Welcome to an historic moment! PART THREE of Confessions’ interview with Duncan Bradshaw. Yes, the man is so interesting and funny that we had to give him a third night!
In tonight’s section you will learn all about the hopes and dreams of Duncan P Bradshaw, and watch and cringe as he takes on The Ten Confessions.
It’s Thursday, the unofficial start of the weekend. You deserve a treat. Go get a Chinese and a couple of beers, and sit back, and most of all…..enjoy!
CoaR - Writing or being the big boss man publisher? Which is better?
DPB - At the moment, I am focussing solely on my writing. I’m not a goal orientated person in the slightest, but at the start of this year, I said to myself that by year end, I wanted five books in total, to be released. Happy to say that target will be met by July. I got into this because I enjoy writing, not because I like dealing with the rigmarole of publishing other people’s books.
There are always exceptions though, GodBomb! for example. As soon as I read that premise, I wanted to be the person to help get that out there. I’ve read a few submissions since, and whilst they’ve been good, none have grabbed me like GodBomb! did.
Got to appreciate how much work goes into releasing your own material, to then do it for something which isn’t yours, you have to really want to do it. I now approach it like this: if I read a synopsis or excerpt from something, and it doesn’t grab me by the balls, the same way Mr Power did (metaphorically speaking), then it won’t be for me.
I need to be WOWed. If I am going to spend time, which would normally be set aside for my own writing, to publish another person’s book, I have to adore it. It is all about the story for me, not the name, or reputation. If you contact me with an idea, it needs to be something amazing. I have an exceptionally low boredom threshold, if the premise or idea doesn’t get me going, then it’ll be a no.
CoaR - What’s the most difficult part of writing for you?
DPB - I was quite lucky with my first few books, in that they didn’t need much rewriting. With Prime Directive, Hexagram, and now Deadlock, I’ve had to get back in the trenches with it, and give it a good kick in.
It’s annoying, because, okay, let’s take Prime Directive. As soon as I finished it, I knew there were two things wrong with it. By then though, I’d gone back to Deadlock, and finished up the first draft. So now, I’ve got to get out of that mind-set, stick on my Prime Directive hat, and get back into that flow again. I liken it to merging with traffic on a motorway. You’ve been there, chugging along at a steady fifty miles per hour on an A-road, now though, you’ve left behind Deadlock-land, and need to get back onto Prime Directivehighway. That little bastard is going along at a faster clip, so you’ve got to make all sorts of mental changes, to get back into it again.
Once that is done, I need to come off that highway, where I’ve been motoring along, and need to slow down for Deadlock again. It just takes a few days to get back into the style of writing, the method, the entire reasoning as to why you wrote the bloody thing in the first place. Then you start seeing what happens when you’re a pantser. Exposition is explained multiple times, in slightly different ways. One set of creatures is a different colour. Hang on, didn’t that guy only have one arm? Why, by the fiery bunting of Antioch does he now have two?
Hey, it’s my own fault, and believe me, I’d love to be able to plan it all out, but it just isn’t me. So I’m going to have to just get on and make the best of it.
CoaR - What would your ultimate wish be with your writing?
DPB - The impossible dream? Same as most writers, to be able to support myself solely through my writing. That’s it. I know my limitations, I’m not going to win awards, or be lauded for literary genius, I’m just a simple storyteller. I like to think that my books are a little different, and that they’re about quirky things, and that probably appeals to as many people as it would turn off. But yeah, if at some point in time, I can quit my day job, and survive off my writing, I would be ecstatic.
CoaR - What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
DPB - It’s weird being asked that question these days, as most of my free time is doing writer-things. If it isn’t actually writing, it’s editing, doing cool stuff like this, or sorting out a new cover. Then there are things to do for the SHC, sort out conventions, make sure stock is ordered, sort out the website, get stuff across to Justin for the newsletter. It really is all consuming.
One thing I learned though, is that you have to take time out. I enjoy playing video games, so sneak in a bit of GTA when I can. I really enjoy reading, so always take a book to work so I can read at lunch. Quite partial to the odd beer or two, seeing my family and friends. I also want to make sure I see a bit more of the world, and experience things that I’ve wanted to, but never gotten round to, so am trying to do as much of that as time, and money, allows.
CoaR - Is there any video evidence of you doing your “sexy dance”?
DPB - I doubt it...though I did get reminded by some friends that last New Year’s I apparently gave the wife a lap dance in the middle of a living room, surrounded by people. What can I say? I’m a firm believer in this; we get one go at life, no do overs, no regrets. If I’m lucky enough to wake up that morning, I’m going to live my life the only way I know how. Then I’ll go to sleep that evening, and see if I get to do it all again the morning after. Life is too short to not do things, regardless of whether it’s learning how to tame lions, or give your wife a lap dance to Bohemian Rhapsody.
CoaR - What’s coming in the future from Duncan P Bradshaw?
DPB - With Hexagramout of the way, my next release was going to be Deadlock. It’s about a retired thief, who gets pulled back for one last job, but ends up in Hell. He has to go through trials, and a mysterious place, to get the prize he was promised. Though whilst I am happy with vast parts of it, there is something not quite right with it at the moment. It’s going to go on the back burner for a bit until I’m able to work out how to get it working.
Right now, I’m working on a book called Summoned, which is going to be my peak of utter ridiculousness. It spawned from an idea of a world-ending monster being summoned by accident. It’s got multiple narratives, a mini-comic, a choose your own adventure in it, and rammed with my silliness. Hoping this will be ready early next year.
Next year is my turn to curate the Black Room Manuscripts too, so I’ll be working on getting that done. Finally…I am going to finish off the Class Four trilogy. Then, who knows? I’ve got a few projects buzzing around my head, so will take my pick of them and see where it takes me.
THE TEN CONFESSIONS
1 Who would you view as your main competitor in the writing world?
J.R. Park, that dude has been following me around now for twenty odd years, stealing my best lines, giving it the big ‘un. One of these days, I swear, I’m gonna turn him into a malfunctioning toaster, see how he likes it.
2 What book or author have you read that you think should never have been published?
There are very few books I read that I think are an utter pile of shit, mainly because I have the luxury of being able to choose what I read. Even if I thought a book should be wiped from an existence, there is bound to be someone out there for whom it means the world.
3 Are any of the things your characters have experienced in your books been based on something that has actually happened to you? What was it?
This one time...in the zombie apocalypse, man, I was wired. I’d been awake for three straight weeks, living off spoiled cream cheese and baby wipes. In my bacteria fuelled haze, I witnessed many of the events that would go into Class Three. I’d love to be specific and say what they were, but screw that, if people want to know, best go and buy the book, see for themselves.
4 Have you ever blatantly stolen an idea or scene and adapted it for one of your own books? If so, care to share?
Not to my knowledge. The bit at the end of Class Three with the ‘super-zombies’, was written just before something similar happened in The Walking Dead TV series. I remember thinking that people are going to think I blagged it, when I’d actually written it already.
5 Have you ever anonymously left a bad review for someone else’s book? If so, care to share?
Nope, I’ve only left one bad review, for Max Brooks’ Closure Limited, which was an absolute load of bollocks. It’s the only negative Amazon review I’ve left. If I didn’t like a book, I’d say, I’m not able to keep my gob shut about those sorts of things.
6 What’s the one thing you are least proud of doing in your life and why?
I can be a little impulsive at times, and as I mentioned before, tend to engage mouth before brain. There have been times where I’ve said things to people which have been based more on the moment I was in, rather than being a considered response to a situation. Sometimes, afterwards, I think it was fair enough, but there have been times that I knew I went too far.
I tend to go off my emotions a lot, and whilst I have learnt how to suppress some of that initial RAWR, it does still come out from time to time. I’m lucky that a few of the people I’ve known the longest in my life know this, and are able to acknowledge it. Plus they get to call me a complete dickhead afterwards, without me offering to introduce their head to the interior of their sphincter.
7 What’s the one thing you are MOST proud of doing in your life and why?
I’m a sentimental, soppy sod, so there are a few things to choose from. Though I’m going to settle on the last individual Beef Wellington I made. Seriously the mushroom duxelle was on point, the choice of Wiltshire ham was a masterstroke, and the few dashes of Worcester sauce on the steak as I seared it, was utterly inspired. It was bloody lovely.
8 What’s your biggest fault?
I can be a little...sure of myself at times. Not a bad thing you’d probably say, but this can spill out to a degree of bullheadedness (totally a word, I put -ness on the end) where I refuse to listen to what people are saying. In the main, I’m more than happy to consider other people’s viewpoints, on certain things though...no. Never.
9 What is your biggest fear?
I have but two fears in this world, the first is vast expanses of water. When I was five, I hated swimming, the notion that I’d drown was all consuming. After leaving my kit on the bus, only to have it returned to me, as my mum had sewn my name on the towel, I decided to up my game. Next day, I handed my teacher a note, scrawled in orange felt pen, which read:
Dear teacher
Duncan can not go swimming today as he is poorly.
Love
Mummy
Suffice to say, it didn’t work, and I had to go swimming, whilst screaming at the same time.
My second fear is that I will go to the cupboard to get a biscuit with my cup of tea, and the cupboard will be bare. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
10 If you had to go to confession now, what would be the one thing you would need to get off your chest?
My dreams consist of trying to get to a platform on time to catch a train, and then having to find the toilet. I have no idea what either means, but it would be nice to have a dream without worrying that I’m going to piss myself.
Well, unfortunately that’s it for the interview. I’m sure you will agree that this one has been a journey of enlightenment and humour and an absolute pleasure to read as it was an absolute pleasure for me to do.
I would like to personally thank Duncan for his time and help in putting this together. We have planned this for a while now and it is so rewarding to see it actually up here for you to read.
Please remember to come back tomorrow night where I will have the Confessions review of Duncan’s new book, Hexagram and will include all the links you need to pick it up.
Also don’t forget to watch out for Duncan’s Past, Present and Future post on Sunday. On Monday I will be sharing exactly what you can expect to get when you pick Hexagramup for yourself.
Thanks again for visiting Confessions of a Reviewer!
CONFESSIONS REVIEWS DUNCAN P BRADSHAW
One day upon waking, as if from some frightful nightmare, I sat at my laptop and typed out letters, which formed words, slowly they created sentences. People read it and said, that's okay that is, have a biscuit. And I said yes.
I live in Wiltshire, in Southern England with my wife Debbie and our two cats, Rafa and Pepe, they just miaowed a hello at you. Between bouts of prolonged washing up and bungie cord knitting, I type out the weird and wonderful things that run around my head.
My debut novel, zom-com Class Three, was released in November 2014, the first book in the follow up trilogy, Class Four: Those Who Survive is out in July 2015. I'm then going to try and get some novellas released which are on something other than the undead.
And for more about Duncan, visit his site or find him on social media:
And for more about Duncan, visit his site or find him on social media:
