We were lucky to catch up with Simon Turner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Simon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

I first discovered my writing was decidedly un-average upon the release of my first novel “Secrets of a River Swimmer.”

The word “unique” started popping up a lot in book critic and reader reviews, along with “fresh”, “different”, and the worst one: “quirky”.

I didn’t dwell too much on it since it was my first novel, but I’ve received a lot more feedback now I have have four traditionally published books in the market. The feedback has been similar for all of them.

It’s official: I’m a freak:)

It’s hard to describe why you’re unique as a writer, but I think what I do differently is I write at a deeper level than many authors, but in a way which understates, or even masks, the depth through suspense and humor. It’s often when they finish reading one of my books that readers have a-ha moments which reveal and explain the uniqueness.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

So a little of my story … I’ve been writing all my life. Back in school, I remember my English teacher telling me I was a natural writer and that I should consider it as a career option.

However, for the next couple of decades, I wrote only for myself and had no intention of pursuing publication. Life took over in all its glory and I was happy to let it. In truth, I wasn’t ready to be a real writer — probably because I hadn’t yet lived enough to be able to write believable stories with depth to them.

During all those years, which were largely spent travelling the world for work, I viewed writing as a wonderful tool to help me make sense of the world, to help me cope with life’s challenges, and to enable me to laugh about my life.

Then, about seven years ago, I just knew it was the right time for me to become more serious about my writing. Call it a sixth sense which had been watching and waiting to come alive as soon as I was ready to honour the writer residing inside me.

I listened to that voice.

Over the next few months, I sat down and allowed my first novel, “Secrets of a River Swimmer”, to gush out of me — and that’s literally what it felt like. It was surreal how natural the experience was. It felt like I was writing my twentieth novel rather than my first one.

In hindsight, my experience of becoming a real writer was like I suddenly recognized the face looking back at me in the mirror for the first time. It was both comforting and exciting — and it confirmed what I’d long suspected about myself, but hadn’t previously had the courage to admit.

I haven’t looked back.

Since my first novel, Secrets of a River Swimmer, was published by The Story Plant, I’ve written three more novels: The Connection Game, Golden, and The Toll Collector, all of which had been traditionally published.

All four of my books explore the profound transformations the main characters must undergo to navigate the complexities of modern life. They also intertwine universal themes with personal growth, humor, and suspense.

I believe what sets me apart from other authors is how vivid, relatable, and readable my books are. That’s been the consistent reader feedback since my first novel hit the market.

I’m most proud of my recently launched novel “The Last Toll Collector” being nominated for the 2025 Booker Prize.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Creative goals are important for all writers.

My creative goal has been the same since I first became a professional writer: to build my writing platform to a level which enables me to write for the rest of my life. So I’m driven by a love for writing and all the profound benefits it offers such as greater self-awareness, fulfilment, joy, laughter, challenge, and personal growth. I even feel like my characters are friends of mine, so I’d also add friendship to that list.

My mission is deeper than my headline creative goals. My mission is for every book I write to enrich readers’ lives and to hopefully affect positive change. I love dreaming big on this front.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

This is a great question.

As readers may be aware, writers are often categorized as pantsers, who tend to fly by the seat of their pants, or plotters, who tend to plan their writing.

I’m essentially a pantser who’s learnt to plot. In other words, my strength is my creativity, so I’ve invested a lot of time and energy in learning how to channel it into great books.

When I was learning how to plot, I read a lot about story shapes, plot points, and book structures. Whilst it was useful information, I found that focusing too much on plotting detracted a little bit too much from the creative process — to the point it could be counter-productive.

Does the world need another book that shares exactly the same story structure as millions of other books? I don’t believe it does.

In my opinion, the creative process is a beautiful, mysterious thing which shouldn’t be overly bogged down with rigid, preconceived notions of what a successful book looks like.

So I had to un-learn some aspects of plotting to allow my creativity to blossom. Each to their own, but I believe pantsers make the best writers…

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ssturnerblog.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SSTurnerWriter
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-turner-727892144/
• Twitter: https://x.com/SSTurner7
• Other: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21894897.S_S_Turner

Image Credits

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