We are delighted to welcome Terry J Newman, author of Drayling. Terry joins us to share his writing journey.
Guest Post: Terry J Newman
I’m indebted to Donna and Dave for giving me this opportunity to tell you about the circumstances surrounding the appearance of my first novel “Drayling”.
I retired early – at the age of 50 – from an office job that I didn’t enjoy, in order to write. As many people do, I made a “bucket list” of everything I wanted to achieve in retirement.
In addition to the usual family and travel stuff, and writing in general, two of the more specific items were “become a member of Mensa” and “write a full-length novel”.
The first I achieved in 2003, but the second took a little longer. At the time, I don’t think I contemplated much beyond simply wanting to experience for myself the full process of writing one. I was – and still consider myself to be – very much a novice.
I discovered all sorts of “basic building block” stuff along the way – notably that there is no “right way” to write a novel. It soon became apparent to me that every author will write in a different way. Some will use a pen, some will use a pencil. Some will dictate and some will key into a lap top, word processor or some other wonderfully new gadget. Some will create in short bursts, and others will slave for hours at a time. I know these things now because, at various times in the process, I did all of them.
I discovered that mood, inclination and determination are significant factors, and that the tolerance of one’s family is hugely helpful (and much appreciated). Initially, I continued to read and write other stuff, such as poems and short stories, but this soon took a back seat as the novel became all-consuming. I found that I didn’t want distraction of any kind.
I finally finished it at the end of 2010 (well, abandoned it more like – I could go on tinkering with it forever) and it was published, in paperback, in March 2011. It has now also been made available as an ebook on Kindle.
The whole process has been – and continues to be – fascinating. There were a couple of occasions during the writing when a character said something, apparently out of the blue, that explained something that had happened or been said earlier, and which, up to that point, I hadn’t really understood. It was quite spooky at the time, but it suggests that, throughout the entire process, my subconscious was beavering away, below the surface, in parallel with my conscious efforts.
Although they have no direct relevance to the story, I’ve incorporated twenty six “allusions to Sussex” into the book, in one form or another, just for fun. For example, the title “Drayling” is an anagram of ARDINGLY, which is the name of the village in which I was born and raised.
One of the things that never ceases to amaze me about the book world is its subjectivity. Two peoples’ views about the same book can vary so wildly that you’d think they were describing an entirely different book…and, of course, Drayling’s no exception. The reviews have spanned the whole spectrum. One reviewer very politely said that it would be better if she didn’t write a review, as it would do sales no good at all. On the other hand, Laura Carter wrote the following review for “Readers Favorite”. (I promised to credit her if I quote it):
“This is such an astonishingly well-thought out book. The world building is fantastic and the author has created a thorough history as to why the world has ended up this way; something which is often neglected in other books of this genre. The book is so detailed it almost appears at times to be a true story, something which I as the reader personally found incredibly enjoyable. I found myself thoroughly engrossed in this masterpiece of a book as it is simply perfect in every way. This is a book that will be loved by all fans of dystopian fiction and mysteries but also by anyone who just wants to read a book that will blow them away with every detail.”
I try to focus on the positive, and tell myself that you can’t please all of the people all of the time. I honestly don’t mind if someone says it’s rubbish. I’d be far more disappointed if no one read it.
So here’s hoping you’ll read it!
This is their story.
Reality collides with fantasy and philosophy as they embark on a mission of suspense, danger, deceit and death – with far-reaching ramifications.
Drayling is a different kind of science fiction book – for the intelligent reader.
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About Terry J NewmanAs an aside, Newman has revealed that, woven into the book, are twenty six “allusions to my home county of Sussex”. The most obvious example being the title, “Drayling”, which is an anagram of “Ardingly” – the author’s birthplace.
About the Author:
I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school.
In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu’s Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I’m a lover of films, games, books and blogging.
I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats – Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.
David M. Brown – who has written 860 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.