Ian Thompson
Author's DataHub
Ian Thompson is the author of fast-paced, action-packed, unpredictable novels and short stories. His writing style focuses upon vivid characterization, thrilling situations and twisted plots. A cross-genre author, he has written mystery thrillers, fantasy epics, horror chillers and science fiction.
As a child, Ian was always the kid who had his nose in a book. He loved exploring strange worlds, unravelling cryptic mysteries, battling overwhelming odds… being thrilled by the endless potential of the written word. Adulthood came and for twelve years Ian was a successful “Textiles CSI”: analysing fibres, yarns and fabric; solving problems on production lines; developing products; and assisting customers across the world. A change of circumstance turned him into a full-time Carer, and also allowed him to fulfil his dreams of writing thrilling reads of his own. Although early in his new author career, he’s already achieved some acclaim and excellent reviews.
When not kept busy by his Carer duties or frustrating a word processor, Ian relaxes with books, cooperative board games, wargames and model-making. He also enjoys countryside walks, family get-togethers, and meeting friends at fantasy and sci-fi events.
More About Me...
Personally, I'm quite a private person - an oddity in this era where most people put all their personal information and thoughts on social media for everyone to see. I enjoy reading, computer gaming, model-making, and pre-2000 Star Trek & Dr Who (plus a lot of old TV shows and movies).
I regularly do battle with my nemesis: the garden outside my window. And it usually wins! I may be armed with shears and a lawnmower, but it has a million thorns and stingers.
My writing den is probably the world’s most distracting place. I’m surrounded by sci-fi memorabilia (including enough daleks and aliens to invade the Earth); fantasy figurines, dragons and art; fabulous books and DVD’s... It’s a wonder I ever get any work done.
My favourite reads would be: anything by Stephen King, Sherlock Holmes (the original stories and some of the pastiches), Thrillers, Action, Detective (especially hard-boiled, Mickey Spillane for example), SF, Fantasy (especially classic sword & sorcery - such as Robert E. Howard & Edgar Rice Burroughs) and some Horror.
What I don’t like...
I’m shocked by people not caring about people. Especially the attitudes of modern governments to the poorer sections of our so-called civilised nations. I am sickened by the number of human beings who have suffered and died due to austerity measures, while others increase their fortunes.
In terms of entertainment, I’m often frustrated at the lousy quality of many modern TV shows and movies. My biggest turnoffs are: most reboots; good TV shows that turn into "touchy-feely" personal dramas; and unimaginative, 'homage'-copying & generally dumb writing on TV and in movies (pretty much an epidemic in the last decade). Also, Reality TV is a total mystery to me, as I always thought of TV as a way of escaping reality... But it takes different things to please different people, so I'm pretty much live and let live!
My Inspirations
Growing up, I revelled in great stories. I remember reading War Of The Worlds and marvelling at the imagination of a 19th Century author describing an alien invasion – before aeroplanes existed! I loved Star Trek and other shows that took me far beyond modern reality. The Conan stories, and other fantasy novels and films, took me away in another direction, into realms of dark adventure. Hammer movies and later horror films captured my imagination with tales of good and evil, monsters and heroes. And at the same time, I enjoyed more earth-based fiction, like the timeless Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
I can’t recall a time when I didn’t want to write stories myself. My first effort was a Fighting Fantasy Gamebook Adventure, and although it was rejected, I received a positive letter that made me determined to continue. My first proper novel was a violent sci-fi story, with a futuristic land-war, genetic mutation and betrayal. This too was rejected, but also garnered some positive feedback.
I carried on, honing my skills and telling more stories. For a while, I concentrated on submitting TV scripts, but novels were always what I was drawn to pursuing.
The next big inspiration I had was when I started to read Stephen King novels. I was surprised to discover that he didn’t really write Horror as I expected... he wrote about people. Yes, horrific things happened, but the core of every story was the wonderful characters. This, in turn, led me to begin developing my own characters more deeply... and, over time, my writing quality improved drastically.
I’ve also learned to take inspiration from all around me, mainly in terms of character traits. I’ve known an awful lot of really good, generous people in my family, in work and elsewhere. At work, I also experienced a share of stupidity, arrogance and meanness; this was balanced with good humour and camaraderie. I only have to look at five minutes of news to see political corruption, unfairness and suffering. I think understanding people is key to creating good characters.