Ghost in the Machine
“Ghost in the Machine” is something I’ve worked on for the past two years, on and off. It’s a crime thriller – think Rebus but thirty years younger; a rookie cop yet to make his mistakes, dealing with modern cases. I’m a diehard fan of the likes of Mark Billingham, Stuart McBride and of course Ian Rankin, and find the process of creating and writing something in that genre as stimulating as reading at – maybe more so.
I’ve written three drafts, the third of which was submitted to literary agents. I had some interest from a couple, but it ultimately came to nothing. I was halfway through the fourth draft, which was significantly different, in August last year, before giving myself a break having been seriously frazzled by the agent submission process (full manuscript sent in November not notified till Feb) and also the day job took off (promotion and a new project).
So, where does that leave me? Well, I was speaking to a mate who went through the same process I did at the same time and he’s going to self-publish through the various eBook platforms out there (Kindle, Apple, Sony, etc). I decided that I’d love to do that too – just to get the sodding thing out there, to have published something, even if it’s not in tesco or charity shops. I spent eight years of my life with very little to show from music and I’d like to actually do something productive with the writing. I’m half-decent at it and I enjoy doing it, so I might as well have a healthy hobby which means that I can focus on the fun parts – plotting and writing a multiple book series. And maybe, just maybe, some people might read it. I’m not looking to make millions just an avenue to get rid of the creative nonsense that floods my brain.
I aim to redraft it over the summer and publish it in the Autumn – £2 for a 90,000 word book is not bad.
Additionally, I’ve written a sequel novella called “Devil in the Detail” which would likely follow just before Christmas before I embark on the proper sequel “Beast in the Shadow”.
It’ll be nice to have a little world to fill up.
– Ed