An Interview with R.A. Howitt

R.A. Howitt lives in Leeds with his partner and three children (offspring, not randomly picked), who he is happy to rank in order of favouritism, although this changes daily.

After writing and not publishing half a dozen novels, he didn’t produce a manuscript for twenty years – such are the scars from rejection. During that time, he was a teacher, a tutor, became a headteacher, then quit it all to return to his first love: writing.

The Daniel King series is his first work since rebooting his computer – in every sense.

R.A. Howitt founded New2theScene in 2022 to help the discovery of new talent in fiction. He creates competitions, podcasts, articles, blogs, all with the aim of unearthing great people in fiction that book lovers may not have heard of.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

Daniel King has ASD (autism). But he achieves incredible feats during the story because of the way he thinks, not in spite of it. When I was in teaching, I spent time as a SENCo (special educational needs coordinator). I saw how children can view themselves negatively because of the tasks they are being asked to perform. That is not a slight on schools, they are merely set up for children to sit, listen to information, make sense of a topic then demonstrate understanding in a format – usually written. If a person isn’t good at that, it doesn’t mean they’re not good at other tasks in other contexts. But it can feel that way to a child.

In the Daniel King series, Daniel is learning to navigate social interactions whilst investigating the existence of aliens. It is the traits that get him into trouble at school that make him perfect for the role. I wanted to have people understand the way his mind works, and see the importance of diversity in society. We all excel in some tasks, whilst struggling in others. School may be difficult for Daniel, but not many eleven-year-olds could take on a secret government agency! His logical thinking, attention to detail, and dogged determination to deal with facts will be what his family depend on.

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

Daniel King is the name of the series. Each book in that series will begin ‘Daniel King:’ followed by a clue to the individual story. Daniel King: ASD (Alien Specialist with Dad) is a play on the acronym ASD as it doesn’t define him; the story is about a mystery adventure, with the protagonist as unique as any other. The fact he has ASD is a part of his character, nothing more.

Describe your dream book cover.

It has my name on it, so I’m still producing books! Other than that… I work with a local artist on the cover, to support him but also because he can take it places I never considered. I will tell him my vision. I will send him a collage of images. I will copy and paste passages from the book that set the scene. Then he will talk passionately about layout, fonts, colour and style, in a way that’s a joy to listen to. Whenever a person speaks passionately about their area of expertise, even if you don’t share that passion, it’s intoxicating. I trust him implicitly. I give him total control. Unrestricted. And the outcome is a thrill to behold.

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

I describe the Daniel King series as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time meets Men in Black. I loved Robert Muchamore’s Cherub series when I was younger, and read lots of Alex Rider books in class as a teacher. There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom was also a favourite of pupils, and I’m sure they influenced Daniel King. At the moment, I mainly read books for my website, New2theScene, by authors who aren’t bestsellers. This, as well as interviewing those authors for podcasts, has meant engaging with genres I wouldn’t have normally picked up, and I’m a better writer for it!

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

I can re-wire your house. I can design your kitchen. I can teach phonics to a four-year-old, Maths to a sixteen-year-old, or physics to an adult. I’ve helped create food banks, renovate school buildings, and managed million-pound budgets. But above all, I now realise that work has to be a passion, or allow you to follow a passion. And if isn’t one of those two… For me, the most important element of work is that it enables me to write each day. Uninterrupted. It took me twenty years to understand the importance of that time. Now it’s sacred.

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

Writing stories is an act I have to do, releasing pressure that builds up if I don’t. I’ve interviewed lots of authors who say that writing is a consequence of being a bookworm as a child;that reading inspired them. However, that was never the case for me. Writing was the passion as a child. Not reading. Storytelling. Through play or scribbling a fifty-page novella when I was twelve – graffitied by my older brother with stinging, one-word critiques. I didn’t read for pleasure until I was entering University. Even then, I did so to analyse style and form to improve my writing. Reading has also been a learning process, being inspired by an author’s ability to enrapture an audience. But writing… if I had to choose between writing and breathing, I’d hook up to a respirator and open the laptop!

Where is your favorite place to write?

It’s not so much where, but when. Morning. Early. 4 a.m. until 7 a.m. My happy place. When the world is quiet – they’re in bed until one of them stirs at 7:15 a.m. – and I am at my most productive. If I tried to write in the noise of a cafe, or even at midday in deafening silence, I couldn’t be as creative. I turn the TV to a screensaver of a mountain lodge, library, or cafe by a landmark, and I slow time to exist in my imagination.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

The book itself! Take it, invest in it, find meaning I may not have realised was there, and continue the journey afterwards. My perfect reader wants to read the whole series. Wants to contact me. Wants me to appear in their school. Tells me they’ve written their own story and what’s inspired them. In short, a relationship is created, and they become part of a book community that gives them joy.

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