Author of Sci Fi, Alternate History Fiction, Dystopian
Mark Lynch studied History & Politics at Queen’s University Belfast, UK and maintains a keen interest in both of these subjects. He enjoys reading both fiction and non-fiction, but is particularly keen on the science fiction genre and its sub genres, such as alternative history and space colonisation.
He released his first novel, the science fiction thriller, Veritas Dawn in 2014. Mark’s most recent release is his third novel ‘American Nemesis’.
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American Nemesis book trailer
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Veritas Dawn
4 July 2132. The colony ship, SS Artemis, leaves our solar system and begins a journey across the galaxy. The leviathan’s destination is the “Veritas” Moon, a sphere thought capable of supporting human life. The “First Wave” colonists seek to create a utopian society on the virgin moon, free from the many problems of old Earth, but no one could have predicted the threat which awaited them.
Decades later, a small group of settlers flee from the ravages of civil war and the repressive arm of a totalitarian state. This tiny community must attempt to put old grievances behind them as they struggle to survive the harsh realities of life on an isolated outpost, right on the edge of the fledgling human colony. When their settlement comes under attack by a resurgent indigenous enemy it appears the colonists’ only hope rests in the actions of a mysterious stranger whose own motives remain unclear.
A science fiction novel by Mark Lynch, published by Whiskey Creek Press LLC. Available for digital download through Whiskey Creek Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Mark Lynch on Veritas Dawn
Special Announcement
I am delighted to announce that Veritas Dawn will soon be released in paperback format, under the new title ‘The Rogue Colony’. This edition will be published by David J Publishing, and is due for release in early autumn/fall 2015.
Watch out for further updates on my Facebook Page and Twitter account,
Mark
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What is Veritas Dawn about?
Veritas Dawn is the story of an isolated and struggling human colony situated in another solar system. The book is set roughly fifty years after the first landing on the ‘Veritas’ moon, and the small colony is totally cut off from Earth. To make matters worse, ‘Veritas’ has also been ravaged by two devastating wars, and the surviving colonists are still struggling to deal with the repercussions of these conflicts.The main plot revolves around the daily lives of a small but diverse group of settlers living on a collective farm out on the very edge of the HPZ (the human populated zone). Early on in the novel, we see the settlers struggling to survive in a harsh and unforgiving alien environment. Furthermore, the characters all have reason to fear or despise the totalitarian colonial government, and so they seek to ‘stay under the radar’ and avoid the attentions of the regime’s ruthless security apparatus.
The colonists are preoccupied with their internal problems, and so they are caught completely off-guard by a sudden attack mounted by a resurgent indigenous enemy. As the battle escalates, the small settlement is forced to the brink, and it appears that the colonists’ only hope rests with an enigmatic drifter-cum-soldier of fortune. But does this mysterious ‘Outlander’ hold his own sinister agenda? You’ll have to read the book to find out!
In conclusion, Veritas Dawn is a unique Science Fiction novel with well-developed and memorable characters. The story balances an action packed plot with a carefully considered social and political analysis, which (I hope) makes for an entertaining and thought provoking read!
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What inspired you to write Veritas Dawn?
From a young age, I always held an ambition to write a science fiction novel. I scribbled down a lot of ideas over the years but I never had the self-confidence to develop any of these rough concepts into a fully blown story. This only changed whenever I was approaching my 30th birthday, and I thought ‘now’s the time to make a go of this’. The concept and basic plot outline for Veritas was already there, but the writing process itself was a big learning curve for me.I read and watch a lot of SciFi but I’ve always been particularly interested in the space colonisation sub-genre. In this vein, I am a big fan of John Scalzi’s work (such as his novels Old Man’s War and The Last Colony). I also really enjoyed Allen Steele’s Coyote series.
Another novel I enjoyed was Philip Dick’s Martian Time Slip. What particularly interested me regarding this story was the fact that Dick’s imagined colony on Mars was still very much divided along traditional lines i.e. by nationality, religion, ideology, socio-economic status etc. I think this poses an interesting question as to whether humans would change if they were taken off the Earth, or whether they would fall back into their traditional ‘tribes’ and ‘factions’ This is one of the central themes I have tried to explore in Veritas.
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Who are the primary readers of your book?
I feel that Veritas will appeal to a wide range of readers, and not necessarily just those who are fans of science fiction (although hopefully the SciFi crowd will enjoy it too!).I really liked the Firefly TV series by Joss Whedon, and, as with the Firefly / Serenity franchise, I would describe Veritas as a ‘science fiction western’. In my novel you essentially have a frontier society populated by a variety of colourful outcasts, gun-slingers, and bandits. What’s more, the central conflict between the alien ‘Astri’ and the human colonists is loosely based upon the historical wars between white settlers and Native Americans, back in the ‘Old West’ of the 19th century. Also, one of the main characters of the novel (the man known only as the Outlander) is based upon the classic ‘man with no name’ of the Spaghetti Western film genre.
First and foremost though, I would describe the book as a ‘character-driven’ story. I have put a lot of thought into my characters and I developed detailed biographies for each before I began writing the novel. My main style of writing is multiple character POV, and so I can tell the same story from different perspectives. Hopefully this method will appeal to the majority of readers.
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How long did it take to write it?
I started writing the novel in March of 2012, and had a first draft completed by December of the same year. However, this draft was pretty rough, and so there was a lot of work required in terms of proof reading and editing. The final e-book was published by Whiskey Creek Press in June 2014. It would be fair to say that it was a ‘long journey’! -
How did you come up with the title?
‘Veritas’ is the name of the colony moon, and is also the Goddess of Truth in Roman mythology. The search for the truth, or more specifically, the true meaning of life, is one of the central themes of the book. Each individual character has their own personal feelings about the ‘true meaning’, and some have found solace in political or religious extremism.The key relationship in the story is between Reverend Carmody and ‘the Outlander’. The two men have very different core beliefs, as the Reverend is a great believer in the ‘human spirit’, while the Outlander is effectively a nihilist who spouts survivalist rhetoric. These two characters are often in conflict with each other, but they are ultimately forced to co-operate in order to save the settlement.
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Why did you choose this cover?
The current cover was assigned to me by the e-book publishers, Whiskey Creek Press. The concept in the design was a western style, but also emphasising the alien setting of the story. Therefore, you have the mysterious cowboy figure in the foreground and the dual suns of the Veritas system in the background. -
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Writing a novel is a huge project which will take months of your life and hundreds of man hours to complete. The hardest part is always looking down at a blank page at the beginning of a session and wondering how the hell you are going to fill up that page!Veritas Dawn was my first novel and, in many ways, it was also the hardest to write, mainly because I was learning everything from scratch.
That said, writing is my passion and so it’s what I love doing. Also, it’s a great feeling of accomplishment to get to the end of a project and then to see the book on Amazon or in hard copy.
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Did you do research for your book?
Yes, there was quite a lot of research involved in writing Veritas. I avoid attempting to write ‘hard’ science fiction as I don’t have enough of a scientific grounding. My base is in history and politics, and so I’ve tried to bring this knowledge into my writing. For example, while I was working on Veritas I read accounts of historical colonies, such as Jamestown in Virginia, and Botany Bay in Australia, and this research helped when I was describing the fictional colony on the Veritas Moon. I think an author is best sticking to the areas he or she knows best, although you have to come out of your comfort zone every now and again! -
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
When I started writing Veritas Dawn, I knew next to nothing about the writing process, about proof reading, editing, or formatting. I also had no prior experience of the publishing industry and knew very little about the opportunities for authors provided by Amazon and other online outlets. It would be fair to say that it’s been a big learning curve for me over the last three and a bit years, but I have definitely honed my skills during this time, and hopefully I’m now a better writer thanks to what I’ve learnt. -
What do you want to say to your readers?
Please buy my book!Seriously though, when you’re a new and unknown author trying to break through, every sale feels like a small victory, and so I would like to sincerely thank all those who have bought and read the novel.
Also, feedback is good because it helps me to become a better author, so please take the time to post a short review on Amazon.
Europe 1969. The failure of the Western Alliance has allowed the Soviet Union to expand its borders to the North Atlantic. The United Kingdom no longer exists and Her Majesty’s Government has long since been overthrown. Ireland remains divided, with the North controlled by the Communists and the South effectively an American client state. Two mighty armies glare at each other across a heavily fortified border, which the locals have grimly christened as the ‘Shamrock Curtain’.
In the midst of this chaos is Sean McCann, a young Belfast man with a chequered past is drawn into a war not of his making. He returns to his native city tasked with the unenviable mission of rebuilding the beleaguered resistance movement, operating right under the noses of the Soviet military and their locally recruited security forces.
McCann and his comrades fight to stay one step ahead of the ruthless Red secret police. If they fail, the Russian Bear will awaken and the people of the North shall suffer his unrestrained ferocity.
An alternative history novel by Mark Lynch, published by David J Publishing and available as ebook and paperback through Amazon
Special Announcement
I am pleased to announce that the sequel to Zero Sum has been submitted to my publisher for consideration. The novel is entitled ‘Insurgent Town’ and, all being well, it will be published later in the year
Watch out for further updates on my Facebook Page and Twitter account,
Mark
Mark Lynch on The War of Zero-Sum
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What is The War of Zero-Sum About?
The War of Zero-Sum is an Irish Troubles novel, but one with a unique twist! Zero Sum is set in an alternative reality, where Ireland is on the front-line of the Cold War conflict between the USSR and the USA.
The point of divergence (to use the popular alternative history term) is set in the spring of 1943, when a premature D-Day landing ends in failure, and the Anglo-American alliance breaks down shortly after. The Soviet Red Army still succeeds in defeating the Nazis, and their forces continue to advance across the German territories. The Russians seize all of Germany by 1945, and they go on to ‘liberate’ the Low Countries and France.
In the post-war period, Europe is dominated by the Soviet Union, and the United States has withdrawn from the continent, renewing her inter-war policy of isolationism. Ultimately, a bankrupt and abandoned Great Britain falls to communism in the autumn of 1961.
Jump forward to 1969, and you have the island of Ireland still divided; with the North occupied by the Soviet Union, and the South garrisoned by the Americans. Meanwhile, the CIA backed Resistance fights a desperate guerrilla war in the mean streets of Belfast, as our hero Sean McCann tries to stay one step ahead of the ruthless Red secret police, headed up by an ex-IRA man by the name of Alexander Lynch.
Zero Sum is a ‘Troubles’ novel like none other. It is a Belfast story, full of colourful characters, black humour, and Irish tragedy. But, first and foremost, the book is a new and unique take on the sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland, and imagines how the traditional divides and divisions in this society could have been altered by a starkly different political reality.
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Who are the primary readers of your book?
The obvious reader base is in Northern Ireland itself, but I feel that the novel has a much wider appeal. As with my fellow modern authors, I’m fortunate in that Amazon and other online resources allow me to reach a worldwide audience.
Alternative history is definitely a growing sub-genre and there is a substantial AH fan base spread across the US, the UK, and further afield. I’ve posted some advertisements on AH websites and have enjoyed some positive feedback. The Cold War aspect is certainly an element which many readers can relate to.
The story itself is fast moving and action packed. Also, I believe the reader will identify with many of my characters, as I have tried to make each individual as real as possible. I’m a big believer in writing characters who are neither ‘black’ nor ‘white’, ‘good’ nor ‘bad’. The people in Zero Sum are largely products of their environment, or victims of the poor choices they have made in their lives.
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What inspired you to write The War of Zero-Sum?
The concept for the novel was in my head for many years before I started working on this project. I have long been interested in Irish history, and particularly in the history of our most recent Troubles. Because of my age and upbringing, I wasn’t directly impacted by the Troubles (as so many were) but I have lived in Northern Ireland for my whole life, and I’ve witnessed how the legacy of the conflict continues to damage our society.There’s obviously been a significant number of Troubles related novels written over the years and so I wanted to write something a bit different from the norm. I studied history throughout school and university and (outside of Ireland) my main area of interest is 20th century history, particularly World War Two and the Cold War.
Finally, I’m a big fan of alternative history fiction, and I enjoy the novels written by the giants of this genre, such as Harry Turtledove and S .M. Stirling. The concept of ‘What if?’ has always fascinated me.
In Zero-Sum I have brought all of these loves together, and I’ve combined the Irish Troubles and the Cold War in order to create an ambitious alternative history saga. Hopefully I’ve managed to pull it off, but that’s for the readers to decide…
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How long did it take to write it?
I began writing the novel in January of 2013, and had finished the first draft by October of the same year. I dabbled with self-publishing for a bit and then I was fortunate enough to get offered a contract by David J Publishing. The novel was published in e-book and paperback formats in June 2014. -
How did you come up with the title?
There’s a bit of a tale behind this one, so bear with me…The novel was originally self-published under the title ‘The Red Star of Ulster’, which was meant as a pun on the traditional ‘Red Hand of Ulster’.
This was okay, but my publisher felt that the title wouldn’t have a broad enough appeal internationally, and it might also confuse some readers.
Therefore, we came up with ‘The War of Zero Sum’. Zero Sum is a mathematical term which is also used in political analysis. A broad definition of the term is ‘a gain for one side which results in a corresponding loss for the other side’. This term can be applied equally in the context of both the Northern Irish Troubles and the Cold War, thus the use in my title.
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Why did you choose this cover?
The cover was designed by David J Publishing. I was presented with a choice of half a dozen excellent and professional options and I chose the cover above. The two flags set upon the map of Ireland clearly encapsulates the core concept of the story, i.e. the island divided between the Cold War superpowers. The motif also parodies the map we are so used to seeing, with the Union Jack in the North, and the Irish Tricolour in the South. The silver metallic and industrial style lettering in the foreground also evokes images of the Cold War era. I was very pleased with the final cover design for Zero Sum. -
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
This novel was certainly a hard one to write, for a number of different reasons. I was concerned that many of the themes of the book would be controversial, especially given the ongoing political situation here in Northern Ireland.It’s almost impossible to tread the middle line when you’re writing about such a divided society, but I did my best to remain neutral, and to show the ugly realities of sectarianism on both sides. At the same time, I’ve tried to portray the beliefs and loyalties of people from all factions, including those who support a Communist style government in Northern Ireland as an alternative to the old sectarian split. This was quite a challenge!
Another difficulty I faced was with the length of the book. I originally envisaged a single novel charting the story of a peoples uprising against a Soviet regime, however, I soon realised that the tale was just too big for the one book, and so I’m now working towards the completion of a trilogy!
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Did you do research for your book?
Yes, there was quite a lot of research involved in writing this novel. The alternative history genre is something of an oddity, because you’re creating a fantasy scenario but, at the same time, you have to stay close to the historical record for some aspects of the story. Therefore, you have to do your homework to ensure that the novel is as authentic as possible. Luckily, I’m a history buff anyway so it wasn’t too much of a chore to read up on the early years of the Troubles and on the Cold War era.In regards to locations, most of the chapters in Zero Sum are set either in Belfast or Dublin, which are cities I know pretty well. This obviously helped when it came to describing particular streets and landmarks. That said, I’ve been told that a couple of discrepancies have crept into my descriptions of 1960’s Belfast…but I put this down to creative licence!
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Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Perhaps the most important thing I learnt while writing this novel was that it’s extremely difficult to write objectively when you’re dealing with such a divisive subject matter. I was very concerned about how this novel would be received by the readers, and not just because of all the bad language!In a place like Northern Ireland, there’s always the risk that certain people will accuse you of being bigoted or bias towards one side or the other. In the end though, I learnt that I’ve just got to write the story and not concern myself too much with what a minority of readers may think. ‘You can’t please all of the people’, as the say…
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What do you want to say to your readers?
In Zero Sum I’ve tried to write an entertaining and character-driven novel, but I’ve also tried to say something about the society in which I live. Perhaps I’ve been over-ambitious or arrogant in this regard, but that’s for the readers to decide.As always, I want to say thanks to all who have bought, downloaded, or read the novel and, of course, constructive feedback is always welcome.
American Nemesis
Europe 1969. The failure of the Western Alliance has allowed the Soviet Union to expand its borders to the North Atlantic. The United Kingdom no longer exists and Her Majesty’s Government has long since been overthrown. Ireland remains divided, with the North controlled by the Communists and the South effectively an American client state. Two mighty armies glare at each other across a heavily fortified border, which the locals have grimly christened as the ‘Shamrock Curtain’.
In the midst of this chaos is Sean McCann, a young Belfast man with a chequered past is drawn into a war not of his making. He returns to his native city tasked with the unenviable mission of rebuilding the beleaguered resistance movement, operating right under the noses of the Soviet military and their locally recruited security forces.
McCann and his comrades fight to stay one step ahead of the ruthless Red secret police. If they fail, the Russian Bear will awaken and the people of the North shall suffer his unrestrained ferocity.
American Nemesis book trailer
Play.
Mark Lynch on American Nemesis
Note from the Author
Keep an eye on my Facebook and Twitter for further updates and promotional offers:
Mark
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What is American Nemesis About?
American Nemesis is a dystopian novel set in the near future, and the story imagines a world where the American States are no longer united.
In 2020 the election of a divisive left-wing President has proved the final straw for an already deeply divided America, and so the conservative and Christian ‘Red’ states of the South and the Rockies opt to secede from the Union to form a new nation, the Confederated Christian States of America. The remnant United States consist only of the ‘Blue’ liberal states of the North East and West Coast, and this reduced nation lacks the will and the power to force the rebels back into the Union.
The story begins in the summer of 2030. America has been divided for a decade now and the border between the CCSA and the USA has become heavily militarised. America is no longer capable of playing the role of global policeman, and so many regional conflicts are escalating to frightening new levels. However, the most significant crisis develops on the North American continent, as a tragic border incident brings the two Americas to the very brink.
The bulk of the novel is set in Fort Scenic, a small border town close to the militarised boundary between Nevada and Arizona. Our protagonist is the 30 year-old Joshua Hamilton. Josh is an outcast in his own country, as his left-wing views put him at odds with the ultra-conservative population of the Arizona strip. However, Josh has a plan. He intends to save up enough money from his illegal enterprises in order to escape from the CCSA, and to start a new life for himself in the remnant USA. This is the plan, but Joshua will have to act fast, because, for every day he waits, the divided nation creeps ever closer to civil war.
American Nemesis is a dark, fast paced, and action packed novel which also asks important questions about the deep divisions and social problems within contemporary American society.
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What inspired you to write American Nemesis?
I’ve always been interested in American society, history, and politics, and so I wanted to develop these interests into a novel. Having studied many periods of American history, I feel that the US is as divided now as it has been since the Civil War. We see this manifested in many ways in the news coming out of the States. You have the divisive issue of gun control, the controversy of ‘Obamacare’, the conflict of state regulation versus personal freedom, state rights versus federal control, Christian fundamentalist opposition to gay marriage, abortion, stem cell research etc., the issue of immigration…The list could go on, but you get the picture…One of my major inspirations for the concept of a divided America was the famous ‘Jesusland’ meme which appeared on the internet just after the 2004 Bush-Kerry Presidential election. This visual gag presented a map of North America, with the Red (i.e. Republican) states set as a part of a separate country named Jesusland (i.e. a reference to the right-wing Christian values of the Bible Belt) and the remainder of the Blue (i.e. Democrat) states having merged with Canada, presumably due to their similar political beliefs and ideology. In Nemesis I have pushed this idea of two Americas to its logical conclusion, i.e. two opposing countries glaring at one another across a militarised frontier.
There were other influences too of course. For example, the main protagonist, Joshua Hamilton, is a former college student who has turned to dealing drugs in order to make a living. This is obviously a nod to the brilliant Breaking Bad TV series.
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Who are the primary readers of this book?
I would hope that the novel can find an audience in America. Obviously, I’m an outsider (i.e. an Irish writer) looking in at the problem and writing about it from my own perspective. That said, I’ve done my research and I believe the novel presents an accurate portrayal of American society and politics. It has been commented by some American readers that the concept is chilling similar to the existing political situation in the States.I wouldn’t necessarily class Nemesis as being a science fiction novel. The story is set only 15 years in the future, and therefore I haven’t included many SciFi aspects within the book. I would describe Nemesis as a speculative fiction novel, bordering on dystopian.
I think the book can appeal to all readers with an interest in American fiction. It’s a character driven novel, but the story itself is pretty dark, and so it may not be to everyone’s tastes.
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How long did it take to write it?
I began writing the novel in January of 2014 and had finished the first draft by the end of August in the same year. Based on experience, it takes me roughly 8 – 9 months to complete a novel of around 100,000 words. Nemesis was submitted to and accepted by David J Publishing, and was published through Amazon in February 2015, for both kindle download and paperback order.
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How did you come up with the title?
There have been so many variations on the classic American genre over the years, such as American Graffiti, American Beauty, and American Psycho etc. Obviously, I’ve decided to shamelessly piggy-back on this trend!Nemesis is the interesting word within the title. The word is defined in the dictionary as either ‘an unconquerable enemy or opponent’ or ‘an act or agent of retribution’. The irony is that, in the context of this novel, the nemesis America faces is itself, and the divisions between the states have effectively destroyed the world’s last superpower.
In an interesting footnote to my decision regarding the title, I was advised by a well-known Sci-Fi author that, although he personally liked it, American Nemesis was a title which would ensure no American publisher would look at the novel. Maybe this is true, but I still hope Nemesis will capture the reader’s attention.
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Why did you choose this cover?
The cover was designed by my publisher, David J Publishing. I received about five or six different options, all of which were very good. A couple of designs featured scenes of Capitol Hill in Washington, but I felt these didn’t quite capture the concept of the novel, as the story is largely set in the western states of Arizona and Nevada. I particularly liked the chosen cover design as it features a desert skyline with the foreboding presence of an Apache helicopter gunship in the foreground. I feel this image best encapsulates the concept of the story. -
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Like all of the novels I’ve written to date, Nemesis does deal with some pretty controversial subject matters. I don’t want to give too much anyway regarding the plot, but there are two chapters that are particularly dark and violent. These scenes were hard to write, particularly because both of the featured scenarios are eerily similar to events which have occurred in the real world in recent years. That said, I personally believe that good work should be controversial and hard-hitting in order to challenge people’s perceptions. Hopefully the readers will agree with my assessment! -
Did you do research for your book?
There was quite a lot of research required for this novel. The setting for most of the action is the Arizona strip, up in the extreme north west of this state. This is an area I have never visited, and so I needed to research the locality. That said, the town of Fort Scenic is entirely fictional, and I wanted to give the town a feel of ‘Anywhere USA’, atypical of the 21st century suburban sprawl.Other than the location, I did research into US Army weaponry and equipment, as several of my characters are either military, police, or civilian ‘gun nuts’. Also, because Josh Hamilton is a small time weed dealer, I had to investigate methods of cannabis cultivation, which is not an area of expertise for me!
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Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Nemesis is my third novel published and so I would like to think I have honed my skills since I first began writing. That said, I think a writer should always be learning new skills and techniques, and this was certainly the case for me when I was working on this book. I think that, as a writer, you risk going stale if you’re not constantly learning and expanding your base of knowledge. -
What do you want to say to your readers?
I hope that my readers will enjoy this novel. The setting is very different from my previous works, but the writing style is similar, and I cover many of the same themes, such as the destructive effects of extremism upon society. The central message of this novel is a warning, as I personally believe that America is better together than divided along ideological lines.