So, last month I put the feelers out regarding a Q&A session with yours truly, to see if any of my readers had any burning questions they wanted to ask me. I wasn't sure what kind of response I would get, but I was overwhelmed by how many of you had things they wanted to ask!
I've selected some good ones and answered them below. I'm looking at hosting a video Q&A session on the Facebook page in the future, so I can start working my way through your questions then.
So without further ado...
"Where did Adrian Hell come from? What 'flash' of inspiration made you choose him as a central character?" - Steve F
When I first started playing around with ideas for a novel, I decided the best starting point should be the character. I knew I wanted a strong central protagonist - someone I could potentially base an ongoing series around. I wanted to create the 'hero' first, and then decide what genre to fit them into.
I began with the name. I wanted a normal, everyday, yet slightly uncommon first name (all the big heroes seem to be called Jack nowadays!), and a punchy, menacing, 'hero' surname. I stared at the page for days until something came to me. And that 'something' was Adrian Hell! Once I had that, the rest just fell nicely into place - what he looked like, what kind of person he was, etc. Like his books, the character seemed to write himself.
I suppose there was no 'flash', no epiphany or anything, as such - I just started from the ground up, keeping what worked, scrapping what didn't, until I had a guy I liked, and believed I could get other people to like.
And here's an exclusive, little-known fact for you... in Adrian Hell's first incarnation, he was roaming the post-apocalyptic wastelands of a war-ravaged earth, fighting rebels in a kind of 'Book of Eli' meets 'Judge Dredd' setting!
"There is quite a lot of technical detail in your novels, both with the real technology and also within the fight scenes. Is this knowledge you have already, or is it based on research?" - Steve F
In terms of the storylines, I tend to rely more on imagination than hard fact, but there are elements that I research extensively to ensure there's enough realism in there to relate to. Technology, certainly in the GlobaTech series, tends to be my imaginative extension of things that really exist. Similarly with the geography - when Adrian is somewhere real, like San Francisco or Pittsburgh, I live on Google Maps for weeks, finding routes and locations to use, and making sure it's as accurate as possible. I will sometimes use real locations fictitiously - if there's a bar there in real life, it might be a block of flats in my book, for example. But overall, I like the idea of someone reading the book and thinking, 'That's my neighbourhood, awesome!'
The fight scenes, I really enjoy writing. They look great in the movies, but they're rarely realistic. I trained in martial arts when I was younger and more able, so I've a good idea of what would be effective in a 'real' fight. I wanted Adrian to have believable, gritty, dirty scraps - if you know what you're doing, it will only take a couple of good shots to put someone down, and I like to explain exactly how Adrian does it, to show he is that dangerous. You don't go back and forth, trading punches that, in real life, would break your jaw. Fighting, especially in the situations Adrian finds himself in, is swift and brutal, and you do it to win, not to look good.
"What authors have been your biggest influences?" - Dougie
My first real influence was John Locke. I read the first book in his Donovan Creed series, and I was admittedly hooked. But he inspired me to give it a go myself, because he was the first person to sell a million self-published e-books on Amazon. I enjoyed his books, and still do, but I believed I could do something along the same lines in my own voice - in my own way, that would appeal to people. So I did. I've been compared to him more than once, and that's a real honour. I just wish I had his download figures!
Anyone who writes thrillers would be lying if they didn't at least tip their hat to Lee Child, too. I've met him, and he's a really nice guy, and he could teach a masterclass in writing novels in this genre. His success is without question, and his Jack Reacher series is consistently excellent. He's the benchmark for any author, I think. I've been fortunate enough to draw a few comparisons to him with the Adrian Hell series, which again, is a real honour.
"If you were a character in one of your own books, would you be a tough guy or a clever guy?" - Dougie
This is a great question! With Adrian Hell being in the first person, I like to think guys will sit and read it and picture themselves playing him, going through what he does, seeing it in their heads as if it were a movie. And yes, when I'm writing it, that's pretty much what I do as well! Everyone likes to be the hero. If I was to answer honestly, I would say I'm more like Josh than Adrian. I'd be the smart guy that the tough guy relies on, although I'd like a couple of fight scenes as well!
"Have you ever suffered from writer's block? And if so, how did you deal with it?" - Mel
I think a large misconception with writing, and with authors, is that there are times when we struggle to find things to write. We're never short of things to put down on paper. I can get a handful of new ideas for stories every morning on the commute to work. I have hundreds of concepts, ranging from one-liners to five pages of detailed notes. For me, writer's block is more about the struggle to put down on paper all the notes and concepts I have, to tell the story that needs telling.
For Adrian Hell, and I'll use Deadly Intent as the perfect example, I picked two or three of those concepts to form the basis of his story. Sometimes the combination works, other times it doesn't. The scene in that book where he breaks into the Manhattan apartment and steals the laptop - that took me weeks to write, because I couldn't quite nail it. The location changed, some of the action changed, even a character was re-written... I had to juggle around some ideas before I could make it work. That period of time doing the first draft was pretty painful, but not because of a lack of motivation. It was more because there was too much to write, and I couldn't scale it down enough to work.
"I bet you get asked this all the time, but who would you like to see portray Adrian Hell in a movie? Surely that has to happen!" - Clive T
Not Tom Cruise! Haha!
On a more serious note, yes, that is one of the more popular questions, and I appreciate your enthusiasm for the idea of my work being turned into a movie! I tried to write the character so that everyone would have a different image in their heads as they were reading the books - giving just enough detail to set the scene, but allowing you, the reader, the chance to fill in the blanks. I've had some suggestions in the past - Jason Statham, Chris Hemsworth (Thor), even Bruce Willis! Maybe 30 years ago... no offence, Bruce!
Personally, I tend to have a composite image of Sullivan Stapleton (Strike Back, Blindspot, 300: Rise of an Empire) for the look, and Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) as the voice. I think Jensen's a little too clean-cut and good-looking for the role, but his character in Supernatural sure sounds the part!
"How difficult is it really to write a book? Do you think anyone could do it?" - Claire
I find the actual writing itself gets harder the more you learn about it. But it also gets more interesting. My first draft of True Conviction, way back when, I thought was really easy to get down on paper. I planned it to an extent, but just kind of blurted it out. It flowed quite well, and it took me maybe ten weeks, all in all. But the more I learned about the craft of writing, the harder I found it to get the book down.
There are rules and techniques and so many tiny little things that, as a reader, you probably wouldn't even notice in a book. But as an author, you know that no word is written without purpose. I use every second I have spare to learn as much as I can about writing, because I'm always looking to improve. When you start to understand why and how the big names like Lee Child, Stephen King, James Patterson do the things they do with their books, you realise why they sell millions and millions. And learning how to do that isn't as easy as you would think.
So, can anyone do it? In theory, yes, anyone can. But can anyone be really, really good at it? No, not without years of practice. I think if you're not prepared or interested enough to dedicate yourself to learning the art of crafting a novel, writing probably isn't for you. It's not something you can really pick up and put down as and when you feel in the mood - it takes a lot of time and dedication. But when you finish your book... my God, it's the most rewarding feeling in the world!
"What's next for you? What are your long-term plans? More Adrian Hell, I hope!" - Margaret
I love writing Adrian Hell. I love the character, and he's the thing that has given me the beginnings of a career. I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket, as they say, but I'm sure there will always be an Adrian Hell novel waiting to be written.
I think my next project, once A Necessary Kill is out there, will be the next GlobaTech book. I really enjoy writing that series, too. I love the three main characters, and having Josh there to back them up is great.
Russell Blake, a very popular indie author, once said the best thing he ever did for his career was write in a different genre, approach a brand new audience. He went for contemporary romance, I think. Me? I don't intend penning the next Bridget Jones or anything, but I have some ideas. I've always liked the post-apocalyptic sci-fi genre, so that's maybe something I'll look at in the future, who knows...
Being an indie means it's about more than just writing - you're a publisher, a marketeer, a web designer and a graphic designer as well as an author. I want to continue growing my brand and my business just as much as I want to write books.
And I intend being around for a good while yet!
"Can we please see more of Willow? She is SOOOOO cute!" - Felicity
Of course you can!
So there you have it - the first Q&A session! Hope you enjoyed the read, and I'll hopefully be running more soon on the Facebook page.
JPS
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