Author Bio:
Myron Edwards BIO
Myron was born in 1952 in Orsett, Essex, England, as the youngest son to Welsh parents, Iris and Bill Edwards. Upon leaving school, he went into the travel industry. He travelled the world, working in travel agencies, as a tour operator, and for airlines for some 30 years. In 1976, Myron began freelance writing for the BBC, radio, and television. His credits include The Two Ronnies, Week Endings, and The News Huddlines. In 1980, he joined JWT advertising, as a copywriter, writing his first TV commercial for dog food inside 10 days. Always artistic and inventive, he created Tubewalking in 1987, a new map concept, to help people get around London easier on foot, which still operates today. In 1990, he married Niki, whose family background is Greek Cypriot. On a family trip to Cyprus and while visiting Aphrodite’s Rock for the first time, the beginnings of his passion to write the story of Mistress of the Rock came to fruition.
Moving his family in 2005 to Cyprus to live, gave him the opportunity to write, as during this time he worked on campaigns for TV and Radio in an advertising agency in Limassol. The first manuscript of the book was completed in 2007. Released by a local publisher, it had a limited audience but was well received by those who read it. He has now completed the sequel and is working on the third part of the story. Myron has three adult children, two sons, and a daughter.
What inspires you to write?
In my particular case with regard to the books a chance encounter, with something I never expected to see. It was for me an epiphany moment that struck a chord and I knew that I had to get the story down on paper. Prior to that moment, my writing career was in advertising as a copywriter and a freelance comedy writer for the BBC in the UK.
Tell us about your writing process.
What a great question. The best way to describe my writing is I think in pictures if I can picture a scene, I can write it. It is true when solving a brief in advertising, even if it's for radio. The words or copy are then fitted in to reflect the images in my mind. This is true also of my characters, if I see them I can write about them, as I develop them because I see their different traits and adapt that to the storyline. With regard to Mistress of the Rock the first book in the trilogy, I suppose you can call it Kismet, my Wife and I before we were married came to Cyprus for a holiday. One day we visited Aphrodite's Rock near Paphos and I saw an image in a picture on a wall that begun the whole story. i was at that point I knew I had to write it.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I think most writers talk to their characters by means of getting to know them better, they become like your family to a certain extent, they are as real to you as you want to make them. But is always best to be wary that their personality doesn't infringe upon your own. No matter how close you get to them.
Who are your favorite authors?
As a young man, Peter Benchley kept me up all night with Jaws, I started at about 11 pm and finished at dawn. My favourite author who I think is not given enough credit is George MacDonald Fraser, he of the Flashman books. His genius in taking historical events and mingling them with Flashman (the anti-hero of Tom Brown's schooldays) is so skillful that you forget that is a work of fiction. Of course, I like the classics Dickens, Wilde, Melville, Stoker, and modern-day writers such as Stephen King, and Alistair McClean.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I live on the island of Cyprus, publishers are few and far between here on this small island. After I first wrote a screenplay for Mistress of the Rock,I was encouraged to turn it into a book, which I did and gave to my wife as a Christmas present, she, in turn, showed it to some people who recommended I get it published. I contacted a publisher in Nicosia, who asked for a synopsis and a manuscript within a week we had signed a contract for five thousand books in English and Greek. All was well until the financial crisis hit Cyprus and the publisher went bankrupt. I was left with trying to ee out my contract and find another publisher. I contacted James Hill of Rockhill Publishing a US publisher who took on book one Mistress of the Rock and the second book Scylla the Revenge. Both books are produced in ebook, paperback, and Hardback formats.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I wish that the public had better access to writers who are not part of the BIG 5 publishing houses because these guys saturate the market, with their extensive advertising and marketing budgets. Few if any break into this inner circle and it is such a pity as there are some wonderful writers whose work will never really be appreciated because they never get the chance to be seen. If there was a company that gave these people a chance that would make for a brighter future.
What genres do you write?
Fact fiction, fiction, fantasy, historical, mythological, comedy
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
Myron Edwards Home Page Link
Author’s Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
