INTERVIEW - Lindsay Burns

When did you start writing?

I started writing about three years ago when I started a new job with no pressure, which gave me a lot of time to think. So I came up with a storyline for a book, as I’d always wanted to write one, thinking about the characters and details of each chapter whilst I was working, and writing down the text during my breaks that I would develop at home later. More recently I got into writing short stories. Some are light-hearted and whimsical, others quite dark. Others reflect injustices or frustrations I encounter as I go through the day-to-day and these ones are usually dystopian.

What do you like to read? Who are your idols?

I read many different kinds of books, though the further away from gritty reality the better. After reading George Orwell when I was young, dystopian literature became my favourite genre, though I also love to read classic page-turning adventures, for example, the adventure/sci-fi novels of Jules Verne.

How did you discover 21F? Why did you submit?

A friend sent me the link to the 21F site, and I entered the competition because dystopia has always been my preferred genre and the idea of this as a theme, along with financial fallout, really hooked me in. I love to read and write about twisted versions of our current reality, where everything is familiar and strange at the same time, and where the worlds created are an unnerving possibility.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently attempting to put together a book of short stories, so I’m busy editing many of the stories I’ve written over the past couple of years. And I’ve almost finished a story about someone who takes a train journey and finds herself confronted with her past and future selves, with disastrous consequences. I’ve always got a story on the go, even if on busy days I only manage to craft a few sentences.

Any final words?

I’m hugely excited to be included in the Financial Fallout anthology. This will be the first time one of my stories has been published, and it has given me a real boost to continue plugging away with my writing. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of the book and reading all the other chapters.

Lindsay Burns was born and raised in the north of England but has lived in the South of France for twenty years.

After working for many years in academic publishing, she now works in a supermarket, dreaming up short stories whilst wandering through the aisles.

Although a fan of reading and writing in many genres, Lindsay has a passion for dystopian literature, and loves creating worlds that are outside of the current reality but that one day (perhaps with a bit of imagination!) could materialise.

When she’s not writing, Lindsay is running, playing the piano, or obsessing about her olive trees.