.
One of the things that I wanted to do when I became an Indie Writing Chick was connect with others who have decided to take this journey. Recently, I was dealing with the hard stuff --- editing, formatting, self doubt, the usual, when a fellow Indie Writer, Christopher Hunter, reached out to me, and told me that he had purchased Tethered and he liked it. I can’t explain to you what it means to have a perfect stranger give you a rave review for no other reason than they thought your work merited it. I became curious about his writing and purchased his book. When I saw it was speculative fiction I knew I had found a kindred spirit because science fiction/fantasy is my first literary love. He’s currently working on Book Three of his The Days and Months We Were First Born Trilogy that includes The Unraveling and Family by Fate. I recently interviewed Chris about his books and what his Indie Writing Journey has been like.
Q: What was your inspiration for "The Days and Months We Were First Born: The Unraveling”?
A: Believe it or not, the name of a fictional village. “The Days and Months We Were First Born” wasn't the original story I set out to write. My first book was supposed to take place a hundred years from now, in a world well beyond the time of the epidemic. It was supposed to have an ensemble of young characters on a quest across our continent. It was a coming of age type of book. But I had writers block (and) I realized that I needed a background story. So the place of the first setting, Martinville, became my focal point. I soon found myself asking, “Who the hell is this Martin guy? And what makes him so special that he has a place named after him?” Well, eventually, this brainstorming led me to his girlfriend's bedroom, right before the news of the outbreak, in New York City, in the year 2068. And it was like a big bang. A new story was born and it took off running, leaving my first plan behind. I may still write that original story one day, but for now, it's all about Martin and his friends.
Q: Can you talk a bit about the storyline for the novel?
A: Sure. For the most part, this series is the first person account of Martin Jacob after the outbreak of the Gotheal's virus. Before “Awareness Day” (July 28th 2068), Martin is just a regular guy living a regular life. There is nothing special about him at all. He is virtually shacked up with his artist girlfriend in Harlem; he is a recent graduate from NYU; and he is on the brink of beginning his career as a history teacher. He is enjoying the summer and a comfortable lifestyle. But when he wakes up that fateful day everything begins to go wrong. I'll put it this way, if Martin's life was a person, it would be someone playing in shallow waters near a beach who is suddenly carried out to the ocean by a rip current. Things get away from him. In a sense, things unravel.
Martin tells a very personable narrative. He recalls the chain of events that transpired after all hell broke loose. He introduces a steady stream of interesting characters. He also paints a vivid picture of a world that's left in ruins. There is a mix bag of comedy, tragedy, social commentary, and speculative fiction. It's been a joy to work on this project. At times, I'm surprised I actually created such a tale.
Q: Our hero, Martin Jacob, seems to have an existential world view. Is that a correct take on him?
A: First of all, it's awful generous of you to consider Martin a hero. I'm sure if he was a real person he wouldn't consider himself that at all. In fact, if he was a real person, he'd probably want to kick my ass for screwing up his life so thoroughly. Anyways, my take on Martin's philosophy is this: He's just a normal guy put in a horrible situation. He didn't have time to ease into this different life. There was no transition. Change just smacked him in the face and he is carrying on the best way he can. He takes things as they come. If he actually took the time to think of how bad things were, of how much he has lost, he'd probably just want to crawl in hole somewhere and die. But Martin is not like that. He has a very strong will to survive. He is a big picture type of guy. Also, his story is a reflection of how so many things interconnect --- the virus, the world that was destroyed, his life, which was destroyed, and the people around him --- Martin ties it all together, sort of like, well, sort of like a history teacher.
Labels:
Christopher Hunter,
Indie Publishing,
The Days and Months We Were First Born Trilogy,
The Unraveling
Posts
