"While I'm sad to say goodbye to Sam and the other characters of the Rapture Trilogy, I've loved reading this series so much, and I can definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good post-apocalyptic story that also has a mix of paranormal elements, great pacing and a main character that although flawed, is incredibly easy to like."
Thanks to Kat at the Aussie Zombie! She's awesome. Click here to read the entire review
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"Also, you might be worried that it's an overtly preachy, Christian-centered book. Now, while it is heavy with Biblical quotes and stories, the book throws up many questions about the Bible that it doesn't necessarily seek to answer. The author has taken the story of the end-of-days as prophesied in the Bible and has asked, What If? What if were true, what if this came to pass? And I think he's done a masterful job of creating one possible answer to that. Both Christian and non-Christian readers can, and I'm sure will, enjoy this trilogy, that pits the ultimate good and the ultimate evil against each other, and focuses on what happens to those caught in the middle through no fault of their own."
Click here to see the entire review on J.L Pawley's blog The new print editions of the entire Rapture trilogy (Rapture, Tribulation, Apocalypse) have just arrived from Amazon (using Createspace) and I'm thrilled. My thanks again to Cheryl Rowe for the amazing covers! Check out this for tricky. I love print editions and get pretty excited by a series of books on my shelf. I especially love it when you can tell at a glance that they are part of a series. I got Cheryl to put one third of Sam's face on the spine so when you combine them, you get this:
I got my rights back from my publisher for my Rapture trilogy at the beginning of the year. At first, I felt a little bit at sea. Other authors may disagree, but for me, becoming an Indie author was a scary prospect.
It was a steep learning curve, especially learning to format and upload. I was already pretty familiar with the marketing side of things through facebook, goodreads, twitter etc. but it was the technical side of things that I found particularly challenging. I’ve got to grips with it since but I do cringe when I think of some of the mistakes I made in the early days. My books are available in basically any format you could want now (except print – more on that later). I uploaded onto smashwords but opted out of Amazon and did that separately. This is essentially because smashwords doesn’t take their cut out of your amazon sales. I still have to jump through a few hoops with smashwords. I’ve deferred my payments because I still haven’t got an international tax number. New Zealand has a tax treaty with the States so if I get one, I pay 10% tax instead of 30%. It probably doesn’t make too much difference with my level of sales but hey, never look a gift horse in the mouth. Of course, in order to get my international tax number I have to send an authenticated copy of my passport along with some other paper work. Unfortunately, I just realised that my passport has expired. Sigh. There’s always something to distract you from the real business of writing. I got a three book deal for my Rapture books. I saw the first two (Rapture, Tribulation) in print but will never see the third (Apocalypse) printed by my former publisher. Instead, I’m using Amazon’s createspace to print all three books. I’ve got the same designer (Cheryl Rowe) who did the covers of the original series to do them for me. Before the publisher folded, I couldn’t use the covers. Now I can. They just need a bit of tweaking. This is great because it adds a bit of consistency. If I couldn’t have used the same covers, I would’ve had to start again and they never would’ve looked the same (or as awesome!). I’m just waiting on her to finish up and can’t wait to hold a printed copy of Apocalypse in my hand. I’m a bit old school like that – I do like printed copies of my books. In terms of writing work, it’s been a busy few months. I haven’t started on my latest YA novel but most of the outline is written in my head. Instead, I’ve been concentrating on contract work. I’ve written two choose your own adventure books (word length 10k each), one chapter book (3k) and five non-fiction books. One of my science fiction stories was published in Australia’s No. 1 science fiction and fantasy magazine, Aurealis. It’s been a challenge balancing this type of work with my day job but I’ve managed and that’s basically what weekends are for. It might seem stressful to some but I know lots of people who have to work weekends. That seems to be the lot of people trying to make ends meet these days. Normally, I would’ve been stressed but due to a twist of random fate and the miracle that is modern medicine, that is not the case. I had back pain. Not just back pain but very specific back pain. It was in one spot. As chance would have it, it was just around the time when I heard the incredibly sad news about Iain Banks (R.I.P) being diagnosed with cancer. He said the first signs for him were back pain. Like him, I initially put it down to being hunched over a keyboard. And then of course I panicked. Panic for me manifests as deep brooding and worry. Eventually (after six weeks), I went to the doctors. I don’t like going to the doctors. I don’t like hospitals. Never have. They are scary places, reeking of disinfectant, walls covered in squint inducing white paint. Anywho, long story short. After a series of tests, it was essentially good news. I had nerve damage in my back. The doctor gave me some medication that had originally been diagnosed for depression. The result? No back pain and a feeling of positivity. The world smells of roses. Even in the depths of writing, I don’t get those horrible feelings of doubt and self-loathing. Every writer should get some. And here I was relying on booze to get me through writing deadlines. Even my wife has commented how level I am (I think many authors are guilty of mood swings depending on how well/poorly their writing is going). But I digress. Back to my Indie journey. I remember when I was first searching for an agent (for Rapture). I received a lot of requests for partials and fulls. I had movie producers and one movie studio approach me about the rights. Stephanie Meyer’s agent read it. So did Neil Gaiman’s. One agent for a large and respected literary agency said (and I quote) “other agents will go nuts for this.” I never got the chance to find out. Before I could pursue this course to its fullest extent, I got offered my three book deal. Do I have any regrets? At first, yes. But now, I’ve made my peace with it. I'm committed to being an Indie because it gives me a great deal of control and freedom. My wife asked me that exact same question the other night and I really do feel at peace (probably due to the meds). I had (and still do) high hopes for my Rapture trilogy. They are good books. I know they are, given that I read so many. I thought they may be the ticket to me writing full time but life throws curve balls. Sales are ticking along. They’re not exactly setting Amazon alight but that’s ok. I’m not in the position to give up my day job but I’m fine with that too. I’m happy that people are reading it. I’m getting great reviews too which is incredibly satisfying. I’m in a good place at the moment, comfortable in my own skin. It's not to say that I still wouldn't be open to any offers from a major publisher (who wouldn't?) but it is liberating being an Indie. I’m a teacher by day but I’m hoping to combine my writing with teaching, perhaps becoming a specialist writing teacher. But’s that’s the future. Right now, I’m concentrating on the present. I’m just thrilled that I’m able to still write and that people are enjoying it. And isn’t that what writing is all about? Enjoying the creative outlet, knowing that you’re making some people happy. It’s enough. My short story, Leaves of the Manuka tree, published in Australia's No. 1 science fiction and fantasy magazine, Aurealis.
Click here to see it on smashwords The news of the imminent demise of Iain Banks and his alter ego, Iain M. Banks, hit me hard. Why? It's not like he's family or my best friend. In fact, he doesn't know me from a bar of soap. I, on the other hand, wish that he was both.
I've nursed a forlorn hope for years that when or if my writing career takes off to the point when I can breathe the same rarefied air as the great man, attend the same events etc. etc. - we could've been friends. Does this sound sycophantic and a little pathetic? Yep. Probably. But I don't care. I confess that I harbour a bit of manlove for the guy. I distinctly remember the first time I picked up one of his books. I was in my early 20's working in London. A colleague slapped down a copy of Consider Phlebas on my desk and said 'you have to read this.' I was sceptical. I didn't read science fiction. Before I discovered Iain M. Banks and the world of the Culture, I was a committed fantasy fan. That was all I read. Sure, I'd dabbled with a bit of sci-fi but always returned to my first love. Consider Phlebas changed all that. I started inhaling science fiction after that book, eagerly awaiting the next instalment of the Culture. I read any and all of his books. I have them all, even the contempory fiction which, before this time, I never read. Never. Read. Some books are even signed but sadly, none personalised. The Player of Games was incredible. I've read it five times. Excession found me when I was on a truck safari in Africa. In a tiny town somewhere in Namibia, I discovered a copy in a second hand book shop. The next two days passed in a blur. Magnificent wildlife and scenery were forgotten as I devoured it. It's still one of my favourite books of all time. Looking back now, I have a sense of guilt that I spent two days reading instead of taking in all that Africa had to offer. I will probably never go back to Africa so I won't get the chance to see those things again. Do I regret it? No. The book was that good. I must temper my praise at this point and confess that I don't like his contempory fiction as much but that's like saying I don't like poached eggs as much as eggs benedict. I love poached eggs, I just love eggs benedict more. My despairing wife has tried to get me to read a little wider but, nah. I don't want to. To this day, I still read fantasy and science fiction almost exclusively. If it wasn't for Iain Banks, it would only be fantasy. My sadness, I confess, is partly a product of my own selfish needs. Without him, the world of the Culture is no more. Of course, I can re-read all his other Culture novels (which I have and will continue to do so), but his world dies with him. The Culture is, in my opinion, one of the best science fiction creations that I have ever had the pleasure to read. I feel depressed by his news. I can't imagine how he must feel. The life of a great writer cut short. He had so much more to give but then again, he has already given so much. An incredibly selfish part keeps asking me 'why can't he knock out one more Culture novel before he departs?' That would be fantastic but I would do exactly what he is doing when time is so short. Spending time with his 'widow'. Catching up with old friends. Reflecting on his life. And what a great life he has had. He has accomplished so much and his legacy will live on. Not every man can say that. I feel like I know him better after reading Raw Spirit. I loved that book. It gave me an insight into his personal beliefs, his sense of humour (which of course I already knew he possessed), political convictions and love of whiskey. I would've loved to have had an opportunity to sit down with him for a few hours, drink whiskey and basically talk shit. Two things I excel at. I suspect he is also rather accomplished in these areas. His news made me consider questions of the afterlife for the umpteenth time. What happens after you die regardless of religious convictions or in fact, despite them? I wonder how much by-in he has with regards to subliming? The concept has featured in a few of his novels now. For those who don't know, subliming seems to be essentially the same as going to Heaven or Nirvana, except no-one really knows for sure. It's a way to continue to exist even after death. A new phase of existence usually reserved for those sufficiently advanced. Perhaps Mr Banks, like one of his Minds, is one of those able to sublime whilst leaving their entire civilisation behind. Is he suitably advanced? I think so. If anyone has a chance to do it, it should be him. It's only fair. Death, I guess, is just another experience. One that we will all share eventually. It's the last great adventure. The circle is complete but not necessarily over. Look to windward, sir. Look to windward. The first leg of my Rapture virtual book tour has begun. Check out the first stop here at Reading addiction. Includes an interview plus a giveaway for 3 signed copies of Rapture and one of Tribulation. Click here to see a full list of all the stops on the tour "Anyone who enjoyed Rapture will love Tribulation. As fast-paced as the first, this novel treads a darker road. It expounds on the mythology; casting both Heaven and Hell in a more uncertain light than they had been. By the end of it, you’ll be waiting for Apocalypse." Click here to read the whole review |
Phillip W. Simpson
Phillip W. Simpson is an author of YA and children's books.
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