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S-Morris.co.uk
Steve Morris is a teacher of
maths and science. He travels around his region of the UK teaching
students who are too ill to get to school. Despite a background in
maths and science, one of Steve's passions in life has always been
English literature and antiquarian books. Story writing began at
school where he enjoyed some early success.
Steve
graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1993 where he
enjoyed representing them in soccer for four years. He lives in a rural 200 year old property is
his adopted Cheshire, UK accompanied by a protective guardian of a
dog.
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Interview
with Steve Morris
The
Short Review:
How long did it take you to write all the stories in your collection?
Steve Morris: Well, some of the stories
were born as half-typed stories from some years ago and some are brand new. In
all, it took me around one year in the gaps around a hectic day
job.
TSR:
Did you
have a collection in mind when you were writing them?
SM: Well, firstly I wanted to smooth
up the raw "first book" edges of In All Probability. Despite their positive
press reception, I also wanted to write stories that are a little longer
than some of those in Probability. A criticism of the first book was that the
stories were too short. But then, that is always going to be a problem with
short stories in general, that people will be reluctant to invest too much
emotion into characters who will no longer be there just a few pages later. It
is a little like taking a temporary job or a short-term
relationship.
The theme around Jumble Tales , like In All Probability are those quirks of fate or chance that turn life on its
head in an instant. Life is like that.
TSR:
How did
you choose which stories to include and in what order?
SM: Some of the stories in Jumble Tales have
been previously published in anthologies. One story “Just one big game”, an
anti-war tale set in our digital age was chosen by the F.L.O.W (Forces Literary
Organisation Worldwide) charity for inclusion in their anthology Stories in the
Poppies and endorsed by Dame Vera Lynn amongst others. I support the work that
FLOW do to support those suffering the worst effects of war.
I also included a longer version of Dead-Eye which was in the first book. I tried to develop the background
and character. But I still didn’t give him a name!
There is a mixed bag of scenarios such as
soccer, coming to terms with middle-age, the music industry and even some
romance. That was how we chose the name.
TSR:
What
does the word "story"
mean to you?
SM: In the same way that a good tune is a good tune whether played on a single
piano or a full orchestra, a good story is a good story, whether two thousand
words or a seventy thousand word novel. A good story is original and stays in
the mind. I spend a lot of time driving for my day job. I like to listen to
radio plays no matter how short. Some stay in the mind for ages. Some are
disposable. The aim of Jumble Tales is that the stories can be read in any
order at times to suit the reader, and re-read at a later date.
TSR:
Do you have a reader in mind when you write stories?
SM: Without realising it, I read in a
newspaper review that I have been writing stories for “men of a certain age”.
This was unintentional and I’m bearing this in mind for any future
projects.
Most of the press reviewers for Jumble Tales have been female as
well! Why is that?
I would like to think that it is a book to
be read in break times or on the commute to and from work, but most of all I
would like one of them to be developed into a radio play. Maybe short
stories now suit the needs of modern busy lives more than a complete
novel.
TSR: Is
there
anything you'd like to ask someone who has read your collection, anything at all?
SM: Would you have preferred any of the stories
as a novel? Can you remember the character names?
Do you like happy
endings?
TSR: How does
it feel knowing that people are buying your book?
SM: It feels a little
strange as I have been a book-collector all my life. I’ve bought three books
just this week. Seeing things through the eyes of a book buyer, I realise how
rarely I buy a book from an as-yet unknown author.
TSR:
What are you working on now?
SM: I’ve been advised by most people to have a go at a
novel which I have now started. Having said that, I’ve got load of ideas for
stories. All I need now is some vacation time to type them up. We’ll see
how Jumble Tales fares first.
TSR:
What are
the three most recent short story collections you've read?
SM: The collected stories of Philip K Dick volumes I and
II
The collected stories of H. G. Wells
Interview
with Steve Morris (2009)
The
Short Review:
How long did it take you to write all the stories in your collection?
Steve Morris: Either
eighteen months or twenty years depending on which way I look at it. I
began writing them in my teenage years and always intended to carry on
but the distraction of getting a job and some life experience got in
the way. A few of the stories were just simply re-typed from badly
printed dot matrix paper. One of the stories I wrote in entirity one
summer evening last year but usually they take two weeks each.
TSR:
Did you
have a collection in mind when you were writing them?
SM: Yes.
For me the problem with writing a novel is that if it doesn't work out
for whatever reason then that is two years down the drain! With a few
short stories that I have binned, I've only flushed away a week or so
of my life! Seriously though, I love every moment of writing them.
TSR:
How did
you choose which stories to include and in what order?
SM: My
editor removed a number of weaker ones. Of course the decision was
correct. That is what being experienced and objective is all about. For
the order, we disagreed. Some people find "Dead-Eye" a bit abrupt to
begin with but I'm fond of that one, along with "Lightning strikes
twice"
TSR:
What
does the word "story"
mean to you?
SM:
A good story is a good story regardless of length. I admire anyone who
can stretch a story to a five hundred page novel. Basically a novel and
a short story are the same thing and could each be written in a summary
of similar lengths. However I wish I had the endurance to stretch one
of mine to fifty thousand words. A retirement project for me.
TSR:
Do you have a reader in mind when you write stories?
SM: A
review this month described the book using the phrase "boys' stories"
(meaning male rather than child). I didn't consciously write for a male
readership. This is always going to be my problem, being a bachelor.
TSR: Is
there
anything you'd like to ask someone who has read your collection,
anything at all?
SM:
Would you have preferred any of the stories to be novels?
TSR: How does
it feel knowing
that people are buying your book?
SM:It
is a pleasant feeling although when I look at it now all I can see are
the faults. I say now "Oh.. I wish I had written....there"
TSR:
What are you working on now?
SM:
I am beginning to type up a shed load of new ideas for stories. I am
currently waiting for my new house to be built so I am a bit
disorganised. I can't wait to get settled into writing the second
edition of "In All Probability" this winter.
TSR:
What are
the three most recent short story collections you've read?
SM: How's this for an eclectic mix?:
H.G. Wells, Arnold Bennet, Philip K
Dick, Thomas Hardy and load of new anthologies and magazines
written by new up-and-coming authors.
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