few publishers before finding a stable home.

I can look back at stuff I wrote in my early days and squirm at some of the mistakes I made. But we`re all learning every day; we never stop. I just hope people keep on liking what I do. That gives me such a kick.

As a writer I`m fairly focused. I`m something of a perfectionist and will write much more than I need to at first, then trim off the fat.

Sometimes I`ll hear a phrase or a word and write it down in my little black notebook (a writer`s best mate), then come back to it and work a plot around it.

My most intimate secrets? Well, if I told you those they wouldn`t be secrets now, would they? Seriously though I don`t have too many secrets. I`m a very open and honest person, sometimes too honest for my own good.

My family and loved ones are also a great antidote to this. They`re incredibly important to me and I count myself a lucky man because of them.

I`ve had a lot of very positive feedback about those stories, and seem to have struck upon something that most people feel. I can also tap dance, and don`t know many other authors who can.

As for goals, I don`t set myself those anymore. I`m not one of these `I must have achieved this and that by next year` kind of writers. I take things as they come and find that patience and persistence tend to win out in the end.

I sometimes wonder what would`ve happened if I`d entered the competition instead - I`d probably have come nowhere and given up on the whole fiction game.

Writing can be a very solitary business. It`s you sat at a desk typing words into a computer. It can get lonely sometimes and lots of writers live quite isolated lives.

Some writers would be kinder than others, I`m sure. Hopefully they might describe my techniques as a mixture of tried and tested formulas - if it aint broke don`t fix it - and unexpected twists.

I love a good laugh as well, I think that`s so important in life, which is probably why I`ve dabbled in comedy writing as well as horror. I think if you can make someone laugh or smile it`s the most special thing in the world.

Having said that, I`m a huge Jack Nicholson fan because he just goes nuts in everything he does. Having Jack in his heyday would also be a dream come true.

It was relatively easy to write `The Cave of Lost Souls`, though, because it came to me one night in a dream. I remember waking up and having this idea for a complete story - from start to finish - in my head, so I jotted it down, then later began writing the thing.