1. Have you always been a writer?

Not really, I have always had a lot of different creative pursuits, including painting, I went to Art School. I have also done music, concerts, recordings, etc. I got really into writing while living in Paris, I had my first short story published, and wrote a lot of short stories, poetry, blog articles.

2. When did you realize that maybe writing was actually a "thing" you could do, get published and even sell? 

Maybe when people started saying they really liked my short stories.

3. What was your first sale as a writer and how did it feel to sell your work? 

That is hard to say. I have never made much money from writing, I am happy to be able to reach a lot of readers.

4. How has writing helped you in other areas of life? 

Being able to communicate is really important. I can write a very strong letter of disapproval, when required.

5. What was your biggest accomplishment as a writer? 

I have different things. I wrote a children's book for my son and it won an award. I have done poetry workshops that have gone down well, as well as poetry readings.

6. Who has inspired you the most in the writing field? 

There was a writer I met when at Art School, called Rupert Thomson, who has been a successful author, had a number of books published over the years. I love his style.

7. What are some of the challenges you have faced as a writer and how did you overcome them? 

Mostly things like being edited. I am from the UK, and an editor from the US wanted to change good elements. There was a cultural difference, it took ages to get to a finished version that both parties were happy with.

8. What sort of writing do you do now? 

I'm writing a lot of poetry, but this might change, I'm the kind of person who jumps from one project to another.

9. Speaking of projects, what can you tell me about your current anthology project? 

I have recently put together an anthology called "We all Live Under the Same Sky." The book will be published by Compassiviste Publishing as an Ebook.

The book includes poetry, short stories and a few illustrations. The money is going to The Road to Recovery project. 

They are an organization who have volunteers who drive injured Palestinians to get urgent hospital treatment. 

The theme of the book is loosely "humanity" and the contributors are from around the world, Britain, Kenya, the United States ... and the contributors are of different ages. One contributor is Germain Droogenbroodt is in his eighties and an award-winning poet. I had the idea having watched the news. I had vowed to myself not to do another anthology, but I was drawn into putting this anthology together, having seen images of Palestinian children suffering and victims of the war. The book is part of a series "How to Save The World." 

10. Where can we find some of your work online?

Amazon.fr: Francis H Powell: livres, biographie, dernière mise à jour

Francis H. Powell (Author of Flight of Destiny)

Francis H Powell author – Flight of Destiny book

11. What advice do you have for aspiring writers thinking of taking the leap of getting their work published?

Keep going and developing your work. Use the social media, post stuff. Start a blog on WordPress, or similar.

12. What are your final thoughts about being a writer? 

It's a real pleasure to write and see your work in print. It's nice to have feedback from other writers and poets.

ABOUT FRANCIS:

Born in 1961, in Reading, Francis H Powell currently lives in Moret sur Loing, France writing both prose and poetry. He's had four books published, as well as poems published in anthologies, for both adults and children. His first book was entitled Flight of Destiny, a book full of short stories. His second published book was called Adventures of Death, Reincarnation and Annihilation. Other books include The Fish King and the Two Wise Ghosts, a children's story which included illustrations. He's done poetry readings for Paris Lit Up as well as other events. He also has done poetry workshops and visits to schools.