What are A QUIET APOCALYPSE and CATHEDRAL about?
In A QUIET APOCALYPSE a mutant strain of meningitis has left most of the world population either dead or profoundly deaf. Those who are immune to the virus can still hear and are enslaved by the deaf populous to replace the sense they have lost. The novella is told from the perspective ex-schoolteacher Chris, a hearing survivor. He has lost everything, including his freedom, and through his eyes we learn of what it is like to live as a slave in this terrible new world of fear and loss.
In the story, those who were culturally Deaf before the virus came have survived and are now seen by those deafened by the illness as The Harbingers of the strain of meningitis that has left them incapacitated. It is thought that The Harbingers are not brought back to the city, instead they are executed as a statement. This develops into something quite different in the second book. I was able to draw upon both work and life experiences as I was keen to write a piece that preyed upon people’s traditional misconceptions of deafness as an illness, and the imposition of ‘hearing’ norms.
CATHEDRAL focuses squarely on life in the titular city alluded to in the original book. This time the narrator is Sarah, a deafened citizen of Cathedral who falls in love with a man rescued from the wilderness beyond the city walls. Cathedral has its own social order, its own laws, traditions and brutal punishments. To those inside its walls, the city represents safety, security and order. To those outside, it is a place with almost mythical prominence, a place steeped in folklore. The drama unfolds as Sarah and her new lover struggle to find common ground in their differing perspectives of the same city. We learn more about how far human beings will go in order to reduce their fears and maintain stability and, for me, it is a far more frightening book than the first.
What inspired you to write this book series?
The germ of the idea for the A QUIET APOCALYPSE series came when I was working as a mental healthcare worker with the Deaf Community back in the late 90s. A hearing person suggested that the thought of being deaf was scary and this is contrary to people who are culturally Deaf who consider their deafness, not as a disability, but as integral to their sense of social identity. The book explores this concept of fear and the ambiguities of disability and empowerment, but in an extreme manner. The book started out as a short piece for an anthology that never transpired. I lost the completed draft when my computer did a software update leaving me only with my outline, but I used my recollections of the final short story to develop the piece into the novella which, to be honest, exceed my expectations in terms of critical response.
What can we expect from you in the future?
THE SAMARITAN: A QUIET APOCALYPSE BOOK 3 will be out later this year. It tells the story from the perspective of one of the hunters from CATHEDRAL searching for hearing people to take back to the city. I’m currently working on two novels, THE DEVIL DEVICE (Crossroad Digital and Audio Books) which is the fifth book in my BEATRICE BEECHAM supernatural adventure mystery series, and a science fiction/horror book called HYMNS FOR DEAD STARS (Demain Publishing). I envisage both novels will be released in 2022 and may well feature another Silver Dagger Book Tour!
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in the A QUIET APOCALYPSE series?
CHRIS is a teacher who has lost a daughter and wife to the virus known as MNG-U. He has retained his hearing which makes him a valuable commodity to the residents of CATHEDRAL. He wears a home-made caliper on his right leg after his failed bid to escape left him with a shattered kneecap. He is desperate to be free but worries about life beyond the uneasy safety of his rural prison.
CROWLEY is a deafened farmer who has enslaved Chris for his own ends. He is angry and scared and desperate not to lose his prize to The Samaritans (search squads from Cathedral looking for hearing people to capture and take back the city). He spends his time getting drunk and berating Chris via a tell pad, a device with a screen and keyboard that allows him to communicate.
SARAH is a resident of CATHEDRAL and was once a successful musician. She is now deafened and, like all in the town, subject to its laws and rituals. Music is banned and she hides sheet music which she reads in secret when at a low ebb. She is accepting of this at first, because the alternatives having to fend for herself beyond the wall in what is known as The Wilderness. She mourns her family and her best friend, and despite the sense of community is crippled with loneliness.
ALICE is Sarah’s friend in CATHEDRAL. She holds what is known as a High Role, which means she has status in the town, and influence on the council. Alice has shut out the pain of the past, where she lost her son and husband to the disease and compensates by ‘mothering’ Sarah and offering guidance. She is deeply hurt when Sarah starts to reject the rules of Cathedral, what will she do to address it?
Who designed your book covers?
My book covers for A QUIET APOCALYPSE and CATHEDRAL were designed by Adrian Baldwin and the covert art was by Roberto Segate.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No. I think I have been able to capture what I set out to achieve and, as a piece of dystopian fiction in a very flooded market, I think its key concepts are very unique, enough for it to stand out with the right level of public support.
Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?
Yes, I learned that the story is not over! About halfway through the second draft of CATHEDRAL I had already formulated the plot to another book set in the same universe. The next title is
THE SAMARITAN and it is currently with my publisher.
If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
In A QUIET APOCALYPSE I think the main character, Chris, would be ideal for David Tennant, as I had him in mind when I wrote the story. For CATHEDRAL I can see Sarah, the main protagonist, played by Emilia Clarke.
Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
The book has a unique premise, there has never been a story that talks about an entire population having to deal with losing their hearing on a grand scale and to what lengths they will go to in order to survive and keep themselves safe. It is a story about personal and social isolation, where the only monsters are other people trying to survive. The book also explores what it means to be in a minority group, where your only perceived value is to serve others.
There is a wonderful review from The British Fantasy Society that sums up how this has been achieved, and it can be found HERE.
What did you edit out of this book?
CATHEDRAL contains several brutal scenes, but I kept them in place yet toned down the horrors by giving differing viewpoints. One was from that of the main protagonist, Sarah who lives in the town of CATHEDRAL and accepts its laws, as vile as they might be. The second viewpoint was from newcomer Paul who is witnessing the rituals for the first time, and how he reacted to them. This allowed a balance between the justification for what is ritualized murder, and the rejection of it for those who do not understand its relevance in that particular society. Paul, in effect, becomes the reader, the social conscience in the event.
Is there a writer which brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?
Steinbeck because his writing style seems so effortless, but I accept it probably wasn’t at the time of putting the MS together. He is such a master of characterization and I would love to share some of his insights.
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