Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The Next Big Thing


Under a spot light I do tend to look old and pudgy, actually under any kind of light these day. Here is my small installment on The Next Big Thing. I write slower than I think and I think way too fast for my meagre mouth to translate, so mummbling has become one of my better comnnuicative methods of late. Will this be the next big thing to come out in Australian literature -- I can't speak for others in the publishing game but I seem to think it is pretty damn good.

I am asked a series of questions and the answers will show what I am working on and how I feel about it. The title for this work in progress is The Stainless Steel Hammer of God, a long title that sums up the contents of the book nicely when you join a few dots. The actual idea for the book comes from my own life when I was a needle pushing drug addict living on the streets of Adelaide; much of the deeply troubling events for the character happened to me, so a sense of realism is captured. This book isn't autobiographical, but I do relate very closely to many things pictured and spoken about by the character. When I was writing the novel's draft I was confused as to what the genre would be, mainly because I am a Fantasy/SF/Horror writer but this story is none of these genres, in fact it is vastly removed from my normal mode of writing and the subject matter is very contemporary. If cliche were a genre I might think I am inside one with this book, but when you expect the same old same old to happen it doesn't and it is this part I am pleased with. If I had to think seriously about genre and find the editor to read this I would say contemporary literature with a touch of crime mystery and thriller.

I was asked some time ago what film stars would be best suited for my charaters and I think Keira Knightly would be fine for Star and a very grizzled Brad Pit for the other main character. Nick Nolte would also play a starring role and he would have to do very little more than be himself. The story in a simple manner is a girl, addicted to drugs and prostitution sets out to save her life and rediscover the love of her farther.

While my last book was self published in the end after many years of floundering on editor's desks, I will once more run the mill of agents and editors to see if this heady novel can float someones boat. It is tough writing these days, when anyone with a computer churns out dribble that hits some screw loose marketting wiz kid's desk and I do wonder why I take the time and care to write in the manner I do. But, it is a business I love and I will continue to send my work to publishers in the hope it is picked up by one of these wiz kids and given a life others will enjoy.

When it comes to first drafts of books I tend to write them very fast, this one took about 12 weeks from start to finnish, but I take a long time to rewrite and edit. This book started its life in 2010 and has sat gathering momentum for a couple of years. I am now rewriting and moulding what I had into something I believe it can be. If I must compare any book to this I might suggest  'Go Ask Alice' which was written in the late 70s I think. It is a harsh book that pulls no punches and I hope that is what I am doing here, but where 'Go Ask Alice' is a personal story on its own, The Stainless Steel Hammer of God in complex and dangerous and draw upon a part of Adelaide that is sometimes spoken about but quickly hidden so it doesn't affect tourism. I suppose this hidden secret inspired me to take parts of my life and fictionalise them into a vehicle for the exploration of the city through a character. Yes, Star is important, but of equal importance is the place she lives and I wanted this to show as well as the mystery around her.

When I complete the final draft and have it sent to editors I hope what they see inspires them to act. It is not a light story, in fact the first few pages are so dark it is if the pages had been coloured in with black ink and then shaken so little bits fall off to reveal the white paper beneath. There is love here, but strained and wearying. There is hope but with it comes the greater sense of loss and there is salvation but the cost of it comes close to the ruination of everybody associated with the charcaters.

Is there a selling point to the book? It is pretty damn harsh and probably not a light weight read for children and the world of sparkles. This is indeed a book for adults and sadly this may also be its weakness in the end.

Thank you for sparing the time to read this blog - may you share it with others and lets us hope the book finds a good home.

Robert N Stephenson









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