When I suggested my kids should go outside to play, they responded with cries of outrage. I explained that life would go on without their gadgets – they disagreed. I wrote the book to explore what might happen if all technology stopped, including everything that uses electricity in any form, even cars.
Robert Hill – 11 November 2018
The Back Flap
Would you survive?
The world changes for thirteen-year-old Kyle Stryker in a blaze of unnatural light as every piece of technology stops working. With his family, friends, and neighbors, they struggle to understand and wait for a rescue that never comes.
This is no ordinary blackout. Everything that uses electricity is dead, even cars!
Hours turn into days and weeks. Neighbors and friends drift away in search of water and food. Should they stay or go? Each decision will mean the difference between life and death. Kyle must work harder and grow up faster than he ever imagined. Maybe then, he can earn his father’s respect.
Alone Together is a tale of survival.
About the book
What is the book about?
The novel explores what might happen if all technology stopped working. How might a family respond? How would you fare?
Thirteen-year-old Kyle Stryker tells the story of his family, friends and neighbors as they grapple with life without electricity. The Stryker family could be any family, in any town anywhere in the country.
I didn’t want the book to be yet another zombie apocalypse; I wanted to keep the scale local. One of the first effects of a loss of technology would be the sense of isolation. Your only information would come from what you experience or from conversations with others.
We follow the family as they wait for a rescue that never comes. They quickly run out of food and water, as do their friends and neighbors. Relying on each other, they face an almost impossible situation and work together to survive.
When did you start writing the book?
I began this book in the summer of 2017. My family was on an extended vacation and I had the house to myself for a few weeks. I created an outline of the story, characters, setting and jumped in to the first chapter.
How long did it take you to write it?
I wrote it in about six months and spent almost that long again polishing and working with editors. For the first half year, I kept secret what I was doing. I often bring work home and my family assumed I was doing office work. In reality, I was having a blast creating something from nothing more than a virtual blank sheet of paper and an idea. It seemed so pure and magical to create something from nothing.
Where did you get the idea from?
I have two boys, (11 & 13) and grew frustrated with how much they were on their phones, tablets and computers. I remembered my childhood, living in small towns where we would spend hours and hours outside. When I suggested my kids should go outside to play, they responded with cries of outrage. I explained that life would go on without their gadgets – they disagreed. I wrote the book to explore what might happen if all technology stopped, including everything that uses electricity in any form, even cars.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
There are several intense scenes in the book. I struggled to balance the scene tension with pacing, appropriate descriptions, and dialogue. I often re-wrote these sections many times, always looking for the right balance.
What came easily?
The setting and main characters came quickly. This was great, because it provided an anchor for who and where. It freed me to weave my ideas together into a cohesive story.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
They are all 100% made up, good, bad or otherwise. J
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I read voraciously as a teenager and began by going through my dad’s paperback collection in the basement of our house, primarily spy novels and detective stories. A friend turned me on to Stephen King in the late 70’s and I’ve read most of his work, including his book On Writing. I enjoy large sweeping stories, like some of James A. Michener’s work, or J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
I also like to read unexpected books. Several years ago, I found a list from Time magazine of the 100 best novels of the 20th century. I set a goal to work my way through all, and have managed 60 so far. I have a higher appreciation for authors and now read very differently, paying attention to word choice and sentence structure in addition to the story arc and plot twists.
Do you have a target reader?
The primary genre is middle grade. I wanted the book to appeal to middle grade readers like my kids, so I kept the language and scenes age appropriate. I also worked hard on the story, characters and setting to be realistic and genuine to appeal to the adult reader.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Since I work full time, I write when I can, which means nights and weekends. I’m fortunate enough to have a study in my home where I do all my writing and I use a PC with Microsoft Word. One thing I do toward the end of the editing process is to have Word read the text aloud. I often find little inconsistencies, repeated words and awkward phrasing I missed in prior edits.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
My outline was simple, ten parts to the story and one sentence for each. As I began to write, if I had an idea, I’d hop forward, jot a few notes in that section and return to where I was.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I do a little of both. When I was in university, I broke my neck. I’m a quadriplegic, and my hands are paralyzed, the result is my typing is atrocious. I generally charge forward to keep the flow of the story going, anxious that I don’t lose my train of thought. I’ll go back each writing session and clean up the most egregious errors and typos before I knock off for the day.
The next time I want to write, I’ll read over my prior day’s work, lightly editing as I go. It helps me re-immerse myself in the story before I jump into that day’s writing.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I hired a developmental editor, then a copy editor and a proofreader. Without reservation, I would recommend authors find a writing buddy, coach, group or editor to work with. Not only did my novel improve after each iteration, I also learned a ton from each cycle through my work. Some suggestions were so blindingly obvious I couldn’t believe I missed them. Other feedback was more subtle and occasionally I disagreed with the suggestions and kept the prose as it was or reworked it another way.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I alternate between no music and classic rock from the 70’s and 80’s. The music is never loud, usually playing in the background. I find it helps block out distractions.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I submitted to a handful of agents gleaned from the standard sources. The response was silence or the standard rejection letter, and I grew frustrated.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Impatience was the reason I went the self-publishing route. When I began, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever share the book beyond my family. As the story grew and improved, I gained confidence. By the end, I just wanted to let my baby out into the world—I couldn’t wait. With the first book under my belt, I’ll re-evaluate publishing alternatives again with my next novel.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I hired an artist whose specialty is cover artwork. It’s important for everyone to understand his or her own strengths and weaknesses. I am a stick figure artist at best. I knew what I wanted for a cover but lacked the skills to create something polished. The best choice for me was to hire a professional.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I looked at some of the canned marketing plans on the internet, and ended up creating my own version. It’s straightforward, a binder with tabs to keep all my notes and information organized. There are sections for my Facebook page, website, newspapers, writing contests, reviewers, bloggers, libraries, print and e-book resources.
The book is available in print and eBook formats.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Just start! I spent countless years thinking I’d like to write a book and never acted. Those years are gone; I can’t get them back. But, now that I’ve started writing, I may never stop. Going the agent and traditional publisher route is tough slogging for debut authors, the beauty of today’s technology is authors can take control of their own destiny.
Learn the craft; be open to criticism and just start!
About You
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in the town of Orangeville, an hour from Toronto in Southern Ontario, Canada
Where do you live now?
I moved to California over 20 years ago and live in Tustin, part of Orange County, south of Los Angeles.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I’m just an ordinary guy who loves to read and waited too long to start writing.
What are you working on now?
My next novel is very different. It’s 75% done, tentatively titled Rectification, an adult horror novel. I hope to release it in the next year.
End of Interview:
For more from Robert, visit his website and like his Facebook page.
Get your copy of Alone Together from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
