INTERVIEW: DUNCAN P BRADSHAW - PART THREE

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

Class Three

Those Who Survive (Class Four #1)

Prime Directive

Black Room Manuscripts Vol 1

Part-Time Author/Full-Time Loon.

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:

Website - Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Page

INTERVIEW: DUNCAN P BRADSHAW - PART TWO

Welcome to Part Two of Confessions of a Reviewers interview with Duncan P Bradshaw.

In tonight’s section, Duncan kicks things off by answering some specific questions on his new book, Hexagram and finishes off with how his wife sticks him and lets you in on the secret of some of his influences.

It’s the middle of the week so go grab some pizza, a beer, sit back, and mostly……enjoy!

CoaR - Moving on to Hexagram, where did the idea for this one come from? What were you trying to get across with it?

DPB - It started last year at conventions, the other guys in the SHC only write novellas, and I kinda felt that I needed to get a couple written myself this year, to have a wider range. The original idea hit me around August time, I think: the notion that as we’re all made of stars, what would happen if it could be extracted?

The final story in Hexagram, about the two sisters, was going to be the entire novella. But, typically, as I wrote it, my mind, in an attempt to fill in some of the how’s and why’s, stumbled upon it being an Inca ritual. Then I thought, can I can trace that ritual, from all the way back then, to modern times?

I think I wanted to get across how knowledge is passed on from generation to generation. Without any sense of context, or facts, how the words can be twisted and formed into something which fits someone’s own ends. The characters in the book all use it, thinking it will do one thing, without any comprehension of what will actually happen. I found that scary, because history shows the same thing happening in real life.

I also wanted to show the grey area that exists within people. Even the most altruistic person, is capable of doing great harm, even unwittingly. I like to hold a mirror up to these characters, show what is driving them, their reasoning, but also both their good and bad. Even the most horrible characters in Hexagram are viewed by some as doing good. That’s the world we live in huh?

CoaR - One thing that struck me about it was the use of language in the different eras. Did you have to research this much?

DPB - I use some quaint turns of phrase, I think is the politest way of saying it, so when I wrote them, particularly in the first story, I tried to put it within the objects of the world. I thought that using modern items, in an analogy, would be a bit off-putting, so tried to use historic bits and pieces, to ground it more.

There are two first person stories in Hexagram, and they were probably the most fun to write, particularly the second one, set in Victorian London. I often speak to my wife in such a manner, so to write an entire story this way, was really good fun. For all of the stories, I needed to do research into things such as: American Civil War slang, layouts of settlements, poisons, cults, weather patterns, all that sort of thing, but not too much with the speech.

I’m keen on making sure that the dialogue is something that people can still get, without needing to Google the crap out of everything. I hope I found the right balance between historical elements and accessibility for a modern audience.

CoaR - You are a fun loving kinda chap. How do you get yourself in the frame of mind to write some of the horrific stuff like some of the scenes featuring torture or blood and guts in Hexagram?

DPB - The way I write, is completely off the bat. Sometimes, I have a vague idea about a particular scene, or an event which befalls someone, as that is either integral to the story, or one of the bits which made the idea flare in my head.

In the first story, I did a bit of research on Inca rituals, and in the main, it’s not quite as gory as we all believe it to be. However, that didn’t help at all with the whole purpose, which is people being harvested, to get the stardust, so made a more atypical scene. Hence, those scenes are intentionally OTT, including an element of the supernatural. These priests are kinda outside the normal world, so I wanted a few things in there which were quite full on.

I never sit down and think, ‘I have to make this scene really gory’, it is purely the words coming out of me as I wander around the scene in my head.

The later scene which you’re referring to, which I know turned your stomach, was an almost afterthought. I realised that I hadn’t really linked that part of the story back to anything I’d done earlier, so came up with a sort of ‘after-action’ report. This section is the one I alluded to earlier on, about design.

The character is obviously not a particularly nice one, and although you see one side to them, I wanted to show another. Almost the point at which the old him ended, and the new, reborn character began. He was on a real journey, and I wanted to show that the turn he took was borne out of vengeance, sheer brutality, desperation almost.

CoaR - What was the thinking behind the idea of almost having six short stories making up the novel?

DPB - When I made the decision to expand the story, and include the full history of the ritual, I wanted each part to be its own separate narrative. The storyteller in me loved it, as I was able to find a historic event, and then base each individual story around it. It also gave me scope to do different things with the characters.

It’s also a case of the title informing my choice. I don’t usually come up with a title straightaway, but Hexagram popped in my head early on. Numbers are quite significant in a lot of rituals. There are six priests for instance, so I thought ‘six stories’. With that, the idea of the six pointed star, fitted perfectly with the whole stardust motif, and the cover. Each of the points on the cover of Hexagram represents one of the stories, along with an element within them. See what I mean about what I said earlier with the cover design? Mike McGee (the cover artist), nailed that so well.

Knowing that I had six stories, I then knew how many links I had from the Inca, through to the modern day. With some research, I was able to set each story in its own time frame. Not all stories link in a linear way, and I like that.

I’ve had a few comments, on my books in general, that things aren’t too heavily signposted, and that I should leave more breadcrumbs. Personally, I want the reader to be so absorbed within the story, that they find the links themselves, and in some cases, make new ones.

That is the joy of reading. Just because I have one view of a character’s motivations, or why something went the way it did, doesn’t mean that everyone else will. What other medium can do that? All I do is write down my view on it, it is up to the reader to make the connection between stories, or not. My main reason for writing, is to produce a good story, something which can either be pored over, or enjoyed at the shallowest level.

Anyway, the feedback I got from beta readers was really cool, in the main, each preferred different stories, and for differing reasons. Hell, even I have my favourites, and I loved hearing from other people which ones were their standout moments.

I think as well; this was the first non-zombie novel that I had written. I wanted it to be epic, sprawling different times and with a wealth of characters and motivation. It would have been easier to have stuck with my original novella idea, but it’s not how I work.

Finally…a lot of people rail on novels for being too long, that they don’t have time to sit down and read one, or they lose interest. The way I structured Hexagram, essentially gives the reader five short stories, and one novella. It breaks it down into bitesize chunks, so you can read a whole story in one sitting, put it away, and feel content that you’ve made progress. By the time you go back to read the next story, your brain has been working on what’s happened, and what could possibly happen next. Again, some might not like that approach, but I wanted to try something a little different.

CoaR - In many ways this a good versus evil type story. Do you have any beliefs in this area or is Hexagramtotally made up from your imagination?

DPB - Hexagramstarted off purely as a notion of how could I make a story where people harvest stardust, and make them want to read it. Most stories need conflict, it’s probably the oldest backbone to many a tale. I also wanted that moral grey area thrown in though. Just because you can do something, should you?

Each of the main characters is doing something, because they feel compelled to. None of them, except for the Inca right at the beginning, have an inkling what will happen when they manage to see it through. Why would people go to such extreme lengths to do that? We as people have quite defined lines of right and wrong, but in each of us, it is different.

There is another theme of Hexagram. This essence, is inside all of us, it not only links us, as people, together, but to the entire universe. We just don’t know or understand why. Humans are an odd bunch of flesh wrapped skeletons, we thrash around like primitive beasts, trying to make sense of it all, and none of us, really have a clue. We are so infinitesimally small, perhaps that is why we act the way we do? Perhaps we really do understand why we struggle on, through life, but are just too afraid of that truth. I don’t know, I just wanted something that hints at something bigger, a chink of light and promise at the end of the road of our lives.

CoaR - How does your wife, Debbie, stick you? Is she on strong medication?

DPB - It is a question I’ve often wondered. I’m…an interesting person to live with, put it that way. I can be bouncing around the place like Tigger on amphetamines one minute, and then sitting quietly on the sofa the next, not wanting to speak to anyone. I’m lucky in that I know myself quite well, so know how to deal with my ups and downs, but appreciate that it must be really difficult for her at times.

I think, genuinely, and it’s probably not the answer you’re looking for, she fills my missing pieces in. We are complete opposites on so many things, but what I lack, she provides, and vice versa. We’re a real team, and though I can be a real cheeky sod to her, I am very lucky to be with someone who supports what I do, and puts up with my stupidness.

CoaR - Who would be the authors you would give the credit of being your influences and who do you just not “get”?

DPB - As a kid, it was all about Roald Dahl. I think his writing and stories, really fed my innate silliness. Aside from that, Danny King is a huge influence, mainly in the style of his writing, his books are hilarious, but also tell a really solid story.

Zombie wise, it would have to be Max Brooks. Both World War Z, and the Zombie Survival Guide, were just joys to read. Ultimately, I like to think that I write my way, not really tipping a hat to anyone in particular. I like that. I am me, I am unique, I say and do stupid things, so I am lucky that in my writing, I can add in my little -isms.

As for writers I don’t ‘get’, I can’t really say I have any. For every book I read of someone that I didn’t like, chances are, I’ll read something else by them, and find something I do enjoy. I try and read some of the old classics, and they can be tough, but that is down to the language and style of the time. The Prince, by Machiavelli for example, made my brain hurt, but I’m still glad I read it.

And so we come to the end of Part Two of the interview.

I think you will all agree that this one if worthy of a Part Three so please bring yourselves back into the Confessional tomorrow night when Duncan will continue telling you about is writing and life, and also give his answers to The Ten Confessions. Trust me, you don’t want to miss those!

Thanks again for visiting Confessions of a Reviewer!

CONFESSIONS REVIEWS DUNCAN P BRADSHAW

Class Three

Those Who Survive (Class Four #1)

Prime Directive

Black Room Manuscripts Vol 1

Part-Time Author/Full-Time Loon.

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:

Website - Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Page

INTERVIEW: DUNCAN P BRADSHAW - PART ONE

Welcome to part one of Confessions of a Reviewers’ interview with England’s very own, Duncan P Bradshaw. There are rumours that no other country will have him due to some……incidents!

If you don’t know a lot, or indeed anything, about Duncan then read on. In this interview Duncan was kind enough to take the time out to give us some detailed and, brutally honest and funny answers to all the questions I threw at him.

In Part One, tonight, we find out some general information about Duncan and his writing and influences. In Part Two, tomorrow night, Duncan will give us some specifics on his new book Hexagram, and also some more general life stuff. In Part Three on Thursday, Duncan will tell us what to expect from him in the future and take on the mighty Ten Confession!

On night four, as always, I will be posting my review on Hexagram.

There is much much more to come from him this week as well but I will keep you posted on that as we go.

Nothing left to say at this point other than go grab some nibbles and a drink and sit back, and most of all……enjoy!

CoaR - So tell everyone a bit about yourself in general. Who is Duncan P Bradshaw?

DPB - I’m the man in the closed toilet cubicle, who makes grunting sounds when you’ve just finished. I’m the one who drinks from your favourite mug and leaves that weird burst bubble scum around the rim. I’m the voice in your head, telling you to drop your phone out of the moving train window. I am DOOM INCARNATE.

When I’m not doing all of that, I type out the weird and wonderful things that pop into my head. These sometimes form coherent sentences and paragraphs, and ultimately, books. I’m then lucky enough for people to exchange money for these books, so that my frozen thoughts can be thawed out, in other people’s brains.

I live in Wiltshire, Southern England, with my wife Debbie, and our two cats, Rafa and Pepe. Having been sterilised in a freak accident involving a Greenpeace boat and a VHS box-set of Friends, I’ve dedicated myself to being as utterly annoying as possible. In that regard, I’m doing alright.

CoaR - Can you confirm that the P stands for pisshead?

DPB - The P stands for many a thing, depending on who I’ve vexed, or the current Martian transition. It is mainly used as a tool of wonder, as people remark, ‘I wonder what it stands for?’ If they knew the truth, the enigma would be ruined.

CoaR - Do you have a normal “pay the bills” job, and if so, can you say what it is? It is rumoured you are a gigolo?

DPB - I do indeed, but it is pretty dull, if I told you what it is, it would likely send you into a coma, one that you would not recover from. To counter this, I used to tell people I was a hitman, or a honey collector. Contrary to the scrawls on many a wall, I've never been a gigolo. Sorry to disappoint Nev, but if you do require those services, a certain Daniel Marc Chant would be more than willing to 'accommodate’ you.

CoaR - Why writing? Why decide on that as a career?

DPB - One of my favourite things at school was writing stories, I had a repeat character called Andy Beatemup, an inept spy, based on the Russ Abbott character, 'Basildon Bond’. My problem though is that I can be quite a lazy sod. A few years back, Dan, out of the blue, said he'd written a book. Bastard, I thought. Coupled with that, Justin had also written two. Bastards, I thought. It was the final kick up the arse, if they could find the time, then by Jove, so could I.

I really enjoy it, don't get me wrong, it's not all sunshine and rainbows, but I finally have a vent for my weird thoughts.

CoaR - Take us through your process for a story. How do you start it and follow it through to the final product?

DPB - Pretty much everything spawns from a rogue thought or one line of dialogue. Prime Directivefor instance, was borne out of five words going round and round my head, I drove Debbie potty one night with its constant repetition. From there, it linked up with some other ideas I had bouncing around already, and BOOM, I had enough to start with.

More often than not, ideas are dismissed, as they just don't have enough to warrant a story, or something else bullies it. I'll spend a few days thinking about the general narrative, a few characters, setting, maybe a few key events. Then as soon as I come up with a first line, I'll open a new word document, and begin.

I tend to fly out of the gates, but then get bogged down. As I'm a pantser, in that I don't plan a book, I write in the evening, then spend the next day at work thinking about what I did and what's next. I get home, make any corrections to problem areas, then crack on with the next bit, repeat and rinse.

I edit it three times before I send it to beta readers. Usually, whilst I'm waiting for the feedback, I'm already tinkering, getting fonts sorted out, working out little design details, that sort of thing. Then I'll go through what people said, take on board anything of note, discard anything which isn't useful, and then do another couple of rounds of edits, before getting it proofread. When it comes back, I then get it into book templates and get it looking all purty. That part is one of my most favourite parts of the process to be honest. I’ll then order up a physical proof for one last edit, and voila, it's ready for release.

CoaR - How do you keep track of your ideas? Do you carry a notebook with you everywhere or write stuff on the back of your hand?

DPB - Most of my ideas, I just remember, if it's really good and I don't want to forget it, I'll email myself. It's usually just a line of dialogue, which I think is either hilarious or disgusting. In the future, I will have to invest in a gadget of some description, but here and now, the ole brain is doing alright.

CoaR - Is the pipe just for show?

DPB - The pipe is in fact, a breathing tube. My alien physiology is ill-equipped to deal with the concentration of gases and people vaping. To counter these otherwise poisonous materials, my people formed a rebreather, which I fashioned into a pipe, so I can integrate with you bunch of savages without anyone knowing.

CoaR - Can you tell us if any of the characters in your books are based on people you have come across in your life or maybe even yourself?

DPB - Plenty! Though, I would say that most aren’t complete representations of people I know. I tend to take a few of their quirks or traits, and magnify them, as when you’re trying to create a character, you need to make them memorable. I don’t want to make caricatures, but sometimes, I need a character whose sole purpose is to help transition the story from one point to another. They get a chapter, maybe two, if they aren’t quirky in some way, they just don’t get remembered.

Even the times I use people’s names in books, it is rarely a full reflection of them. In Class Four: Those Who Survive, I asked for volunteers to be characters. I’d say none of them are based fully on the people who share the name. It’s a balancing act, like all of writing. Though sometimes, when you get inside the head of a character you’re writing, you see similarities with people, which you can then try and use as a guide.

I think the character people ask me about the most, is Philip from Class Three. He’s based, loosely, on me, but as above, I’ve skewed the personality to make him a bit larger than life. Though I don’t make up songs about zombies who have been cut in half, I do have a habit of engaging mouth before brain sometimes, with varying degrees of riposte from people.

CoaR - Every book you produce has a wonderful cover to show it off. How much input do you have with them and how important to you are they?

DPB - This might seem an odd thing to say, so bear with me, but I think that the covers are probably the most important thing, even more so than the words contained within. With the boom of self-publishing, and small presses, the market is swamped. If someone is flicking through a list of books, where none of the authors are household names, the cover is going to be what will make or break that person putting their hand in their pocket and buying it.

Yes, you have to write well, or at least be able to tell an interesting story, but if your cover looks like a montage of stock imagery, or you’ve used Times New Roman, it just looks like amateur hour. For me, I love going to an artist with a brief, and seeing what they come up with. I get a bit of banter within the SHC for being quite particular, and the brief I send to artists, is quite exacting. In my mind’s eye, I know what I want, and whilst I appreciate that what I’ll get back will be different, I need it to incorporate certain things.

Art, and being able to draw, is one of those things I would love to be good at, but I completely suck. Though I do have a pretty clear idea of what I am after in my head. I have been really lucky with the artists I’ve found so far. Each of them are completely different, but they’ve all nailed what I asked of them.

I love having an image on the front, rather than just stylised words, so you can rest assured that, anything I’ll ever put out, will have something eye catching on the front. Will it appeal to all? Of course not, but it’ll be the closest representation of what I want, and that is all I can ask for.

Whilst we’re on design...I just want to point out that my books don’t stop at the cover. If you’ve ever bought a physical copy of my books, you’ll see that I apply the same principles inside. For example, Celebrity Culture, my bizarro novella, uses a different font for every single disease. There are forty-six of them. FORTY-SIX. I love putting these little touches to my final product.

There’s a little section in the physical version of Hexagram which does just that. I researched it online to get it looking as close as possible to the real thing. Vague, I know, but best go pick it up and see huh? Ultimately, these little design decisions may seem trivial to some, but to me, it helps convey more to the reader.

CoaR - Any chance I can have some money off you for the laptop I ruined spewing coffee all over it after seeing your pose in front of Jabba the Hutt?

DPB - You best take that up with Jabba himself I’m afraid. Being one of his slave girls has some perks, included within that is any claim for damages caused by my sultry demeanour.

CoaR - I plan to interview the three stooges, sorry, the three men responsible for The Sinister Horror Company all together so won’t go into it too much here, but how is that working out for you all?

DPB - It’s going alright, I think the nucleus of why we started off the Sinister Horror Company is still there, of a fashion. Just, as is the way, things change. I don’t think it would work if we weren’t all friends, as each of us has wildly different personalities and approaches.

I for one, am not the easiest person to get on with at times, and, hand on heart, there have been a few occasions when it has been a real struggle. Fortunately, I think we’ve found a way of working now, which cuts down on some of the areas which caused issues beforehand.

Nothing worth having, ever comes easy.

CoaR - What do you think of the state of play in the writing world these days? Particularly the horror genre?

DPB - It’s an odd one, with the advent of self-publishing, there is now so much out there, it’s unreal. There are some people, who feel that it should all belong to them alone, which is an odd concept to fathom, fortunately, they are in the minority. With the big publishers doing what they’ve always done, the underbelly of horror is beginning to bubble. In a good way.

I read an interview Justin did at the beginning of the year, and he likened it to the indie music scene of the late eighties/early nineties. I think this is a brilliant analogy. Right now, you have some truly amazing writers out there, doing some astonishing work. Couple that with some excellent small presses, the world of genre fiction stands on the edge of a real boon.

You have some people who have really mastered the art of promotion and finding out, A) what they’re good at and B) what people want, and they are giving that to the readers. This year alone has seen some really excellent books coming out, and I think that there are plenty more to come. I really get the feeling that I’m in the midst of something cool.

Yes, there are people being dicks, but that is true in any walk of life. Hell, think back to school, or your workplace, there is always that person or persons, who are utter bell ends. We are all in this together, so share people’s Facebook posts, recommend books to people, point writers in the direction of an artist you think would be perfect or them, anything that can help make kickass books, do it. The scene is only as good as the people in it, and from what I’ve seen, it is something to behold.

Well that is your lot for Part One of the Interview!

Please remember to come back tomorrow night when Duncan will be talking some more about his writing in general and telling you all you need to know about Hexagram!

Thanks again for visiting Confessions of a Reviewer!

CONFESSIONS REVIEWS DUNCAN P BRADSHAW

Class Three

Those Who Survive (Class Four #1)

Prime Directive

Black Room Manuscripts Vol 1

Part-Time Author/Full-Time Loon.

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:

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