- What are you passionate about?
I’m really passionate about wildlife conservation and
protecting our natural world. Many real-world issues, such as ecoterrorism and
the illegal wildlife trade feature in my books, and I also try to make regular
contributions to animal charities off of my sales.
- What do you do to unwind and relax?
I have a veritable need to be in nature. Hiking is a real
escape for me. I have a connection to mountains and the ocean that is always
pulling at me. I live in a lovely rural area where I can disappear up onto the
local hills quite quickly and easily. Identifying birds, insects, and other
wildlife whilst heading into the woods is a favourite pastime. I also love to
wild swim.
- Do you have a favourite movie?
Raiders of the Lost Ark is the standout for me. I can’t
remember exactly how young I was, but it was young, when my mum came up to my
bedroom and told me to come downstairs with her, and to bring my duvet. I
dutifully obeyed, and watched Raiders of the Lost Ark for the very first time.
I was transfixed. I think it is absolute classic story telling at its very
best. And to this day, I always celebrate my birthday by watching Raiders of
the Lost Ark.
- Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?
I think the second book, The Daughters of the Darkness,
definitely has a blockbuster sort of feel about it. It has the exotic location
of Africa, a great villain, a sidekick, and spectacular scenery, action
sequences, and wildlife. I’ve always imagined Henry Cavill as potentially
playing my main protagonist, Thomas Walker; Rebecca Ferguson as Catherine
Walker, and Chris Hemsworth as Jericho O’Connell. They’ve all played complex
characters with damaged pasts, and they would of course be on any author’s
wish-list! I would love to see my work make it to the big screen. I’ve had lots
of reviews from readers saying what great movies make, so hope spring’s
eternal.
Interestingly enough though, with the first book, Shadow Beast, I always imagined this making a great autumnal TV mini-series. It has a noire feel, and the setting of the Scottish Highlands makes it perfect for snuggling up on the sofa to watch, within the safety and comfort of your own home. I remember when I was writing it, I cast it in my mind. Thomas was played by Hugh Dancy – who was playing Will Graham in Hannibal at the time, and I thought the aloofness, intelligence and baggage that character had lent itself to Thomas, as well as Dancy’s rugged, athletic look. Catherine I cast as Kara Tointon, who I’d seen in a number of theatre productions – Gaslight in particular, and in a little-known horror film, Last Passenger. She portrays strong, independent characters brilliantly and was a perfect fit for Catherine. For Fairbanks, my human villain, I have always wanted Tom Wilkinson – partly because he was excellent in The Ghost and the Darkness, which depicts some of the historical accounts of what my books are based on.
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
In 2016, I visited Paris for the first time. I stayed in
Montmartre, which has always been popular with artists and writers – and
especially the Lost Generation; Hemingway, Fitzgerald and of course Gertrude
Stein, who christened the band of disillusioned, American writers who set up in
Paris after the Great War, and ushered in a new era of freedom of expression.
I guess if I don’t say a large black cat, people are going to
think of me as a traitor! I certainly have an absolute fascination with big
cats. I am in awe of their power and ability – the fact that they are
unapologetically predatory in nature.
I think one of the joys of being a self-published author is
that I’m not bound by a specific genre or certain characters. In my head, and
actually now mapped out on paper, I have a book universe. I’m currently working
on book three in the series, and I introduce a new character who will be
getting her own book, which I’m also working on. That will take me into real
monster territory.
But, there’s also a science fiction story I really want to
tell. And a children’s faerie story. I even have a crime thriller that I can’t
seem to leave alone. Apart from book three in the Black Beast series, you can
expect at least one more outing from Thomas and Catherine Walker after that,
but from there, it gets interesting. The one thing I’m sure on is, the books
will all exist in the same universe. My protagonist in the science fiction
story will have gone to university with my protagonist from the Beast series. I
am introducing elements of myths and the faerie realm into book three of the
Beast series, which will set the foundation for the children’s story. There are
some really exciting stories I’m hoping to tell over the next few years.
Luke
Phillips has always had an interest in natural history. Its hard to
say when that interest began to include the myths and monsters that
haunt our folklore, but it may well have been as a young boy,
standing on the shores of Loch Ness.
From
trekking through California looking for Bigfoot to camping out in the
Highlands on the trail of real-life reported big cats, his
imagination has always been captivated by the darker side of our
unnatural history.
Despite
studying zoology at university, Luke has strayed from the mainstream
into the eerie world of cryptids and monsters. And the truth may well
be stranger and far scarier than fiction!
His
first book, Shadow Beast, was launched in 2015 and his second, The
Daughters of the Darkness, was released in 2017.
He
is based in Kent in the UK.
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