Welcome / Introduction

Welcome to my blog.

Prior to mid-2017, the only fiction writing I had ever done was back in school (a long time ago) and that was only when I was set an essay for homework, which I had no option but to write.  I had far better things to do when I was younger and English Language, like so many other subjects took second or third or fourth place, or even lower, in my priorities. So, essay writing was as short and meaningless as possible.  Just complete the chore, get it done and forget about it.

But, throughout my life, I’ve read thousands of books (but funnily enough, until recently, no zombie books) and watched a lot of films and TV. I have my list of favourite authors, which varies from time to time.

So, mid-2017 and completely out of the blue I get the urge to write a book. Still not exactly sure why.  I think I just wondered if I could do it and whether it would be any good. Could I write a book that I would want to read (or anyone else for that matter)? 

I decided on a zombie book, purely because of ‘The Walking Dead’ series. I didn’t really fancy the programme to be honest because I’m not into horror films and blood and guts for the sake of it.  So, I always avoided it and found other things to watch until there was nothing else I really fancied, so thought ‘let’s give it a go’.  Well, I’ve never looked back.  Loved it, can’t get enough of it, and the beauty is, it’s not really what I would call ‘horror’ – it’s post-apocalyptic and the real story is about the survivors rather than zombies. I then knew what I wanted to write.

Between mid-August and the end of October, I wrote ‘Z – Arrival’.  Then I did nothing for a few weeks before deciding to give it to my other half to read – without telling her I had written it.  I was really unsure whether it was any good, whether people would enjoy it or hate it.  A bit like those people who go on talent shows convinced they can sing when they’re obviously tone deaf.  I didn’t want to be one of the tone deaf.

She thought it was good, so what next? I asked her to go through it again as an editor.  I made a few changes here and there but was still unsure what to do with it.

On a whim, I decided to send a submission to an agent, to get a professional view. I spent hours trying to find a Company and agent which might be suitable for my type of book; I submitted on 1 February 2018.  I was expecting to wait months for a reply, or not at all, but it was rejected (nicely) on 2 February 2018.  At least it was quick and relatively painless.

What to do next? I considered more submissions but felt this would probably be a waste of time and effort – I’d read some of the experiences of other well known, successful authors, and their tales of numerous failed submissions.

In the meantime, I had been looking at self-publishing through CreateSpace / Kindle Direct Publishing and what it entailed.  I certainly wasn’t ready for the huge number of zombie-type books already on the market and was a little concerned that all the readers of this genre would be seriously unimpressed by my outing.  But, in the end I thought ‘if you don’t try, you don’t know’. So, after spending a lot more time editing the book, designing a cover, putting together a description etc I finally published on 24 March 2018.

There were two main problems as far as I could see; would anyone want to read my book and would it be liked? For a first time author with no track record, no following etc, I had no idea what to expect and it is a little daunting. Can you imagine getting no stars and negative comments for the first review; no one else would touch your book again and I would have had to seriously consider taking it off the market and forgetting all about the journey.

Well, thankfully, my first review on 25 March was 5 stars from Linda C who wrote:

‘This book was as bit different and I enjoyed it. Instead of a small group, police, military, and civilians worked to make Heathrow Airport their safe haven. Many twists and surprises in the plot line. The characters are on their way to being very well developed. I look forward to another book’

Thank you, Linda C; I had already started ‘Z – London’ and your comments made me want to continue.  I have no idea how many times I read your comment, but it was a lot, a helluva lot, and I still read it again every few days. I guess I was just surprised that someone took the time to feedback and that it was so positive. 

 

On the other hand, I had 3 days of thinking ‘well, never mind, worth a try’ before I sold my first ebook on 30 March.  What a feeling!  Someone is buying / reading what I’ve written!

Well, ‘Z – London’ is now out, and personally I think it is a better book.  It’s a bit darker, more bad language and some nasty people.  The trouble for me is how far I can push the boundary of what is acceptable, how nasty can they be?  What’s off limits? (See ‘PC or not PC’ blog where I go into this a bit more).  I guess we’ll find out in Book 3 of the series.

I didn’t go into this for the money (although money is nice) nor for fame (hence the pseudonym). I’m just an average guy who hopes that you enjoy what I write and feel that any money you’ve spent on my books has been worth it.   

Hatch