So I've finally cracked 320,000 words, which is more than A Game of Thrones and about the same as the first two books in the Lord of the Rings. Yet I'm still not finished. There's quite a way to go yet, and our hero's have more trials to withstand before the end.
I'm often asked several questions when I tell anyone I'm an author, and that I'm self published:
Q: How many books have you sold?
A: I don't know exactly, but it's true to say that while my first novel, Zero Magenta, may have been a critical success, I'm not going to be quitting my day job. The number is very small, but the point of my first novel was to prove to myself that I could do it, and that people might enjoy reading something I'd written.
Q: Why are you writing under your own name?
A: I was born with this name and I have no problem with it, although absolutely nobody is named John anymore. I decided to use my own name for both science fiction and fantasy, although i'll use a pseudonym if i write in any other genres.
Q: How many pages have you written?
A: In the world of electronic books, page counts are irrelevant as you can view the text how you wish. The number of pages will vary depending on whether you read on a phone, tablet or in print.
Q: When will you finish your next novel?
A: The $64,000 question! Frankly I don't know. I have many competing interests in my life, but be assured that I'm still writing. Even after I've finished the first draft, there will be a lot of editing, formatting and I need to get the cover art designed. I'm hoping for the end of this year, but I'm not rushing it to meet some artificial deadline. I'm currently in the book's final act, and probably three to four chapters from the end. I find it easiest to write while I'm on holiday, as the distractions are fewer. I've just written about a thousand words today, and I'm writing this blog, sat in the garden. Britain is having an epic heatwave.
Q: What is the new book about?
A: It's an epic fantasy in the tradition of the Lord of the Rings. I've been inspired by the works of Tolkien and Stephen Donaldson in particular. Although some elements of the story may feel familiar, I've put my own contemporary twist on the narrative. As much as I loved the Lord of the Rings, there were always a number of areas which I didn't understand, like the severe lack of female characters, and the fact that orcs are just evil, without any explanation why. I've always preferred stories which have shades of grey, rather than black and white.
Q: Is it like Game of Thrones?
A: The Game of Thrones TV show is fantastic, but I could never write anything with so much gratuitous sex and violence. While my novel will be adult, its not a horror.
Q: Will I like it?
A: If you enjoy epic Fantasy, then I really hope you enjoy my book (Title TBD), but if you don't, then it's unlikely. I'll certainly be interested to hear your thoughts either way.
That's all for now.
Cheers,
John Howes.
