Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After serving eighteen years in the British Royal Navy I was medically discharged with a broken back and started my first novel. I had almost completed it when I had to earn a living wage so I taught myself Visual Basic and became a computer programmer. Although it paid enough to live on I felt unfulfilled and became unhappy with the rat race. My wife and I decided to move to the Dominican Republic for a slower pace of life.
I started to write GERALD, my second novel. The first draft was completed within six months and went through revision after revision until I had it shining like a new penny. James Wymore saw the novel and championed it through a few more revisions and it will finally be published by Immortal Works as my debut novel.
Since finishing GERALD I have completed the first novel I started and am half way through my third. They are all very different and say a lot about my interests in life. Fantastical worlds, animals and medieval England. When I’m not writing I rescue animals in need and have even taken that so far as to gain a qualification, Veterinary Assistant.
In my ideal world I would be writing novels and helping magical creatures such as Dragons, Unicorns and Phoenixes.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel, due for release on May 16th 2017 is Gerald and the amulet of Zonrach which is the story of a less than able wizard who causes mayhem with a spell he used to create a nice shiny new village landmark.
The inspiration came when I was in the shower, funnily enough. I love Terry Pratchett and his diskworld series and also fantasy in general. I want to write a novel that I would love to read and suddenly the concept of promotion by height popped into my head. If a wizard successfully casts a spell he has a chance of promotion in inches, but if he makes a mistake, which Gerald would be known for, he loses inches. The tallest wizards in the land are the most powerful. I could foresee a lot of fun writing this, especially as I wanted the protagonist to be a bit of a klutz.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, unless you count not being able to get away from my chair because of the ten rescue dogs wrapped around it.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
As I said earlier, Terry Pratchett has a big influence on my writing, but other writers such as Tolkien, Brandon Sanderson, Andrew Buckley have helped shape the voice in my writing.
Terry and Andrew because of the humor, Tolkien, because, well, he’s Tolkien and the father of fantasy. Brandon because I like the way he is constantly coming up with fresh approaches to the genre of fantasy.
What are you working on now?
I am working on two novels at the moment. Gerald and the three Princesses is the next in the Gerald series and he lands himself in trouble immediately. I’ve still go to figure out how to get him back to Wyverndawn as a wizard, because… well you’ll see if you read the query and first chapter on my website 😉
The other is called Wilfrid and is about a twelve year old boy living in Anglo Saxon, England. His world falls apart shortly after his rite of manhood and if he doesn’t succeed in his quest to kill a mythical wolf then his father and best friend will be trapped between midgard and Waelheall, the Anglo Saxon Valhalla.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use the normal social media pages such as facebook and twitter. I have my own blog and try to keep that current. I also have a goodreads author page. Apart from that I’m pretty much a marketing novice.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My only advice is to not give up on your dream. Rejections are a part of the process and everyone gets them. Don’t let them get you down, although it is disheartening sometimes, and keep tweaking and submitting. Make friends with other writers and industry professionals, you can learn a lot from them and it helps to stop you feeling isolated when another rejection slip appears in your inbox. Eventually it will happen.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t stop writing until the first draft is completed. Usually the worst thing you can do is start editing what you have just written. I puts in this endless cycle and you never finish the draft. Get the book written then go back and edit.
What are you reading now?
I have just this second finished Hair in all the wrong places by Andrew Buckley and it was a great read. Next I’m going to grab either a viking, anglo saxon or roman story as I love those times 🙂
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a book with my publisher at the moment and I am sitting on hot coals waiting to see if they will take it on.
I am doing a few school visits, which is an amazing experience which no author should pass up if they get the chance.
I’m going to finish the two books I’m writing at the moment and should have them both done before the end of the year.
Hopefully I will obtain representation by an agent in the future, that is my next goal. To me having someone in your corner to help build your career is very important, but I’m such a scaredy cat that it will take a huge leap of faith to submit to the agent that I want. I can’t say who it is, but he very editorial and loves working with his clients. A friend of mine is represented by him and says he is an amazing agent.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Lord of the rings, Elantris, Color of Magic, Stiltskin 🙂
Author Websites and Profiles
Carl Hackman Website
Carl Hackman Amazon Profile
Carl Hackman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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Twitter Account
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