Jack Heaton's Blog
May 28, 2013
The disapproving reviewer
It is always a bit of a risk to respond to a review, particularly one that isn't particularly complementary (for example: this meltdown), however one of the reviews that Hell's Garden attracted recently brought up some very interesting points, including some that I'd planned on blogging about at some point. So let me start by saying thank you to all the people who have taken the time to read and review my book - it is incredibly useful to get feedback (good and bad), so I can shape future books.
This is the review in full (two star rating - and currently the lowest review in a 4.5 average):
An immoral and violent tale
This book really annoyed me. I had to go on reading it although I thoroughly disapproved of the way it ingulged in descriptions of violence and appeared to show approval of the use of cannabis, the splashing around of large sums of money and tliving on the proceeds of crime.There were also some irritating infelicities of language which spolied the narrative with reminders that this was a writer with an interest onlyin telling a story in asensational way, not in telling it well. But. he had an interesting main character.... perhaps he can improve.
So, to the main talking point as I see it:
1. Glorifying violence and approval of drugs / criminal enterprise - now this surprised me as I tried very hard to write Hell's Garden to stimulate thought or discussion around the current legislation on cannabis, particularly trying to take a neutral stance. There are some big questions that need to be asked about the whole drug legalisation situation. From the top of my head, I imagine these would include:
Is it right that governments continue to make it illegal? In fact, are they overstepping their democratic scope by specifying what drugs adults choose to take? The recent state votes in US suggest that it isn't a perfect situation by any means but I get the feeling that any UK government that put a legalisation pledge into their manifesto would lose more votes than they would gain. A bit of a catch 22 situation then, (maybe...) Hell's Garden didn't try to present any answers, merely to pose the question. Without giving too much away, one of the plots tried to explore the conundrum that face the government - the opportunity to draw tax revenue from the large cannabis market and to focus law enforcement away from the enormous financial drain that is the 'war on drugs', without alienating voters by proposing a contentious law.
This leads me to the next point. I wanted to explore the vulnerabilities of human nature and how very few people can be defined by the binary construct of good:bad. In particular, I wanted to hint at the contrasts that Jacob faced between what his conscience was directing him to do, and what circumstance was forcing him into. I wanted to throw tough choices at a fundamentally good person and see how far he'd go and how much anguish it would cause him (sorry Jacob, I'll make it up to you at some point - but the next few books aren't looking good for you to be honest).
Anyway, To Pay the Devil is shaping up well and has given me the chance to expand on these difficulties, in particular exploring the relationship between Jacob and Rebecca. Although a word of warning, if you thought that Hell's Garden was a bit too ribald, you're probably not going to enjoy the sequel. The main protagonist in particular makes Seamus look like Mother Teresa...
This is the review in full (two star rating - and currently the lowest review in a 4.5 average):
An immoral and violent tale
This book really annoyed me. I had to go on reading it although I thoroughly disapproved of the way it ingulged in descriptions of violence and appeared to show approval of the use of cannabis, the splashing around of large sums of money and tliving on the proceeds of crime.There were also some irritating infelicities of language which spolied the narrative with reminders that this was a writer with an interest onlyin telling a story in asensational way, not in telling it well. But. he had an interesting main character.... perhaps he can improve.
So, to the main talking point as I see it:
1. Glorifying violence and approval of drugs / criminal enterprise - now this surprised me as I tried very hard to write Hell's Garden to stimulate thought or discussion around the current legislation on cannabis, particularly trying to take a neutral stance. There are some big questions that need to be asked about the whole drug legalisation situation. From the top of my head, I imagine these would include:
Is it right that governments continue to make it illegal? In fact, are they overstepping their democratic scope by specifying what drugs adults choose to take? The recent state votes in US suggest that it isn't a perfect situation by any means but I get the feeling that any UK government that put a legalisation pledge into their manifesto would lose more votes than they would gain. A bit of a catch 22 situation then, (maybe...) Hell's Garden didn't try to present any answers, merely to pose the question. Without giving too much away, one of the plots tried to explore the conundrum that face the government - the opportunity to draw tax revenue from the large cannabis market and to focus law enforcement away from the enormous financial drain that is the 'war on drugs', without alienating voters by proposing a contentious law.
This leads me to the next point. I wanted to explore the vulnerabilities of human nature and how very few people can be defined by the binary construct of good:bad. In particular, I wanted to hint at the contrasts that Jacob faced between what his conscience was directing him to do, and what circumstance was forcing him into. I wanted to throw tough choices at a fundamentally good person and see how far he'd go and how much anguish it would cause him (sorry Jacob, I'll make it up to you at some point - but the next few books aren't looking good for you to be honest).
Anyway, To Pay the Devil is shaping up well and has given me the chance to expand on these difficulties, in particular exploring the relationship between Jacob and Rebecca. Although a word of warning, if you thought that Hell's Garden was a bit too ribald, you're probably not going to enjoy the sequel. The main protagonist in particular makes Seamus look like Mother Teresa...
May 19, 2013
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Author
This is just a short post to highlight the highs and lows that an author goes through. These last couple of weeks have had the highs outweighing the lows, which is never a bad thing - maybe I can make a half decent career out of this writing lark - it certainly beats working for a living...
High number 1: seeing my book hit the Amazon overall bestseller list. I peaked at #33 overall and 2nd in category behind the new Dan Brown novel, Inferno. To see your name up there amongst greats like Lee Child, Jeffrey Deaver, Patricia Cornwell is pretty awesome.
High number 2: seeing the sales tick upwards like crazy. Hitting four figures sold in just over 24 hours was a good moment.
High number 3: getting five star reviews. At the moment, Hell's Garden has seven reviews on amazon.co.uk. All of them are five star. That means a lot to me (people have enjoyed my book enough to let me and others know). That makes it worthwhile far more than the sales - although the sales are very nice and will make a big difference to my family.
Low number 1: watching the book slip back down the rankings after those crazy few days. Not really a problem, I've got more than enough motivation to keep me going on book 2. Deadline for publication is mid July 2013 for anyone interested.
And that is about the only downside. I'm planning to do the next few blogs on how I came up with the various characters and the plot, but I want to nail the last bits of 'To Pay the Devil' first - it is shaping up nicely and I don't want to lose momentum.
Thanks for viewing.
High number 1: seeing my book hit the Amazon overall bestseller list. I peaked at #33 overall and 2nd in category behind the new Dan Brown novel, Inferno. To see your name up there amongst greats like Lee Child, Jeffrey Deaver, Patricia Cornwell is pretty awesome.
High number 2: seeing the sales tick upwards like crazy. Hitting four figures sold in just over 24 hours was a good moment.
High number 3: getting five star reviews. At the moment, Hell's Garden has seven reviews on amazon.co.uk. All of them are five star. That means a lot to me (people have enjoyed my book enough to let me and others know). That makes it worthwhile far more than the sales - although the sales are very nice and will make a big difference to my family.
Low number 1: watching the book slip back down the rankings after those crazy few days. Not really a problem, I've got more than enough motivation to keep me going on book 2. Deadline for publication is mid July 2013 for anyone interested.
And that is about the only downside. I'm planning to do the next few blogs on how I came up with the various characters and the plot, but I want to nail the last bits of 'To Pay the Devil' first - it is shaping up nicely and I don't want to lose momentum.
Thanks for viewing.
May 11, 2013
On parenting 2
Continued from previous blog post (which I split into two as the formatting went to pieces)
2. Primary / sole Stay At Home parent. (Not contributing financially, jealous of partner's career (especially when he/she comes home and rabbits on about their day and all you've achieved is to remove most of the playdough mess from the front of a school sweater), worried about the break affecting your career). I'd no idea what people who give up a decent career to become full-time parents go through emotionally. There is the huge positive lift of spending lots of time with the kids, but it comes at a very high cost - one that isn't immediately apparent. We decided together that I'd spend a short period of time (6-12 months), being the primary Stay At Home parent. Until then, I'd been on a reasonably strong career trajectory, making a reasonable living from an industry that I'd kind of fallen into when I left Uni.
Suddenly, I find myself with zero income, dependent upon my wife for everything. She's been amazing at handling what has turned me into a moody sod, but it really changes the dynamic. I find myself deferring to her for decisions far more, not because I can't make those decisions, but because it feels like it is her money. Not good for the self-esteem at all and it makes you nervous, uncertain and vulnerable.
Also, because your partner is working flat out, when they do get home at night or at the weekend, they don't provide the help you need with the kids - not because they don't want to but because they're deferring to your greater experience with the childcare. This eats away at both of you and it drives a wedge between you.
So why am I blogging about this? Well, I've seen some of my friends try to get through this time of life and not manage it, or put so much strain on the relationship that it is never quite the same. Mostly, I think this is because people can't put themselves in their partner's shoes and realise what their opposite number is feeling. We have both been amazingly lucky to have experienced both sides and it has given us empathy which has allowed us to defuse situations before they become terminal.
Hopefully, I've tried to lay out what I feel / have felt over the last couple of years, and it might (possibly) be the trigger for someone in a similar situation to aid this tough time.
2. Primary / sole Stay At Home parent. (Not contributing financially, jealous of partner's career (especially when he/she comes home and rabbits on about their day and all you've achieved is to remove most of the playdough mess from the front of a school sweater), worried about the break affecting your career). I'd no idea what people who give up a decent career to become full-time parents go through emotionally. There is the huge positive lift of spending lots of time with the kids, but it comes at a very high cost - one that isn't immediately apparent. We decided together that I'd spend a short period of time (6-12 months), being the primary Stay At Home parent. Until then, I'd been on a reasonably strong career trajectory, making a reasonable living from an industry that I'd kind of fallen into when I left Uni.
Suddenly, I find myself with zero income, dependent upon my wife for everything. She's been amazing at handling what has turned me into a moody sod, but it really changes the dynamic. I find myself deferring to her for decisions far more, not because I can't make those decisions, but because it feels like it is her money. Not good for the self-esteem at all and it makes you nervous, uncertain and vulnerable.
Also, because your partner is working flat out, when they do get home at night or at the weekend, they don't provide the help you need with the kids - not because they don't want to but because they're deferring to your greater experience with the childcare. This eats away at both of you and it drives a wedge between you.
So why am I blogging about this? Well, I've seen some of my friends try to get through this time of life and not manage it, or put so much strain on the relationship that it is never quite the same. Mostly, I think this is because people can't put themselves in their partner's shoes and realise what their opposite number is feeling. We have both been amazingly lucky to have experienced both sides and it has given us empathy which has allowed us to defuse situations before they become terminal.
Hopefully, I've tried to lay out what I feel / have felt over the last couple of years, and it might (possibly) be the trigger for someone in a similar situation to aid this tough time.
May 8, 2013
On Parenting
(With apologies to Stephen King for the title - if you ever need to read a book about how to get into writing / publishing, I recommend On Writing). Now, onto parenting, which is the reason I'm here. I have two unbelievably awesome children, who are just two (E, a boy)and nearly five (A, a girl). I spent four nights of the first week of E's life in a hotel 200 miles away, working flat out to service a contract, while my wife did the Stay At Home Mum thing (actually maternity leave, but you get the idea). Fast forward two years and, for various reasons the roles have now reversed. As of October 2012, I am the Stay At Home Dad and my long-suffering wife is working full-time. So, I think we are one of the few couples around who have first-hand experience of the difficulties that most working couples with young children face. Now firstly, I should say that we are by no means perfect - I annoy the hell out of my wife and (very occasionally) she has been known to say stupid things too. However, through luck and circumstance we now have a bit of an insight into what each person is going through. Here are my thoughts about each of the roles: 1. Primary / sole working parent. (Pressure, resentment, feeling left out). The maternal / paternal instinct to protect your new family pushes you hard - couple this with the lonely island that is being the sole breadwinner and it is no wonder that new fathers look so strung out (for a moan about how it is still mainly fathers in this position, see one of my future blogs). I had it particularly bad, as I was working on contract - so there was a finite time before the contract was over and I had to find another one. You're striving to reliably keep the family afloat and there are outside pressures conspiring against you. Not a pleasant place to be. Coupled with this, your partner, who had always been your equal career-wise, suddenly changes her perspective and focuses on baby and social stuff that don't mesh with your mindset of 'must keep working hard / not get fired / not screw up'. This pressure doesn't help when you do finally get home and she wants to share the new things that your child has done THAT YOU'VE MISSED BECAUSE YOU WERE IN A PROJECT PLANNING MEETING 200 MILES AWAY. She gets upset because she thinks you don't care, whereas the reality is you're hating your job more and more because she gets to spend all the time with the kids and gets to see all those cool things they do for the first time. This eats away at both of you and it drives a wedge between you. 2. Primary / sole Stay At Home parent. (Not contributing financially, jealous of partner's career (especially when he/she comes home and rabbits on about their day and all you've achieved is to remove most of the playdough mess from the front of a school sweater), worried about the break affecting your career). I'd no idea what people who give up a decent career to become full-time parents go through emotionally. There is the huge positive lift of spending lots of time with the kids, but it comes at a very high cost - one that isn't immediately apparent. We decided together that I'd spend a short period of time (6-12 months), being the primary Stay At Home parent. Until then, I'd been on a reasonably strong career trajectory, making a reasonable living from an industry that I'd kind of fallen into when I left Uni. Suddenly, I find myself with zero income, dependent upon my wife for everything. She's been amazing at handling what has turned me into a moody sod, but it really changes the dynamic. I find myself deferring to her for decisions far more, not because I can't make those decisions, but because it feels like it is her money. Not good for the self-esteem at all and it makes you nervous, uncertain and vulnerable. Also, because your partner is working flat out, when they do get home at night or at the weekend, they don't provide the help you need with the kids - not because they don't want to but because they're deferring to your greater experience with the childcare. This eats away at both of you and it drives a wedge between you. So why am I blogging about this? Well, I've seen some of my friends try to get through this time of life and not manage it, or put so much strain on the relationship that it is never quite the same. Mostly, I think this is because people can't put themselves in their partner's shoes and realise what their opposite number is feeling. We have both been amazingly lucky to have experienced both sides and it gives that empathy that allows us to defuse situations before they become terminal. Hopefully, I've tried to lay out what I feel / have felt over the last couple of years, and it might (possibly) be the trigger for someone in a similar situation to aid this tough time.
May 1, 2013
The Reluctant Author
A strange title to start with? What does it mean? Could it be he didn't want to write this book?
No, it doesn't mean that at all. Allow me to explain for a minute please.
I have thoroughly enjoyed writing and editing the book. It was a pleasure to shape the world of Jacob and Rebecca and a relief to extract it from my head and pour it onto a computer screen.
The reason for my reluctance is that it seems so difficult and convoluted to get anything into print. The publishers seem to take an aeon, the agents aren't much better and worst of all no-one seems to want to offer you any feedback. A familiar and oft-repeated rant, I'm sure you'll agree. It is also a world away from my previous experience in other sectors and just doesn't seem to make sense. I know supply far outweighs demand in publishing, but there doesn't seem to be effective mechanisms to allow talent and potential to emerge. It reminds me of the analogy of the HR Manager, sifting through an enormous pile of CVs, who promptly throws half of them unread into the bin. Why? His reasoning is that 'he wouldn't want to employ anyone unlucky'.
However, this blog isn't about ranting or complaining, it is about opportunity - and I'm very fortunate to be able to pursue the opportunity to see where Jacob's and Rebecca's lives take them over the next few books.
I sat down to write Hell's Garden on October 25th 2012, partly through choice, partly through circumstance. The choice elements were:
Flexible timeMinimal financial investment (electricity, internet and herbal tea mainly)Creative and lower stress outlet than my previous careerThe circumstance elements were:
A good self-employed career in a declining industry. The final straw was a major customer going under, which put my company in difficulty and made me realise that I needed to change direction.Childcare - I have two small children (4 and 2). I spent four nights of the first week of my youngest child's life in a hotel, servicing a major contract 200 miles from home. I don't want that, no matter what the financial rewards.Long-suffering wife with a strong career, who got an opportunity to go full time in a more senior role at about the same time as my company went under.So my life now looks something like this:
Monday - school and nursery run, sit down and write / procrastinate / try and get fit. Pick eldest up from swimming lesson and youngest from nursery, cook tea for them (and us).
Tuesday - school run for eldest, then playgroup with youngest, quick nap (for 2 year old, not me) in the car, then to the park / errands as needed. Pick the eldest up and run her to ballet, entertain the youngest, get them home and fed ready for their mum to come home.
Wednesday - as Monday with a couple of hours extra with just the eldest after school.
Thursday - hand kids to in-laws, write as hard and fast as I can until they hand them back
Friday - as Tuesday minus ballet.
Sat and Sun - weekend as a family.
Pretty normal existence for any family? Yes, but with one exception - check the photo on my profile, marvel at the unkempt and straggly beard, sigh in relief that the sunglasses hide red-rimmed and tired eyes. That's right, I'm male.
Sadly, as one of my next posts will discuss, I am very much in the minority. My child-taming days are spent with women with one part-time exception. We're into the second decade of the 21st century and we're still adhering to the life roles set out in the 1950s (and before).
But, this isn't about 'sadly'. This is about opportunity. I'm amazingly lucky to be able to spend regular time with the kids as they grow up - only six months ago, I barely got to see them during the week and it is an amazingly valuable time to see them learn and develop so fast. On top of that, I'm actually enjoying my new chosen career for the first time in, well, ever . Now, I need to make sure it pays enough to justify doing it until I can no longer think or type. On which note, I'd be amazingly grateful if you would zip along to Amazon and have a look at the book. Links are:
Hell's Garden (UK)
Hell's Garden (US)
In the next few episodes of this blog, I plan on talking about the book, the characters, how I came up with the concept, the roller coaster of breaking into the publishing world and how awesome it is to be a Stay At Home Dad (with hopefully a burgeoning second career in writing). I look forward to getting to know you all. Oh, and if you get here before 16th May, I'm running a giveaway over at Goodreads:
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Hell's Garden by Jack Heaton
No, it doesn't mean that at all. Allow me to explain for a minute please.
I have thoroughly enjoyed writing and editing the book. It was a pleasure to shape the world of Jacob and Rebecca and a relief to extract it from my head and pour it onto a computer screen.
The reason for my reluctance is that it seems so difficult and convoluted to get anything into print. The publishers seem to take an aeon, the agents aren't much better and worst of all no-one seems to want to offer you any feedback. A familiar and oft-repeated rant, I'm sure you'll agree. It is also a world away from my previous experience in other sectors and just doesn't seem to make sense. I know supply far outweighs demand in publishing, but there doesn't seem to be effective mechanisms to allow talent and potential to emerge. It reminds me of the analogy of the HR Manager, sifting through an enormous pile of CVs, who promptly throws half of them unread into the bin. Why? His reasoning is that 'he wouldn't want to employ anyone unlucky'.
However, this blog isn't about ranting or complaining, it is about opportunity - and I'm very fortunate to be able to pursue the opportunity to see where Jacob's and Rebecca's lives take them over the next few books.
I sat down to write Hell's Garden on October 25th 2012, partly through choice, partly through circumstance. The choice elements were:
Flexible timeMinimal financial investment (electricity, internet and herbal tea mainly)Creative and lower stress outlet than my previous careerThe circumstance elements were:
A good self-employed career in a declining industry. The final straw was a major customer going under, which put my company in difficulty and made me realise that I needed to change direction.Childcare - I have two small children (4 and 2). I spent four nights of the first week of my youngest child's life in a hotel, servicing a major contract 200 miles from home. I don't want that, no matter what the financial rewards.Long-suffering wife with a strong career, who got an opportunity to go full time in a more senior role at about the same time as my company went under.So my life now looks something like this:
Monday - school and nursery run, sit down and write / procrastinate / try and get fit. Pick eldest up from swimming lesson and youngest from nursery, cook tea for them (and us).
Tuesday - school run for eldest, then playgroup with youngest, quick nap (for 2 year old, not me) in the car, then to the park / errands as needed. Pick the eldest up and run her to ballet, entertain the youngest, get them home and fed ready for their mum to come home.
Wednesday - as Monday with a couple of hours extra with just the eldest after school.
Thursday - hand kids to in-laws, write as hard and fast as I can until they hand them back
Friday - as Tuesday minus ballet.
Sat and Sun - weekend as a family.
Pretty normal existence for any family? Yes, but with one exception - check the photo on my profile, marvel at the unkempt and straggly beard, sigh in relief that the sunglasses hide red-rimmed and tired eyes. That's right, I'm male.
Sadly, as one of my next posts will discuss, I am very much in the minority. My child-taming days are spent with women with one part-time exception. We're into the second decade of the 21st century and we're still adhering to the life roles set out in the 1950s (and before).
But, this isn't about 'sadly'. This is about opportunity. I'm amazingly lucky to be able to spend regular time with the kids as they grow up - only six months ago, I barely got to see them during the week and it is an amazingly valuable time to see them learn and develop so fast. On top of that, I'm actually enjoying my new chosen career for the first time in, well, ever . Now, I need to make sure it pays enough to justify doing it until I can no longer think or type. On which note, I'd be amazingly grateful if you would zip along to Amazon and have a look at the book. Links are:
Hell's Garden (UK)
Hell's Garden (US)
In the next few episodes of this blog, I plan on talking about the book, the characters, how I came up with the concept, the roller coaster of breaking into the publishing world and how awesome it is to be a Stay At Home Dad (with hopefully a burgeoning second career in writing). I look forward to getting to know you all. Oh, and if you get here before 16th May, I'm running a giveaway over at Goodreads:
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Hell's Garden by Jack Heaton Giveaway ends May 16, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win
