Q: Geronimo…what
made you become a writer?
A: My
earliest ambition was to become a writer. It must have been my second year at
school when we were encouraged to write stories and provide illustrations, so
really from being taught how to pick up a pen and write, I enjoyed creating
characters and settings and running with them. By the age of ten, when given
writing exercises, it was not unknown for my efforts to fill a couple of
exercise books/jotters. Often these tales would be extremely gory with a high
body count and characters suffering particularly gruesome deaths. Naturally,
parents and teachers became concerned for my psychological well-being. But I
wasn’t about to let their concern worry me. In TV, film and literature, I was
always drawn to the macabre. This is a theme which has persisted with me, even
through moving into writing science fiction. By eighteen, I was attempting to
write my first novel. More than anything, this showed me that I was lacking the
requisite life experience to draw convincing narrative arcs for my characters.
Also, at this stage, I hadn’t found my voice. While continuing to write shorts
and beginning another novel which I knew I’d abort, I resolved to live a
little, see what life threw at me and write to completion a novel for
publishing by the age of forty. It may sound trite, but the idea of working
towards one day being able to call myself a writer has informed many of the
decisions I’ve made in life, as well as being the ruin of more than one romantic
relationship along the way.
Q: What
is your typical writing day like?
A: Due to
a recent change in my circumstances, I’m currently in the process of working
out a new and productive routine. In the last year, I started suffering from
hypoglycemic migraines. This means my day is now centered around eating at
regular intervals. Where I used to think nothing of settling in to write for
lengthy sessions, I now have to take a break every 90 minutes or so to eat
something. On top of this, I have to fit in daily exercise sessions, which
means I’m healthier but less productive in terms of writing. I’m a slow writer,
averaging 1000-1400 words a day. I have more productive days, though these usually
occur in the home stretch of a piece. When completing my novel, Fool’s
Sacrifice, a final fourteen hour stint reaped a little over 5000 words and
remains, largely, what you will read in the published version.
Q: Do you
outline? If so, how extensive are your outlines?
A: I
wouldn’t dream of embarking on a novel-length work without first outlining.
Even if the route I’m taking changes as I write, the destination remains the
same. I find it helpful to break a novel into three acts. From there, I will
sub-divide each act into roughly three parts. This provides me with signposts,
or reference points, as I go. It helps keep the word count on track and cuts
down on time-consuming digressions too. Having definite sub-divisions also
enables me to see more clearly where the narrative requires injections of pace,
action, etc. For me, outlining enables an increase of depth in plotting and
allows for use of foreshadowing. It probably also sets the scene for a greater
number of "happy accidents" of inspiration to occur. A writer whom I greatly
admire, James Ellroy, is said to produce outlines which often exceed the length
of his novels. While I wouldn’t go to these lengths, it is easy to see how this
extent of groundwork and preparation enable his dense plots to zip along,
unfolding at pace.
Q: How
many revisions will you typically do on a novel?
A: As I
write quite slowly and outline extensively, I would hope to do no more than one
complete revision of the text. This would usually entail fleshing out scenes by
adding additional detail. Occasionally, I might find cutting a scene altogether
helps with the flow, though this would be a rarity. You should definitely be
prepared, though, to cut extensively within scenes. Some of what you’ve written
in the first draft is you explaining to yourself how to get from A to B; that’s
got to go. It all comes down to how you feel about sections and their place in
the whole; how they fit. If something keeps nagging at me, I’ll go back and
work on that part a little more and sleep on it. Then I’ll see how I feel about
my revisions on the next read through.
Q: What is your best tip for editing a manuscript?
A: Write
slowly to begin with! It does help, but it has to be the only advantage to
writing at the pace of a tortoise on Mogadon. Failing that, my other tip would
be to shack up with a partner who possesses an astounding vocabulary, faultless
spelling, an impeccable sense of grammar and the ability to read at inhuman
speed. I’m lucky in that respect.
Q: Which
writing habits and/or tricks of the trade have made you a better writer?
A: Being
largely self-taught, I tend to use my own terminology when talking writing. A
technique I find useful is Zoom In/Zoom Out. This serves to slow down/speed up
the pace of the narrative by taking time to focus on the minutiae of a
situation or, conversely, taking a step back, once removed, for an overview.
How does this work? Well, if you’ve been describing breathless action for a
sustained period, find a reason to give your characters pause for thought.
Similarly, if the narrative has been slowed up for extended periods with a
narrow focus on developments, don’t be afraid to zoom out and hit your reader
with a sequence of rapid reveals. It’s Light & Shade, essentially,
providing different rhythms to your prose. If you do both well, you’ll have the
reader eating out of the palm of your hand and you might even leave them
feeling breathless, which is something worth striving for!
Q: Do you
ever suffer through writer’s block? If so, how do you fight it?
A:
Thankfully, I only get creative block in the days following a migraine. This
can last for up to 3 days, but it isn’t really writer’s block; it’s more a case
of being unable to fire up that part of my brain which thinks creatively. If I
medicate during the onset of a migraine this usually means a swift recovery and
in most cases I’m good to write again the next day. The best way to combat
instances of writer’s block is just to start writing. I’ve been amazed, at
times, at the quality of work which can be produced when really not feeling in
the mood. If you find yourself genuinely stumped as to how to proceed with a
scene/plotline, I find it helpful to write around the situation. I’ll write
backstory for the characters concerned, fleshing them out in my mind. Usually,
before you know it, inspiration will strike and you’ll know exactly how to
progress the story.
Q: What
drew you to write your preferred genre(s)?
A: I’ve
always enjoyed the sense of freedom inherent to science fiction. Let’s face it:
Anything can happen! And frequently does! I was fortunate enough to grow up in
the UK during the heyday of comics (this probably occurred 10-20 years after the
heyday for the US comic scene) and was introduced to a comic called 2000 AD when I was eight or nine years old. I continued to read this particular comic
religiously for the next decade. As such, you could say that it was a formative
part of my youth. Many of the stories have stayed with me to this day. In Judge
Dredd, I was probably shown my first anti-hero; a fascist arbiter of dystopian
authoritarianism. Jonny Alpha of Strontium Dog was a cyber punk before William
Gibson ever coined the term. Rogue Trooper provided a savage critique of the
armed forces. Add to the mix the genius of Alan Moore, going quietly about his
business of corrupting young minds in the healthiest way possible; i.e. making
them think, and it all made for quite the heady brew. Unbeknownst to me, thus
began my political education. It was pretty difficult to grow up during the
Cold War and be oblivious to the threat of all-out nuclear war, but 2000 AD never
shied away from such subject matter. Other weighty themes of the day to be
depicted or lampooned within its pages included over-population, competition
for resources, automization of the workplace, genetic engineering... the list
goes on. Years later, when deciding upon a genre in which to try my luck, this
is one thing that appealed to me; the ability to discuss weighty themes in a
heightened, or hyperreal, fictional environment. And I had years of research to
fall back on! I would add though, that when embarking upon writing Fool’s
Sacrifice, I had only a vague notion of what constitutes cyberpunk Sci-Fi. I
simply set out to tell a tale from the viewpoint of an underdog in a dystopian
society who finds himself at the mercy of the pace of technological developments.
The realization that I had written a cyberpunk novel came later, when starting
to think of how to market the finished product.
Q: Do you
utilize beta readers?
A: I
haven’t so far. I’m trying to write original and innovative Sci-Fi and I don’t
feel that Decision by Committee is the best way to achieve the results I’m
looking for. However, if I was trying to write for the best-seller market, then
I definitely would.
Q: In
your most recently published novel, what’s one scene you really enjoyed
writing—and why?
A: Fool’s
Sacrifice was intended as a wild, wild ride with many opportunities for me to
let my imagination run free, so picking one scene out of the full-throttle
craziness of it all is hard. The entire middle section is episodic and fantastical
and was a lot of fun to write; at that time I would write in 8-10 hour sessions
through the night and there were often occasions where I would wind up
finishing at 4 a.m., buzzing from the thrill and amazement at what I’d just
produced, such that I would lay in bed unable to sleep for hours because my
heart was racing so fast. Many of these sessions, by their very nature, have
seemed to blur into one. Because of this, if I was pushed to pick a scene, I’d
have to choose writing the climax of the novel which I remember much more
vividly. Why did I enjoy writing this scene so much...? It was a scene which
I’d had in mind for the duration of the novel, without ever quite pinning down
how it would be executed and it was just a real thrill experiencing how all of
the elements of a dense and winding plot came together before my eyes. I
thought I might have bitten off more than I could chew, but, when the going got
tough, I was able to take it to another level. I guess you could say that I
even surprised myself - which is a great feeling. That session wound up as a 2 a.m. finish from a midday start. I sank a few celebratory
beers afterwards and now, whenever I drink the same beer, I smack my lips at
the taste of victory. Henceforth, that beer; McGrath’s No 2, is known to me as
the Breakfast of Champions!
Q: What
makes the main character(s) of your most recent novel so special?
A: Aside
from being an underdog, my MC in Fool’s Sacrifice, Lee Lazarus, aka G-Boy, aka Brother Gnome, aka Dominion’s Most Wanted, is as stubborn as they come. Despite
his perilous circumstances, he refuses help until it is thrust upon him,
believing he can scope the game on his own and without putting his trust in
anyone. His arrogance and naivety lead him, however, into a rash of bad judgement
calls and it’s a good thing there are people looking out for him. So, he has a
lot to learn, but, valuing his independence, he isn’t going to learn those
lessons easily. And therein lays the fun of it all. Lee Lazarus is a cocksure
kid flung into a nightmare scenario and he deals with it by employing the sort
of gallows humor you’d expect from someone who’s a product of the tough
Dominion underworld. Oh, and did I mention that he’s also a flying, car-stealing, graffiti artist of the future?
I have
Lee teamed up with a strong female lead, another young car thief called Spider.
She’s one tough cookie, even more of a closed book than Lee, but that’s the
nature of the Skidz, as the auto theft trade is known; they keep it on a
need-to-know basis. Spider is the tech wiz and seems as sharp as a razor,
forcing Lee to question much of what he takes for granted. How does Spider know
so much about the state of play...? Well, that would be telling... One thing is
for sure; Spider can mix it with the best of them.
Zoot is
their gangland boss; part man, part machine following the accident where he was
hung out to fry on the perimeter fencing at the Yeltsin. The dude is a genius
and he provides, but can he be trusted...? Could it be that he has compromising
links to shadowy organizations? Might those shadowy organizations include the
most clandestine of them all, the elusive group known only as the Long Hedz
Inc., the Inc. being for Incommunicado...? Need I
say more?
Q: What
is your best advice for author self-promotion?
A: I
haven’t cracked it yet, so I’m still at the stage of taking advice rather than
giving it. Not having a complete aversion to using Facebook (as I do) would
probably help. But I’m not yet at the stage where I’m willing to dance with the
devil. Consider every option available to you; some are more worthy of your
time than others. Be wary of the sharks out there: there are plenty of
opportunities to throw money at self-promotion with questionable returns; if in
doubt about a particular avenue for promotion, join a forum for indie authors
of your genre and run it by the experienced types you find there; the advice
you receive might prove invaluable. Be prepared to spend many hours and for it
to be a slow burn before you see any traction in sales. [If you] get
discouraged – because you will - try
not to stay discouraged for long. Indie authors who become an instant smash are
but a tiny percentage of the many who eventually achieve some success. For
most, it takes years of plugging away, growing your back catalog and building
brand awareness. This is where I’m at currently and I hope that taking time to
do author interviews and the like, such as this, will help. It’s a long road,
but a better road for it being one you chose to travel.
Q: How do
you deal with negative reviews?
A: I’m
lucky, in that I haven’t received any thus far. That is simply because I
haven’t received a great many reviews as yet. I’m sure I’ll receive my fair
share, given time. The best thing to do with negative reviews, I imagine, is to
take them on the chin. Under no circumstances should you respond and become
embroiled in a slanging match. How easy it is to manage this restraint, though,
remains to be seen.
Q: What
is your favorite aspect of being an indie author?
A: Without a shadow of a doubt, it’s that nobody tells you what to do...
Q: What
is your least favorite aspect of being an indie author?
A: The
marketing side doesn’t come easy, but I’m learning to have fun with it. I’ll let
you know when I get there! My main bone of contention with it is that it takes
up time that could be used for writing. Now you’ve heard that from me and every other writer! On the plus side, it
helps your work reach a wider audience. This is obvious, but you do need to
keep reminding yourself of it from time to time.
Q: What
is your current writing project?
A: I’ve
just started writing the first draft of the next novel in the Dominion City
Blues Series. This picks up where Fool’s Sacrifice ended, but from a different
character’s perspective. I’m hoping to complete that by around November and
whip it into shape for publication early 2016. At the same time, I’m writing a
horror short which will also be set in Dominion City
Q: What
are three of your favorite novels?
A: In
terms of Science Fiction – Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination (1956). I’m
a fan of classic era sci-fi and this is a book which stands the test of time
rather well. We join the hero/anti-hero, Gully Foyle, as he’s floating in
space, clinging to the wreck of his ship and on the brink of death hoping to be
rescued. The experience has sent Foyle to the brink of insanity; all he
remembers is the name of the ship responsible for his predicament, Vorga, and
his lust for revenge is all that keeps him alive. But the intensity of his
desire for vengeance warps his character beyond all limits of decency; he really
will go to any lengths to gain his satisfaction – The Count of Monte Cristo has
nothing on Gully Foyle! Apart from an astonishing MC, what Bester has achieved
here is to create a real page-turner with a thoroughly modern feel. The author
is an expert at crafting scene and setting with impressive economy, so that
many of the set-pieces will stay with you long after you’ve put the book down.
Once Bester has introduced his main concept and MacGuffin, you’re off, being
dragged along with Foyle on his quest for vengeance at breakneck speed and the
pace after that never drags. Some of the character’s names seem a little
improbable by today’s standards, but I’ve a feeling people will still be
enjoying this story fifty, one hundred years from now.
Aside from the opener with Foyle floating in space, a scene which sticks with
me is a break-out from a fiendishly ingenious prison – the culmination of that
particular chapter is a joy to behold! Give this beauty a whirl... it’s a real
headspin with a satisfying and amazing conclusion.
Umberto
Eco, Baudolino (2000). I’d read anything by Umberto Eco, in my eyes, the
world’s greatest living novelist. He’s one of the few authors I trust to take
the conceit of the Unreliable Narrator and make with it something worth
reading. Many have tried and many have failed. The problem I have with
unreliable narrators is that, unless the author has a definite idea where they
are going with the concept, plots meticulously and sticks to the plan, things
can unravel quite quickly. Then, you’re left with something that’s as
worthwhile reading as a story which ends... it
was all a dream. However, with Eco at the helm, you’re in for a treat. The
story begins in 1204, during the sacking of Constantinople by the Knights of the Fourth
Crusade. Our hero, Baudolino, a self-confessed teller of tall tales who seems
to have led the most incredible life, is ready to recount his life’s story and
who better to tell it to than a famed Byzantine historian? The tale he proceeds
to weave tells of many adventures in the court and retinue of Frederick Frederick Paris
Jan
Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa Spain
Q: If you
could have lunch with any novelist, living or dead, who would it be? What would
talk to them about?
A: At the risk of sounding weird, I suppose it would have to be a naked lunch with
William S. Burroughs, though how happy he’d be at being summonsed back from the
dead by me is anyone’s guess. I’d ask him about his views on the relationship
between art and magic; whether death had in any way altered his thinking on the
predestination of our universe; and I’d also ask him how he was enjoying his
immortality. And I’d hope that he was in a good mood, or I might be in
trouble...
Q: What
is your best piece of advice for budding authors?
A: With
the writing process there are no rules. In how you go about it and what you put
on the page, you have complete free reign. There are a great many people out
there giving advice, much of it conflicting, and trying to make out they know
the do’s and don’ts, but at the end of the day you need to trust your instincts
and do what feels right for you. The clue is in the name: novels should possess
an element of novelty. Read widely and pay attention to how different authors
achieve their desired effects. This piece of advice is often given, but you
can’t go wrong with it because the conclusions you draw are your own. On a
personal note, I would also say to avoid writing courses/classes like the
plague. You don’t need them and they could slow rather than speed your
development. Write, write some more, persist with it and keep hold of your
efforts, however embarrassing they are, so that you can refer back to them and
see how much you’ve improved over the years. Enjoy the learning curve...
Q: What
is your favorite inspirational quote?
A: I
paraphrase: “It takes a thousand little failures to create success...”
Alternatively,
here’s one of my own, an excerpt from Fool’s Sacrifice: “The best way to know
the truth is not to look it in the face. You must go right round, behind the
truth and look instead through its eyes; then, you will know if it is the truth
it claims to be...”
#
No witches, warlocks or vampires...
just a sexy tale about trying to live the Hollywood dream...
Luigi's Chinese Delicatessen by Jim Vines
Follow Jim Vines on Twitter!
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