Jonathon Fletcher's Blog: Captain's Blog - Posts Tagged "interview"
The Captain's Blog welcomes: B R Crichton
Today the "Captain's Blog" welcomes B R Crichton. Here is a little about him...
B R: I was born in Zimbabwe in 1975, and I was very lucky to be educated there when the government schools were still well funded. I was always a good creative writer, but never really considered it as a career until I was at college in Dundee after moving to Scotland in 2002. I wrote a book called 'The Gift of Chaos', which I will never publish. I have heard it said that every writer should put at least one book in the bin before writing a proper one, and that is what I have unintentionally done. It was a useful exercise in clearing my mind of clutter, and I learned a lot about planning and story structure.
Now I live in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, with my lovely wife Lesley, children Sandy and Laura, and a third due in July (Third and last. Separate beds from now on!). There are also two half-witted, but very lovable Rhodesian Ridgebacks to guard the ol' homestead.
Jon: So tell me a little about the book you've written?
B R: It's a Fantasy novel. I would definitely call it low fantasy; which I have heard described as 'non-rational events occurring in a rational setting'. I suppose what that means is, there is a great deal in that world that is very similar to our own, although there are elements of the story that could not occur in reality. Like most writers, I write what I would like to read. I have tried to avoid too much in depth world creation that is quite prevalent in the fantasy genre, and also avoided delving too much into the history of the world in an effort to explain its current state. I have kept the pace brisk throughout, so, although it covers a lot of ground, it does not get bogged down in peripheral events.
The Rage Within is a complete story in its own right. That is to say, it has an ending that can be seen as such. However, life goes on, even fictitious lives, and so I am working on the first of a three book sequel at the moment. Readers can choose whether or not to follow the characters beyond the end of this first book without feeling obliged to because of loose ends.
Jon: Without spoilers, can you tell the readers what your story is about?
B R: "The Gods are dead. They are all but forgotten. One of their kind remains who has sworn to un-make all that his enemies created; but he has lost the ability to wield his power alone. He needs the anger of a mortal to unleash the destruction he craves, and Kellan Aemoran is more angry than most.
Having witnessed the murder of his family by a cruel Empire, Kellan is cast out into the world to fend for himself. A presence more powerful than anything seen since the age of the Gods has taken root in his soul, and is feeding on his rage.
With a band of mercenaries led by ‘Scurrilous’ Blunt, and an unlikely guide, Kellan must face his enemies in a land thrown into chaos; those enemies within as well as without. But he is a danger to all those he loves, and to save the world he must find a way to do the impossible…
Kill an immortal."
So there it is in a nutshell. Besides the protagonist, Kellan, I had a lot of fun with the mercenaries, and these are also important to the progression of the novel, and they have their own sub-plots within the main story. The people who have read it tell me that the mercenary leader, 'Scurrilous' Blunt was just an outlet for my own personality; and I find it hard to deny. For the majority of the book, the story unfolds in two parallel tales, one of Kellan's childhood, and the other his adulthood. This was a useful way to draw comparisons, and provide explanations for some of the events.
Jon: So would you describe your story as sword & sorcery, like Conan, or is it set in a contemporary "modern" world?
B R: Definitely more Conan, but not so much in the way of sorcery as such. I have avoided any overt magic, and have tried to be more subtle than magic wands and enchanted jewellery; not that there is anything wrong with that, I just wanted this book to be a little more grounded for reasons that become more apparent in the sequels. It is set in another world but has a very medieval feel to it.
Jon: How much did your life in Zimbabwe affect your writing, if at all?
B R: That's quite hard to answer since I have no idea what or if I would have written had I been brought up anywhere else. But, it must have had some sort of influence. Across much of Africa, the very worst of human excesses go on unchecked and in plain view, to a far greater degree than the UK, Western Europe or North America. The wealthiest Africans make Her Majesty look like a pauper, and the vast numbers of poor have no support whatsoever. Here in the UK, the worst our politicians can do is lie to us, and we have the ability to replace them. In many African countries today, the worst their leaders can do is declare them and enemy of the state, and have them, their family, village or tribe killed. It happens far more than is reported in our press. Despite all of this, it is a place of incredible energy and optimism, with the overwhelming majority of people simply trying to go about their lives like anywhere else. So perhaps that is the greatest influence; seeing the strength of the human spirit shine through against a backdrop of injustice and a legacy of hatred.
Jon: Was it a culture shock moving to Scotland?
B R: I had been to the UK a couple of times to visit my grandparents (My father was born just outside Dundee), so I knew what to expect. And yes, the weather in Zimbabwe is great. But you can have too much of a good thing; the temperature seldom drops below 20 degrees Celsius, and long before that the locals are reaching for their jumpers! Drought and water rationing are the by-products of all that sun though.
Jon: What made you move over here?
B R: Itchy feet. I really wanted to experience something new. Dundee was the obvious choice because of my family connections.
Jon: Anger seems to play a large part in your story. How much of that comes from you?
B R: Grrr! What are you saying? Probably more than I would like to admit. But then, it's a very human response to adversity; look for someone to blame and smite them! I'm more grumpy than angry though. Mostly.
Jon: If you could be an immortal god, what would you be the god of and what would be your special power?
B R: That's a tricky one. Perhaps the God of weather would be fun. I could favour those who please me with fine barbecue weather every weekend, but those who earn my wrath could have horizontal rain instead. (Just when they get the fire lit!) Either that or the God of something really trivial. That way, I wouldn't have to go in to work every day, and just go fishing instead.
Jon: So you're about to sit down to write. What three things must you have or do before touching the keyboard?
B R: Peace, a packet of Haribo Tangfastics or Starmix, and a good strong cup of tea!
Jon: If you had to compare your book to another work, be it a book, film, or TV show, what would that be?
B R: Mmmmm. Tough one. It's not easy comparing your work to something from an established talent without sounding cocky, but if Robert Jordan and Joe Abercrombie had a lovechild (and let's face it, that's a little unlikely), with David and Leigh Eddings as the Godparents, then that lovechild would probably write something like 'The Rage Within'.
Jon: What do you like to read? What's the best book you've read and the worst?
B R: Lately I've been reading a lot more Science Fiction than Fantasy. I avidly follow Neal Asher, Richard Morgan and Alastair Reynolds. The great Iain M Banks sadly died during this interview, but his novel 'Use of Weapons' is probably the one book I would recommend to someone if they were only going to read one Scifi book in their life. Peter Brett's Demon cycle has me hooked as well at the moment.
Best book? 'Use of Weapons' or if I'm allowed a series, 'The Dragonlance Chronicles', by Weis and Hickman; its what really got me into fantasy.
Worst book? I had to read 'To Kill a Mockingbird' for my Higher English exam, and just couldn't get into it. It can't be a bad book, it's far too popular, but it just wasn't for me. Probably being told that I had to like it because it was a classic didn't help.
Jon: If you could have any other fictional character guest star in your stories, who or what would it be?
B R: Rowley Birkin QC from 'The Fast Show' could perhaps make an appearance in a village inn to lighten the atmosphere. Anyone who hasn't seen him should look him up on youtube; one of the best characters in television.
Jon: If there was a piece of music that would be suitable as the theme tune for your book, what is it!
B R: Ah. Beethoven's 9th Symphony. An epic piece with every emotion packed in, and an ending to blow your socks off.
Jon: Anything you'd like to add or tell your prospective readers?
B R: I didn't set out to change the world with this book. It was written to entertain; pure and simple.
Jon: And now for a wonderful excerpt from Bruce's book...
Then Kellan heard voices from up the slope. They were searching for him. He rose quickly and ran again, glancing over his shoulder from time to time, listening for his pursuers. Suddenly he crashed into a pile of branches, sending him sprawling on the damp, rocky ground.
He slowly looked up, and to his horror saw feet, dangling not a hand's width from his face. Every fibre of his being urged him not to look up, to run blindly away, but before he could stop himself he had raised his head.
He screamed. Before him, hanging from a bough, was his father. Face swollen and purple, eyes glazed. And then, like hammer blows, one by one he saw the other five victims, scattered about the edges of the small clearing, tongues bulging from between purple lips. He scratched at his face, trying to erase the images, but his father’s lifeless eyes glared through his frantic hands.
Gagging on the bile that filled his throat, he tore himself away from that place and ran, stumbled, crawled across the stones and dust. Horrors clawed at his back no matter how quickly he went, always just a hair’s breadth from tearing him down and devouring his mind. The back of his neck burned as he plunged on down the mountainside, too terrified to look back. Then his terror was joined by something more powerful.
He felt something terrible rise within him; a horrifying, yet welcome release from the visions that filled his mind. Even as he stumbled on down the slope, he felt a furnace of rage start to burn in the pit of his belly, and a roaring in his ears cut out the sounds of snapping branches and stones sent tumbling down the steep slope. He felt no pain when he tumbled and skidded on the sharp rocks, was barely aware of his surroundings at all, only the volcano building in his core.
On he ran down the mountainside, not caring where he was going, only away. Away from the memory of his mother’s death, his father’s dangling corpse. Away from blood, and swollen faces; headless bodies; terror. Unaware of passing time or distance he plunged on, fuelled by anger, giving himself freely to it, offering his soul to the rage within so that it could scour those images from his mind. He did not care if his being was swept away with it, so long as it took those awful memories and gave him peace, or oblivion.
He fell; weightless in free-fall for blessed seconds before hitting the icy river. The shock smashed away the muzzy walls that had almost shut him from the world outside, forcing him back to reality. Rage shattered like glass, giving way once again to fear, and despair as the foaming waters whisked him down rapid after rapid, tossing him, plunging him, dragging him down before throwing him up for a brief staccato gasp of air, then on down the torrent.
Then into free-fall once more, the roar of the waterfall echoing round the steep sided valley, but in those moments in space, a calm fell upon him. A perfect stillness. Detached as he was from the world, those blessed seconds freed him from his pain, both from the overwhelming sense of loss he felt, and from the damage to his battered body. The world was an arm’s length away, and rushing beside him as he began the calm slide downwards. Here in this place, above the water with its icy needles, below the jagged peaks with stones that cut flesh, he was untouchable, and utterly, utterly safe. He was in the womb, wrapped in soft torpor, the only sound, that of his mother’s heart. It had time to beat twice.
Then into the depths once more.
This time with no more fight to give.
www.brcrichton.com
Jon: A big thank you to B R Crichton for spending the time to talk to me about his writing.
Source: Uploaded by user via Jonathon on Pinterest
B R: I was born in Zimbabwe in 1975, and I was very lucky to be educated there when the government schools were still well funded. I was always a good creative writer, but never really considered it as a career until I was at college in Dundee after moving to Scotland in 2002. I wrote a book called 'The Gift of Chaos', which I will never publish. I have heard it said that every writer should put at least one book in the bin before writing a proper one, and that is what I have unintentionally done. It was a useful exercise in clearing my mind of clutter, and I learned a lot about planning and story structure.
Now I live in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, with my lovely wife Lesley, children Sandy and Laura, and a third due in July (Third and last. Separate beds from now on!). There are also two half-witted, but very lovable Rhodesian Ridgebacks to guard the ol' homestead.
Jon: So tell me a little about the book you've written?
B R: It's a Fantasy novel. I would definitely call it low fantasy; which I have heard described as 'non-rational events occurring in a rational setting'. I suppose what that means is, there is a great deal in that world that is very similar to our own, although there are elements of the story that could not occur in reality. Like most writers, I write what I would like to read. I have tried to avoid too much in depth world creation that is quite prevalent in the fantasy genre, and also avoided delving too much into the history of the world in an effort to explain its current state. I have kept the pace brisk throughout, so, although it covers a lot of ground, it does not get bogged down in peripheral events.
The Rage Within is a complete story in its own right. That is to say, it has an ending that can be seen as such. However, life goes on, even fictitious lives, and so I am working on the first of a three book sequel at the moment. Readers can choose whether or not to follow the characters beyond the end of this first book without feeling obliged to because of loose ends.
Source: Uploaded by user via Jonathon on Pinterest
Jon: Without spoilers, can you tell the readers what your story is about?
B R: "The Gods are dead. They are all but forgotten. One of their kind remains who has sworn to un-make all that his enemies created; but he has lost the ability to wield his power alone. He needs the anger of a mortal to unleash the destruction he craves, and Kellan Aemoran is more angry than most.
Having witnessed the murder of his family by a cruel Empire, Kellan is cast out into the world to fend for himself. A presence more powerful than anything seen since the age of the Gods has taken root in his soul, and is feeding on his rage.
With a band of mercenaries led by ‘Scurrilous’ Blunt, and an unlikely guide, Kellan must face his enemies in a land thrown into chaos; those enemies within as well as without. But he is a danger to all those he loves, and to save the world he must find a way to do the impossible…
Kill an immortal."
So there it is in a nutshell. Besides the protagonist, Kellan, I had a lot of fun with the mercenaries, and these are also important to the progression of the novel, and they have their own sub-plots within the main story. The people who have read it tell me that the mercenary leader, 'Scurrilous' Blunt was just an outlet for my own personality; and I find it hard to deny. For the majority of the book, the story unfolds in two parallel tales, one of Kellan's childhood, and the other his adulthood. This was a useful way to draw comparisons, and provide explanations for some of the events.
Jon: So would you describe your story as sword & sorcery, like Conan, or is it set in a contemporary "modern" world?
B R: Definitely more Conan, but not so much in the way of sorcery as such. I have avoided any overt magic, and have tried to be more subtle than magic wands and enchanted jewellery; not that there is anything wrong with that, I just wanted this book to be a little more grounded for reasons that become more apparent in the sequels. It is set in another world but has a very medieval feel to it.
Jon: How much did your life in Zimbabwe affect your writing, if at all?
B R: That's quite hard to answer since I have no idea what or if I would have written had I been brought up anywhere else. But, it must have had some sort of influence. Across much of Africa, the very worst of human excesses go on unchecked and in plain view, to a far greater degree than the UK, Western Europe or North America. The wealthiest Africans make Her Majesty look like a pauper, and the vast numbers of poor have no support whatsoever. Here in the UK, the worst our politicians can do is lie to us, and we have the ability to replace them. In many African countries today, the worst their leaders can do is declare them and enemy of the state, and have them, their family, village or tribe killed. It happens far more than is reported in our press. Despite all of this, it is a place of incredible energy and optimism, with the overwhelming majority of people simply trying to go about their lives like anywhere else. So perhaps that is the greatest influence; seeing the strength of the human spirit shine through against a backdrop of injustice and a legacy of hatred.
Jon: Was it a culture shock moving to Scotland?
B R: I had been to the UK a couple of times to visit my grandparents (My father was born just outside Dundee), so I knew what to expect. And yes, the weather in Zimbabwe is great. But you can have too much of a good thing; the temperature seldom drops below 20 degrees Celsius, and long before that the locals are reaching for their jumpers! Drought and water rationing are the by-products of all that sun though.
Jon: What made you move over here?
B R: Itchy feet. I really wanted to experience something new. Dundee was the obvious choice because of my family connections.
Jon: Anger seems to play a large part in your story. How much of that comes from you?
B R: Grrr! What are you saying? Probably more than I would like to admit. But then, it's a very human response to adversity; look for someone to blame and smite them! I'm more grumpy than angry though. Mostly.
Jon: If you could be an immortal god, what would you be the god of and what would be your special power?
B R: That's a tricky one. Perhaps the God of weather would be fun. I could favour those who please me with fine barbecue weather every weekend, but those who earn my wrath could have horizontal rain instead. (Just when they get the fire lit!) Either that or the God of something really trivial. That way, I wouldn't have to go in to work every day, and just go fishing instead.
Jon: So you're about to sit down to write. What three things must you have or do before touching the keyboard?
B R: Peace, a packet of Haribo Tangfastics or Starmix, and a good strong cup of tea!
Jon: If you had to compare your book to another work, be it a book, film, or TV show, what would that be?
B R: Mmmmm. Tough one. It's not easy comparing your work to something from an established talent without sounding cocky, but if Robert Jordan and Joe Abercrombie had a lovechild (and let's face it, that's a little unlikely), with David and Leigh Eddings as the Godparents, then that lovechild would probably write something like 'The Rage Within'.
Jon: What do you like to read? What's the best book you've read and the worst?
B R: Lately I've been reading a lot more Science Fiction than Fantasy. I avidly follow Neal Asher, Richard Morgan and Alastair Reynolds. The great Iain M Banks sadly died during this interview, but his novel 'Use of Weapons' is probably the one book I would recommend to someone if they were only going to read one Scifi book in their life. Peter Brett's Demon cycle has me hooked as well at the moment.
Best book? 'Use of Weapons' or if I'm allowed a series, 'The Dragonlance Chronicles', by Weis and Hickman; its what really got me into fantasy.
Worst book? I had to read 'To Kill a Mockingbird' for my Higher English exam, and just couldn't get into it. It can't be a bad book, it's far too popular, but it just wasn't for me. Probably being told that I had to like it because it was a classic didn't help.
Jon: If you could have any other fictional character guest star in your stories, who or what would it be?
B R: Rowley Birkin QC from 'The Fast Show' could perhaps make an appearance in a village inn to lighten the atmosphere. Anyone who hasn't seen him should look him up on youtube; one of the best characters in television.
Jon: If there was a piece of music that would be suitable as the theme tune for your book, what is it!
B R: Ah. Beethoven's 9th Symphony. An epic piece with every emotion packed in, and an ending to blow your socks off.
Jon: Anything you'd like to add or tell your prospective readers?
B R: I didn't set out to change the world with this book. It was written to entertain; pure and simple.
Jon: And now for a wonderful excerpt from Bruce's book...
Then Kellan heard voices from up the slope. They were searching for him. He rose quickly and ran again, glancing over his shoulder from time to time, listening for his pursuers. Suddenly he crashed into a pile of branches, sending him sprawling on the damp, rocky ground.
He slowly looked up, and to his horror saw feet, dangling not a hand's width from his face. Every fibre of his being urged him not to look up, to run blindly away, but before he could stop himself he had raised his head.
He screamed. Before him, hanging from a bough, was his father. Face swollen and purple, eyes glazed. And then, like hammer blows, one by one he saw the other five victims, scattered about the edges of the small clearing, tongues bulging from between purple lips. He scratched at his face, trying to erase the images, but his father’s lifeless eyes glared through his frantic hands.
Gagging on the bile that filled his throat, he tore himself away from that place and ran, stumbled, crawled across the stones and dust. Horrors clawed at his back no matter how quickly he went, always just a hair’s breadth from tearing him down and devouring his mind. The back of his neck burned as he plunged on down the mountainside, too terrified to look back. Then his terror was joined by something more powerful.
He felt something terrible rise within him; a horrifying, yet welcome release from the visions that filled his mind. Even as he stumbled on down the slope, he felt a furnace of rage start to burn in the pit of his belly, and a roaring in his ears cut out the sounds of snapping branches and stones sent tumbling down the steep slope. He felt no pain when he tumbled and skidded on the sharp rocks, was barely aware of his surroundings at all, only the volcano building in his core.
On he ran down the mountainside, not caring where he was going, only away. Away from the memory of his mother’s death, his father’s dangling corpse. Away from blood, and swollen faces; headless bodies; terror. Unaware of passing time or distance he plunged on, fuelled by anger, giving himself freely to it, offering his soul to the rage within so that it could scour those images from his mind. He did not care if his being was swept away with it, so long as it took those awful memories and gave him peace, or oblivion.
He fell; weightless in free-fall for blessed seconds before hitting the icy river. The shock smashed away the muzzy walls that had almost shut him from the world outside, forcing him back to reality. Rage shattered like glass, giving way once again to fear, and despair as the foaming waters whisked him down rapid after rapid, tossing him, plunging him, dragging him down before throwing him up for a brief staccato gasp of air, then on down the torrent.
Then into free-fall once more, the roar of the waterfall echoing round the steep sided valley, but in those moments in space, a calm fell upon him. A perfect stillness. Detached as he was from the world, those blessed seconds freed him from his pain, both from the overwhelming sense of loss he felt, and from the damage to his battered body. The world was an arm’s length away, and rushing beside him as he began the calm slide downwards. Here in this place, above the water with its icy needles, below the jagged peaks with stones that cut flesh, he was untouchable, and utterly, utterly safe. He was in the womb, wrapped in soft torpor, the only sound, that of his mother’s heart. It had time to beat twice.
Then into the depths once more.
This time with no more fight to give.
www.brcrichton.com
Jon: A big thank you to B R Crichton for spending the time to talk to me about his writing.
The Captain's Blog welcomes Jenny Thomson...
Today the Captain's Blog welcomes Jenny Thomson, author of "Dead Bastards" and "Hell to Pay".
Jon: Tell us a little about yourself...
Jenny: I've been a freelance writer since I got my first piece published at 15, although I've had spells as a TV extra - I narrowly missed out on being an extra in World War Z when it was filming in Glasgow. I've been a big zombie fan since I watched the original Night of the Living Dead. Dead Bastards was published in December of last year and I've been overwhelmed with the response I've got. Zombie fans are fantastic. My crime thriller Hell To Pay was just published by Sassy Books and it's my first Die Hard for girls book. Like Dead Bastards, the book has a strong female character. I love The Walking Dead, but hate the way they've ruined most of the women characters by making it more about who they sleep with than fighting walkers.
Jon: Can you tell us what "Dead Bastards" is about?
Jenny: Glasgow couple Emma and Scott are in bed when there's a knock at the door. It's Scott's pal Archie and he looks like he's been mugged, but when he dies and comes back to life, they realise that the zombies are here. Teaming up with zombie expert Kenny, would be suicide bomber Doyle and Mustafa who works in the local shop, they have one goal. Just don't get bitten.
Jon: So what is it about zombies? I've been hooked on zombie films since my sister made me watch "Return of the Living Dead" when I was twelve and couldn't sleep for a month. What did it for you?
Jenny: I've been hooked on zombies since I first watched Night of the Living Dead. The way the movie's shot almost has a documentary feel about it and it's done in such a matter of fact way, you think, "Hey, this could happen."
Jon: So what makes your zombie story different from all the others?
Jenny: Dead Bastards is set in Glasgow and because it's not set in America there aren't many guns around, so people have to improvise when it comes to killing zombies. That makes it much tougher to survive. I have a strong female lead character, Emma, who can wield a baseball bat as good as any man. There's also a lot of dark humour and that's a very Scottish thing. Scots can stare into the bowels of hell and still find something to laugh about. I've also come up with a unique way that the zombie virus is transmitted that nobody, to my knowledge, has ever used before.
Jon: What's the most gruesome way that a zombie is dispatched in your book?
Jenny: At the start of the book, Scott hacks a zombie snowman to death with his axe. The body parts fly all over the shop because he can't see the man under the snow and has to keep on hitting him again and again to make sure he's finished him off. One of my characters, Mustafa, has to kill his own dad, who's a zombie, with a Samurai sword. In the movies, you see men doing it in one swoop, but Mustafa takes a few goes. It's always more gruesome when you have to kill a relative, but there's an element of absurdity about it too, because you think, "hey, is he ever going to hack this head off - it's so much easier in the movies." Throughout the book, I've tried to make things realistic. These people aren't killing machines, they've had no training. It's hard for them to kill anyone even when it's a case of kill or be killed. Eventually, though, they get to the stage where it's just routine and they've adapted to this new reality.
Jon: Is there anything different about your zombies, or are they the standard, shambling, moaning brain eaters?
Jenny: I've gone for the classic shambling zombies, although they can fairly shift when there's food walking by. To me it was important not to mess with the zombie genre because it's fine as it is. Because their brains are decaying or have completely decayed and have turned to mush, zombies shouldn't really be sprinting like Usain Bolt as the brain controls movement.
Jon: If you were caught up in a zombie apocalypse, what would be your weapon of choice?
Jenny: A gun if I could get one, but if not a chainsaw would be pretty cool. Watch all those zombie body parts fly off and blood everywhere. You'd definitely know that thing was dead. A katana like Michonne in The Walking Dead would also be cool - one swoop and the walker's headless or you could aim for the torso and split it in two. A scythe like the one they use to cut long grass would also be fantastic. Those things are sharp. Hey, I've thought of those things, a bit too much folk would say.
Jon: Are there any more books in the "Dead Bastards" series?
Jenny: For now Dead Bastards is a one off, but I might write another very different zombie book. If I can find the time. I'm writing the Die Hard for Girls revenge series of books. The first "Hell To Pay" is just out on paperback and it will be out on Kindle July 26th. The second is out next year. The next zombie book, that's just an idea at the moment, would be about a detective who goes from walled city to walled city investigating murders carried out by inhabitants. People live in these protected places because they haven't yet eradicated all the zombies and travel between them would be highly dangerous. The most common murder method used would be to throw someone out of these walled city so it's a case of death by zombie.
Jon: Do you have anything else that you want to tell your readers?
Jenny: Dead Bastards is a book with real people. They're not law enforcement or soldiers, so they react in a very realistic way to what's happening. The zombies in Dead Bastards are traditional Romero zombies and not the ones in the World War Z movie that zombie aficionados have been complaining about. I came up with the title for the book because in Scotland if the dead started to rise that’s what we’d probably call them. Well, you wouldn’t immediately think zombies if it was actually happening to you:) The castle in the book is real, although I've changed the name.
For writing tips, check out my blog at
http://ramblingsofafrustratedcrimewri...
I also have a dedicated zombie site at
http://deidbastards.blogspot.co.uk
and one for my Die Hard for Girls book at
http://diehardforgirls.weebly.com
The first book, Hell To Pay is out now in paperback and the follow up, Throwaways, is out next year.
If I'd to offer writers any advice it would be to write as many different things as possible, because you will face countless disappointments along the way. Hell to Pay, a revenge thriller, will be published by Sassy Books, on July 26th 2013 It's the first book in a series dubbed Die Hard for Girls. Read an excerpt here on my Amazon author page:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jenny-Thomson...
http://ramblingsofafrustratedcrimewri...
http://jennifer-thomson.blogspot.co.uk/
Jon: Thank you very much to Jenny for sharing her life and afterlife with the Captain's Blog... Keep that chainsaw handy folks, the apocalypse is coming for you!
Source: Uploaded by user via Jonathon on Pinterest
Jon: Tell us a little about yourself...
Jenny: I've been a freelance writer since I got my first piece published at 15, although I've had spells as a TV extra - I narrowly missed out on being an extra in World War Z when it was filming in Glasgow. I've been a big zombie fan since I watched the original Night of the Living Dead. Dead Bastards was published in December of last year and I've been overwhelmed with the response I've got. Zombie fans are fantastic. My crime thriller Hell To Pay was just published by Sassy Books and it's my first Die Hard for girls book. Like Dead Bastards, the book has a strong female character. I love The Walking Dead, but hate the way they've ruined most of the women characters by making it more about who they sleep with than fighting walkers.
Jon: Can you tell us what "Dead Bastards" is about?
Jenny: Glasgow couple Emma and Scott are in bed when there's a knock at the door. It's Scott's pal Archie and he looks like he's been mugged, but when he dies and comes back to life, they realise that the zombies are here. Teaming up with zombie expert Kenny, would be suicide bomber Doyle and Mustafa who works in the local shop, they have one goal. Just don't get bitten.
Source: Uploaded by user via Jonathon on Pinterest
Jon: So what is it about zombies? I've been hooked on zombie films since my sister made me watch "Return of the Living Dead" when I was twelve and couldn't sleep for a month. What did it for you?
Jenny: I've been hooked on zombies since I first watched Night of the Living Dead. The way the movie's shot almost has a documentary feel about it and it's done in such a matter of fact way, you think, "Hey, this could happen."
Jon: So what makes your zombie story different from all the others?
Jenny: Dead Bastards is set in Glasgow and because it's not set in America there aren't many guns around, so people have to improvise when it comes to killing zombies. That makes it much tougher to survive. I have a strong female lead character, Emma, who can wield a baseball bat as good as any man. There's also a lot of dark humour and that's a very Scottish thing. Scots can stare into the bowels of hell and still find something to laugh about. I've also come up with a unique way that the zombie virus is transmitted that nobody, to my knowledge, has ever used before.
Jon: What's the most gruesome way that a zombie is dispatched in your book?
Jenny: At the start of the book, Scott hacks a zombie snowman to death with his axe. The body parts fly all over the shop because he can't see the man under the snow and has to keep on hitting him again and again to make sure he's finished him off. One of my characters, Mustafa, has to kill his own dad, who's a zombie, with a Samurai sword. In the movies, you see men doing it in one swoop, but Mustafa takes a few goes. It's always more gruesome when you have to kill a relative, but there's an element of absurdity about it too, because you think, "hey, is he ever going to hack this head off - it's so much easier in the movies." Throughout the book, I've tried to make things realistic. These people aren't killing machines, they've had no training. It's hard for them to kill anyone even when it's a case of kill or be killed. Eventually, though, they get to the stage where it's just routine and they've adapted to this new reality.
Jon: Is there anything different about your zombies, or are they the standard, shambling, moaning brain eaters?
Jenny: I've gone for the classic shambling zombies, although they can fairly shift when there's food walking by. To me it was important not to mess with the zombie genre because it's fine as it is. Because their brains are decaying or have completely decayed and have turned to mush, zombies shouldn't really be sprinting like Usain Bolt as the brain controls movement.
Jon: If you were caught up in a zombie apocalypse, what would be your weapon of choice?
Jenny: A gun if I could get one, but if not a chainsaw would be pretty cool. Watch all those zombie body parts fly off and blood everywhere. You'd definitely know that thing was dead. A katana like Michonne in The Walking Dead would also be cool - one swoop and the walker's headless or you could aim for the torso and split it in two. A scythe like the one they use to cut long grass would also be fantastic. Those things are sharp. Hey, I've thought of those things, a bit too much folk would say.
Jon: Are there any more books in the "Dead Bastards" series?
Jenny: For now Dead Bastards is a one off, but I might write another very different zombie book. If I can find the time. I'm writing the Die Hard for Girls revenge series of books. The first "Hell To Pay" is just out on paperback and it will be out on Kindle July 26th. The second is out next year. The next zombie book, that's just an idea at the moment, would be about a detective who goes from walled city to walled city investigating murders carried out by inhabitants. People live in these protected places because they haven't yet eradicated all the zombies and travel between them would be highly dangerous. The most common murder method used would be to throw someone out of these walled city so it's a case of death by zombie.
Source: Uploaded by user via Jonathon on Pinterest
Jon: Do you have anything else that you want to tell your readers?
Jenny: Dead Bastards is a book with real people. They're not law enforcement or soldiers, so they react in a very realistic way to what's happening. The zombies in Dead Bastards are traditional Romero zombies and not the ones in the World War Z movie that zombie aficionados have been complaining about. I came up with the title for the book because in Scotland if the dead started to rise that’s what we’d probably call them. Well, you wouldn’t immediately think zombies if it was actually happening to you:) The castle in the book is real, although I've changed the name.
For writing tips, check out my blog at
http://ramblingsofafrustratedcrimewri...
I also have a dedicated zombie site at
http://deidbastards.blogspot.co.uk
and one for my Die Hard for Girls book at
http://diehardforgirls.weebly.com
The first book, Hell To Pay is out now in paperback and the follow up, Throwaways, is out next year.
If I'd to offer writers any advice it would be to write as many different things as possible, because you will face countless disappointments along the way. Hell to Pay, a revenge thriller, will be published by Sassy Books, on July 26th 2013 It's the first book in a series dubbed Die Hard for Girls. Read an excerpt here on my Amazon author page:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jenny-Thomson...
http://ramblingsofafrustratedcrimewri...
http://jennifer-thomson.blogspot.co.uk/
Jon: Thank you very much to Jenny for sharing her life and afterlife with the Captain's Blog... Keep that chainsaw handy folks, the apocalypse is coming for you!
The Captain's Blog welcomes: Mason Myers, author of "Paulie"...
Today, the Captain's Blog welcomes Mason Myers, author of the horror story "Paulie"...
Here is the blurb...
"After the death of her husband's grandparents, Alice and her family inherit a century old farmhouse located on the outskirts of Pittsburg, New Hampshire. With the house paid off, and with plenty of room for her family to grow, it quickly outshines their small overpriced apartment in Brooklyn, New York. Alice thinks their new home is idealistic, but unnervingly isolated. What Alice doesn't know is that an unknown terror has risen just over the Canadian border, and the latest town to be overtaken by chaos and a nameless horror is only 30 miles away."
Jon: So, Mason. Tell us a little about yourself.
Mason: Where to begin? I'm originally from Claremont, New Hampshire. And after having moved more times than I care to remember, I finally found myself in North Carolina where I was fortunate enough to find my wife. Or did she find me?
I've always had an interest in writing. (Funny coming from someone who couldn't stand the idea of reading a book as a child). How I come up with my stories varies. They could come from a dream, a life experience, a random thought, or even a song I was listening to at the time. If pertaining to the genre, well that varies from story to story. (I know what you're thinking). "Story to story? But you only have one." And that is true. But no worries, I have more coming soon.
My interests include writing (of course), listening to music, reading, and my utmost favourite: spending time with my wife and little one.
Jon: Mason, what made you want to write in the horror genre?
Mason: Well to be honest, I'm not much of a fan of the horror genre. If you were to look at the books I have on my shelving unit, you would not see a single title under horror. I mostly read fantasy and sci-fi, which are the genres I wanted to write in for my first book. But as I grew more serious and sure that I did indeed plan to publish a story, I soon realised the time that I needed to set aside to get a full length novel done, which is hard when you are a full time stay at home dad. Also the fact that I would be an unknown author at the time didn't help the idea of writing a full length novel for my first story either. Which is where the idea for a short story came into play. The more I thought about what would be a good story to put my foot in the door of being an author, the more I liked the idea of it being a horror story. The fact that I grew up watching Goosebumps and Tales From The Crypt helped cement that idea firmly, for within a half hour's time, you could be pretty freaked out at the end of an episode.
Jon: How did you come up with the idea for Paulie!
Mason: I came up with the idea for Paulie based on the scary stories my mother and cousins would swap in the middle of the night whenever they came to visit, and the idea of being by yourself in the boonies of New Hampshire.
Jon: What was the best scary story that your mother and cousins told you?
Mason: The best scary story was a zombie romance story, where if the zombie walked into the sunlight he'd sparkle...
Jon: Did growing up in New Hampshire influence your writing of Paulie?
Mason: It didn't make a very big impact on it no. To be honest, I could have picked anywhere for the family to live. The only reason I picked New Hampshire when I wrote Paulie was because, honestly, my home state doesn't get picked on enough compared to New York, Washington DC or Los Angeles, just to name a few.
Jon: I agree. New York gets blown up far too many times in fiction. So what is your favourite horror or sci-fi set in small town USA and why?
Mason: Well, not sure book wise. All the sci-fi stories I read take place on alien worlds in far off galaxies. Movie wise thought, 30 Days of Night comes to mind right off the bat. Just the idea of being in a town where the sun doesn't rise for a month would drive me nuts, but add in the fact that the snow has closed me off to the rest of the world and vampires are running around eating everyone? That would have to be my favourite under those conditions.
Jon: So what really scares you and why? For me it's zombies, since my sister let me watch "Return of the Living Dead" when I was a kid. What is it for you?
Mason: Never been scared of zombies. When I was little I was terrified of clowns! Couldn't stand them (probably because I snuck down stairs one night while my parents were watching "IT") But my fear of clowns has passed over the years. What really scares me is paranormal horror. The thought of something that I can't see that is in my house with the intent of bringing nothing but pain and misery into my life scares the living hell out of me. I'm not afraid to admit that I walked out of "Paranormal Activity 2" when I went to see it with my wife (first and only one I have partly seen in the series). So yeah... Want to get a good scare out of me? Try and get me to watch a movie in that genre and you won't be disappointed, the main word being TRY.
Jon: If "Paulie" were to be made into a horror film, who would you cast in the main roles and why?
Mason: If it were to be made into a horror film that would be awesome and I would be most honoured. But to be honest I never really gave that idea much thought, despite some close friends of mine bringing it up every once in a while by saying something along the lines of, "Wouldn't it be awesome if your book became a horror movie?"
In which I would reply, "Yeah it would, but I'm not going to give it much thought until the day comes that production company likes my 'first' story enough to turn it into a full blown movie." As far as cast members. Think I'll leave that up to whomever wants to make the movie.
Jon: Do you have a short extract from Paulie that you would like to share with the readers?
Mason: Here is an extract for you...
"We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this special report. Two hours ago, the Governor-General of Canada declared martial law on the town of Coaticook after reports of widespread violence and disorder seemed to have taken hold of the entire population... Now we don't know the reason for what caused this violence to take place. The Prime Minister's office has not clarified the reason for it yet. But what is confirmed is that military forces have effectively sealed off Coaticook from anyone trying to leave or enter the town."
Alice was shocked after hearing the report. Not able to look away from the television, she asked to no one in particular, "This is some sort of prank right? Some new movie for Halloween?" Before anyone could reply the news anchor continued.
"We're going to take you to Shannon, who is at the scene now. Shannon." The news station was replaced by a young blonde woman, bundled up against the cold, as she stood behind several military humvees. The dull orange glow of fire could be seen past the vehicles as it lit up the night sky. Shouts and weapons fire could be heard in the distance. "What is the situation over there? Has anyone guessed as to the cause for this violent outbreak to start?"
"Well as you can see Harry, it is like a warzone over here. The Canadian Armed Forces arrived to what, could only be described as utter chaos. The populace of the town has seemed to have gone completely mad. There have been reports of military personnel being attacked on site. As for the cause of this violent outbreak, no one here is certain. We..." The reporter was interrupted as an explosion sounded, causing her to duck. A fireball rising into the sky past the humvees could be seen.
"Shannon, are you all right?" asked Harry as Shannon straightened up, glancing behind her as a soldier came running up.
"Get out of here! Now!" He shouted.
"Can you tell us what's going on? Wha..." An ear piercing warbling shriek erupted, causing Shannon to drop her microphone as she covered her ears. The camera pointed down towards the street as the sound of gun fire erupted. Shannon screamed out in terror before the feed was cut, bringing the news room back. Harry stared blankly at the camera having seen what had happened. His mouth hung open a little bit before he caught himself, shuffling his papers before an awkward look came to his face.
"We are having technical issues it seems. Please stay tuned and we will update you on this breaking story."
Jon: If you want to find out more about Mason or " Paulie" this is where to look...
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mamyers217
A big thank you to Mason for spending the time to answer my questions and good luck with Paulie!
Here is the blurb...
"After the death of her husband's grandparents, Alice and her family inherit a century old farmhouse located on the outskirts of Pittsburg, New Hampshire. With the house paid off, and with plenty of room for her family to grow, it quickly outshines their small overpriced apartment in Brooklyn, New York. Alice thinks their new home is idealistic, but unnervingly isolated. What Alice doesn't know is that an unknown terror has risen just over the Canadian border, and the latest town to be overtaken by chaos and a nameless horror is only 30 miles away."
Jon: So, Mason. Tell us a little about yourself.
Mason: Where to begin? I'm originally from Claremont, New Hampshire. And after having moved more times than I care to remember, I finally found myself in North Carolina where I was fortunate enough to find my wife. Or did she find me?
I've always had an interest in writing. (Funny coming from someone who couldn't stand the idea of reading a book as a child). How I come up with my stories varies. They could come from a dream, a life experience, a random thought, or even a song I was listening to at the time. If pertaining to the genre, well that varies from story to story. (I know what you're thinking). "Story to story? But you only have one." And that is true. But no worries, I have more coming soon.
My interests include writing (of course), listening to music, reading, and my utmost favourite: spending time with my wife and little one.
Jon: Mason, what made you want to write in the horror genre?
Mason: Well to be honest, I'm not much of a fan of the horror genre. If you were to look at the books I have on my shelving unit, you would not see a single title under horror. I mostly read fantasy and sci-fi, which are the genres I wanted to write in for my first book. But as I grew more serious and sure that I did indeed plan to publish a story, I soon realised the time that I needed to set aside to get a full length novel done, which is hard when you are a full time stay at home dad. Also the fact that I would be an unknown author at the time didn't help the idea of writing a full length novel for my first story either. Which is where the idea for a short story came into play. The more I thought about what would be a good story to put my foot in the door of being an author, the more I liked the idea of it being a horror story. The fact that I grew up watching Goosebumps and Tales From The Crypt helped cement that idea firmly, for within a half hour's time, you could be pretty freaked out at the end of an episode.
Jon: How did you come up with the idea for Paulie!
Mason: I came up with the idea for Paulie based on the scary stories my mother and cousins would swap in the middle of the night whenever they came to visit, and the idea of being by yourself in the boonies of New Hampshire.
Jon: What was the best scary story that your mother and cousins told you?
Mason: The best scary story was a zombie romance story, where if the zombie walked into the sunlight he'd sparkle...
Jon: Did growing up in New Hampshire influence your writing of Paulie?
Mason: It didn't make a very big impact on it no. To be honest, I could have picked anywhere for the family to live. The only reason I picked New Hampshire when I wrote Paulie was because, honestly, my home state doesn't get picked on enough compared to New York, Washington DC or Los Angeles, just to name a few.
Jon: I agree. New York gets blown up far too many times in fiction. So what is your favourite horror or sci-fi set in small town USA and why?
Mason: Well, not sure book wise. All the sci-fi stories I read take place on alien worlds in far off galaxies. Movie wise thought, 30 Days of Night comes to mind right off the bat. Just the idea of being in a town where the sun doesn't rise for a month would drive me nuts, but add in the fact that the snow has closed me off to the rest of the world and vampires are running around eating everyone? That would have to be my favourite under those conditions.
Jon: So what really scares you and why? For me it's zombies, since my sister let me watch "Return of the Living Dead" when I was a kid. What is it for you?
Mason: Never been scared of zombies. When I was little I was terrified of clowns! Couldn't stand them (probably because I snuck down stairs one night while my parents were watching "IT") But my fear of clowns has passed over the years. What really scares me is paranormal horror. The thought of something that I can't see that is in my house with the intent of bringing nothing but pain and misery into my life scares the living hell out of me. I'm not afraid to admit that I walked out of "Paranormal Activity 2" when I went to see it with my wife (first and only one I have partly seen in the series). So yeah... Want to get a good scare out of me? Try and get me to watch a movie in that genre and you won't be disappointed, the main word being TRY.
Jon: If "Paulie" were to be made into a horror film, who would you cast in the main roles and why?
Mason: If it were to be made into a horror film that would be awesome and I would be most honoured. But to be honest I never really gave that idea much thought, despite some close friends of mine bringing it up every once in a while by saying something along the lines of, "Wouldn't it be awesome if your book became a horror movie?"
In which I would reply, "Yeah it would, but I'm not going to give it much thought until the day comes that production company likes my 'first' story enough to turn it into a full blown movie." As far as cast members. Think I'll leave that up to whomever wants to make the movie.
Jon: Do you have a short extract from Paulie that you would like to share with the readers?
Mason: Here is an extract for you...
"We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this special report. Two hours ago, the Governor-General of Canada declared martial law on the town of Coaticook after reports of widespread violence and disorder seemed to have taken hold of the entire population... Now we don't know the reason for what caused this violence to take place. The Prime Minister's office has not clarified the reason for it yet. But what is confirmed is that military forces have effectively sealed off Coaticook from anyone trying to leave or enter the town."
Alice was shocked after hearing the report. Not able to look away from the television, she asked to no one in particular, "This is some sort of prank right? Some new movie for Halloween?" Before anyone could reply the news anchor continued.
"We're going to take you to Shannon, who is at the scene now. Shannon." The news station was replaced by a young blonde woman, bundled up against the cold, as she stood behind several military humvees. The dull orange glow of fire could be seen past the vehicles as it lit up the night sky. Shouts and weapons fire could be heard in the distance. "What is the situation over there? Has anyone guessed as to the cause for this violent outbreak to start?"
"Well as you can see Harry, it is like a warzone over here. The Canadian Armed Forces arrived to what, could only be described as utter chaos. The populace of the town has seemed to have gone completely mad. There have been reports of military personnel being attacked on site. As for the cause of this violent outbreak, no one here is certain. We..." The reporter was interrupted as an explosion sounded, causing her to duck. A fireball rising into the sky past the humvees could be seen.
"Shannon, are you all right?" asked Harry as Shannon straightened up, glancing behind her as a soldier came running up.
"Get out of here! Now!" He shouted.
"Can you tell us what's going on? Wha..." An ear piercing warbling shriek erupted, causing Shannon to drop her microphone as she covered her ears. The camera pointed down towards the street as the sound of gun fire erupted. Shannon screamed out in terror before the feed was cut, bringing the news room back. Harry stared blankly at the camera having seen what had happened. His mouth hung open a little bit before he caught himself, shuffling his papers before an awkward look came to his face.
"We are having technical issues it seems. Please stay tuned and we will update you on this breaking story."
Jon: If you want to find out more about Mason or " Paulie" this is where to look...
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mamyers217
A big thank you to Mason for spending the time to answer my questions and good luck with Paulie!
The Captain's Blog welcomes DJ Bowman-Smith
Jon: Today the Captain's Blog welcomes my good Twitter friend, D J Bowman-Smith. Here is a little about her...
"A few short years ago my nephew almost died from that terrible swine flu. He recovered and is now in the very best of health. But when it was all over I had (I think they call it mid-life crisis) a moment of, 'Am I doing what I want with my life?'
There is nothing like a brush with mortality to make one re-asses what really matters.
Anyway, I gave up teaching to write "Shoken Wars". I had started it a few years before and imagined, after a few books of notes that 'it' would fade away. But this is the story that will not lie down. The one I have to write. Book one, Fragile Peace is out now and I am (obsessed) busy with book two.
What else? Well I was a hairdresser when I was young and ran my own salon for some years and I have travelled a lot, as I used to work on the cruise liners, doing hair. Once computers came along I could manage my dyslexia and took a degree with the Open University and then trained as a teacher.
In amongst it all I have, and do work as an artist, taking on any commission that suits me. Recently I have painted a mural, designed a letterhead, painted a watercolour of sweet peas.
Paul and I have been married for twenty three years and we have two teenage daughters and a very fluffy cat called Milly who is transgendered... but that is probably another story.
Jon: Tell us about your book?
Bow: Fragile Peace, the first book of the Shoken Wars, begins the story of the Shoken King, his bonded protectors or Crystal Bearers and their enemies, the Sturgar.
War has not yet started, but it is coming. The Sturgar have gained strength and begun again their genocide of the lesser Shoken races.
An adult fantasy of intrigue, dark violence, friendship, romance, sex and bravery. Encompassing mythic beasts, ghosts, special powers and more.
Shoken Wars ~ a fight for power and survival.
Jon: Where did the original inspiration for Shoken Wars come from?
Bow: I have a funny feeling that you are not going to be the last person to ask me this question, which is a bit worrying, as I have absolutely no idea! All I can say is, at any given time I am running an imaginary world through my minds eye. When I began Shoken Wars I had two stories in my head. I decided to write a bit of each and see which one I liked best... I never did write any of the other one, although I still think about it. When you get right down to it, I'm probably just a day dreamer!
Jon: What, or who, is a Shoken?
Bow: Writing fantasy is a funny business and when I am in the 'zone' I imagine this new world I create to have different words for things. I try not to use too many as I don't want to overcomplicate things, for myself or the reader. So, the 'human like' people in my story, they are 'shoken' whilst the less 'human like' (and the bad guys) are the Sturgar. All of the Shoken races will have to unite against the Sturgar if they want to survive.
Jon: your cover art is very interesting. Why a face made from knives?
Bow: Well if I happen to be left alone with a bit of paper and something to make a mark with, what I draw is faces and knives. Which is odd, because I look like I would draw kittens and roses (and write romance)... but then, looks can be deceiving.
I think what I am trying to convey is that whatever the Shoken fight the Sturgar with, they are still fighting a losing battle. It's going to take cunning and knowledge of their weakness to win, not just weapons and it's going to take a long time.
Jon: Did hairdressing teach you anything that you have brought to your writing?
Bow: I think any job where you get to meet a lot of different people is good for writing. And I believe all writers are, ultimately, people watchers. And it is odd, folk often drop their barriers and open up when they are having there hair done. Certainly I have heard some pretty intimate stories.
But the main thing was the travel. I spent three years hairdressing on the cruise liners and have been around the world a few times. When I got home I couldn't find my way around my home town of Bournemouth, I was mare familiar with Shanghai and Hong Kong!
Jon: I know a lot of writers who are / were teachers. What do you think teacher training brings to being an author?
Bow: It is about all the people you meet, kids, parents, teachers, caretakers etc. but also, as a teacher, one is constantly having to expand ones knowledge base to meet the requirements of the curriculum and the children's needs. As a teacher you must become a lifelong learner and that is good for a writer... there is always something that needs to be found out or understood either for the writing itself or to support it. My next challenge (and I have no clue about this) is to make a YouTube trailer.
Jon: Tell us about some of the artwork that you have completed recently apart from your book covers. What do you like to do, why do you enjoy it?
Here I am (standing on the table) painting a mural in my house. I have done a few similar 'trophy heads' for people. I like to make each different even if people want a 'copy' of something they have seen in my home or someone else's. The antler on the right ended up with a bunch of keys hanging from it as a surprise for the client's partner as she is always losing them, (sadly I did not take a picture).
I enjoy this type of thing and love the freedom a nice big wall gives! It is important to think about how the light is falling in the room so that you add the shadows accordingly to give the trompe-l'oeil effect. At the moment I am working on some sketches to paint a mural of a ship's port hole in a client's kitchen. They are undecided whether they want to see through the port hole, at the moment the husband wants a mermaid but the wife, a tropical island! When they decide I will get to work!
In the summer I was asked to paint some sweet peas for a raffle for a charity ball that was raising money for the ECMO hospital in Leicester. Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is a machine that oxygenates the blood. They managed to raise £8000 which was great and I understand the money is going to go toward equipping another ambulance with an ECMO machine. So it was great to paint something to help raise money for charity.
The funny thing is, when I am painting I am always thinking about writing. I like to put some head phones on and let my mind drift off into my imagination as I work. I always keep a note book handy so I can write down anything that might come in useful.
Jon: Do you have a short excerpt from "Shoken Wars" for my readers?
Shoken Wars, Book one, Fragile Peace
Chapter 1
She was nothing. A tiny slip of a girl who barely reached his shoulder, and if politeness had not been ingrained from an early age, he would have laughed aloud at her audacity. Instead he stood his ground, blocking the entrance to the prisoner’s cell, and adopted a serious expression.
‘We requested one of the Lord’s protectors,’ he said.
The girl looked bored and walked away, for a moment he thought she was leaving, but she stopped at the foot of the steps and called up. The Warder came in a hurry and made a formal salute to her, she returned it casually.
‘I haven’t got time to argue with your man here,’ she said.
‘I’m sorry my Lady, he’s new,’ he said, still standing to attention with his right fist clenched over his heart. ‘Do as she asks.’
She came to stand beside him, indicating with a nod that he should open the door. He turned the key slowly, ‘I’m coming in with you,’ he said.
‘What’s your name?’
It was a rude question, implying she outranked him. He studied her expressionless face as she peered through the bars of the door. She was just a girl, albeit one dressed in boy’s clothing and she was young. His face stretched into smile, partly from amusement, more from incredulity, surely she did not think she could go in and face one, alone and unarmed?
The lock clicked its last and the heavy door swung inward. Before he had the chance to stop her she had stepped inside and so he followed, bringing a torch from the wall and loosening his sword.
At first the cell seemed empty until he looked up and saw it, crouching in the rafters, like a man, almost. It watched them, the vertical slit pupils of its eyes made him uneasy and he held the flame higher so it turned away from the light. Even from this distance it seemed huge, menacing even as it was injured, and he felt unsafe in its presence.
‘Come on, you’ve seen it now. Time to go,’ he said, reaching out to help her through the door before it decided to jump down and kill them both. She slipped out of reach and moved to the back of the cell and running four strides leapt onto the rafter, lithe as a cat. He drew his broad-sword on a reflex as the Sturgar stood to face her.
They had thrashed it half to death, stripped and left it bound, or so they thought. Yet here it stood, free and seemingly none the worse for the beating, its smooth grey body rippling with muscle. The girl addressed it quietly, in a soft whispered breath.
‘How many of you came?’
The Sturgar glanced down at the open door and the soldier, then turned his attention back to the girl. She held something, two tiny blades that caught the light. He would have laughed if she had drawn such weapons on him but the Sturgar stepped back, watching her. She turned her hands over, the blades lay flat on her palms.
‘I can make your death swift or slow, the choice is yours. Either way you will tell me what I need to know,’ she breathed.
The Sturgar said nothing and was still, only the slight rhythmic twitch of its long tail showed it was agitated. The blades floated up and hung in the air of their own volition. It was captivating.
Then the blades moved. A sudden dart, one to its throat where it hovered, pricking the skin lightly. The Sturgar tried to bat it away with his hands, every time the metal touched him he was cut, and soon was bleeding freely. The other blade, had gone unnoticed, floating just below its navel and when this cut into him the Sturgar clutched his stomach and fell heavily, a massive writhing heap to the floor.
The girl jumped down, another blade her hand. Impassively she regarded the creatures agony for a moment then calmly sliced off its tail and kicked him onto his back with her foot. She held it up for him to see. It was grey, smooth and much longer than she was tall.
The Sturgar looked up at her and where it had made no noise, even when the soldiers had beaten it, now it cried, a soft high pitched whine, disconcerting and awful.
The girl knelt down, then coiled the tail like a rope and laid it on his chest. She must have stopped the movement of the blade that was inside him as the Sturgar ceased clawing at its stomach.
‘Tell me,’ she said, in her quiet, soft voice, ‘do the Sturgar still believe their god will think lesser of them if they arrive at death without a tail, like a little shoken?’
The Sturgar looked at her and hissed.
‘I think I shall keep yours. Hang it on my wall.’
Again the blades moved and the Sturgar writhed and cried until at last it let go its stomach and placed both hands over the severed tail. Silence for a moment, then it spoke.
‘Seven runners were sent.’ Its voice was barely audible.
‘Where are the others?’
‘Not here, we went across the Land. Many places.’
‘Why?’
‘To be the eyes of the Master. So he can learn about the softlings.’
‘Which Master?’
‘Mag’Sood.’
The girl nodded, reached over and slit the Sturgar’s throat, first one way and then the other, severing both jugular veins, then the blade that had been within him, pierced the skin below the rib cage and came to her waiting hand.
‘I asked for your name soldier,’ she said, and there was menace in her tone as she stepped over the pooling blood and came toward him.
‘Krebre,’ he said, realising he was still brandishing the broad sword and re-sheathed it, feeling like a fool. He saw her look over his uniform, taking in the years of service, rank and cohort and understood in that glance she knew just where to find him.
‘You will not speak of anything you have seen or heard,’ she said, moving toward the door and calling for the Warder.
The Warder came at a run; she ignored his salute. ‘Where was the Sturgar found?’
‘From the wall, shot by a young archer.’
Taking the torch from Krebre she knelt down and examined the body in detail. There was a wound to the shoulder from an arrow, but for a full grown male Sturgar it was nothing. She was surprised he had been hit, much less captured.
‘Why wasn’t he bound?’
‘He was my Lady, well bound,’ said the Warder.
‘With leather?’
‘Yes. We had no manacles big enough,’ the Warder looked about for the straps wanting to show her how strong they were.
‘He would have eaten them,’ she said and pulled back the Sturgar’s gums, revealing a double row of teeth. The gums were red and bleeding and now, placing her hand on his face, she knew. ‘He was sick,’ she said, ‘feel how hot his skin is.’
Neither reached down to touch the Sturgar.
‘No one would have been able to catch him otherwise,’ she said and knew it was the reason the Sturgar had not made any effort to fight.
‘The body needs to be burnt else the infection it carries might spread. Do it here in secret and if rumours begin, say it was only one of the Strick that was captured for stealing. Bring Patmore the Smith, he can be trusted. Have him take a look at the body and make some manacles that would fit.’
‘Will there be others?’ the Warder asked as he walked cautiously around the body as if not quite trusting that the Sturgar was dead.
‘Yes,’ she said, going to the door. ‘Sooner, or later they will come, and if you survive, you will think back, and know the shoken wars began here.’
Krebre took the torch she held out. ‘Do you want the tail?’ he asked.
‘No,’ she said. ‘Why give him another reason to hunt me down in the after life?’
Her smile lacked mirth and made him shiver.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fragile-Peace...
Jon: A big thank you to Bow for joining me on the Captain's blog!
"A few short years ago my nephew almost died from that terrible swine flu. He recovered and is now in the very best of health. But when it was all over I had (I think they call it mid-life crisis) a moment of, 'Am I doing what I want with my life?'
There is nothing like a brush with mortality to make one re-asses what really matters.
Anyway, I gave up teaching to write "Shoken Wars". I had started it a few years before and imagined, after a few books of notes that 'it' would fade away. But this is the story that will not lie down. The one I have to write. Book one, Fragile Peace is out now and I am (obsessed) busy with book two.
What else? Well I was a hairdresser when I was young and ran my own salon for some years and I have travelled a lot, as I used to work on the cruise liners, doing hair. Once computers came along I could manage my dyslexia and took a degree with the Open University and then trained as a teacher.
In amongst it all I have, and do work as an artist, taking on any commission that suits me. Recently I have painted a mural, designed a letterhead, painted a watercolour of sweet peas.
Paul and I have been married for twenty three years and we have two teenage daughters and a very fluffy cat called Milly who is transgendered... but that is probably another story.
Jon: Tell us about your book?
Bow: Fragile Peace, the first book of the Shoken Wars, begins the story of the Shoken King, his bonded protectors or Crystal Bearers and their enemies, the Sturgar.
War has not yet started, but it is coming. The Sturgar have gained strength and begun again their genocide of the lesser Shoken races.
An adult fantasy of intrigue, dark violence, friendship, romance, sex and bravery. Encompassing mythic beasts, ghosts, special powers and more.
Shoken Wars ~ a fight for power and survival.
Jon: Where did the original inspiration for Shoken Wars come from?
Bow: I have a funny feeling that you are not going to be the last person to ask me this question, which is a bit worrying, as I have absolutely no idea! All I can say is, at any given time I am running an imaginary world through my minds eye. When I began Shoken Wars I had two stories in my head. I decided to write a bit of each and see which one I liked best... I never did write any of the other one, although I still think about it. When you get right down to it, I'm probably just a day dreamer!
Jon: What, or who, is a Shoken?
Bow: Writing fantasy is a funny business and when I am in the 'zone' I imagine this new world I create to have different words for things. I try not to use too many as I don't want to overcomplicate things, for myself or the reader. So, the 'human like' people in my story, they are 'shoken' whilst the less 'human like' (and the bad guys) are the Sturgar. All of the Shoken races will have to unite against the Sturgar if they want to survive.
Jon: your cover art is very interesting. Why a face made from knives?
Bow: Well if I happen to be left alone with a bit of paper and something to make a mark with, what I draw is faces and knives. Which is odd, because I look like I would draw kittens and roses (and write romance)... but then, looks can be deceiving.
I think what I am trying to convey is that whatever the Shoken fight the Sturgar with, they are still fighting a losing battle. It's going to take cunning and knowledge of their weakness to win, not just weapons and it's going to take a long time.
Jon: Did hairdressing teach you anything that you have brought to your writing?
Bow: I think any job where you get to meet a lot of different people is good for writing. And I believe all writers are, ultimately, people watchers. And it is odd, folk often drop their barriers and open up when they are having there hair done. Certainly I have heard some pretty intimate stories.
But the main thing was the travel. I spent three years hairdressing on the cruise liners and have been around the world a few times. When I got home I couldn't find my way around my home town of Bournemouth, I was mare familiar with Shanghai and Hong Kong!
Jon: I know a lot of writers who are / were teachers. What do you think teacher training brings to being an author?
Bow: It is about all the people you meet, kids, parents, teachers, caretakers etc. but also, as a teacher, one is constantly having to expand ones knowledge base to meet the requirements of the curriculum and the children's needs. As a teacher you must become a lifelong learner and that is good for a writer... there is always something that needs to be found out or understood either for the writing itself or to support it. My next challenge (and I have no clue about this) is to make a YouTube trailer.
Jon: Tell us about some of the artwork that you have completed recently apart from your book covers. What do you like to do, why do you enjoy it?
Here I am (standing on the table) painting a mural in my house. I have done a few similar 'trophy heads' for people. I like to make each different even if people want a 'copy' of something they have seen in my home or someone else's. The antler on the right ended up with a bunch of keys hanging from it as a surprise for the client's partner as she is always losing them, (sadly I did not take a picture).
I enjoy this type of thing and love the freedom a nice big wall gives! It is important to think about how the light is falling in the room so that you add the shadows accordingly to give the trompe-l'oeil effect. At the moment I am working on some sketches to paint a mural of a ship's port hole in a client's kitchen. They are undecided whether they want to see through the port hole, at the moment the husband wants a mermaid but the wife, a tropical island! When they decide I will get to work!
In the summer I was asked to paint some sweet peas for a raffle for a charity ball that was raising money for the ECMO hospital in Leicester. Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is a machine that oxygenates the blood. They managed to raise £8000 which was great and I understand the money is going to go toward equipping another ambulance with an ECMO machine. So it was great to paint something to help raise money for charity.
The funny thing is, when I am painting I am always thinking about writing. I like to put some head phones on and let my mind drift off into my imagination as I work. I always keep a note book handy so I can write down anything that might come in useful.
Jon: Do you have a short excerpt from "Shoken Wars" for my readers?
Shoken Wars, Book one, Fragile Peace
Chapter 1
She was nothing. A tiny slip of a girl who barely reached his shoulder, and if politeness had not been ingrained from an early age, he would have laughed aloud at her audacity. Instead he stood his ground, blocking the entrance to the prisoner’s cell, and adopted a serious expression.
‘We requested one of the Lord’s protectors,’ he said.
The girl looked bored and walked away, for a moment he thought she was leaving, but she stopped at the foot of the steps and called up. The Warder came in a hurry and made a formal salute to her, she returned it casually.
‘I haven’t got time to argue with your man here,’ she said.
‘I’m sorry my Lady, he’s new,’ he said, still standing to attention with his right fist clenched over his heart. ‘Do as she asks.’
She came to stand beside him, indicating with a nod that he should open the door. He turned the key slowly, ‘I’m coming in with you,’ he said.
‘What’s your name?’
It was a rude question, implying she outranked him. He studied her expressionless face as she peered through the bars of the door. She was just a girl, albeit one dressed in boy’s clothing and she was young. His face stretched into smile, partly from amusement, more from incredulity, surely she did not think she could go in and face one, alone and unarmed?
The lock clicked its last and the heavy door swung inward. Before he had the chance to stop her she had stepped inside and so he followed, bringing a torch from the wall and loosening his sword.
At first the cell seemed empty until he looked up and saw it, crouching in the rafters, like a man, almost. It watched them, the vertical slit pupils of its eyes made him uneasy and he held the flame higher so it turned away from the light. Even from this distance it seemed huge, menacing even as it was injured, and he felt unsafe in its presence.
‘Come on, you’ve seen it now. Time to go,’ he said, reaching out to help her through the door before it decided to jump down and kill them both. She slipped out of reach and moved to the back of the cell and running four strides leapt onto the rafter, lithe as a cat. He drew his broad-sword on a reflex as the Sturgar stood to face her.
They had thrashed it half to death, stripped and left it bound, or so they thought. Yet here it stood, free and seemingly none the worse for the beating, its smooth grey body rippling with muscle. The girl addressed it quietly, in a soft whispered breath.
‘How many of you came?’
The Sturgar glanced down at the open door and the soldier, then turned his attention back to the girl. She held something, two tiny blades that caught the light. He would have laughed if she had drawn such weapons on him but the Sturgar stepped back, watching her. She turned her hands over, the blades lay flat on her palms.
‘I can make your death swift or slow, the choice is yours. Either way you will tell me what I need to know,’ she breathed.
The Sturgar said nothing and was still, only the slight rhythmic twitch of its long tail showed it was agitated. The blades floated up and hung in the air of their own volition. It was captivating.
Then the blades moved. A sudden dart, one to its throat where it hovered, pricking the skin lightly. The Sturgar tried to bat it away with his hands, every time the metal touched him he was cut, and soon was bleeding freely. The other blade, had gone unnoticed, floating just below its navel and when this cut into him the Sturgar clutched his stomach and fell heavily, a massive writhing heap to the floor.
The girl jumped down, another blade her hand. Impassively she regarded the creatures agony for a moment then calmly sliced off its tail and kicked him onto his back with her foot. She held it up for him to see. It was grey, smooth and much longer than she was tall.
The Sturgar looked up at her and where it had made no noise, even when the soldiers had beaten it, now it cried, a soft high pitched whine, disconcerting and awful.
The girl knelt down, then coiled the tail like a rope and laid it on his chest. She must have stopped the movement of the blade that was inside him as the Sturgar ceased clawing at its stomach.
‘Tell me,’ she said, in her quiet, soft voice, ‘do the Sturgar still believe their god will think lesser of them if they arrive at death without a tail, like a little shoken?’
The Sturgar looked at her and hissed.
‘I think I shall keep yours. Hang it on my wall.’
Again the blades moved and the Sturgar writhed and cried until at last it let go its stomach and placed both hands over the severed tail. Silence for a moment, then it spoke.
‘Seven runners were sent.’ Its voice was barely audible.
‘Where are the others?’
‘Not here, we went across the Land. Many places.’
‘Why?’
‘To be the eyes of the Master. So he can learn about the softlings.’
‘Which Master?’
‘Mag’Sood.’
The girl nodded, reached over and slit the Sturgar’s throat, first one way and then the other, severing both jugular veins, then the blade that had been within him, pierced the skin below the rib cage and came to her waiting hand.
‘I asked for your name soldier,’ she said, and there was menace in her tone as she stepped over the pooling blood and came toward him.
‘Krebre,’ he said, realising he was still brandishing the broad sword and re-sheathed it, feeling like a fool. He saw her look over his uniform, taking in the years of service, rank and cohort and understood in that glance she knew just where to find him.
‘You will not speak of anything you have seen or heard,’ she said, moving toward the door and calling for the Warder.
The Warder came at a run; she ignored his salute. ‘Where was the Sturgar found?’
‘From the wall, shot by a young archer.’
Taking the torch from Krebre she knelt down and examined the body in detail. There was a wound to the shoulder from an arrow, but for a full grown male Sturgar it was nothing. She was surprised he had been hit, much less captured.
‘Why wasn’t he bound?’
‘He was my Lady, well bound,’ said the Warder.
‘With leather?’
‘Yes. We had no manacles big enough,’ the Warder looked about for the straps wanting to show her how strong they were.
‘He would have eaten them,’ she said and pulled back the Sturgar’s gums, revealing a double row of teeth. The gums were red and bleeding and now, placing her hand on his face, she knew. ‘He was sick,’ she said, ‘feel how hot his skin is.’
Neither reached down to touch the Sturgar.
‘No one would have been able to catch him otherwise,’ she said and knew it was the reason the Sturgar had not made any effort to fight.
‘The body needs to be burnt else the infection it carries might spread. Do it here in secret and if rumours begin, say it was only one of the Strick that was captured for stealing. Bring Patmore the Smith, he can be trusted. Have him take a look at the body and make some manacles that would fit.’
‘Will there be others?’ the Warder asked as he walked cautiously around the body as if not quite trusting that the Sturgar was dead.
‘Yes,’ she said, going to the door. ‘Sooner, or later they will come, and if you survive, you will think back, and know the shoken wars began here.’
Krebre took the torch she held out. ‘Do you want the tail?’ he asked.
‘No,’ she said. ‘Why give him another reason to hunt me down in the after life?’
Her smile lacked mirth and made him shiver.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fragile-Peace...
Jon: A big thank you to Bow for joining me on the Captain's blog!
The Captain's Blog welcomes Michael Cairns...
Today the Captain's Blog welcomes author Michael Cairns...
Here is a little about him:
Michael Cairns was born at a young age and could write even before he could play the drums, but that was long ago, in the glory days – when he actually had hair. He loves pineapple, playing gigs and outwitting his young daughter (the scores are about level but she’s getting smarter every day). Michael is currently working hard on writing, getting enough sleep and keeping his hair. The first is going well, the other two…not so much.
...and here is a little about his latest book.
The story is called 13 Roses and can be described as a character study/zombie apocalypse/spiritual fantasy…thing.
The flower seller sets up his stall on Embankment every day. Every day, he will serve only one customer. That person will be on the edge. Maybe they have to make a decision they dread, maybe their world is falling down around them and they are faced with a choice. Or maybe they need to change and don’t realise it. Whatever it may be, the flower seller is there, nudging them in one direction or another and giving them more than a nudge when the need arises. But who is the flower seller and why is he giving these people roses? And where do the zombies come in? All will be revealed…
Jon: so why the obsession with pineapple?
Michael: Pineapple just has it right. It's the right amount of crunch to sweetness ratio. It's also normally pretty good in terms of being ripe. I'd put nectarines in there but getting ones that are ripe can be tough. Mangos get an honourable mention but they're a sod to peel.
Jon: Do you play in a band? What's it called and what sort of music do you play?
Michael: I play in a few bands. I make money playing at corporate functions and weddings, banging out all the classic pop songs you can think of (and some you'd probably rather not)
My main gig is playing with a fabulous soul singer called Alexia Coley. She's releasing her first album (featuring me on drums) through Jalapeno records later in the year. If you like your soul funky, passionate and occasionally dirty, you can find her here: http://alexiacoley.com/
Jon: Interesting blurb. Care to tell us a little about the flower seller (without spoilers)?
Michael: Talking about the flower seller without giving too much away is tricky. He has a very difficult job and it's one he's been forced into following a release from his previous role. Despite this he takes every subject he has very seriously and strives to bring them back from whatever brink they're on. His boss is something of a harsh taskmaster but there's more going on in their relationship than simple line-managing. To be honest, the story is taking place live on the blog, so if you want to know more, the best is to check it out on the blog. Part one is here: http://cairnswrites.com/13-roses-part...
Jon: What is it about zombies that does it for you?
Michael: Good question. I first got into zombies through Day of the Dead, the classic Romero movie. It was only after I'd watched it a few times and done my research I discovered Dawn of the Dead was the real classic. But I loved the bleakness of Day along with the sheer excess of people being torn apart and eaten alive! I enjoy the way zombie films never finish with a nice clean everything's okay ending. I also love that feeling of having to survive without any real sense of hope. Cheery stuff! I love that at the heart of them, zombie movies are about ordinary people dealing with extraordinary circumstances. But the extraordinary bits are almost always secondary to the people and their personal journeys. Zombie movies can be wonderful metaphors or you can just enjoy them for the blood and guts.
Jon: What's the worst gig you've ever played and the best?
Michael: My worst gig's a tough one. There's almost always something to take away from them. I have, however, done a few gigs in run-down pubs to one man and his dog, neither of whom were interested in the music. They're rarely fun. I've had too many best gigs to choose from. Most recently I had a terrific weekend, playing in Amsterdam on the Saturday night and flying home to play the Scala in Kings Cross on the Sunday. Both gigs were great fun with great audiences and even better, the drum kits were set up before I got there :)
Jon: If you had to compare your work to another author, who would it be?
I hate to compare to anyone because it always feels arrogant. I can happily talk about my influences and the people I feel I would like to emulate. The Planets series has been described as a comic in book form, so in terms of comic writers, I love Brian Michael Bendis, Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Terry Moore and Bill Willingham, among others. In books, I love all kinds, but my strong fantasy influences include Raymond E Feist, David Gemmell, David Eddings, The Wildcards series authors (best superhero series ever), Melanie Rawn and Terry Pratchett. I got a lot of my love of adventure from movies like Indiana Jones and Star Wars, and some TV shows like Buffy and Angel. It was those shows that made me want to do a serial fiction blog and I'd love to have the A Game of War series adapted for TV.
Jon: How did you become a writer in the first place?
Michael: I wrote a bit in school and had one of my stories published in the school yearbook. I then wrote nothing for ten years save some outstandingly horrible poetry in my student days. About four years ago I went on one of my wife's retreats to help with the washing up. Fortunately, the chef we hired was somewhat efficient and I found myself with a spare afternoon. With no idea of what I was going to write, I opened my laptop and typed the first sentence of my first book. By the end of the weekend I had ten thousand words down and a whole world in my head. I spent the next two months finishing the first one. I started the second, my daughter was born, and sixteen months later it was finished. I must confess, I didn't really consider myself a proper writer until the beginning of 2013. My new year's resolution was to write every day, which I have done ever since.
Jon: Everyone's writing process is different. How do you plan out a story?
Michael: This is a fun one. The most honest answer is that I don't. The most exciting thing in the world, except a lifetimes supply of chocolate, is a blank page. So I normally begin with a sentence that sounds good. What I have noticed is that it's normally something a character is thinking or saying. I have yet to begin with...'the tower was black.' So, my sentence becomes a paragraph and that becomes a scene. By the end of that first scene, I'll have a pretty good idea about the character. As I write the next few scenes, I get more of an idea of what their lives are about and what the challenge is they are facing, as well as introducing others. It comes bit by bit from then on. I'll try to search for the ending as I write, but more often than not, the big things happen literally as I'm typing. My second book, which is released this week, has a massive happening near the end. It came to me as I wrote it, but looking back, I discovered I'd set it up perfectly. So maybe stuff is happening unconsciously or maybe I'm just lucky, I'm not sure yet.
Jon: What methods do you find successful for promoting your books?
Michael: We've tried a few different things, but haven't yet managed to track the success to any particular avenue. This week we are doing our first paid promotion on some of the bigger book promo sites, so we'll have to see how they go. We released the first book in my sci-fi series, A Game of War, for free and got good initial uptake on that. I tend to get good comments through facebook. My blog has some regular readers (I post fiction there twice a week and podcast fiction once a week) but again, tracking whether they become buyers is difficult.
Jon: Is there anything else that you want people to know?
Your readers can download a free copy of Childhood Dreams from my blog by signing up to the newsletter. They will also receive updates, early opportunities to get my books and free short stories.
Also, of course, thanks so much for having me :)
Jon: Thanks for being on the Captain's Blog. It's been a real pleasure interviewing you Michael.
Here is a little about him:
Michael Cairns was born at a young age and could write even before he could play the drums, but that was long ago, in the glory days – when he actually had hair. He loves pineapple, playing gigs and outwitting his young daughter (the scores are about level but she’s getting smarter every day). Michael is currently working hard on writing, getting enough sleep and keeping his hair. The first is going well, the other two…not so much.
...and here is a little about his latest book.
The story is called 13 Roses and can be described as a character study/zombie apocalypse/spiritual fantasy…thing.
The flower seller sets up his stall on Embankment every day. Every day, he will serve only one customer. That person will be on the edge. Maybe they have to make a decision they dread, maybe their world is falling down around them and they are faced with a choice. Or maybe they need to change and don’t realise it. Whatever it may be, the flower seller is there, nudging them in one direction or another and giving them more than a nudge when the need arises. But who is the flower seller and why is he giving these people roses? And where do the zombies come in? All will be revealed…
Jon: so why the obsession with pineapple?
Michael: Pineapple just has it right. It's the right amount of crunch to sweetness ratio. It's also normally pretty good in terms of being ripe. I'd put nectarines in there but getting ones that are ripe can be tough. Mangos get an honourable mention but they're a sod to peel.
Jon: Do you play in a band? What's it called and what sort of music do you play?
Michael: I play in a few bands. I make money playing at corporate functions and weddings, banging out all the classic pop songs you can think of (and some you'd probably rather not)
My main gig is playing with a fabulous soul singer called Alexia Coley. She's releasing her first album (featuring me on drums) through Jalapeno records later in the year. If you like your soul funky, passionate and occasionally dirty, you can find her here: http://alexiacoley.com/
Jon: Interesting blurb. Care to tell us a little about the flower seller (without spoilers)?
Michael: Talking about the flower seller without giving too much away is tricky. He has a very difficult job and it's one he's been forced into following a release from his previous role. Despite this he takes every subject he has very seriously and strives to bring them back from whatever brink they're on. His boss is something of a harsh taskmaster but there's more going on in their relationship than simple line-managing. To be honest, the story is taking place live on the blog, so if you want to know more, the best is to check it out on the blog. Part one is here: http://cairnswrites.com/13-roses-part...
Jon: What is it about zombies that does it for you?
Michael: Good question. I first got into zombies through Day of the Dead, the classic Romero movie. It was only after I'd watched it a few times and done my research I discovered Dawn of the Dead was the real classic. But I loved the bleakness of Day along with the sheer excess of people being torn apart and eaten alive! I enjoy the way zombie films never finish with a nice clean everything's okay ending. I also love that feeling of having to survive without any real sense of hope. Cheery stuff! I love that at the heart of them, zombie movies are about ordinary people dealing with extraordinary circumstances. But the extraordinary bits are almost always secondary to the people and their personal journeys. Zombie movies can be wonderful metaphors or you can just enjoy them for the blood and guts.
Jon: What's the worst gig you've ever played and the best?
Michael: My worst gig's a tough one. There's almost always something to take away from them. I have, however, done a few gigs in run-down pubs to one man and his dog, neither of whom were interested in the music. They're rarely fun. I've had too many best gigs to choose from. Most recently I had a terrific weekend, playing in Amsterdam on the Saturday night and flying home to play the Scala in Kings Cross on the Sunday. Both gigs were great fun with great audiences and even better, the drum kits were set up before I got there :)
Jon: If you had to compare your work to another author, who would it be?
I hate to compare to anyone because it always feels arrogant. I can happily talk about my influences and the people I feel I would like to emulate. The Planets series has been described as a comic in book form, so in terms of comic writers, I love Brian Michael Bendis, Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Terry Moore and Bill Willingham, among others. In books, I love all kinds, but my strong fantasy influences include Raymond E Feist, David Gemmell, David Eddings, The Wildcards series authors (best superhero series ever), Melanie Rawn and Terry Pratchett. I got a lot of my love of adventure from movies like Indiana Jones and Star Wars, and some TV shows like Buffy and Angel. It was those shows that made me want to do a serial fiction blog and I'd love to have the A Game of War series adapted for TV.
Jon: How did you become a writer in the first place?
Michael: I wrote a bit in school and had one of my stories published in the school yearbook. I then wrote nothing for ten years save some outstandingly horrible poetry in my student days. About four years ago I went on one of my wife's retreats to help with the washing up. Fortunately, the chef we hired was somewhat efficient and I found myself with a spare afternoon. With no idea of what I was going to write, I opened my laptop and typed the first sentence of my first book. By the end of the weekend I had ten thousand words down and a whole world in my head. I spent the next two months finishing the first one. I started the second, my daughter was born, and sixteen months later it was finished. I must confess, I didn't really consider myself a proper writer until the beginning of 2013. My new year's resolution was to write every day, which I have done ever since.
Jon: Everyone's writing process is different. How do you plan out a story?
Michael: This is a fun one. The most honest answer is that I don't. The most exciting thing in the world, except a lifetimes supply of chocolate, is a blank page. So I normally begin with a sentence that sounds good. What I have noticed is that it's normally something a character is thinking or saying. I have yet to begin with...'the tower was black.' So, my sentence becomes a paragraph and that becomes a scene. By the end of that first scene, I'll have a pretty good idea about the character. As I write the next few scenes, I get more of an idea of what their lives are about and what the challenge is they are facing, as well as introducing others. It comes bit by bit from then on. I'll try to search for the ending as I write, but more often than not, the big things happen literally as I'm typing. My second book, which is released this week, has a massive happening near the end. It came to me as I wrote it, but looking back, I discovered I'd set it up perfectly. So maybe stuff is happening unconsciously or maybe I'm just lucky, I'm not sure yet.
Jon: What methods do you find successful for promoting your books?
Michael: We've tried a few different things, but haven't yet managed to track the success to any particular avenue. This week we are doing our first paid promotion on some of the bigger book promo sites, so we'll have to see how they go. We released the first book in my sci-fi series, A Game of War, for free and got good initial uptake on that. I tend to get good comments through facebook. My blog has some regular readers (I post fiction there twice a week and podcast fiction once a week) but again, tracking whether they become buyers is difficult.
Jon: Is there anything else that you want people to know?
Your readers can download a free copy of Childhood Dreams from my blog by signing up to the newsletter. They will also receive updates, early opportunities to get my books and free short stories.
Also, of course, thanks so much for having me :)
Jon: Thanks for being on the Captain's Blog. It's been a real pleasure interviewing you Michael.
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