Q1. What is your favorite word?
Either ‘plinth’ or ‘nostrum’. The second is a latin word which if I remember correctly translates as fake or illusory cure.
Q2. What is your least favorite word?
‘maybe’ or ‘whatever’.
Q3. How has social media helped your career?
Well I pretty much have one because of it. My RPG career kicked off when I was in the right place at the right time and the podcasts I host are by definition social media. So it’s basically where I work.
Q4. What would you say are the downsides to social media in your career?
The sense you sometimes get of always being on. I went for a job a few months ago, via social media. Didn’t get it. I follow the people at the company I applied for and them tweeting their welcomes to the person who got the job I applied for, have to say, stuck in my craw a little bit.
Likewise, the occasional virulent dislike I catch on the escape artists messageboards is hard to walk away from. It’s very easy to always remember the negatives even when the positives vastly outweigh them.
Q5. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Oh a bunch. I’d love to be a baker, teach a yoga class, be a professional scriptwriter that kind of thing. At the odder end of the spectrum, part of me always wanted to give professional wrestling or amateur mixed martial arts or kickboxing a go. May do someday.
Q6. What profession would you not like to do?
Oh that’s really easy. Clerical Assistant (Band 3) for the National Health Service in one of the least staffed, most pressured, tensest units in England. Never ever again. Ever.
Q7. What is your favorite curse word?
It’s all about the delivery. ‘Oh for FUCK’s sake’ has a lot of impact for example but an offhand, deadpan ‘Well, shit’ works too. The Bunk on The Wire of course scores points for ‘
‘How YOU doin’!?’ or ‘EYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!’ would both be lovely. However ‘Hello Alasdair, welcome home. Have a latte. Look, here are the Backstreet Boys!’ or some thing similar would do nicely.
Alasdair is all over the internet but mostly you can find him here. Read his work and become wise in the ways of all things genre. Thanks Al!
Next Time: Colin F Barnes
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