P. W. Fox (also writing under the name Wayne Howard)
Genre:
Fantasy and Science fiction (P. W. Fox) and Poetry (Wayne Howard)
home town: 
Portland, Oregon
home on the web
: www.pwfox.com
past material:
Poetry collection “Seasons of the Mind, 2nd Edition” (Wayne Howard), one of fourteen authors of “The Plains Aren’t What They Used To Be,” published in “Golden Visions Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Jan-Feb-Mar 2010.
current project:
A fantasy novella, “Sea-Change,” which was just published in December of 2011.
places where books are available for purchases:
Amazon.com, Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, iTunes and Lulu.com. Links are available through my web site.
Interview questions
How did you get your start in writing?
I was an avid reader from an early age and had a vigorous imagination. When I was nine, I wrote a story for a local radio contest and won the contest, which included having my story read on the air. I guess that’s when I was bitten by the bug, but it was a long time before I started writing down stories in earnest. I began writing poetry in college and began a science fiction novel also at that time, but the pressure of my studies got in the way and I abandoned the novel and only wrote poems in fits and starts. More recently, because of an unplanned career change, I took some writing courses, joined a writers’ association and began writing in a more systematic and sustained way and continue to do so.
who are your biggest influences?
Robert Heinlein, Robert Sheckley, Poul Anderson and Roger Zelazny
What is your biggest inspiration when creating?
It’s always difficult to predict when and where inspiration will strike, but I often get ideas from pictures depicting some sort of action. New scientific and technological developments sometimes will suggest the basis of a story to me.
Could you give us the details of your current project?
“Sea-Change” is a fantasy novella which began as a short story idea for a story contest, but generated a story that was too complex to contain within the 4,500 word contest limit. When the dust cleared, I found myself with a 17,000 word story that was difficult to market to magazines (the usual short story market). I got some favorable comment from prospective publishers but in the end no one wanted to devote 17,000 words of magazine space to a new author. Following the suggestion of another writer, I was able to publish it as an eBook with a P.O.D. also available.
In brief, it is the story of a young woman who is viciously betrayed by her fiancé, but uses the ancient lore learned from her mother to escape her captors and seek revenge. To ensure the success of her escape and her plan for vengeance, she must make her way back to her home country and confront her betrayer before the spell ends at the next new moon.
What is the next goal you would like to achieve with your writing?
My next project is the completion of a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel with the working title: “Star-crossed Legacy.” I’m also considering a novel-length sequel to “Sea-Change.”
Final four (questions we ask all interviewees)
When the zombies take over the world where will you be?
I will be in my mountain fortress, surrounded by my army of genetically enhanced vultures, and preparing to retake the world. After all, there’s nothing a vulture likes better than dead meat.
Jedi, Ninja, vampire, were-wolf, pirate, fairy or Spartan?
Definitely were-wolf, the full moon always makes me want to howl.
What one piece of art, be it music, book, film or picture, do you think people must experience before they die?
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
Give one fact that most people would not believe about you?
I spent one night on Iwo Jima eying the biggest cockroach I’ve ever seen.
