Have you ever felt like you could be someone else?
Is there another side of you battling to be heard?
It happened to Alison Wells, well respected literary author, who on writing 'Housewife with a Half-Life', was taken over by her sci-fi self persona -
A.B. Wells,
and even more radically, put this strangely unfamiliar, more adventurous, crazy, and eye-opening self under the spotlight for some deep, insightful, and tough questioning from her serious side!!!
A.B. Wells,
and even more radically, put this strangely unfamiliar, more adventurous, crazy, and eye-opening self under the spotlight for some deep, insightful, and tough questioning from her serious side!!!
See Below - When A.B. Wells, the louder, more irreverent, zany and bizarre side is taken on by, Alison Wells, unaffectionately seen as the navel gazing literary side of self!
Alison Wells: Hi
A.B Wells, can you tell us a bit about yourself, your influences, likes and
dislikes?
A.B. Wells: I’m
the funkier version of Alison Wells (sorry Alison). I write sci-fi stories and
have just self-published my debut novel Housewife
with a Half-Life (yes, terrific title I know!) on both ebook and in
paperback. I love science programmes, professor Brian Cox, geeky sites like IO9
and programmes like Dr. Who. I’m mad about the writing of Ray Bradbury, Brian
Aldiss and Margaret Atwood in particular so I guess they would be my
influences. Dislikes. Hmm, don’t know if I have any apart from coleslaw.
Alison Wells: So
you’re saying you’re more hip than me? What’s wrong with just staying as Alison
Wells? Why create a whole new identity?
A.B. Wells: Well
to be honest it took me a while to decide to go out on my own. As Alison Wells
I’d been writing literary stuff with the odd foray into science inspired
subjects like cryogenics, alternate worlds and other weird phenomenon. I’d been
shortlisted for some short story awards and so on. I saw that Margaret Atwood,
an author I much admire wrote in her own name both her literary fiction and the
more science stuff (which she refuses to call science fiction). I saw that Iain
Banks was also Iain M. Banks to differentiate between genres. It was confusing.
A.B. Wells: Well although
Alison Wells doesn’t rule out sci-fi altogether, (your literary novel has
parallel worlds, doesn’t it?) I made A.B. Wells my sci-fi persona because
a) Housewife with a
Half-Life features a parallel universe and planet hopping spaceman, talks a
lot about physics (although in a light way) and creates new worlds.
b) The tone of the book is much more irreverent and fun than
the literary stuff (no hard feelings Alison!).
c) With a name so similar to sci-fi guru H.G. Wells, I just
couldn’t let the opportunity pass to use the name A. B. Wells!
d) Having talked to several people it seemed that Housewife with a Half-Life might be a
good one to put my self-publishing hat on for. So Alison Wells could continue
pursuing the traditional publishing route for literary fiction and I could try self-publishing.
A.B. Wells: Two
divergent but complimentary paths I think. I’m learning so much about
marketing, book design, editing and everything that goes into producing a book that
it will only serve to educate us for any traditional success we might have in
the future. The profile and sales I build up as A.B. Wells on social media and
elsewhere might make Alison Wells attractive as a traditional publishing
proposition. It certainly won’t distract from writer Alison Wells. In a way I’m
contributing to your success!
Alison Wells:
Thanks! That’s very generous of you. Are there any other advantages to becoming
A.B. Wells?
A.B. Wells Well
yes! Many authors can be introverted and mostly involved in the business of
quietly writing away in their garrets. Selling themselves and their books
doesn’t always sit well. Having a different persona allows me to sometimes (and
ok perhaps weirdly) to talk about myself in the third person. Well, erm, this
is getting a bit complicated. It allows Alison Wells to talk about A. B. Wells
as if it was someone else. Do you follow me? So we can say something like,
“check out that hilarious new space comedy novel with endearing protagonists
Susan Strong and Fairly Dave” and it doesn’t sound so big headed. Also as A.B.
Wells I can be louder, more irreverent like my comedy book. None of that navel
gazing literary stuff for me! This is my zany, bizarre side!
A.B. Wells: Well
there’s another five blog posts in that, all about the changing nature of
publishing and who we’re doing it for and reaching readers and creating our own
clans of readers. Self-publishing was something I wanted to explore to see how
I could reach out to people myself, share my writing and make connections with
the freedom to try many methods, follow the pull of what readers want to see
from me (by posting free stuff first etc). But you do need endorsement, that of
readers once they read your work (and the internet lets you reach a very wide
audience) but I’ve been so lucky because Hughes & Hughes booksellers in
Dundrum took an interest in my book and are hosting a launch on Friday June 22nd
7pm, (you’re all invited) http://www.hughesandhughes.ie/content/book-launch-alison-wells
and they will be stocking the book. They’ve really got behind me in promoting
the launch, putting up posters & advertising in the shopping centre,
putting me on their website etc. As a self-publisher it’s a dream. I’ve also a
wonderful review for the book from science and flash fiction writer Tania
Hershman.
Alison Wells:
That’s fantastic! Congratulations. So this is it then. Do you think we’ll
remain going our separate ways?
A.B. Wells: I
don’t know Alison. Perhaps you’ll find out that the kind of fiction you write
will always be a bit spacey or that I become so famous that you want a piece of
the action. Life is about adapting to circumstance. All I know is that we need
to take chances do positive things. Housewife with a Half-Life is a positive book
with heartwarming characters, celebrating the universe and our place in it.
I’ll do my best as A. B. Wells to let people know about it. I wish you well in
your traditional endeavours and I hope we can remain friends and support one
another. Rock on and don’ t forget your Space Hopper!
Alison Wells: I’d
like to thank you A.B. Wells for talking to me and I wish you all the best with
your novel. Would you like to tell us a
bit about the book?
A.B. Wells: It’s
all here…
Housewife with a Half-Life
Susan Strong is a suburban housewife who is literally disintegrating.
When Fairly Dave, a kilt-sporting spaceman arrives through the shower head to
warn her, she knows things are serious. When she and her precocious four year
old twins, Pluto and Rufus, get sucked through Chilled Foods into another
universe it gets even messier. Where household appliances are alive and
dangerous, Geezers have Entropy Hoovers and the Spinner's Cataclysmic convertor
could rip reality apart, Susan Strong is all that’s holding the world together.
In this madcap, feel-good adventure, Susan and Fairly Dave travel
alternate universes to find Susan's many selves, dodge the Geezers and defeat
evil memory bankers. From dystopian landscapes and chicken dinners, to Las
Vegas and bubble universes, can Susan Strong reintegrate her bits and will it
be enough to save us all?
Housewife with a
Half-Life is available in HUGHES & HUGHES Dundrum
Amazon UK HERE
Amazon US HERE
as well as
The Book Depositiory HERE
The ebook is
available on Kindle at
& Alison at : www.alisonwells.wordpress.com
A.B. Wells
is the mother of four children age 11 and under. London born, Kerry raised, she
has lived in Bray, Co. Wicklow for many years. As Alison Wells her more
literary writing has been shortlisted in the prestigious Bridport, Fish and
Hennessy Awards and she’s been published or is about to be in a wide variety of
anthologies and e-zines, including the Higgs Boson Anthology by Year
Zero, Metazen, The View from Here,
Voices of Angels by Bridgehouse and National Flash Fiction day’s Jawbreakers.
She recently won the fiction category of the Big Book of Hope ebook with a
flash fiction medley and has a litfic novel The Book of Remembered
Possibilities on submission. She blogs for the popular Irish writing
website, writing.ie. and on www.alisonwells.wordpress.com
Don't Miss Friday 22nd June 7 pm, when Hughes & Hughes booksellers in Dundrum are hosting a launch of this fab book (you’re all invited)!
