Today's guest is Andrew Goodman who is now onto his second series of books since we last spoke to him.
Hello, my name is Andrew and I write stories
for young adults. It's been seventeen minutes since my last writing session.
Actually, I'm not only a writer of novels but
also short stories and short- & feature-length screenplays – I was a
semi-finalist in the 2009 British Short Screenplay Competition and was
commissioned to write a 90-minute feature in 2012 for SeeView Pictures.
Tiberius Found and Tiberius Bound wee my
first novels published in paperback and ebook formats, and are the initial two
books book of a three-part series: The Emperor Initiative, with final
subsequent instalment to be released in 2015. October 2014 will also see the
release of my first “Oliver Drummond” supernatural adventure novels set in the
1920s: Oliver Drummond and The Four Horsemen, which sees schoolboy Oliver
‘Bulldog’ Drummond pitting his wits against occult groups, ghosts, murderers
and traitors who want to gain control over the horseshoes from the Four
Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
You can read my Blog here.
For
anyone that hasn’t read them can
you tell us a bit about your books?
I write
action/adventure novels for the Young Adult market, although it seems that most
of my readership passed through the target demographic of 12-18 many years ago!
My first two books are parts one and two in a three-part series called The
Emperor Initiative which sees a 16-year-old boy on the run from a group of
scientists who want to finish the job they started when he was born.
The series is
set in the near future (2028) and follows Daniel Henstock as he discovers he’s
been genetically engineered – assigned the codename Tiberius – and has to flee
the country to save himself. He goes to America, intent on unearthing the truth
about his origins, but only succeeds in putting more people in danger. The
Initiative, however, don’t easily give up and he decides to take the fight to
them when they abduct and threaten the life of the only person he knows he can
trust.
The three
books in the series – Tiberius Found, Tiberius Bound and Tiberius
Crowned – see Daniel unsure of whom he can trust, learning skills and
abilities he never thought possible, suffer terrible hurt and loss, fall in
love, and come face-to-face with the person at the top of the food chain responsible
for his origins. Bit of a roller coaster, for the young man.
Tell
us a bit more about the last book you wrote
My latest
book – Oliver Drummond and The Four Horsemen – is a period adventure, set in
1926, and follows schoolboy Oliver ‘Bulldog’ Drummond as he becomes involved in
the mysterious death of a government scientist. He quickly learns that all is
not as it seems. The discovery of three horseshoes from The Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse leads to a race to unearth the final artifact, and Oliver is
determined to not let them fall into the wrong hands. If he fails then the
Horsemen will be unleashed upon the world and under the control of a man
hell-bent on dominion.
He comes
face-to-face with ghosts, traitors, murderers and people who have no qualms to
kill and torture to fulfill their ambitions. Not to mention meeting the
Horsemen themselves. And those strange feelings he has for a girl, in the pit
of his stomach, doesn’t help matters…
The novel is
the first in a planned series of ‘Oliver Drummond’ adventures with the next
already well into the planning stage.
What
did you learn about writing whilst writing the last book you wrote?
How much
fun the lack of technology for my characters could be! When they’re in danger
they can’t simply get on their mobile and summon help. I found the world of
post-World War One a great time – Europe was still re-building even eight years
after the War, and suspicion and intrigue was rife. Science was still in its
infancy and it was a time of discovery and doubt. Great elements for a
supernatural adventure!
Do
you have a set writing process, if so what is it?
I like to
spend a lot of time planning and blocking a story out. I know that this process
doesn’t work for everyone but I find the blocks as stepping-stones that help
keep me on track. That doesn’t mean I have to follow them rigidly if I think of
something better during the writing process.
When I’m
in the writing stage, I write. At any time available. Once the first draft is
finished I leave it for a few weeks before moving onto the editing stages and
do however many edits I feel necessary to make it as good as it can be. If, at
that point, I’m engaging a professional editor then I’d send it off and await
for the shredding to begin…
Once I've
got the finished work, I format into eBook and print versions, get the artwork
sorted through third parties, and get ready for publication. Simple.
Do
you write a lot of short stories?
I used to.
I think it was part of the learning process, of how to write stories. A novel
can be quite a daunting thought but a few thousand words are much more
achievable for a person starting to write. That’s not to say short stories are
an easy option, often the opposite is true. You have far fewer words to bring a
convincing story to a satisfactory conclusion that means you can’t have any
fat.
Do
you prefer the long or short form? How do you feel about Flash Fiction?
I prefer
writing novels, these days. Although, if the mood takes me then a short story
can keep the juices flowing nicely. Flash fiction is great! Love it. Very, very
difficult to do well and there are even fewer words to play with. I was very
happy in the summer to win the BeaconLit Writing Festival flash fiction
competition, which had a 150-word limit.
Which
character in your books do you most identify with and why?
I really
like Miles Brennan (in the Tiberius novels) and James Burghley (Oliver’s
uncle).
We’re
never really sure if Brennan is someone who can be trusted and he’s keeping so
many secrets that I’m not sure if he even knows the answer! In my dream film
cast list I’d have Gerard Butler play him. Anyone know Gerard who can suggest
this?
James
Burghley is a man in his thirties who wants fun and adventure in his life, and
who, too, has lots of secrets. He’s quite laid back, with a quirky sense of
humour, but when the situation demands is prepared to stand up and be counted
Which
bit of your writing are you most proud of?
I like to
include a touch of humour to my writing, but without making it too obvious. I
love it when a situation creates itself and a punch-line or quip neatly
presents itself.
However,
the first time I saw one of my books in print format was amazing. An eBook is
ok, but holding that paperback the first time was a special moment.
Tell
us a bit about how you got published? Did you go via a slush pile? Get an agent
before a publisher?
I decided
to follow my usual route of Amazon self-publishing with ‘Oliver…’ although I
have submitted it to a few agents just to see what the waters are like. I used
the Kindle Direct Publishing platform (for the eBook version) and its sister
company CreateSpace (for the print/paperback version), as I did for for my
other previous novels, and find the process quick and easy to follow.
There are
a number of idiosyncrasies specific to each of the above publishing platforms
but I've got through the growling-at-the-computer-screen phase and know what I
need to do now, to make the job as quick and easy as it can be.
The world
of publishing is still changing, and will continue to do so for a while yet,
and there is no shame in self-publishing these days, as long as your work is of
the highest possible standard.
In
one sentence what is your best piece of advice for new writers?
Keep
reading, keep writing, be open to constructive criticism and develop a very,
very thick skin.
Don’t be
too precious about your work, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
OK, So not
quite one sentence…
------------------
Andrew has very kindly provided three copies of the latest book - Oliver Drummond and the Four Horsemen as a give away (ebook, any format). All you need to enter is to name the four Horsemen in the comments below! Names will be drawn from a hat in two weeks time.
.jpg)
