Every Friday, we meet a member of the BFS and peer deep into their soul (or, at least, a form they filled out). Want to be featured? Email us: online@britishfantasysociety.org

Name: 
Dominic Miles (he/him)

Which region are you based in? 
Not a region, but a country: Wales

If you write, which genre: 
Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Are you drawn to any specific SFFH sub-genres? 
I like books that subvert heroic fantasy and sci-fi books which are set in imperfect, flawed futures.

Your influences

Tell us about the book/film/thing that got you into SFFH: What was it? How old were you? What impact did it have on you?

I read Ursula Le Guin’s books when I was a teenager, both her sci-fi novels and her Earthsea fantasies. It was the sheer scope of the novels, her world-building, and the way that she created believable worlds with conflicted and flawed characters that helped me to understand what could be achieved in terms of writing sci-fi and fantasy.  

How does that early influence show up in your work now?

It persuaded me that you can examine and explore all aspects of the human condition through sci-fi and fantasy. 

Where do you draw your creative inspiration from?

Anywhere, really. But also, often through history.

Who do you look to as a genre hero? Why?

Iain M. Banks (pictured). I think his creation of The Culture as a Utopian society, not of course without its own problems, was a great achievement and an alternative to much of the sci-fi of the period he was writing in, which often depicted dystopian, quasi-capitalist futures. 

Your work

You’re stuck in an elevator for 60 seconds with that hero, and they want you to describe your work. Give us the pitch.

A difficult task, because as a writer I don’t stick to one particular genre. I’ve written historical novels, novels that would be classed as sci-fi or fantasy, and contemporary literary fiction. My latest novel is a blend of both contemporary and historical writing with a fantasy element. So, I’m sure he’d have got out of the elevator long before I’d quite finished my pitch.

What are you working on right now?

I’m promoting my new book, “Blood Creek”, published this month.

Thinking about all the stories/work you’ve done, what sticks out most in your mind? Why?

When the reader “gets it”, understands what you are trying to do, what the book is about. It’s that connection between writer and reader that is all-important.

Where and when do you create/are you at your most creative?

I find that a run or a walk before you sit down to write aids the process and helps you to work on ideas in your head. 

What’s the best advice you’ve received about creativity?

Anyone can have good ideas, but to turn those ideas into stories you have to be prepared to put the effort and the hours in.

(Pictured: Dominic’s desk at home in Wales.)

What’s your writing soundtrack?

Silence.

The quickfire round

Sci-fi, fantasy or horror?
Sci-fi or fantasy

Quiet or loud?
Quiet 

Dark or light?
Dark

Strict lines or genre blend?
I’m all for genre blends.

Awards or bestseller?
Both

Fiction or non-fiction?
Fiction

Poetry or prose?
Prose, I’m not a fan of sci-fi or fantasy poetry.

Plotter or pantser?
I like to have a plot structure, but sometimes you have to prepared to tear it up.

Reading or listening?
Reading

Notebook or computer?
Computer

Favourite SFFH book of all time?
“Rocannon’s World,” Ursula Le Guin

Last book you read?
“The Luck of Barry Lyndon” by William Thackeray. 

Any SFFH author on auto-buy?
Susanna Clarke. I loved her last book, “Piranesi”.

Favourite podcast?
Not a podcast listener.

The home stretch

What’s the best thing about being part of the SFFH community?

It’s heartening to feel that there are other supportive people out there, both writers and readers.

Time to plug your stuff! Where can we find you and your work? What have you got coming up? Consider this your advertising space.

My latest book, “Blood Creek”, is out now through The Book Guild. Read the blurb below, or go to The Book Guild for details.

Cassie is grief-stricken, mourning her dead lover, when she first encounters Eliza on the banks of Blood Creek. Cassie is intrigued by Eliza and attracted to her, but she isn’t certain if she is real or a figment of her imagination. But after experiencing a strange hallucination, Cassie starts trying to find out about the local Kabiri people and discovers that a massacre occurred at Blood Creek in the 1870s,

As she gets to know Eliza, Cassie starts to realise that her true nature is bound up with the creek and the terrible history that it hides. 

After discovering who Eliza actually is and what happened to her and her people, Cassie races against time to find Eliza again and to warn her about the danger she is facing.