Author Q&A with Simon Ashton

Simon Ashton is a former teacher and emerging writer, who was born in Scotland, grew up in England and has lived in various spots around the world from Turkey to Taiwan. Currently stuck in South Carolina, Simon is married with somewhere between 2 – 4 kids, and the best dog in the world. His brilliant short fiction story, Layover, is available in Issue #21.

Tell us about yourself?

I’m originally from Scotland but now live in the States with my wife, and Banksy, the World’s Best Dog. My two daughters and two step-daughters are scattered around the country.

Growing up our house was filled with books – every genre from German poetry to airport thrillers – but pride of place was reserved for my grandfather, who wrote a number of Hardy Boys-style books back in the 50s. I thought that was incredible, that an author could be somebody you knew, and I told everybody I was also going to be a writer when I grew up. Aged eleven I won my school’s story competition (the prize was a dictionary which, I was delighted to discover, contained all the naughty words), and then basically stopped for several decades because the stories I wrote were not as affecting as those I was reading. I only started writing again a couple of years ago once I gave up drinking and needed to find another, less self-destructive passtime. 

What unique or surprising detail can you tell us about the origin, revision process, and/or final version of your piece appearing in this issue?

When I lived in Taiwan two of my housemates were from Dunedin, New Zealand, which was how I learned they have a statue of Robert Burns in the centre of the town. There’s something so beautiful about that to me – these Scots sailed to the literal opposite side of the world and erected a statue of a poet. That he is facing a pub with his back to a church seemed too perfect.

What do you hope readers take from the piece?

The world can seem tremendously scary, particularly at this moment in history, but slowing down to carve out a little quiet for yourself is not only possible but essential. And, while I’m not a spiritual person I do believe, if we let it, life sometimes connects us with the right person at the right moment.

What fuels your desire to write (or engage in other creative outlets)?

The feeling of satisfaction which comes from creating something from nothing. 

I got very into cooking Indian food as there were no decent restaurants within an hour’s drive of where I live and, bizarre as it may sound, that helped me reframe how I looked at writing. I might never be a Madhur Jaffrey or Priya Krishna, but I can still whip up something I like and have a lot of fun doing so.

What have been the biggest influences in your writing?

I’m usually drawn to smaller stories, the ordinary dramas of life you find from writers like Maggie O’Farrell and Meg Wolitzer.  Roddy Doyle is a particular inspiration for the way his characters joke in even the bleakest circumstances. Humour is as natural a part of being human as sadness, but too often people think po-faced literary seriousness is more truthful. I disagree.

How do you make expression a part of your daily life or how do you find a balance between your writing and other responsibilities?

If anything, writing has helped provide more balance. I’ve worked from home for about twenty years and it’s very easy to blur that line between work and personal life. I’ve always been a night owl. I like to spend the evening with my wife and then, once she goes to bed, begin writing. The peace and quiet darkness brings is when I feel the least self-conscious and can allow my mind to wander more freely.

What do you think of when you hear, “the good life?”

One of the worst/best things about getting older is realising how many trite cliches hold true. I’ve floated in the warmth of the South China Sea, walked a frozen lake in Wisconsin, and had a thousand more wonderful experiences I never would have dreamed, but the good life is getting to share those joyful times with people you love.

Thank you, Simon, for being a part of our growing literary community and for spending extra time with us on this Q&A. We wish you the best with writing and all life’s endeavors!