Ask the Author: Christopher Hepworth
Answered Questions (6)
Christopher Hepworth
I am so happy with the way The Last Oracle has turned out. It is a climate change thriller where the activities of a rogue fracking company tips the earth into catastrophic climate change. Yet still, the vested interests from the fossil fuel industry do all they can to stop effective action from saving the planet. As a sub-plot, the hero’s brother is radicalized and joins a terrorist gang intent on attacking an ice plug that is holding back a massive meltwater dam in Greenland.
Two years ago a colleague of mine suggested I watch a video entitled ‘Who killed the electric car?’ It was a conspiracy by the established motor industry to ensure the electric car industry never got off the ground. That began a train of thought about the vested interests considering their short-term interests against the long-term interests of the planet. And so The Last Oracle was born. It coincided with the rise of climate change science, and the book appeared with the right topic at the right time.
Two years ago a colleague of mine suggested I watch a video entitled ‘Who killed the electric car?’ It was a conspiracy by the established motor industry to ensure the electric car industry never got off the ground. That began a train of thought about the vested interests considering their short-term interests against the long-term interests of the planet. And so The Last Oracle was born. It coincided with the rise of climate change science, and the book appeared with the right topic at the right time.
Christopher Hepworth
Writing comes naturally to me, so it is a matter of clearing the decks from other commitments and developing a timetable for my next novel. I am very lucky to have a large verandah that looks out across the Australian bush as my writing space. The noise from the local birds is constant and soothing although I do occasionally slip on my headphones and listen to my favourite music. Just occasionally I ask my family for permission to spend two or three days away in a serviced apartment near the sea in a town called Kiama near Sydney. It is important to get a good start on the first three chapters which are by far the hardest to write.
Christopher Hepworth
I have just finished The Last Oracle, so I am in the process of gathering ideas for my next book. My stories are global thrillers that involve a conspiracy that is set in one or two exotic locations based on a particular industry.
I have decided that the exotic location of my next book will be in Africa – almost certainly Zambia where I grew up but I am still working out the nature of the conspiracy. It is likely to involve the exploitation of the country’s wildlife and natural resources by unscrupulous mining companies.
I also need to weave in numerous subplots involving contemporary social issues and ensure there is a world-threatening crisis that my leading protagonist Sam Jardine has to resolve.
I have decided that the exotic location of my next book will be in Africa – almost certainly Zambia where I grew up but I am still working out the nature of the conspiracy. It is likely to involve the exploitation of the country’s wildlife and natural resources by unscrupulous mining companies.
I also need to weave in numerous subplots involving contemporary social issues and ensure there is a world-threatening crisis that my leading protagonist Sam Jardine has to resolve.
Christopher Hepworth
Become an obsessive. It takes thousands of hours to complete a novel worthy of publication. If you intend to give John Grisham a run for his money, you should be obsessing about character development, sub-plots and storyline twists at all times. One of my best ideas came to me in the shower If you lack the discipline to write every day, then set yourself a series of deadlines and ask a close friend to help you keep on track.
Christopher Hepworth
Being a writer enriches my life and puts the more mundane aspects of life into perspective. I believe there is a creative side in all of us and writing novels provides an outlet for this creativity.
There are some scenes in my books that have become my favourites and there is no better feeling in the world than discovering that my readers have enjoyed them too. The community of readers who enjoy my books are made up of people of all races, religions, ages and political persuasions and it is a wonderful feeling to know that their enjoyment of my books unites them all.
There are some scenes in my books that have become my favourites and there is no better feeling in the world than discovering that my readers have enjoyed them too. The community of readers who enjoy my books are made up of people of all races, religions, ages and political persuasions and it is a wonderful feeling to know that their enjoyment of my books unites them all.
Christopher Hepworth
My problem isn’t writer’s block but verbal diarrhea! The average number of words in a novel is between eighty to one hundred and twenty thousand. The first draft of The Last Oracle contained one hundred and forty thousand words. I had to chop over one third of the book out during the subsequent drafts to make it readable!
The nearest equivalent I get to writer’s block is when I wrestle with the flow or the logic of the storyline. Each scene or situation needs to leave the reader thinking ‘wow’ or being full of admiration for the ingenuity of the book’s main characters. It must also move the story forward in a logical and exciting way. Sometimes I have wrestled with a scene for days. To deal with this situation, I move on with the rest of the book and deal with the blockage in subsequent drafts. When I return to the troublesome scene weeks or months later it can often be eliminated, or the answer just hits me in the face!
The nearest equivalent I get to writer’s block is when I wrestle with the flow or the logic of the storyline. Each scene or situation needs to leave the reader thinking ‘wow’ or being full of admiration for the ingenuity of the book’s main characters. It must also move the story forward in a logical and exciting way. Sometimes I have wrestled with a scene for days. To deal with this situation, I move on with the rest of the book and deal with the blockage in subsequent drafts. When I return to the troublesome scene weeks or months later it can often be eliminated, or the answer just hits me in the face!
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