Paul Stephenson's Blog, page 6

Under the influence: Top 5 Book Covers

The art of a good book cover is a tricky thing to master, partly because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One person’s art is another person’s pavement pizza, and what draws all of us to pick up a book is subtly different. So as I worked on designing the cover for my next book, Sunrise, I thought I’d have a look back at some of my favourite, iconic book covers, and see what I could learn from each of them.

In the next few weeks, I’ll be revealing the cover to Sunrise to readers on my mailing list, along with details on how you can pre-order the book. If you’d like to be among the first to see the cover, why not sign up, and I’ll send you a free copy of my first novel, Blood on the Motorway, completely free.

But before that, without further ado, I present my top 5 favourite book covers.

John Wyndham – Day of the Triffids

This may have been the first book I ever fell in love with, and part of the reason for that was this amazing cover. As a young boy, reading all these books in school that had drab, classic covers, this was so vibrant, so shocking, so colourful. It was evocative, too. You couldn’t help but look at it and know what you were about to get on the pages inside. I read it because it was handed to me by a (remarkably brilliant) English teacher, but if it hadn’t had that cover? Who knows what my life would have been. Not many covers can say that.

Stephen King – It

Another author I was drawn to on the strength of their covers, my love for the King started at a (possibly inappropriately) young age, and I became obsessed with collecting the old classic King covers of this era and style, right up until some idiot version of me in my twenties decided to bin them all.

I tell you, if I ever run into that guy down a dark time-alley, I’ll be having very strong words with him. Like all these covers, this is ridiculously creepy, with a font to absolutely die for, and an image that still gives me the creeps every bit as much as Tim Curry did.

That said, you can take your various iterations of Pennywise. I don’t think any of them freaked me out as much as those eyes did when I got the book.

Douglas Coupland – Generation X.

It’s funny how many of these book covers are linked to the books seared into my brain and consciousness.

I read this book as a kid who’d only ever read genre fiction but obsessed with the cultural moment I was just a few years too young to fully enjoy, and picked this book up based on nothing more than that name, and that cover.

It’s so striking and bold, and at a time when I had yet to unlearn the homophobia instilled in every young person in Britain at the time, how daring and bold to be caught reading a *gasp* pink book. It was unlike anything I’d ever read, and made me a lifelong Coupland fan, despite his more recent efforts to disabuse me of that idea.

Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman – Good Omens

Oh look, it’s another transformative book from my childhood. I used to love reading movie tie-in books as a kid, usually by Allan Dean Foster or David Seltzer, and I remember sitting in my dorm room one weekend and ploughing through all four Omen novelisations in one weekend, having watched all the films some time before and wanting to dive into them in more details. I was getting my first big yearning for tales of the apocalypse even then, and I remember going to whatever the bog bookshop was in Canterbury at the time and seeing this on display and thinking what an amazing cover it was, how enticing, curious.

As someone living in the grounds of a cathedral, the sheer blasphemy of it was enticing. It kick-started a love for both authors that survives today, and remains one of my favourite ever books.

Patricia Highsmith – The Talented Mr Ripley

One not from my childhood now – I’ve only gotten into Highsmith’s wonderfully arch murder mysteries in recent years – the covers for this series are gorgeous. Not only are they bright and bold, the hand-drawn typography of them is wonderful, and very evocative of the tone of the books. Not only that, but the card they’re printed on – a rougher, earthier pulp than most modern paperbacks – is a delight to hold. If I were to ever entertain the notion of a traditional book deal, it would be for this reason, to get my book properly printed.

That being said, the newer POD versions of the Blood on the Motorway covers still look pretty delicious, should you feel like picking up a copy.

What do you think? What are your favourite book covers of all time? Leave a comment below.

Paul Stephenson is a writer of horror and science fiction novels. Blood on the Motorway: An apocalyptic trilogy of murder and stale sandwiches is out now in ebook and print from Amazon and all other good bookstores. You can get the first book free by joining the mailing list or reading along at Wattpad. Oh, and he’s got a Patreon. Sign up for free books, a free weekly short story, and much more.

A treasure trove of post-apocalyptic freebies

As I head toward the very exciting prospect of getting a new book into the world, I’m beginning to wind down my promotional efforts on the Blood on the Motorway saga. But I wanted to get it in front of a few new readers before I did so, and so I’ve banded together with a few other Post-Apocalyptic writers to offer it as part of another amazing giveaway.

So, if you like stories that reflect the pre-apocalyptic nature of our news these days, why not check out Blood on the Motorway alongside a whopping 30 other books, absolutely free. This offer is only on for the next 14 days, so grab them while you can.

Grab 30 free post apocalyptic reads

Paul Stephenson is a writer of horror and science fiction novels. Blood on the Motorway: An apocalyptic trilogy of murder and stale sandwiches is out now in ebook and print from Amazon and all other good bookstores. You can get the first book free by joining the mailing list or reading along at Wattpad. Oh, and he’s got a Patreon. Sign up for free books, a free weekly short story, and much more.

Under the Influence - The DNA of The Sunset Chronicles

Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash

My new book, Sunrise, the first book in my epic Dystopian Sci-Fi series will be out in less than two months. That’s pretty exciting, and a little bit terrifying, if I’m going to be honest. But as I ramp up, one thing my readers have been asking me is... what’s it like?

Well, it’s not apocalyptic, for one thing. It’s set a hundred years in Earth’s future. Oh, and there’s terrifying creatures, space missions, kickass agents, telepaths, and a global conspiracy to… well, that would be telling.

But that’s what it is, so what is it actually like? I can’t tell you that, really. It’s a bit like the old saying: Nobody can be shown what the Matrix is, they have to see it for themselves. So, I thought do a quick rundown of some of the things that have been running around in my brain while I’ve been working on this series for the past three years, in the hope that it might offer the briefest glimpse into what’s in store.

Album: Elder – Reflections of a Floating World. This stoner-prog masterpiece from a few years ago has been on fairly heavy repeat since it came out, and is a particular go-to while writing. It’s dense, magical, silly, crushing, and heavier than a really heavy thing. It also has a breathtaking scope, a palette all of its own. If any of that made its way through my ears and out through my fingers, I’ll be pretty happy about it.

TV Show: Babylon 5. To my mind still the greatest sci-fi epic of all time, while the Sunset Chronicles is much less of a space opera, what I hope I have taken on board is some of the grander themes. Corporate greed, the power of the individual and the collective, and never to trust a damn telepath.

Movie: Aliens. Possibly the first film I ever fell in love with, this and its predecessor are etched into my brain in very distinct ways, and my desire to write science fiction is very closely linked to my desire to write something that evokes the same chilling dread of Giger’s xenomorphs. And I’d like to think that in the character of Wyn, the pilot of a mission to the ice moon of Europa on a mission to save humanity, there’s someone who’d be able to stand side by side with Ellen Ripley.

Books: The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. Before you start, no, The Sunset Chronicles are not fantasy. But they are epic, and nothing says epic to me more than the series so long even its author didn’t make it to the end. (too soon?) Each book in this series is over 100k long, which may not rival Jordan’s doorstoppers, but is a hell of a lot longer than anything I’ve written before. Not only that, but the series will be made up of three epic trilogies, all building to a crescendo of biblical proportions. Not only that, but a lot of Jordan’s themes have wound their way into my work over the years, and they’re here, too, especially in the duality of self and the battles of good and evil that take place internally and externally throughout. I’ve not bothered going in for any of Jordan’s dodgier sexist tropes, though.

So, it’s less than two months until release now, so there’ll be a few more juicy titbits over the next few weeks. Are you looking forward to getting hold of your copy?

Paul Stephenson is a writer of horror and science fiction novels. Blood on the Motorway: An apocalyptic trilogy of murder and stale sandwiches is out now in ebook and print from Amazon and all other good bookstores. You can get the first book free by joining the mailing list or reading along at Wattpad. Oh, and he’s got a Patreon. Sign up for free books, a free weekly short story, and much more.

Interview: Post Apocalyptic author M.P. Fitzgerald

Photo by Daniil Silantev on Unsplash

Hey there, did you know that I operate a rather splendid mailing list? Because I do. If you subscribe, you’ll get all sorts of exclusive behind the scenes stuff, such as this interview with the amazing M.P. Fitzgerald. You’ll also get added behind the scenes info, competitions, exclusive stories you won’t get anywhere else, and I’ll even throw in a free copy of Blood on the Motorway. Interested? Just click on the button.

Learn more

Recently I had the chance for Blood on the Motorway to share a promo with A Happy Bureaucracy, by M.P. Fitzgerald. M.P is one of the best writers in post apoc at the moment, and if you like Blood on the Motorway, you'll definitely get a kick out of this. So I sat down with M.P for an exclusive interview.

Tell me a bit about A Happy Bureaucracy.

A Happy Bureaucracy is a post-apocalyptic parody novel where the IRS is the only government institution to survive the nuclear holocaust. Think Mad Max meets Terry Gilliam’s Brazil with a heaping dash of Hunter S. Thompson’s distilled madness. I was inspired to write it after coming across an old New York Times article about the IRS’s real plans to collect taxes in case the world ended. It just seemed so ridiculously optimistic and absurd to me that I had to satire it.

Imagine if the climax of Mad Max: Fury Road came to a halt because Furiosa forgot to pay her taxes and had to talk to an auditor. It has all of the action, grit, and danger that a post-apocalypse novel can muster, but with all of the dark humour that a clown cemetery fails to deliver.

Your main character is an auditor (and an excellent typist), is that something you have a background in?

Aside from being an excellent typist? No. I drew on my own experiences working in a call centre and dealing with the DMV for the emotional meat of the novel. I did read as much of the Emergency Operations Manual (the real-life IRS disaster contingency plan) as any human could without having a stroke as research for it.

Arthur, the main character, is the guy at the office who wants to keep his head down and move up the hierarchy. He is a true believer in what he does and earnestly cares about his profession. He is not your typical post-apocalyptic hero, which I find interesting. We all know this guy, you probably think he is boring, but he has the most to lose during an apocalypse. Contrary to what you have heard, those with everything to lose scrap the hardest.

What draws you to the world’s end as a subject matter?

I grew up in the Sierra Nevadas and spent a lot of time in the middle of nowhere with only sagebrush and junk to keep me company. The allure of the wasteland is built into me. As a kid I would watch A Boy and His Dog on VHS and play Fallout 2 until the sun rose.

Beyond that though, I love that the post-apocalypse forces us to consider what society is. What do we look like without it? What ethical dilemmas will we be forced to deal with when the chips are down and the cards are on the table and you have to consider survival? Just how long can SPAM remain edible in a can? It is a fun playground to play in.

Your readers describe your book as hilarious, and the funniest dystopian novel they’ve ever read. Who are your comedic literary heroes?

My readers are the best. Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut immediately come to mind. Adams' wit was just so beyond anything else I have read, and Vonnegut’s raw sarcasm cuts like a knife. I do love Pratchett as well, and are a huge fan of Christopher Moore, but Adams and Vonnegut had a knack for making nihilism the best of punchlines, and without being insufferable edge lords about it.

What comes after Bureaucracy?

Fear and Loathing in the Wasteland is the next book in the series and is just published. I did my best to double the absurdity and madness as well as the dry humour and action of the first. It continues just weeks after the first book left off.

And what are you working on right now?

Book 3 and book 4 in the series. Writing this series has been an absolute blast, which is something that I am very grateful for. Book 3 will be about Land Pirates, yes, LAND PIRATES. I will likely be committed to an institution for it, but I look forward to sharing it :)

So there you have it. If that sounds like your cup of post-apocalyptic tea (and frankly, if it doesn't you're mad) then check it out at Amazon today.

Oh, and if you'd like to get some free short stories from M.P. you can join his reader's group here.

Paul Stephenson is a writer of horror and science fiction novels. Blood on the Motorway: An apocalyptic trilogy of murder and stale sandwiches is out now in ebook and print from Amazon and all other good bookstores. You can get the first book free by joining the mailing list or reading along at Wattpad. Oh, and he’s got a Patreon. Sign up for free books, a free weekly short story, and much more.

Last call for five star sci-fi

Nine books. Seven authors. All with an Amazon rating north of 4.5 (we’re rounding up!) or higher. All full books, and – here’s the best bit – each on available for 99c/99p. The catch? This offer is only on until the end of this week, so if you want to grab one, you’d best be quick about it.

But what’s on offer, I hear you ask. Well, I’m glad you did. Here’s a quick breakdown on all eight books that aren’t my own Blood on the Motorway. Click on the button to find out more, and to pick up any you’re interested in. Hell, why not get all nine? That’s nine five-star rated books for less than a tenner. You can’t say fairer than that.

Chromed: Upgrade, by Richard Parry

It's 2150AD. There hasn't been a corporate war... until now.

Mason Floyd is an augmented syndicate enforcer at the top of his game. His job is asset protection and acquisition, no questions asked. Company tech is stolen on Mason’s watch. Rival megacorps want it, and they don’t mind killing him to get it. Framed for the theft, Mason runs. He tangles with off-grid rockstar Sadie Freeman on the grimy seam between the powerful and poor. Together they uncover a secret an entire city died to keep. Hunted and desperate, they must team up to survive.

Together Mason and Sadie can save the world. Apart, both are lost. They must trust each other or die.

Megacorps. Cyborgs. AI. Gene-spliced monsters. Syndicate enforcers. Off-grid illegals. Supersoldiers. Rock music. Violence. Einstein-Rosen bridges. Liquor. Enhanced reflexes. Power armor and energy weapons. Full body replacements. Swearing. Mind control. Telekenetics. G-Men. Drugs. Neural links. Orbital cannons. THIS IS CYBERPUNK.

Check it out
























Negative Return, by Jessie Kwak

He's in over his head. And the one man he needs to trust the most is the one he's been contracted to kill.

Manu Juric's quick wit and knack for creating unexpected explosions has taken him a long way in the hit man business. At least, until he signs on to a job that might just be out of his league: taking out one of Bulari's most notorious crime lords, Willem Jaantzen. After the attempt is horribly botched, Jaantzen spares Manu's life in exchange for joining up with his motley crew for one small heist. There's a reason Manu avoids teamwork: it's the worst. And as the increasingly unpredictable job plunges Manu into an ever-tangling web of uneasy dangers and bristly egos, he realizes he's going to need to find some allies — fast. But who do you trust, when everyone's a criminal?

NEGATIVE RETURN is part of Jessie Kwak's Durga System series, a fast-paced series of standalone gangster sci-fi novellas set in a far-future world where humans may have left their home planet to populate the stars, but they haven't managed to leave behind their vices. And that's very good for business.

Check it out
























Last Escape, by S.J. Bryant

Happiness; just 50 credits.

Aart is a revolutionary with a heart of gold, but good intentions can only get you so far. Sell rage. Buy courage. The emotional black-market is thriving, people are being harvested like cattle, and Aart is the only one with the guts to save them.

But can one man overcome the system? Or will the poor continue to be sapped of every good feeling?

If you enjoy sci-fi action, then load your plasma pistol and strap in for this gripping space adventure.

Check it out
























Chromed: Consensus, by Richard Parry

In 2150AD, humanity surrenders decisions to corporate masters.

Megacorp Reed Interactive’s prodigy Austin Ainley creates abhorrent mind-influencing tech. Reed terminate his contract but keep the invention. Austin plans to get it back.

He hungers for the wealth and power his invention promises. With a team of off-grid mercs, including the mil-spec cyborg Ruby Page, Austin plans a heist on a syndicate titan. If he succeeds humanity will fall, but he’ll have his vengeance. Is that too big a price to pay?

Megacorps. Cyborgs. AI. Gene-spliced monsters. Syndicate enforcers. Off-grid illegals. Supersoldiers. Rock music. Violence. Einstein-Rosen bridges. Liquor. Enhanced reflexes. Power armor and energy weapons. Full body replacements. Swearing. Mind control. Telekenetics. G-Men. Drugs. Neural links. Orbital cannons. THIS IS CYBERPUNK.

Check it out
























A Happy Bureaucracy, by M.P. Fitzgerald

If Arthur McDowell does not survive auditing the wasteland, then society dies with him. No big deal or anything. Safe and sound inside a government bunker, Arthur is proud to be just another drone.

But for an ambitious man (and excellent typist) such as Arthur, a promotion to supervisor is just around the corner. But his world is flipped when the brass makes him a census-taker instead. His task: to head out into the irradiated streets armed with paperwork and red tape. Assigned to him is a drug-addicted bodyguard, Rabia Duke, who could care less if they survive. The wastes bring much to fear. But even above radiation, roving gangs, and starvation, what the world should fear the most remains bureaucracy. A happy bureaucracy.

Brazil by way of Mad Max, M.P. Fitzgerald’s A Happy Bureaucracy is a bleak and hilarious look at the wheels of a system that keep turning even when nothing else is left.

Check it out
























Momentary Stasis by P.R. Adams

World peace can be deadly. Humans discover alien technology and start colonizing worlds outside the solar system. Genetic modification produces miracles. Science advances the human condition. And, for the first time in history, the nations of the world have achieved real peace with each other. But only the elite truly benefit from all the advancements. Most people are still trapped on an Earth ruined by chemical pollution, nuclear accidents, and chaotic weather changes. Rebellious "genies"—genetically engineered servants—cause more harm than good. And global corporations have stripped the idea of nations and freedom of any real meaning. Sergeant Jack Rimes is no stranger to intrigue. The U.S. Army Special Forces operator lives in a time where every nation on Earth is at peace… but there are plenty of secrets to go around. As corporate greed threatens humanity, genetically engineered humans are making international mayhem of their own. After his unplanned reassignment to the Intelligence Bureau, Jack is tasked with tracking down a rogue agent implicated in a political assassination. As he and his new partner, an old flame, search the globe for answers, the truth shakes him to his core. The powers-that-be may not be very interested in keeping humanity alive… Momentary Stasis is the first book in a provocative series of grimdark military sci-fi novels full of intrigue, horror, and action that unflinchingly explores the impact of technology and unbridled greed on humanity. If you like gritty, flawed protagonists, tech-heavy thrillers, and incredible new worlds, then you’ll love the first installment from PR Adams’ provocative new series.

Check it out
























The Guardians, by Don Viecelli

The Tyrax Attempt To Destroy All Human Life Within Days With A Nanobiotic Weapon!

A ruthless and merciless race of aliens called the Tyrax send a doomsday weapon that detonates multiple missile warheads over twenty-four sparsely inhabited land areas around the globe. It causes a biological transformation using nanobots that threaten to destroy all life forms on the planet within days.

This is only the beginning for survival of the human species.

Check it out

Into Twilight, by P. R. Adams

He does the government’s dirty work. When he’s double-crossed by one of his own, he’ll stop at nothing to take out the trash.

Korea, 22nd Century. Surrender isn’t in Stefan Mendoza’s DNA. So when a traitor betrays his black-ops team, he alone pushes through the torture and escapes with revenge burning in his mind. On the verge of a systems failure, he taps into his underground network for a set of cybernetic limbs. But his high-tech recovery comes at a heavy price—an assassination hit on a rising political star.

Filled with resentment for the cutthroat world of contract killers, he uses the hit job as a cover to track down the traitor. When he discovers he’s competing with other assassins for the same political target, he starts to piece together a sinister conspiracy that could lead him straight to the shadowy figure behind his betrayal.

Trapped within a hotbed of corruption, can Mendoza exact his revenge and win his freedom or will he spiral deeper into the twisted game of brokered death?

Into Twilight is the first book in The Stefan Mendoza Trilogy of high-octane cyberpunk techno-thrillers. If you like street-smart soldiers, complex conspiracies, and immersive sci-fi settings, then you'll love P.R. Adams's noir-style page-turner.

Check it out

Paul Stephenson is a writer of horror and science fiction novels. Blood on the Motorway: An apocalyptic trilogy of murder and stale sandwiches is out now in ebook and print from Amazon and all other good bookstores. You can get the first book free by joining the mailing list or reading along at Wattpad. Oh, and he’s got a Patreon. Sign up for free books, a free weekly short story, and much more.

Get your hands on some incredible five star sci-fi

Hey, you there! Do you like books? Do you like sci-fi? Do you like Gritty?

No, not that Gritty. I mean, who doesn’t love the world’s most certifiably insane socialist sports mascot, really? But not that one.

No, I’m talking about sci-fi that’s got a bit of grit to it. Following on from my post last week about changing genre, I think that word pretty much describes what I do. It’s a bit sci-fi, a bit horror, a bit odd, a bit broken and dirty and if you fall over onto it, it’s going to properly fuck up your knees.

Now, it just so happens that Blood on the Motorway, the first book in my gritty apocalyptic sci-fi trilogy, has been selected for a frankly ridiculous new promotion. Nine books. Seven authors. All with an Amazon rating north of 4.5 (we’re rounding up!) or higher. All full books, and – here’s the best bit – each on available for 99c/99p.

How’s that for a neat trick?

Alongside Blood on the Motorway, there’s books by Cyperpunk sensations Richard Parry and P.R. Adams, Apocalyptic humourist M.P. Fitzgerald, some Gangster Futurism by Jessie Kwak, Doomsday Alien Invasions from Don Viecelli, and rollocking space adventure by C.J. Brant. Not only that, but you can fill your boots with the lot for less than a tenner. You can’t say fairer than that.

The catch? Well this promotion is only on for two weeks, and you’ve just wasted five minutes of that reading this. What are you waiting for?

CHECK OUT THESE AMAZING BOOKS

Paul Stephenson is a writer of horror and science fiction novels. Blood on the Motorway: An apocalyptic trilogy of murder and stale sandwiches is out now in ebook and print from Amazon and all other good bookstores. You can get the first book free by joining the mailing list or reading along at Wattpad. Oh, and he’s got a Patreon. Sign up for free books, a free weekly short story, and much more.

Genre Change

Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash

I keep hearing one piece of advice, again and again, when it comes to publishing: Don’t change genre. Change your genre at your peril. Abandon hope all ye who enter the territory of mixed genres. Nobody expects the Spanish… no, that’s wrong.

I mean, it makes sense, I guess. People like what they like, and if they find you because you’re writing amazing end-of-the-world thriller books and then you veer off into making books about a friendly unicorn who solves crimes through hugs and cuddles, you’re probably not going to get many readers to follow you down that particular path. I know I wouldn’t.

And hey, it’s not like this is an area without precedence. Authors are always taking on pen names for a different genre. Iain Banks is a very respectable literary fiction type who produces incredibly well thought of literary fiction. Stick an M in the middle and you’ve got a science fiction god. Same dude. But… my god that sounds exhausting.

I love being an indie author, but I’d be lying if I said that the effort that goes into it is commensurate with the reward, at least at this point for me, and if we’re talking in purely monetary terms. On the other hand, yesterday I received three separate emails from readers telling me how much they liked Blood on the Motorway, and let me tell you, that’s how I imagine stuffing your face into a full bag of catnip feels to a cat. Every reader email makes me feel I could go face down the traffic and win. But as someone running a small creative business, there’s a frankly insane amount of admin, promotion, marketing, and other tasks to keep you busy. I can’t even begin to fathom trying to do all that for more than one pen name.

Any yet, I don’t just want to write one thing. I’d get bored. The books would stop being any good. I may be a fan of genre fiction, but not just one genre. All of which provides a bit of a dilemma. Yes, I want to write apocalyptic horror, but I also want to write sci-fi. And vampire books. And straight up literary fiction. And music stuff. And thrillers.

It’s weird to me that people only want to read their authors writing in one genre. We don’t expect that from our filmmakers. If we did, Steven Soderbergh wouldn’t have a career. Stanley Kubrick, either. On the flip side, we hold this rule to our musicians even more strongly than to authors. How dare Opeth graduate slowly from death metal to melodic prog? What do you mean Kiss went disco?

People are weird, and fandom is weird. I say that as someone who has stopped listening to Opeth for the reason listed above. Not out of malice. Their new stuff isn’t my cup of tea. I hate tea. And the new Opeth stuff is weak tea.

But I digress.

As with most things in life, I’ve decided that the only true path is that followed by The King. After all, Stephen King may be thought of as a horror author, but The Shawshank Redemption is literary fiction, The Dark Tower is Urban/Cowboy Fantasy, and the Mr Mercedes trilogy is straight up Crime Fiction.

So, if it’s good enough for The King, it’s good enough for me. Now, this might be ignoring the fact that King earned the right to do whatever the hell he pleases, but I got into this racket to write what I want to write. If I just wanted to make money, this is a pretty stupid way to go about it.

My next book is not apocalyptic horror. It’s a dystopian sci-fi with horror elements, set a hundred years in the future. It’s the start of a nine book series, and it’ll total over a million words by the time it’s done. In that time I’ll also be releasing a vampire series, part urban fantasy, part horror, no glittery vampires in sight.

I really hope my readers will come on these different journeys with me. They are close enough in tone and intent, and they’re still very much in my voice, whatever that is. I don’t know what it is, I just do what it tells me. But if they don’t, that’s okay too. Art lies where the heart is, and I have to be true to that, no matter how much harder I’m making things for myself in the long run.

Paul Stephenson is a writer of horror and science fiction novels. Blood on the Motorway: An apocalyptic trilogy of murder and stale sandwiches is out now in ebook and print from Amazon and all other good bookstores. You can get the first book free by joining the mailing list or reading along at Wattpad. Oh, and he’s got a Patreon. Sign up for free books, a free weekly short story, and much more.

My research process, AKA trying not to drown in procrastination and recrimination

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

I’m working on the first draft of a new series at the moment, which mean I’m doing an awful lot of ad-hoc research. Which is to say, I permanently have one tab open to Wikipedia.

It’s often said that you should never look at the search history of a writer, but a quick look over my Wikipedia history alone would have anyone reaching slowly for a panic button. It’s an odd mix of human decomposition rates and mid-90’s alternative band discographies, of articles on the lifespan of petrol vs diesel and the smoking rates of different countries.

I can’t imagine what it was like being a writer before the internet. Imagine walking down to your local library and asking for information on what colour a corpse is after 48 hours one week, and what popular foods for peasants in mid-nineteenth century Yorkshire the next. No wonder we’ve got a reputation as weird, slightly nervous types.

Research in the age of the internet, however is all about the overwhelm. If, like me, you’re a writer who can only spare a few hours a day to the task and you have a daily word count to hit, it’s no good getting a few hundred words in and realising you need some tiny nugget of information on ammunition for UK police weapons if you then fall down a Wikipedia rabbit hole that ends somehow with you reading the history of the police baton for the next two hours. The great enemy of creativity is procrastination, and research is just about the purest form of procrastination there it.

Thankfully, research isn’t just Wikipedia wormholes for me. I can also legitimately sink many hours into watching television, all in the name of research, and I don’t even have to feel remotely guilty about not writing when I do it, as long as I have a pen and paper next to me as I do it. The UK has some great fly-on-the-wall documentaries constantly spying on our various emergency services, and I mainline several of them directly into my corneas in the name of research. The always excellent 24 Hours in Police Custody is a great source of life slices, as well as shining a light into the everyday practices of the UK police department. I became obsessed with it around the same time I was writing Blood on the Motorway’s final drafts, and a lot of the humour and practices of Burnett and Tana were very heavily flavoured by it.

The book I’m writing at the moment has a paramedic at its core. It’s my first time writing a book with a single protagonist, and as a result I’m watching a lot of the show Ambulance – at turns brilliant and heartbreaking and life-affirming and also very, very useful. It’s giving my main character what is I hope a real feel, but at the same time I am becoming acutely aware that this is a profession I am fortunate enough to have had little encounter with over my years.

There is, after all, nothing like the real thing, so I have a favour to ask. If you are reading this and you are a paramedic, or you are close to a paramedic (either emotionally or, I dunno, there’s one next to you on the bus right now as you read this), could I ask you to get in touch, or ask that person if I could get in touch with them directly? The more I write this character, the more I like her, and the more I want to do her heroism, her bravery, and her compassion justice. I’d just like a bit of a chat, see if I’m on the right lines with where I’m going, and make sure I can do justice to what is probably one of the most important jobs in the world.

Writers, what is your favourite research method/procrastination technique?

Paul Stephenson is a writer of horror and science fiction novels. Blood on the Motorway: An apocalyptic trilogy of murder and stale sandwiches is out now in ebook and print from Amazon and all other good bookstores. You can get the first book free by joining the mailing list or reading along at Wattpad. Oh, and he’s got a Patreon. Sign up for free books, a free weekly short story, and much more.

The dream’s turned to ashes… again.

Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash

Around this time every year I do the same dance. It’s the end of another season of football, and so I look back on countless hours spent locked away watching a bunch of millionaires kicking around a piece of inflated plastic to little discernible positive impact on myself and wonder – just what in the hell am I doing?

I’ve been an Arsenal fan for over twenty years now. Sure, I’m the kind of fan that most ‘real’ fans despise – I’ve never been to the Emirates, for one thing, but my love and passion for following my team has meant that for another season I’ve watched all but a tiny handful of matches on the TV. I’ve screamed, I’ve wailed, I’ve moaned. I’ve listened to countless further hours of Arseblog podcasts, dissected matches at length with work colleagues, friends, and family. I even paid for BT Sport. And yet…

Football is an increasingly unpleasant form of entertainment. Every ounce of money that can be wrung from it is being wrung, with no thought as to the consequences. Every advert break is crammed with adverts for gambling companies who seem to think a tiny disclaimer absolves them of the growing gambling addiction crisis in this country. Clubs have gone from being owned by asset stripping billionaires to being owned by entire nation states with human rights records that read like Margaret Atwood novels. Oh, and racism on the terraces and on social media have become epidemic to the sport once again, just for good measure. In fact, there’s not much you can say about football that’s particularly positive these days. I’m sure there are towns and cities for whom their club remains an integral part of the community and a force for good, but I doubt there’s many of them in the Premier League. The stench of greed and consumerist pornography cling too thick to all of them, my own Arsenal included. And don’t get me started on the plans for European Super Leagues and all that nonsense.

Of course, I’m bound to feel this way. Arsenal have had an abysmal season, crowned with an even more dismal performance in our first European final in over a decade. Our new manager is not much cop, our squad is no better, and we’re owned by a foreign billionaire who couldn’t even be arsed to get on a jet and come and see his prized asset compete in a final. There are systemic problems at my club so in-built that I can’t see anything other than a gradual drift into mid-table obscurity in our immediate future, followed by some good old asset stripping and total collapse once our owner gets bored and cashes out.

So, as per usual, I’m looking back on another season where I wonder what exactly the point of it all is. I can barely find the time on top of writing, work, family, and everything else to watch an entire season of TV, so why am I wasting so much time on a sport from which I get very little joy, and quite a bit of self-loathing? Except, I know what happens now, too. I’ll feel this way for most of the summer, and wonder if I will even bother next year. Then we’ll make a few signings, let a bit of dead wood go, and before I know it I’m there again, believing. Like a mug. Buying a new club shirt. Investing my time. Investing my money. Getting ready to do it all again next year.

Once a gooner, always a goner.

Paul Stephenson is a writer of horror and science fiction novels. Blood on the Motorway: An apocalyptic trilogy of murder and stale sandwiches is out now in ebook and print from Amazon and all other good bookstores. You can get the first book free by joining the mailing list or reading along at Wattpad. Oh, and he’s got a Patreon. Sign up for free books, a free weekly short story, and much more.

These aren't the stories your mother used to tell you...

Over the last few years, the indie publishing world has begun to mature, like a fine wine or an increasingly stinky cheese. One consequence of this is the springing up of a brace of collectives and small presses, blurring the lines even further between the indie and traditional world. It’s a welcome development, whether it be the likes of Michael Anderle’s gargantuan-selling Kurtherian imprint, or a couple of writers banding together to do the odd newsletter swaps. We’re working together more and more, and we’re coming for the big bois.

I myself have started to bundle my books under the banner of Hollow Stone Press, and while at the moment that is just a vehicle for my books, I do have somewhat grandiose plans beyond that, and would be really interested in bringing other people under that banner in the long term.

One collective that’s really caught my eye in the last few years is Hawk & Cleaver, a UK-based collective of ostensibly three authors and an editor, working together to create books, comics, and podcasts. Luke Condor, Dan Willcocks, and Ben Errington are each excellent writers in their own right, but by coming together they’ve managed to crack the world of audio with four different podcasts, with the jewel in the crown being their excellent weekly story podcast, The Other Stories. In the last few months they’ve hit three million downloads, launched a spin off audio drama podcast, Miscreation, and been featured in LitReactor and This is Horror.

Which is why I’m beyond excited to say that if you check out today’s episode of The Other Stories, you’ll hear The Wolf Is Loose, by yours truly! It’s featured in their Déjà vu theme for the month, and it’s the tale of a young man who hears a story that tugs at the edge of his memory, but he can’t remember why.

It’s a huge honour to have had this story selected, and I love what they’ve done with my little shocker. Check it out at Acast, iTunes, Spotify, or whatever podcatcher you prefer. While you’re at it, give it a subscribe, and check out the work of this terrific collective at www.hawkandcleaver.com

Paul Stephenson is a writer of horror and science fiction novels. Blood on the Motorway: An apocalyptic trilogy of murder and stale sandwiches is out now in ebook and print from Amazon and all other good bookstores. You can get the first book free by joining the mailing list or reading along at Wattpad. Oh, and he’s got a Patreon. Sign up for free books, a free weekly short story, and much more.