Interview Q&A with John Anthony Fingleton, a writer at Spillwords.com

Interview Q&A With John Anthony Fingleton

Interview Q&A with John Anthony Fingleton

We offer our first and exclusive Q&A Interview with John Anthony Fingleton (Löst Viking), a writer whose literary works have been featured on our Spillwords pages as well as being Author of the Month of December 2020.

 

  1. What does it mean to be selected as Author of The Month?

I feel very honoured, as I know that there are so many great writers/poets associated with Spillwords.

  1. How have your friends and/or family influenced your writing?

I would in the main say family that have given my so many memories to inspire me.

  1. What inspires you to write?

I have for years wondered this myself. I consider myself a gatherer of words; in fact one of my anthologies is so entitled ‘A Gathering of Words.’

  1. What was your writing catalyst?

Many things, any inciting incident which that sets the successive conflict into motion.

  1. Tell us a little bit about your writing process?

This again varies, I can write directly e.g. a poem on Facebook, to take days, even in some cases weeks to finish – or perhaps not finish the work.

  1. What would you say is most fulfilling about writing?

What I find is the slight relief in clearing the words from my head, although this is only temporary, as I sometimes feel haunted by them.

  1. Does the addition of imagery help to tell your story?

For me the simple answer is yes. I feel like a flustered artist, in my younger days I would also draw, but I seem to have lost that gift. I sometimes spend more time looking for an appropriate image then it took to write the article.

  1. What is your favorite reading genre?

These days it is mainly confined to audiobooks as I live in a country that does not have a ‘real’ postal system, and anything sent will disappear down that ‘blackhole.’ And carriers are so expensive. I mainly listen to history and documentaries.

  1. What human being has inspired you the most?

Too many to mention and many are ‘ordinary people’ I have lived/served with. But at a push I would say Sean O’Casey, that inspired me to write plays. And also John B Keane. As for poetry Seamus Heaney, Robert Frost, Allen Ginsberg.

  1. What message would you have for the Spillwords Press community that voted for you?

What I already said: Thank you, muchas gracias, go raibh maith agat.

  1. What would you like your legacy as a writer to be?

To be remembered sometimes in Ireland.

           12. Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would again thank Spillwords for the honour. As you can see I am not in the habit of doing interviews, forgive me if I did not comment correctly. I look forward to continuing my association with you. A Happy New Year to all my fellow writers.

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