Ask the Author: David Hughes
Answered Questions (6)
David Hughes
Again, I'm unqualified to answer this question, mainly because I conflate my own "writer's block" with simple laziness. Sometimes writing gets in the way of my other job (heir research), walking my dog, grabbing a cup of coffee with my wife, over-immersing in my teenage son's lives, or just playing Call of Duty.
David Hughes
Beating the ever-loving [insert expletive here] out of my protagonist, in the most adventurous, creative ways imaginable. Oh, and seeing your hard work finally publish. Maybe holding your own paperback book in your hands (no offense, e-books); it is pretty cool.
David Hughes
I'm not qualified to competently answer this question. But my amateur $.02 is don't aspire to be a writer; just strive to tell your story. Its the difference between prospecting for gold vs. trying to make money...if you find gold, money will follow. With writing, just tell your story and have fun. The process should be intrinsically rewarding and when you are done, guess what, you'll be a writer! That is a glib answer, I know...
David Hughes
SOLO, book #2. I made the novice mistake as a new author not explicitly identifying SOLO: Northwest as a the first book in a series (I put it on the back cover, but didn't identify the novel as book 1; I have since fixed this mistake). Anyway, book will pick up from book #1, and have more of the same, but different, infected apocalypse shenanigans. I hope to have it published by December 2022 or early 2023,
David Hughes
I sit around thinking about fun adventurous things, interesting situations and settings, to impose on the main character, Val, and have him challenged by it all. It's really not fair to him, but it is neat seeing the world through his eyes and thoughts, and having him mercilessly adapt. In simple terms, I think a lot about how I can beat him up a bit, psychologically and physically, but not kill him...yet. It's the thought of writing those fun scenes that gets me back in front of the keyboard.
David Hughes
I was backpacking on the Tahoe Rim Trail with a friend and my son. It occurred to me without cell phone service, a through-hiker (like a PCT backpacker) could be off the grid for several days, even a week or so if batteries died, etc. Long enough to miss out on a fast-spreading human infection off the trail and at home. It seemed like a good environment to start the story and a good device to ensure the protagonist (Val) was clueless about what was happening to the world.
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