Steven Scaffardi's Blog, page 8

Author Interview: The Bourbon Kid

 Have you heard about that international best-selling book that doesn't have a name? You know, the one written by that anonymous author?

No? Hmmm, let me ask you another question then. Have you heard about the white-knuckle roller coaster thrill-ride sandwiched into 450 pages of blood-splattering, side-splitting wit and carnage, fused together by a hitman who has spent far too much time at the Heartbreak Hotel, a Mexican barman who is serving up more piss than Bear Grylls could handle, and an alcoholic supernatural serial killer who Van Helsing couldn't even compete with on his best day?

No? No?! In that case you had better get the hell of my blog and never return because you must have been living under some sort of literary rock to not be familiar with one of the most exciting authors of his (or hers?) generation. With comparisons to Quentin Tarantino and Hollywood queuing up to transfrom the blood-thirsty residents of Santa Mondega into a cinematic psycho's playground (not to mention Margot Robbie being a fan), the man who uses the moniker of his most famous creation is on a mission to make sure you never forget the name The Bourbon Kid. 

But because I'm feeling in a charitable mood, I'll let you watch this video so you can be introduced to the best book you haven't read yet. For those of you who have already welcomed

Hey Bourbon Kid, pull up a seat while I pour you a drink. So let's get down to business - Sanchez was and always will be the real star of show right?
Absolutely! Initially I stuck him in The Book With No Name just so that he could be the eyes and ears of the reader, but he ended up becoming so much more. I used to be a bartender myself, so lots of the things Sanchez sees, hears, thinks and does, are things I experienced. I never poured piss in anybody’s drink though.

You tied up all the loose ends in The Book of Death to complete the story, but do you miss Santa Mondega?
I miss it a lot. By creating a fictional city where pretty much anything goes, I was able to get away with some pretty crazy shit that readers would never accept if the stories were set in New York, London or Paris. It also gives the story more appeal to international audiences than say, a book set in a quiet English village.

Your writing style and stories have been compared to the likes of Quentin Tarantino, but where do you really get your inspiration from? Hopefully not real life experiences!
Actually some of it is from real life. In my days as a bartender I met characters like the Bourbon Kid, Rodeo Rex, Elvis and Marcus the Weasel, although I obviously exaggerated them for the book. Some of the stuff that happened in TBWNN was based on events that happened when I was working. For example, I once did see Papa Smurf get beaten up by a couple of angry nuns on a fancy dress evening. That made it into the book. But mostly my inspiration comes from movies. I like to take little pieces from lots of movies of different genres and then stick them all together and see what happens. It can be fun. In The Red Mohawk for example, I imagined what would happen if the killer from the Halloween movies showed up in Dirty Dancing.

The Red Mohawk is your latest outing about a crazy serial killer stalking the residents in the small town of B Movie Hell. Tell me where this new idea came from and is this the start of a new series of books, and if so, what can we expect from the next installment?
I was watching the movie Drive one day and there’s a scene about an hour in, where Ryan Gosling (who is the hero) sticks on a rubber mask and starts stalking Ron Perlman. And I started thinking, what if that was the opening scene of the movie? You’d think Gosling’s character was a total psycho. So I decided that it would make a good starting point for a novel. Consequently the opening scene of The Red Mohawk involves a masked serial killer stalking a police officer.

I read somewhere that you might be thinking about pairing The Bourbon Kid and The Red Mohawk together later on down the line. Any truth in that?
It’s what’s coming next. It’s called The Plot To Kill the Pope and it’s already been a success in Europe and it will be out here in a matter of weeks. It’s pretty insane and features the Bourbon Kid, the Red Mohawk, Elvis, Rodeo Rex and a plot to kill the Pope that also involves Frankenstein and Dr Jekyll. I’m pretty sure there’s never been a book like it before, which is always my aim when I write something. If it turns out there is already a book like it, I’ll be livid.

The characters you have created are all very unique and endearing (in that serial killing, blood thirsty, anti-hero type of way). Which one is your favourite character and why?
It’s a toss up between Sanchez and the Bourbon Kid. They’re actually very similar characters except that Sanchez is a coward who pours piss in people’s drinks if he doesn’t like them, whereas the Bourbon Kid kills them. But also in The Plot to Kill the Pope there is a character called Jasmine who first appeared in The Red Mohawk. She’s great fun and provides the comic relief that’s normally reserved for Sanchez.

The Book With No Name was commissioned for a TV series called Pulp. What happened with that and is it true that Tobey Maguire’s Material Pictures are developing The Red Mohawk into a film?
Unfortunately Pulp got cancelled before it really got off the ground which was a big disappointment. But the rights for The Book With No Name are now in the hands of a company called Belga Films. I’ve worked with them on the script for a movie. I’m really happy with what they’ve done and it’s already caught the eye of one of my absolute favourite Hollywood A-listers (although I can’t say who just yet!). And Tobey Maguire’s Material Pictures are working on a TV series based on The Red Mohawk. So it’s all looking very good at the moment. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that at least one of these projects makes it to the screen.

You made that successful transition from self-published author to best selling author. What is the best advice you would give to all aspiring indie authors?
I guess from my own personal experience I would say, "Don’t write what you think publishers want. And don’t try to write like anyone else. No one can write like you better than you can, so do that instead! And cut out all the boring bits."

Your books have received quite a cult following over the past decade. What is the strangest thing you have had a fan ask you or request?
I’ve had quite a few people pitch me their idea for a novel and then offer to split the royalties with me if I write it for them. Can you imagine that? Cheeky bastards.

Tell me about it. Hey, how about in your next book Dan Hilles from my novel The Drought teams up with The Bourbon Kid and they go around killing every girl who refuses to sleep with Dan? You can write it and then I'll help with the administrative side of things like looking after the bank accounts. What do you think? Why are you looking at me like that? Oh no, please put the bourbon down! Let's wrap this up before you do something stupid! Finally, what can we expect next from you?
Well The Plot To Kill the Pope will be out soon. And that will be followed by a new one I’m writing which is currently called The Roman That Followed Jason. But it will probably end up being called something else. But it’s got Sanchez in it, so it’ll be good fun.

Sounds amazing - I can't wait to read it! Thanks again for agreeing to do this interview. I'm genuinely a huge fan of your books - The Bourbon Kid series is definitely up there in my top 5!
My pleasure. And I wish you all the best success with your novels The Drought and The Flood.

For more information on The Bourbon Kid and my book reviews click in the links throughout this article and make sure you check out this amazing rogues gallery of Santa Mondega's finest.

Lad Lit Book Reviews! The Red Mohawk by Anonymous

That man has done it again! The best-selling author of The Bourbon Kid series is back with another belter of a book, caked with blood, action, bullets, hookers, dirty cops and a psychopathic killer in a skull mask with a red mohawk - and that's just the first couple of chapters!

Without doubt, the author behind his very own mask is one of my favourites. His blend of violence and dark humour never fails to disappoint, and in his first outing since wrapping up the Santa Mondega stories, it might have been easy to take his foot off the pedal. After all, so much went into making Santa Mondega the wonderful dysfunctional community it was

But step forward the residents of B Movie Hell (yes, that's the name of the town). They might not have a barman like Sanchez, but they do have an egotistical ex-porn movie producer who now runs a brothel (and pretty much everything else in town), and he has been pretty much left to do as he pleases since he bought and renamed the small town.

That is until the FBI turn up to investigate the mysterious serial killer who dons the frightening halloween mask with a red strip of hair who is hacking anyone up who gets in his way.

Agents Jack Munson and Milena Fonseca have been put on to the top secret case to capture the escaped mental patient, but they're not exactly welcomed with open arms in B Movie Hell. What starts to unravel is a town full of dirty little secrets, including one very big secret the FBI have been keeping for nearly two decades.

There are some awesome movie references used in this book, sometimes so subtle you'll want to re-read to make sure you have spotted them all. And then there are some pretty obvious ones, like the Dirty Dancing loving prostitute called Baby.

It's wonderfully paced and the author is brilliant at piecing all of his characters together one way or another and has a knack of making you fall in love with the biggest anti-heroes of them all. It's the cartoon circus of American wrestling in the 80s and 90s combined with cult slasher movies from yesteryear all rolled into one. Go buy it!

Books For Men Book Reviews! The Red Mohawk by Anonymous

That man has done it again! The best-selling author of The Bourbon Kid series is back with another belter of a book, caked with blood, action, bullets, hookers, dirty cops and a psychopathic killer in a skull mask with a red mohawk - and that's just the first couple of chapters!

Without doubt, the author behind his very own mask is one of my favourites. His blend of violence and dark humour never fails to disappoint, and in his first outing since wrapping up the Santa Mondega stories, it might have been easy to take his foot off the pedal. After all, so much went into making Santa Mondega the wonderful dysfunctional community it was

But step forward the residents of B Movie Hell (yes, that's the name of the town). They might not have a barman like Sanchez, but they do have an egotistical ex-porn movie producer who now runs a brothel (and pretty much everything else in town), and he has been pretty much left to do as he pleases since he bought and renamed the small town.

That is until the FBI turn up to investigate the mysterious serial killer who dons the frightening halloween mask with a red strip of hair who is hacking anyone up who gets in his way.

Agents Jack Munson and Milena Fonseca have been put on to the top secret case to capture the escaped mental patient, but they're not exactly welcomed with open arms in B Movie Hell. What starts to unravel is a town full of dirty little secrets, including one very big secret the FBI have been keeping for nearly two decades.

There are some awesome movie references used in this book, sometimes so subtle you'll want to re-read to make sure you have spotted them all. And then there are some pretty obvious ones, like the Dirty Dancing loving prostitute called Baby.

It's wonderfully paced and the author is brilliant at piecing all of his characters together one way or another and has a knack of making you fall in love with the biggest anti-heroes of them all. It's the cartoon circus of American wrestling in the 80s and 90s combined with cult slasher movies from yesteryear all rolled into one. Go buy it!

Indie Author Challenge! Part 1: Free Promotions/Giveaway

Let's cut to the chase - people like free shit. The problem is there are quite a few of us indie authors willing to give away our shit, and a lot of what is given away is probably, well, shit.

But reports have shown that "over one-third of the respondents report that they were enticed to try a new author because of a free book giveaway." So it's definitely worth a shot.

Besides, I have had a bit of success offering my debut novel The Drought for free to readers on Goodreads in exchange for reviews to get the word out, but the one thing I have learned is that you need to persevere. Most readers will accept your free shit but it doesn't mean they'll read it and spread the good word. Your going to need patience - and lots of it.

Sabrina Ricci at Digital Pubbing suggests the following sites to check out for free promotions and giveaways:

BookLikesGoodreads GiveawayLibraryThing Member GiveawayNoise TradeRafflecopterStory Cartel
BookLikes is a site where you can create your own book blog, Goodreads is basically the Facebook for book lovers and LibraryThing allows you to catalog all of your books online. All have really big communities and all allow you to post and promote giveaways to their members.

I was already a member of all three sites so this one was a no brainer. BookLikes allows you to post copies of paperback and digital eBook downloads, so I went with one paperback and 25 eBooks giveaways for The Drought. After 4 days 9 people have requested the paperback and 4 people have requested the eBook.

Goodreads allows you to giveaway paperback copies only (up to 10), but the uptake is much higher. Last time I ran a giveaway on Goodreads 996 people entered. I am giving away three copies of The Drought and three copies of The Flood. Both open for entries of March 11 and run for a month.

And as for LibraryThing - well that site just bloody confuses me! I think I've listed a giveaway for up to 100 eBook copies of The Drought but I'll be darned if I can find the damn listing on the site! Hmmm, guess I'll just have to wait that one out.

Noise Trade started as a platform for musicians and artists to promote their music but has since expanded to allow authors to offer certain chapters or the whole book for free. But seeing as I'm signed up with the Amazon KDP programme, this is a conflict of interest so I won't be using Noise Trade.

The same goes for Story Cartel, which allows you to offer your book for free for a limited period of time in exchange for reviews. Rafflecopter allows you to create and embed giveaway competitions on your own blog. I decided not to do this as I wanted to put my focus into promoting the giveaways on BookLikes, Goodreads and LibraryThing across social media and by interacting with members directly. For this I'll be using this great list of hashtags to promote across Twitter and Facebook.

On Goodreads I have had a decent amount of success contact members directly asking if they would like to receive a free copy in exchange for review. If you're doing this be careful not to spam members as Goodreads frowns upon this, and make sure you do your homework and pick readers who have read similar books to yours. I found this out the hard way!

There are also various forums on Goodreads where you can post asking for readers to review your book. All in all, I have managed to get about 90 odd ratings and 50 reviews on Goodreads doing this over the last couple of years.

And last but by no means least, I am going to offer The Drought and then eventually The Flood for free for five days on Amazon as part of the KDP programme. Digital Book Today offer some good advice on how to maximise your KDP Select days so I'll be taking some of these tips on board.

And that my friends is it! I will report back in one month with the results and feedback to how the results have been. Watch this space!

The Indie Author Challenge is my attempt over three months to follow the "7 Strategies and 110 Tools to Help Indie Authors Find Readers and Reviewers" as published on the Digital Pubbing blog in an attempt to build up a larger fan base of readers.

Advice for Indie Authors: How do I get those darn readers?!

First off, let me start by saying I don't know the answer to this question. Hold on, wait a minute! Don't just leave - let me finish first!

I'm like most, if not all, indie authors: we're all in the same boat; stuck in the middle of a bloody big ocean caught in a bit of a storm. We think we know which way to navigate, but in truth whatever way we go it will be an adventure into the unknown.

The first thing we need on this adventure is a good boat, and I think I've got one. The Drought was my first novel published back in September 2011. That was nearly five years ago and since that time it has had more positive reaction than negative. Across the internet on Amazon, Goodreads and book review blogs, it's amassed in excess of 100 reviews and ratings, averaging 4 out of 5 stars.

But despite this relatively modest success, I still find myself lost at sea in choppy waters. A couple of times I've found myself the odd bit of dry land, but more often than not those islands tend to be inhabited by only a few readers at a time. They've been most welcoming and very nice, but they've been far and few between. I'm still looking for my China.

It's the 64 million dollar question for most indie authors. How can I get more people to read my book? We've seen other self-published authors get it right, so why can't we? What is their secret? What are the tricks of the trade they were able to use so effectively to make that jump?

As I am about to embark on the journey of publishing my second novel (The Flood - due for publication end of March 2016), I have frantically been trying to do my homework, and just as I found out five years ago, it's hard bloody work!

This time round I wanted to create some sort of structure; a guideline if you will, that I could follow and measure. So my first port of call was to turn to the internet, that good old faithful friend that's always there when us indie authors get a little bit lonely (not like that, you filthy git!).

I started out by typing advice for indie authors into Google. There were a lot of results (it is Google after all, what was I thinking?) ranging from an article in Publishing Weekly titled Advice for New Indie Authors from Self-Publishing Veterans to a nice piece on The Huffington Post from author and blogger AK Turner offering her Top 5 Marketing Tips for Indie Authors, and lots and lots of other sites who tell you how to market your book and how to get the best use out of social media.

All very good advice, and certainly all worth a good read. But if you are like me (day job, wife, baby, a terrible football team that ruins your weekend every week) it is sometimes incredibly difficult to work out where to start. Plus I am already five years down the line. I have done a lot of this already, including making sure you have a great book cover and spending time on the design process, to creating a social media profile and the pitfalls of getting readers to review your book.

So I tried a different tact - I typed in indie author tools and at top of the search results was a cracking article on Digital Pubby called 7 Strategies and 110 Tools to Help Indie Authors Find Readers and Reviewers. 

Bingo! This was just what I was looking for - a comprehensive guide all in one place for the lazy indie author like myself. It lists advice on promotions and giveaways to crowdsourcing and advertising to interviews and reviews, and so much more! From the outset it looks and feels like an awesome place to start for any indie author.

So I have set myself a challenge. Over the next three months I am going to blog about my experience of using the advice set out in this article. I might not necessarily get around to using every single tool listed as it's a pretty long list, but I will do my utmost to follow Digital Pubby's words right down to the wire.

Along the way I will also be using this brilliant list Ultimate List of Author-Specific Hashtags as published by Book Marketing Services, and sharing any little tips I might have picked up myself.

I'd love to hear from any/all indie authors and fans of indie publisher along the way. You can keep up to date with how I am getting on by clicking on the label/tag The Indie Author Challenge or by following me on Twitter and Facebook.

It's sink or swim time. Hopefully by this time in three months, I'll be on dry land with thousands of book lovers :)

Manuscript for The Flood submitted to the publisher!

Finally, at long last I have completed the final, final draft of the manuscript for Sex, Love & Dating Disasters: The Flood and submitted it to Acorn Independent Press. I expect both versions of the book to be available this month!

The eBook version will be available first on Amazon as soon as the proofreading stage is complete, followed by the paperback available at all good online book retailers.

To everyone who has been asking when the follow-up to The Drought would be available, thank you for your patience. It only took me four years, five months and nine days to get to this stage :)

But I hope it will be worth the wait! The first few reviews from the preview copies I sent out to readers on Goodreads have been really positive so far. You can check them out by clicking here but here are a couple of samples from those reviews:

"Oh My Gosh, Laugh Out LOUD funny! my roommate ran in the room asking what was so funny and when I told her, she laughed so hard she could no longer walk!"

"The Flood made me laugh, it made me laugh aloud and often. There are a couple of scenes on a train which contain some of the funniest writing that I have read in a long time and that's where this novel is a major success, it is just damn funny."

So hopefully it will be worth the wait. Keep checking back for official publication date and for other uploads on character bios, reader reviews and a few more surprises!

Author Interview: Matt Dunn

Hi Matt, thanks for taking the time out to chat with me. You are busy working on your tenth novel at the moment - what is it called and what's it all about?
The working title is A (Christmas) Day at the Office - it's a sequel to A Day at the Office, and revisits the Seek Software team nine months after that fateful Valentine's Day. It's set on the day of the office Christmas party, when big changes are in store for the company, and all the people who work there...

Your last novel, Home, has so far proved to be your most popular work in terms of reader reviews (4.5 average rating on Goodreads). Why do you think this story has been so well received?
Well, the Goodreads score's closer to 4, and it seems to be well-received on Amazon too (not that I check more than half a dozen times a day), but to answer your question, from what people have told me, it's mainly because a lot of people seem to identify with the story (people leaving small towns to live in the city/complex relationships with their parents/the people they leave behind, family, illness etc.). Plus it seems to make them laugh and cry, which I think lends to a much more involved reading experience. My previous novels have been pure comedies, so maybe I'm on to something...

The main character in Home, Josh Peters, returns to the seaside town he grew up in after living in London for the past 18 years. You also grew up in a seaside town. How much of this is based on real life experiences?
None. I made it all up completely. At least, that's what my lawyers have told me to say.

You are one of a number of successful British male romantic comedy novelists alongside the likes of Mike Gayle, Nick Spalding, Danny Wallace and Nick Hornby. How do male writers tackle the genre differently to their female chick lit counterparts?
You'd have to ask them. But personally, I think we just tell it how it is from our point of view. Or rather, how we see it. Which is kind of how it is, if you believe all that 'perception is reality' bollocks. Which I do, obviously.

Of all the characters you have created in your novels, who has been your favourite and why?
Dan, from the Ex-Boyfriends/Ex Girlfriends/Accidental Proposal trilogy. He's the one I've had the best feedback about. Though I stress he's not me. And probably because I could get away with a lot, given that he's so extreme/shameless.

If you could have written any book other than one of your own, which book would it be and why?
Fifty Shades - for the royalties. But in terms of quality, Nick Hornby's High Fidelity. It's the perfect example of my genre, and the book that I wanted to emulate when I first read it. Ten novels later, I'm still trying.

Your second novel, The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook, was optioned for sitcom development by CBS. What happened and if it was made into a TV show, which actor would you have playing Edward Middleton? 
Hmm. I get paid more the more popular it is, so whoever the current biggest box office draw is. One of that Game of Thrones lot, perhaps?

Social media platforms have revolutionised the way fans can communicate with their favourite authors. What is the strangest thing you have ever been asked by a fan?
The strangest thing that actually happens is being asked for free (signed) books by people who aren't fans, without any preamble. I get a lot of that. They might at least buy me dinner first. Generally, though, I LOVE social media. I spend all day at my desk creating an imaginary world, so it's great when real people email me, or tweet, or say 'hi' on Facebook.

What is the best piece of advice you could give to an aspiring author? 
I'll simply pass on the best advice I was given: read the best-sellers in your genre, and see how they achieve their page-turning quality. And then, um, do that.

You turn 50 this year, any big plans on how you will be celebrating your half century?
'Celebrating' turning fifty? Yeah, right!

Check out all of Matt Dunn's work at his website and Amazon page

Update on The Flood... Ooops, I missed the deadline - AGAIN!

Jeez, guys, let's just cut to the chase - I'm pretty shit when it comes to hitting deadlines. I promised to deliver The Flood by the end of January and I have failed. Miserably.

Basically, I put the manuscript into the hands of some close friends and trusted book review bloggers and their feedback was invaluable, but it does mean I need to make more changes and tweaks than I first anticipated. Namely, rewriting the last four chapters. So....

I'm busy trying to fit in the rewriting in between a busy day job and even busier new daddy duties at home, which pretty much leaves me with no free time whatsoever! I would promise to have the eBook version out this month but:a) I'm not too sure you would believe me and b) I have now learned my lesson about promising dates!

So let's just put it this way - I am working as hard as possible to get the book out. I am excited about the feedback I have been given so far and can't wait to get it all finished. I just hope the wait will be worth it.

Thanks for your patience... AGAIN!

Author Interview: Adrian Simon - author of Milk-Blood

In 1978, drug trafficker Warren Fellows was imprisoned for 12 years in Bangkwang Prison in Bangkok. He told his story of that living hell in his book The Damage Done, which I reviewed a few years ago.

It was a powerful story of survival, but perhaps omitted from his book was one of the most powerful struggles of them all - that of the family Fellows left behind.

Adrian Simon was just two-years-old when his father was convicted for attempting to smuggle heroin, and his life and that of his mother was about to change in way's they could never imagine. Now, after over three decades, Simon has decided to share his own story in the painfully candid memoir Milk-Blood. I caught up with Adrian to ask him about his book...

Hi Adrian, thanks for taking time out to speak with me. Tell me about your book and why you decided to write it.
My Father’s choice not to flush the bags of heroin down that Bangkok hotel sink when I was two shaped my life forever, in ways I wouldn’t fully understand for many years. Thirty-four years later my life had gone to shit. The weight of it all was too heavy. I was beaten and at breaking point, desperately in need of ventilation and release. I had no choice but to write Milk-Blood. My own blood became literally so inflamed that if I hadn’t there was the real possibility I wouldn’t live a long life. So I bled my emotions and traumas out onto paper.

The story is about what I and my family went through before during and after the arrest, exploring the psychological and physical cost it had on me and how I got through it. I absorbed way too much for a child to compartmentalize the heavy effects of having a father in a foreign prison. My mind broke, and by nine I suffered a nervous breakdown, developing a severe and crippling mental anxiety disorder. I scraped through my teenage years with the help of my mother and sports. As soon I was able, I left Australia to seek my own adventures and leave the past behind. The older I grew I longed for answers to try and understand the complexities and lifelong consequences the arrest and subsequent fallout created, and why life had been so bloody challenging.

After traveling for over a decade I returned needing clarity and answers to the past. This is when I started piecing it all together. Some doors are best not opened, and some truths are devastating. But I had to. In a sense I weave the threads of my family’s history together to understand and piece the fabric of mine. In doing so blasting the dark shadows my father casted over my life. I dislike using the term closure, but I had to seal shut the past to create my own future.

Sounds hectic, and it is, but along the way you’ll find it a wild ride, and most importantly it gives the reader a glimpse into the untold story to what the media doesn’t show, the people left behind. The other side of the story.

If you could explain why someone should read your book in one sentence, what would it be?
I can’t tell you how many jaws have dropped when I’ve recounted stories of mine and my family’s life. They all said I had to write a book. So I did.

Your father wrote the best-selling autobiography The Damage Done about his time spent in a Bangkok prison. What were your thoughts after reading what he went through?
It took me years to finish his book. It rubbed at my soul like sandpaper but I forced myself through to the end. It was extremely tough to read about my father, my own flesh and blood suffering, over and over. It was all quite surreal. I kept saying to myself, ‘This is my father.’ I ended up quite numb to the torture. I think that was how I could deal with the visuals; blood splatter, the New York gutter rig, heavy drug use, and heads being cracked opened like water melons.

What really broke my spirit was the story of him seeing his father for the last time, the immeasurable guilt he must have felt. It really saddened me to the point I was physically ill.

The truth of the matter is life would have been much easier if he hadn’t released the story. The media were all over it again like a rash. Mum and me could have done without it. We were still picking up the pieces. As an added insult many readers considered him some type of hero. A legend for surviving the big tiger. Alternatively, there were people who fiercely believed he should have been executed. I was only 18, and confess very conflicted. The Damage Done was done to us all and our wounds were far from healed. But hey, it was what it was.

One of the most powerful themes of the book is the relationship with your mother. How important was her influence on you growing up, and secondly, your decision to write this book?
Immeasurable. Without her strength and worldly attitude guiding me, who knows how I would have ended up. I was a troubled kid and like all good mothers, my (in my case single) mother protected me from the searing heat of an unforgiving extended family, a judgmental society and an attacking media, saving our skin on many occasions.

I was given free reign, but when it came to moral standards, my mother never tolerated poor and inexcusable form and would kick my ass. I have never known a person who has been dealt a harder and wilder hand of cards in life. Without question, she is my hero. What she endured to protect and provide for me and my father while he was in prison sickens me as a son. She has indomitable spirit, a natural love of life, and is truly remarkable as she can still smile and have love in her heart. I was enormously motivated to illuminate parts of her story through Milk-Blood. For those who’ve read The Damage Done you may find this hard to believe, my mother’s story leaves my fathers in the dust.

You left school early in favour of "chasing the good times" which saw you take in many adventures. Which one of those good times stick out the most for you and why?
The best time in my life was on one of my backpacking adventures around Europe, starting in Amsterdam and ending in the Greek islands. For the first time in my life I felt completely free. I didn’t have a plan or an itinerary, I went where the wind blew. I met the coolest people, found myself in messed up and dangerous situations, fell in love with a handful of sexy girls, drank and partied like a wild man and loved every minute of it. I could write a book alone on this trip. It was my time to relax, let go and forget about the troubles a world away. It’s what all twenty-two-year-olds should do. Get out and explore the world, start finding themselves. And taste life’s offerings.

Are there any stories that you were unable to include in the book, and if so are you able to share them?
This is the million-dollar question. Simply put, yes. I wish I could share with you but the legal knife took to the draft. ‘You can’t put this in, legally we advise not to say that.’ One of the hardest challenges writing was to accept I had to cull and leave out quality content. Then there are stories for health and safety reasons I can’t tell. I learnt from a young age not to talk out of school, and besides I like my life. If you know what I mean!

Okay, now a bit about writing. How did your structure your writing process? Do you just dive in or are you someone who needs time to plan?
The project was years in the making, taking shape in many forms from screenplays, a mother’s diary to eventually me writing Milk-Blood. The most challenging aspect wasn’t the writing but rather the path to publication. Gaining interest wasn’t the trouble but telling the story in the way I wanted to tell it was the challenge. Fortunately, the evolution of the work led me to an innovative and forward thinking company, The Author People, who unlocked the handcuffs and let me loose. I’m not kidding, millions of brain hours consumed me before writing. When I got the green light I mapped out my plan, drew up the schematics like scaffolding around a building, chapter by chapter. I think I was actually possessed and wrote like a mad man seven days a week, completing the draft inside seven months. I dive in head-first and can’t stop till the job is done. Otherwise it would do my head in. The unsung heroes of the writing world are the editors. Linda Funnell finessed and masterfully guided the draft beyond any expectation. I thank Lou Johnson, Co-Founder of The Author People for teaming us together.

What is your favourite book of all time and what type of novels to you tend to read?
As boy I read The Magician, by Raymond E Feist. That was my favourite, but until my mid 30’s I wasn’t much of a reader.  Then I picked up the same book and read the whole series followed by everything he had written. A book a week for a year was my writing education. I learnt the art of writing through other authors. (Thanks Raymond). I laugh with schoolmates as back then I failed. It’s remarkable what us humans can do if we put our minds to something.

What are your top five writing tips?
1. Create a solid structure that enables the narrative to flow effortlessly in conjunction with sub themes and plots. Easier said than done. Stick to the plan. Adjust alone the way.

2. Have no fear of what you to write, connect with the reader as if you’re talking directly to them. Don’t feel you have to be an English major to tell a story. Modern day language has evolved.

3. Be kind to yourself. Step away when you have to realign the brain cell.

4. More is best when writing. You can always trim and refine during editing.

5. Most of all enjoy it. It’s a bloody hard job, so pat yourself on the back. Writing is very isolating and can be lonely.

What does the future now hold for Adrian Simon the author?
A novel loosely based on my mother adventures living in the subcontinent. Jan, my mother was courted and asked to be the second wife of a French Madagascan prince. His right hand man, an ex-delta force captain also fell head over heels for her as he flew her around the world. All this was before she was 21. I’m shaking my head as I say this. It is without doubt the coolest story I’ve ever heard. The working title is Twist and Twirl and I’m commencing the process in March. I’m also involved in breaking down the many socially relevant topics within Milk-Blood to create documentaries, both online and mainstream. Working with youth, talking at schools and sharing my experiences in the effort to help others understand their own situation. This is really cool as it’s rewarding to give back.

There is also interest in converting all this material into feature films or an international TV series. The future is finally looking bright. Now I can look back in the rear vison mirror and safely say, sometimes when we go through a world of shit, we can turn it around and make success from it.

Milk-Blood: Growing up the son of a convicted drug trafficker by Adrian Simon is available now in paperback and in eBook format.

Lad Lit, Dick Lit, Bro Lit, Fratire, Chick Lit for men or simply Literature for Lads?

Being an indie author has its challenges, certainly when it comes to marketing your book. I'm certainly finding that out all over again as I prepare to publish my second novel Sex, Love & Dating Disasters: The Flood. In a way, the second time around feels even more challenging.

When I published my first novel The Drought it was a step into the unknown. I didn't really know what to expect so I was learning as I went along and I kind of stumbled on to the genre lad lit when one of my early reviews used the term, followed by explaining it as chick lit for men. That will do for me I thought, and I kind of just ran with the label as part of my marketing and promotion.

However, as time went on I came to realise that the term lad lit - or perhaps just the genre in general - didn't seem that well known. I'd bunched authors like Nick Hornby, Tony Parsons, Nick Spalding, Mike Gayle and Danny Wallace all into this category as I felt they were guys writing about relationships from a man's point of view.

I'd attempted to answer the question What is Lad Lit? in a previous blog post, and I think it was fairly accurate, but lately I wonder if the term really does the genre justice.

In doing some research prior to my second novel being published, I started to find different variations of the genre: Dick Lit, Bro Lit, Fratire - none of which seem to be known as mainstream genres like its female cousin chick lit.

In fact, type 'Lad Lit' into Google and you get a Wikipedia entry for Fratire appearing at the top of the search. Wikipedia describes the genre as:

"Fratire generally features male protagonists, usually in their twenties and thirties. It is characterized by masculine themes and could be considered the male equivalent of chick lit. The genre was popularized by Tucker Max's I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and Maddox's webpage titled The Best Page in the Universe and his book The Alphabet of Manliness. According to one of the authors, "fratire as a genre represents the non-mainstream literary reaction to the feminization of masculinity," although not all the books address this so directly."

 I don't particularly strongly agree or disagree with that description, but it hardly screams read me! I guess the main problem is that the term lad lit does not conjure up the same excitement in readers as a psychological thriller. You know what you're getting with that genre.

It seems a shame because I don't think the genre is an unpopular one when you break it down. Take the popularity of TV shows like The Inbetweeners or movies like Superbad or American Pie. All hugely popular and successful with audiences both male and female, and I've had the comedy in my first book The Drought compared to The Inbetweeners. 

And that is another area of frustration when it comes to marketing the book. It feels like other genres such as Fantasy or Crime have ready made audiences for indie authors to tap into, yet I don't have a clue where to find my audience at times because it's not that obvious, yet when people have read and/or reviewed the The Drought, by and large it's received a positive reaction.

That is not to say it's impossible to do. Just look at Nick Spalding for example and his Love From... series which have been hugely popular and earned Nick a six-figure publishing deal. I guess it goes to show that with a bit of hard work and dedication (plus a sprinkle of luck I'm sure) you can find a audience to read your work.

But in what is now an incredibly cluttered market with the amount of self-published books being produced, a lot of those outlets for indie authors are becoming increasingly like closed doors. Online forums block authors from promoting their work to readers, Goodreads frown upon authors reaching out to other members if you are promoting your work, and bloggers sometimes sneer at self-published authors if we request reviews. I once posted a positive review for
But I digress. Going back to my point of how the lad lit genre can become more popular, I guess a big part of that will come from the readers who enjoy the type of stories in these novels and help beat the drum to make it more mainstream.

So if you have read a lad lit novel lately and laughed until you cried, please send a Tweet, post a blog, update your Facebook status, write a review or simply tell a friend, because quite frankly, you'd be making my life a whole lot easier!