The Thief of Sleep and Other Tales, by David D Sharp

Title: The Thief of Sleep and Other Tales

Author: David D Sharp

The synopsis for the book:

Imagine someone stole from you, the ability to sleep — how far would you go to get it back?
If you could go back in time, what would you do — beat up your childhood bullies?
What if you could talk with the dead, just by using an iPhone app?

This debut collection of short stories from David D Sharp, explores worlds not unlike our own but with different rules. Rules that raise intriguing questions and often uncomfortable answers about the age in which we live.

And it is available for $2.99 from here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005W1BMPO

1) What inspires your writing, your muse? 

Ideas come to me in all sorts of places, from driving in the dark to running on the treadmill at the gym. I do find watching documentaries a particular source of intriguing concepts though, our world and its history is full of so much wonder. 

2) If you couldn't write, what would you do? 

I'd probably go back to making little computer games. To entertain people in one form or another is my ambition. 

3) Who is your favorite author? Book? 

Picking just one is difficult. I do love Roald Dahl. My one of my favourite books that I've read recently is American Gods by Neil Gaiman, it plays with so many big, fascinating ideas yet also manages to tie them all together into an unexpectedly satisfying conclusion. 

4) When did you know you wanted to be a writer? 

From a very early age I was tapping Tolkein rip-offs into the green and black screen of my dad's Amstrad PCW. I was too young then to understand that it was something I wanted to take somewhere. It's only been the past few years that I've started taking myself seriously. 

5) Have you gone the traditional route? Indie route? or both? 

Apart from submitting to a few print anthologies, I haven't gone the traditional route at all, I've never even submitted to an agent. There just seems to be too many hoops to jump through, too much sitting around. ePublishing and blogging is more direct, my work is immediately out there for people to discover and start enjoying, which is ultimately all I'm after. I am of course completely open to traditional publishing, I may go that route with my novel once it's ready. 

6) What advice can you give for writers out there looking to promote? 

No one's interested in the guy using his Twitter account to spout a constant stream of adverts. Spamming people is a highly effective method of getting yourself ignored. Let people know that your work is out there sure, but then concentrate on producing original, interesting content, be it on a blog, Twitter or forums. If people find you're entertaining or educating them, then they're more likely to seek your work out of their own accord. 

7) Name three places readers can find you? 

I regularly post short stories and writing advice on my blog: http://www.aweeadventure.co.uk

You can find me lingering suspiciously on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/aweeadventure

And of course I'm on Amazon as well now: 

http://www.amazon.com/David-D-Sharp/e/B005W5J5XQ/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

8) Tea or coffee? 

I'm mostly a tea drinker (milk and one sugar please!) but am apt to the occasional vanilla latter as well. 

9) Morning or night? 

Morning, when the night and day are all still mixed up and the sky looks like an oil painting. 

10) Cats or dogs?

Dogs! Dogs don't have a secret, sinister agenda.