Author Spotlight with F. Greystone

Introducing “your ghoulish author”, F. Greystone, who writes stories with a unique take on the zombie apocalypse, featuring strong FMCs (female main characters). His debut book, ‘Violet Eyes’ is available for you to own now. Find the link at the bottom of the article. Read more about the book, writing process, inspiration, and a little bit about the next book below.

As a Scottish author, how does your heritage influence your writing?

“Scotland has some stunning landscapes and historical places. These are all factors that play into my writing. A few examples can be found in my book, like the statue in George Square, Glasgow that has become famous for the cone on the head. That’s a bit of Glasgow’s culture and humour. There are a few famous buildings in Glasgow, like Kelvingrove Museum, which is featured in my book. As I continue to write I think about the language of Scotland and how some people finish sentences with “but” at the end. And also how we say “Aye” instead of yes. Scotland is a beautiful place and I love it. And having a Scottish main character is quite fun to write.”

Tell me about your debut book, ‘Violet Eyes’: how would you describe the story and what inspired the idea for it?

“I would describe it as different from most zombie apocalypse scenarios. It has some of the basic ingredients there like, survival and the collapse of society. However ‘the dead’ are different because they’re not viral or bacterial but on the supernatural side. Without giving away too many spoilers, there is a cosmic being, not Lovecraft but still cosmic. The story overall: ‘Violet Eyes’ is as much about my FMC, Hope, as it is about introducing the other characters. It’s a bit of a complex puzzle that has flashbacks but they’re not so obvious. And this also gives me, as a writer, a lot of breathing space to explore more for future books.

The idea came to me when I was sitting outside in Glasgow with my wife and, as a lover of horror, I was talking to her about writing a story for a bit of fun. So I started to work on the idea. A few of my inspirations come from my favourite director, George A. Romero, and his ‘Living Dead’ saga. Each of his movies deals with a different problem relating to human society. Other films like ‘28 Days Later’ and ‘The Night Eats the World’, all had their share of influencing the story. What I wanted was to take some of these elements, but also make it less about humans being threats to each other - of course, that is in there - but more ‘the dead’ are the threat and it’s because of what’s pulling the strings.”

Which part of the book was the most fun to write?

“Writing my character, Hope, and her journey. I enjoyed writing every other character, but I felt like I had a lot of fun writing her [Hope’s] complicated and messy life. She actually turned out vastly different to how I originally wrote her.

When I originally wrote Hope she was pretty delicate as a character who you could imagine being scared of her own shadow. However, in the story that came to be ‘Violet Eyes’, she’s a very fractured woman who keeps it together as best she can but slowly her descent into madness drives her even crazier. Eventually, her true state comes to light. When I think about the Hope that was and the Hope that is, they are both vastly different. It’s interesting to see the character growth. And it’s something I enjoy thinking about often.”

Would you and your main character get along? Tell me why?

“I’ve often wondered about this question and truthfully, maybe. It really depends on what version. That’s all I will say.”

“… I do it, compare myself to others, and it’s something I shouldn’t do, but sometimes it actually encourages me to push through.”

— F. Greystone

What comes first for you, the plot or the characters? How do they come to you?

“A bit of both really, plot and characters or sometimes characters. For example, I thought up ‘Violet Eyes’ just suddenly without a plan and started writing.

As for ‘Maxina’, the second novel I am working on, it came to me in a dream where I was looking up the first zombie novel and then the name popped into my head and the rest is history.”

As someone who designs their own artwork, what advice would you give to an author wanting to do the same? What do you enjoy the most about the process?

“Like writing, you’re going to be a little rough but with time and dedication you will improve. I think social media can be both good and bad for artists, there’s a lot of good art out there which can make it look intimidating. And heck I do it, compare myself to others, and it’s something I shouldn’t do, but sometimes it actually encourages me to push through. I would also like to say there are positives to seeing others’ artwork. I can see something that someone has drawn and feel inspired by it. It’s a very personal journey and designing your own characters from your own novel is unique to you. You end up figuring out what they look like: any scars or spots, even the tiniest freckle or tattoo (I often forget this!). Overall the key advice is to have fun!”

Thank you F. Greystone! Find the links to his book and socials below if you want to stay up-to-date with future releases from this author.