It’s time for my next author interview! This time I have the pleasure of introducing you to W.S. Luk, who is currently uploading his first novel chapter-by-chapter, THE FEAST OF FOOLS, on his website. He can also be found on Twitter where he is eager to connect with readers and writers alike – check him out here.
So, over to the interview!
Hello! So, first of all – tell me a little bit about yourself!
My name is W.S. Luk and I’m from Hong Kong, though I go to school in the UK, and with luck will be going to university there as well. I’m currently holed up in an apartment deteriorating psychologically, but aren’t we all?
What’s the name of your book? Can you give a brief outline of the plot (spoiler-free, of course)?
I’m writing an urban fantasy series titled The Wayland Cycle, with Book 1, The Feast of Fools, currently finished. It’s about a teenager brought into a school for psychics, who quickly realizes that the people now in control of his life have their own ulterior motives, and that if he wants to survive he’ll have to rebel against the system—think of it as a weird, deconstructive twist on stories like Harry Potter and X-Men.
When is your book available? Where can we get our hands on it?
Read it here. I upload new chapters each Monday, and additional commentary articles every third week.
Why do you write in your chosen genre? What’s your favourite thing about it?
I tend to write fantasy, but have experimented with everything between cosmic horror and magical realism. It’s great for exploring real concerns in a slightly modified context, and I just enjoy the background work of worldbuilding and research.
What got you into writing? What do you enjoy most about it?
It’s a terrible cliche to say that I always wanted to be a writer, but it’s what I wanted to do ever since I became a book-a-day kind of reader (alas, I’ve slowed down a bit these days, but the love of books has thankfully stayed). I love the thrill of seeing a story come together, and it’s always incredible to find out new things about my characters as you create them, or come to empathize with characters I thought were irredeemable.
It’s also the only thing I’m good at.
What do you do when you’re not writing? What are your favourite things to do?
I love reading, cooking and obsessing over politics. I’m also a film nerd, with a big thing for horror and well-written blockbusters (off the top of my head, I love Lawrence of Arabia, Hereditary and The Handmaiden), and also like comics.
What’s your favourite book from childhood? Has it influenced you as a writer?
I’m a huge fan of Hemingway and T.S. Eliot, , and I remain convinced that Stephen King is awesome (the ending of IT notwithstanding) but I wasn’t always so literary—Percy Jackson and Harry Potter were the stories I grew up with. We all have to outgrow our heroes, and The Wayland Cycle is my way of responding to Rowling, Riordan and company. It’s written for fans of those YA novels who couldn’t shake nagging questions like “are we sure the wizards are justified in keeping Muggles in the dark about magic?”.
Where can we learn more about you and your books?
Find me on Twitter and Reddit as u/TheWaylandCycle. I have a minuscule online footprint so far, so if you like what you see, do share my site with your friends!
Thank you for your time! ☺
Lucy A. McLaren 