Awwthentic Magazine© 2015

WRWatkins - A Published Author

W. R. Watkins is the best-selling author of 'You. Are. Not. Alone.' (4.8 stars - GoodReads) and of the 'Diary Of The Heart' poetry book series.

This Kindle edition of 'You. Are. Not. Alone.' was a Top 15 best-selling Love Poem eBook on Amazon UK.

The first of the 'Heart' series, 'An Obsessive Infatuation' (5 stars - GoodReads), was a Top 10 Best-selling Love Poetry book on Amazon UK, whilst the eBook edition was a Top 10 and Top 25 best-selling Love Poetry eBook in the UK and US respectively.

About the author's work:

Watkins presents himself to you (the reader), allowing you into his life, sharing his thoughts and feelings and takes you through his journey of incredible highs, to the lows; through the finding and experiencing of love, to the loss of it. His hope and aim for his work, is for you to be able to connect with his work, and find comfort in the fact that what you are going through, you are not alone. In a sense, he is offering out his hand to you, to guide you through what you are going through.

This running theme can be found in all of his works.

Interview with WR Watkins.

1) What inspired you into writing poetry?

I'm not entirely certain what inspired me to write poetry. When I wrote my first poem ('Afraid'), it was during a very difficult time in my life. I was very closed off to everyone around me, and I didn't have an safe emotional outlet, where I could express how I felt or thought. The idea for 'Afraid' had been in my head for quite a period of time, so one night, I wrote it all out. I guess this was around 2006/7. I only really began to start writing poetry in 2008, and most of my early work were based upon ideas/scenarios I would think of, and I began to write more personal work in 2010.

2) What sort of thing did you write about when you began?

(Looks through a book containing my early work) As most writers do, I wrote mostly about romance (even though I've never experienced it), about what I would say to someone, if I were in that situation, and writing out all the feelings that I felt, when I envisioned myself in the situations I created. Other topics I talked/wrote about were body image related and friendships.

3) What about writers who have influenced you, your favorite poets and their works?

I know it sounds odd, but I'm not particularly inspired by other poets. I admire their work, the way that they can put those beautiful phrases and words together. But it's not the way that I write. I don't particularly enjoy using deep metaphors or writing about what I can see around me. Oddly enough, my main influence for writing is Mariah Carey. She writes her songs so beautifully, and manages to create images and feelings with her words that I can connect to, and for me that's what I aspire to achieve with my work, to have somebody else emotionally connect with my work. Songs like 'My All' and 'The Roof', for me are poetic masterpieces that I wish I could write myself!

4) What message do you hope to spread through your works?

No matter what is it that you are going through, I'm here to help in the best way that I can.

5) Setting aside poetry for a moment, are there other things you would like to write, or that you have written?