Performed by Val Cole

Get to know the writer;

1. What is your novel about?

The Edge of Dreaming is a collection of vignettes that paint an overall picture of this new fantasy universe. I have specifically chosen a point in time when the world and its characters are at a crossroads. Technology is surpassing tradition, old ideas give way to new, and the pioneering and often destructive personalities that take advantage of that are thrust into the spotlight. I feel like this is particularly relevant to our current situation. The teething pains of the 21st century are on full display and its important to explore that.

2. What genres would you say this story is in?

I straddle fantasy, sci fi, and horror. I would say overall the world is a fantastical one full of magic, deities, and empire. However, due to the specific time period I have chosen, magic is giving way to technology, deities are fading into the occult, and empires have bloated themselves into beaurocracy. Unavoidably, elements of Sci fi and horror therefore bleed into my work.

3. How would you describe this story in two words?

Great question. I would class all my work as original and allegorical.

4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?

Although my writing has quiet a serious tone, I love cheesy 80s movies. It would be between Big Trouble In Little China and The Princess Bride.

5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the
most times in your life?)

I'm always looking for new music so it's hard to say, but if You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon comes on I am right there singing along to every word (yes, even the verses).

6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

My sister bought me a copy of A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James in 2017. I have read it nearly every year since then. It's a brilliant piece of work. Every time I read it I pick up new pieces of information, new nuances to the story. To me it's an absolute classic.

7. What motivated you to write this story?

My very dear friend JM and I came up with this fantasy world while we were living together during university. Over nearly a decade of friendship, we mapped out the rise and fall of every empire, the birth and death of every god. The world's creation and its inevitable demise. The cultures, the technologies, the judical systems, the religious systems, absolutely every nook and crannie. It often felt as if we weren't creating it, but rather discovering it. Like it was always there, and every time we sat down together to work on it we'd extend the map out just that little bit more.

This collection of vignettes is just the beginning. I feel like it's my mission to bring this world to life and let people explore it like we did. JM put it perfectly, if we only allow this world to exist in our heads it's as if we're killing everyone in it. I don't want that on my conscience.

8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

Language barrier not withstanding, wouldn't you want to have dinner with Jesus and see what all the fuss is about?

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

I love music. Before taking writing seriously I was pretty convinced I would make a career in the music industry. Albeit my teenage rap albums never blew up, but it did lead me all the way to Pakistan where I worked for a very cool company called Karachi Community Radio. Genuine pioneers and a complete inspiration, you should check them out.

10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?

I perform my work regularly at open mics. I believe if it doesn't sound good coming out of your mouth, it won't sound good inside somebody else's head. So I was curious to see what a professional actor could do with it.

11. Any advice or tips you'd like to pass on to other writers?

I'm only at the beginning of my journey as a writer, so it seems a little hypocritical to give advice, but I have had a lot of experience with the creative process so I'll speak on that.

I'd say the biggest piece of advice I can give is don't be too precious about your work. Your characters, your world, your story, sure. But the writing itself? Be ready to kill it again and again and again. If you're slaving over a sentence, or a paragraph, or a story for too long and you can't get it to work, it means it doesn't work. Free yourself from the burden, kill it.