E. D. Robson - A Smattering of Humor and a Hint of Romance

E. D. Robson is the name used by Denis Scott for his humorous fantasy books. He lives alone in England in a suburban town between the cities of Derby and Nottingham (of Robin Hood fame). He has held a number of jobs over the years, including supply teaching psychology and sociology, IT instructor, aircraft cleaner, warehouse operative, merchant seaman, and police officer, before taking up his first dream of writing. The rest of the time he is busy swimming, walking in the Derbyshire countryside (at least, until the pandemic), eating (and drinking) in pubs, reading, and watching an unhealthy amount of TV. He takes a keen interest in current affairs and history, and is a regular visitor to the museums and art galleries of London. As our Author of the day, he tells us all about his book, Soul for Dinner.

Please give us a short introduction to what Soul for Dinner is about.

Soul for Dinner is the first book in the Souleater Witches series. It tells the story of how a shy male student, Edgar Bright, meets the younger members of the Souleater family, the female members of whom are part of a coven based at a tea room and gift shop in rural Devon, England. Millicent Souleater, heir to the post of coven head through her mother Edith, and a princess of hell through her father, a master demon attempts to steal Edgar’s soul as her initiation test for promotion from novice to full witch. A test was suggested by her cousin Angela, who is the daughter of Edith’s twin, Edna and an archangel. The attempt fails, leaving Millie and Edgar with a small part of each other’s souls. A trip to Hell to rectify matters follows.

What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything in particular that made you want to tackle this?

The circumstances of Edgar meeting the girls came to me from an occasion when, several years ago, as a young police officer I attended a burglary at a house shared by a number of student nurses. The girls gave me a coffee as I took a list of the stolen property, most of which appeared to be exotic lingerie, from them. I was determined not to go red, as they all sat and smiled at me, (although I don’t think they were trying to steal my soul).

The book contains both humor and romance. Why did you create it this way?

I created the book with both humor and romance because that’s the way my mind tends to work. I don’t think I could write a pure romance, I’m a bit too cynical. I see situations and I tend to think, ‘what if?’ I certainly couldn’t write a purely horror story. I have often been accused of being flippant in real life when I was often actually quite series. Perhaps it’s a defense mechanism? I discovered early on that you could get away with saying a lot of things if you said them with a friendly smile on your face. I remember being told during my college teaching days by a student that they could never tell whether I was seriously angry or just joking.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I honestly don’t have any other skills, unless you count shouting abuse at contestants on TV quiz shows for being so stupid. Honestly, success in all matters of life appear to have eluded me, although in my younger days I was quite handy at lifting heavy packages or demolishing things with a sledge hammer when required. I once told a senior manager not to worry about me, as I was just there to make up the numbers.

Tell us more about Edgar. What makes him tick?

Edgar is the well intentioned young man who has to learn the hard way that following the standard advice of, ‘work hard, be kind to others, and behave yourself,’ results in the world taking advantage. However, he does mature, slightly, as the story unfolds, without losing his basic good nature. He’s a Mr. Average, who things happen to, rather than an alpha type. He gets dragged in with the amazing Souleaters and carried along by them into their adventures.

Why fantasy? What drew you to the genre?

My parents traveled widely during my early years, no two members of my immediate family were born in the same country so my learning to read suffered. This became an issue at my first regular school; a teacher slapped me in the face for being stupid. As a result, my mother spent a whole summer holiday making me learn how to read while my friends were all playing out. I became enchanted with the Narnia books almost immediately and have been drawn to fantasy ever since. I think because it allows me to give vent to my imagination. It also permits the consideration of sometimes serious matters without becoming antagonistic. I hope one day to add thrillers to my writing. I have had an idea for some time although I find it difficult to remain on a serious track. I have written a short memoir about my early working life under my real name, but that too lacks seriousness.

Do any of your characters ever take off on their own tangent, refusing to do what you had planned for them?

I think all of the main characters go off on a tangent throughout the book series. Angela in particular becomes more of a dominant team leader beyond book one. Her angelic parentage gives her license in her own mind to do almost anything. Although she is the one family member with an incredibly strong moral code, it is a very individualistic one.

This is book one of The Souleater Witches series. Can it be read as a standalone? How do the other books in the series tie in with this one?

‘Soul for Dinner’ can be read as a standalone. The story does reach a conclusion of sorts. However, the further books in the series do call for some previous knowledge of events and relationships and are better read in order as new characters are introduced and relationships made and broken.

When starting on a new book, what is the first thing you do?

When starting a new book I rarely have much idea of where it will go. Something comes into my mind, sometimes just the opening scene, and I have to go with it almost immediately. This is the way I have tended to go through life even though common sense tells me otherwise. (I once told my line manager who asked why I was reading my newspaper and drinking a coffee at my desk that I can only work in short, mad bursts).

What are you working on right now?

I am currently working on a number of projects, the most advanced of which is book number five of the Souleater Witches. I must admit that I keep getting drawn back to the characters in these stories whom I feel, have an existence of their own. I won’t give too much away, but it involves another visit to Hell. Millie’s darker, demon side of her nature comes to the fore, while Angela, who makes the authorities in both Heaven and Hell nervous, makes friends with the serpent from the Garden of Eden and discovers that she has a secret fan club amongst the damned souls of Hell. Meanwhile, Edgar unintentionally comes to the rescue of a Breton Mer-woman.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

Details of my work to date can be found on my web-site, https://denisscottauthor.home.blog/ I also have an Amazon author’s page, https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07XNCNP35/about and can be contacted at via email at [email protected] I welcome any correspondence from my readers as to their feelings about my storylines and characters, and will answer any questions you may have about them or anything else I consider appropriate. I hope in due course to develop my own newsletter.