A couple of times in Heal the Sick my intended plot was turned on its head due to the actions of my characters, actions which were necessary to retain clear personalities.
Jacob Prytherch – 31 July 2013
The Back Flap
With the choice between the nightmare known and the nightmare unknown, it is the pull of the journey that drives Guy onwards, surrounded by a strange demonic family: the giant of aggression, the hideous shrinking man and the silent child. Together they travel from their lonely island home into a land of rain and blood, where the last remnants of humanity desperately hold on to the spark of life against a growing flood of the undead, and where either sanity or truth will finally be unravelled.
About the book
What is the book about?
Heal the Sick, Raise the Dead is a horror/mystery with fantastical elements set in a rain soaked and windswept location. The dead are rising and it is up to the protagonist to discover the cause along with finding their own place within a world that is unknown yet hauntingly familiar…
When did you start writing the book?
I first had the kernel of an idea for the book around three years ago. I wrote a couple of pages of introduction then left it. I have a huge folder of idea fragments which I raid from time to time, combining and cutting and deleting as necessary. I finally committed to writing it properly in July 2012.
How long did it take you to write it?
It took around two months from start to finish, with another six weeks or so of proofing from my crew of capable proof readers. I had to set my alarm for 4 am every day to try and get some writing done before heading to work or hearing my children wake up. I try not to let writing interfere with my family life. I may never be remembered as a writer but I want to be remembered as a good father.
Where did you get the idea from?
I’ve wanted to write an undead horror for a long time but have been disappointed by the tendency towards similarity that a lot of writers and films take within the genre now. Though I enjoyed Zombieland the notion of ‘rules’ (many of which are followed and quoted religiously, for example ‘destroy the brain’ or ‘get to high ground’) tends to dilute the horror of the living dead. They were people, people who had families, loves and fears. The idea of a friend of mine being dead and then trying to kill me is a double horror that shouldn’t be reduced. There are no swathes of zombies being mown down by machine-gun fire in my books. I never even use the word zombie. I can’t stand the living dead being given nicknames like ‘zed’. I wanted to create a claustrophobic narrative bringing out the true horror of walking corpses, coupled with a sense of discovery given by an unreliable narrator. I wanted the disturbing events to be as shocking to the protagonist as they hopefully are to the readers.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Around half way through the book the protagonist finds his way to a barricaded police station in the middle of an infested village. The original encounter involved a group of plucky survivors, a makeshift trial and a LOT of conversation. It killed the tension and didn’t add anything to the story so I chucked around 6,000 words and instead wrote another complication in. The encounter is anything but dull now.
What came easily?
The setting. I have a fascination with bleak, cold coastlines due to frequent visits to my grandparents in North Wales. A sea-weed choked stone beach lies at the bottom of their garden and I would often explore it even during the rain. I kept the location unnamed to add to the sense of isolation. A reviewer recently said that they thought that the book was set along the northern coast of the US so I think I’ve done all right there.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
I try and take aspects of people I know to give the characters a sense of realism and consistency. The character of Eliza is loosely based on a friend of mine who has an indomitable spirit and thirst for adventure. I wish I had her willpower. She’s the hero of the book in a lot of ways.
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?
Ray Bradbury was the first writer that evoked a true sense of dread in me. I was about eight or nine when I read The Small Assassin in a weird half decorated room full of piles of clothes and boxes (we’d just moved into a new house). I kept glancing around the room looking for a murderous infant! The fact that words had drawn such feelings from me was fascinating and I began to work out ways that I could emulate such a feat. I have no idea if I’ve succeeded or ever will, though a few readers of Heal the Sick have complained of nightmares…
Do you have a target reader?
I hope to target readers who want a change of pace. I hope that people will look at my work as something different.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I always try to start with a strong premise, but I have no problem with it changing depending on how the characters develop. I like to leave a lot of things open. The tighter I plan the more it tends to veer away from my original idea. I usually begin a story with an image or emotion and then try to re-construct it using words. I have no idea if other writers do the same. A couple of times in Heal the Sick my intended plot was turned on its head due to the actions of my characters, actions which were necessary to retain clear personalities. It was quite exciting. I’ve learned a lot more about the nature of narrative in the last year than I ever did at university, but that’s probably due to the fact that I was only ever interested in storytelling and found it hard to deconstruct the images that the words placed in my head.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
Honestly, I don’t outline at all. Perhaps I should, but I usually just write until I reach a suitable point or cliffhanger around the 7,000 or 8,000 word mark, then start a new chapter. The closest I ever got to planning was when I was writing The Binary Man. I was writing three parallel narratives so I knew that chapter one would be one character, chapter two the next, chapter three the next, etc… does that count?
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I used to edit myself into a complete stall when I first started writing. I’d edit and re-edit again and again, only having about two thousand words after several weeks of work. At some point I decided that enough was enough and I started writing simply with the intention of trying to craft a story whilst worrying about the minutiae later. This also caused a few problems with proofing and tone, so I now do a bit of both methods if possible.
Did you hire a professional editor?
As I have no money to put into my writing career due to supporting a family I have never hired an editor. I’d love to at some point (I find it extraordinarily hard to proof my own work) but only if I was 100% sure that I would recoup the investment. As it stands I now have a friend in the US who proofs and edits all of my writing out of the kindness of her own heart. She’s very thorough and I’m eternally grateful for all her work.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
At times. It depends on how many other things in my life are running through my head. I need clarity to write, but if there is a particular mood I’m trying to evoke I will listen to music, classical mostly but some soundtracks. I can’t write to music with vocals, the words confuse my tender brain. When I was writing Heal The Sick I listened to Holst’s Planet Suite, especially Mars during the more gruesome sections.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Once or twice, though I tend to spend more time writing than marketing. I’m trying to balance it a bit more but it’s tough. It’s like giving up a bag of chips in favour of celery. It may be the smarter thing to do but it doesn’t satisfy.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I’ve gone with self publishing initially simply because it’s free. I would love to be published by either an indie or one of the big sixes and will always be working towards it. I don’t mind about my slice of the royalties at this stage, I just want to feel like I’m getting somewhere. Getting accepted on theindieview.com was one of my goals so I’m on the right path!
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I do most of my book covers myself using TwistedBrush, learning new techniques as I go. I’m a lot better than I used to be at it. The cover for Heal The Sick is actually the only one that I didn’t create and that’s why it’s of such a high quality! It was done as a favour by a professional graphic artist who has worked with Alan Moore. They do some great stuff over at thisishoax.com. Yes, that was a shameless plug but they really are great.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I’m making it up as I go but I do have an ethos that I am working with – no cost. I know I could get a lot more exposure if I paid but I don’t think that will improve my writing which is my main aim. I want the books to drive the sales. Whether that’s possible or not, well… we’ll see!
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Get some stuff out there and see what people think, and most of all take criticism on the chin. There’s no point in arguing that your writing is amazing unless you’re Neil Gaiman. He IS amazing.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in a town called Stourbridge in the West Midlands (UK). I was a pretty awkward child and never had many friends, which is probably why I used to read so many books!
Where do you live now?
I live in Birmingham, about half an hour from Stourbridge. My kids are going to the same school that I went to! I live with my wife and two daughters in a cosy house with a jungle of strawberry plants in the garden.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I will never argue with any criticism. I came close once but managed to hold back. I want to get better at writing and will take any and all advice towards that goal.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a dark fantasy (all of my fiction is pretty dark) called The Overcloud Codex. It may take a while to write but the characters are starting to come together. The challenge with this one will be purging the narrative voice of all modern terminology. It’s a bit of a headache but I think it will be worth it in the end.
End of Interview:
For more from Jacob, visit his website, follow him on twitter, or like his facebook page.
Get your copy of Heal the Sick, Raise the Dead from Amazon US (paper or ebook) or Amazon UK (paper or ebook).
