An Interview with Alex Conway

Alex Conway was born in 1978 in Bedfordshire, the UK. He served in the British Army between 1997-2000 and was based in Paderborn, Germany. During his service he was involved in two tours of the Balkans region: serving in Bosnia–Herzegovina and Kosovo. He now lives in London, working in brand licensing. His first novel, Destiny: 0422, was published in 2020.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I started reading some of the great works of literature and just got absorbed into their worlds; Hemingway, Dostoevsky, Updike, Orwell. Different styles of dialogue, prose, characters. From there I took a course in creative writing, and then, little by little, started putting pen to paper. I soon realised that it was a huge task to write a novel! So took my time over a number of years to get the work finished. Starting is easy, finishing is the ultra-hard bit.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway—a novella of poetic beauty. I was always amazed how Hemingway kept it so simple, yet could evoke such gravitas within the story. I also have to mention an uncle who published a biography of his colourful life. It made me realise that writing was not just about the esteemed wordsmiths. It just takes a bit of patience, determination and passion.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

The title, The Race of Our Times, actually came quite late in the process. I wanted to create the title around some kind of omen in the future. In this case, it revolves around an ant race! I thought horse races and dog races were too obvious. We have no idea what creatures will be racing in the future.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

“Red Rain” by Peter Gabriel

“On the Beach” by Neil Young

Anything by Tinariwen (a Saharan music collective)

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I was in the British Army in the late nineties (serving during the Balkan conflicts). I have also worked as a copywriter and a UPS driver!

What books did you read (for research or comfort) throughout your writing process?

The Dune series by Frank Herbert was a big inspiration.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book?

That no matter the odds, there is hope for humankind in the future.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.