“I tried outlining an SF Thriller once and found that once it was extensively outlined I was no longer interested in writing it. Half the fun of writing to me is finding out exactly how the characters are going to get out of the situations they find themselves in.”
– Mike Lewis 30 July 2011
The Back Flap
Tom is twelve and all he’s ever known is a world with acid rain and constant cloud. His world is a place where people try to scratch out a living; surrounded by the wreckage of the past.
One hundred years ago a group of mysterious scientists took charge of the Earth’s weather in order to control climate change. They burned the planet and in the ensuing chaos they disappeared.
When one of the “Changers” appears on Tom’s farm, his life changes and he is forced into an adventure where he must choose between his family and helping the Changers repair the damage they have done.
But can the Changers be trusted this time?
About the Book
What is the book about?
On one level it is about Climate Change, overuse of genetic engineering and the dangers of meddling with nature. On another, it is a fast-paced SF adventure about a boy and his talking dog who try to help visitors from the past put the world to rights.
When did you start writing the book?
The first draft was started in 2001.
How long did it take you to write it?
I wrote the first 10K over about 4 months and it went through a couple of writers groups as I revised it and reworked it to get the tone I wanted for the book. The next 50K were written in 6 weeks.
Where did you get the idea from?
The book actually started as a writing exercise from a writers group and I began with the idea of a man appearing from thin air. Not in a flash, but slowly as though he was emerging from a doorway. The characters very quickly took on a life of their own, as did the issue in the book of genetics and climate manipulation.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
I struggled slightly with where to end this particular book and where to split the trilogy. I had initially thought about writing it as one long book, but decided that would be too long for Young Adult. It was only after I was a few chapters in that I realized it would be a Young Adult novel.
What came easily?
After I had written the first 10K and had the tone of the book, the rest of the book came very quickly and easily.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
The main character of Tom is based slightly on my nephew Tom. Some of the locations in the book draw on places I have been but most of the characters are fictitious.
Do you have a target reader?
No, not really. I suppose I write for people who like Science Fiction and Fantasy as that is what I write. Though a lot of my work in short stories has been fairly borderline Science Fiction rather than hard science about machines or physics. It tends to be softer, more sociological SF.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I try to write regularly but at the moment am not succeeding in that due to work and other commitments. I write quickly when I am writing, about 1-2k an hour and tend to just go with the flow and revise later.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just Chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I outline very roughly. I tried outlining an SF Thriller once and found that once it was extensively outlined I was no longer interested in writing it. Half the fun of writing to me is finding out exactly how the characters are going to get out of the situations they find themselves in.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
My first drafts tend to be written very quickly and are therefore a bit of a mess. I rush through the story and then revise it over a couple of redrafts later on. If I stopped to edit I think I would lose the momentum and vision of the story I am trying to tell.
Did you hire a professional editor?
For Changers’ Summer I didn’t. It had been through two crit groups, plus revised a number of times and commented on in a fair amount of detail by a couple of agents. I am looking into using an editor on The Rat King, the next book in the trilogy.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
No, I have to write in silence, I cannot write if there is music as I listen to it instead of writing.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Yes I did and publishers over a few years. This novel had the full manuscript requested by some agents but never got me close to having an agent represent it.
What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I have only just published my first indie work, at the beginning of June and it was a change of circumstance that made me consider it. I run a small wargaming business (Black Hat Miniatures) as my day job and was working as an IT Consultant one day a week as well (which had been my main career until ill-health forced a change). The IT consultancy stopped and I looked around to see how else I could supplement my main income.
I came across the idea of publishing your own books on the Kindle through Amazon and it seemed a good opportunity to see if I could make any money from my writing apart from occasional short story sales.
Now, the book and the short stories are picking up some very favourable reviews and that has made me realize that indie publishing will let me get my work out to people who enjoy reading as well as, perhaps, making some money.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?
My covers are done professionally – I am not a designer and know my limitations!
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
As this is something of an experiment and I knew very little about the indie publishing scene when I started I guess I am winging it in some ways. The plan is to publish the rest of the trilogy and another completed YA novel over the next year and then see how sales are.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Join the Kindleboards.com forums – there is a wealth of experience there and that is where I learnt most of the information you need to look professional and promote your work.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I lived in a number of places aroundLondonwhile growing up, so no one place in particular. I went to primary school in Old Harlow inEssex. Then two Grammar schools: One inNewport, Essex and one inRamsgate,Kent.
Where do you live now?
Woking inSurrey, about a mile and a half from where the martians landed on Horsell Common.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I once wrote computer games for a living on the Spectrum and other 8-bit computers and in fact they are going to be released soon for the IOS operating system on the Ipad, iphone, etc.
What are you working on now?
I am currently writing the second book of the Changers Trilogy – The Rat King which I hope to publish in early 2012. Then it will be on to The Layneman Experiments, which is the final book which will be out middle-late 2012.
I have a completed 70K YA Victorian Fantasy called “Sheldak” which was completed in 2004 and needs revising. I have had an initial read through this and started making notes to fix plot problems, etc.
I also have two adult SF/SF Thrillers which are about halfway through and I intend to return to these next year.
End of Interview
You can buy Changers’ Summer, at Amazon US here, Amazon UK or Smashwords.
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