Alex Shaw's Blog

Back in 1997 I had an idea for a book. I was a big fan of the SAS novels by Chris Ryan and Andy McNab and wanted to see if I too could write. Like many I had always wanted to write and had started numerous ‘books’ or ‘plays’ but run out of either time or steam. This time however I decided it would be different. This time I would finish my novel!

At the time that I started writing my novel (it had the working title of ‘Operation Dnipro’) I was living and working in Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine and my life as an ex-pat in Kyiv was another strong influence on my writing. As my idea developed it was only natural that my protagonist would be initially based on myself and that he would live and work as and where I did.

Twelve years later, after a change of country, several changes of jobs and losing half of my book due to a computer imploding, I finally finished my novel. Hetman was complete.

I knew that I would eventually complete Hetman, even though there were occasions stretching into years when I wrote nothing. I did however always come back to my unfinished manuscript adding a bit here or a scene there until it was finally complete.

After a very large publishing house (whose name I won’t mention) finally decided that due to the financial situation (aka the recession) they would not be taking me on, I decided to become an ‘Indie Author’. Hetman sold a few paperback copies in the US and the UK but then Kindle struck. My sales suddenly increased and I was hitting the top ten in several categories in the US and then #1 in the UK.

Following some great reviews in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) from the ABNA expert reviewers I finished my second novel Cold Black in 2010.  Cold Black had taken two years to complete, a whole ten years less than Hetman. Cold Black also received good reviews in ABNA the following year. Cold Black reached #6 in the Kindle UK bestseller list and then this year it became a #1 Kindle bestseller in Germany.

I have been extremely surprised by my success and have found the experience of becoming a real ‘author’ rewarding. My advice for anyone who wants to write is do so. If someone tells you that you cannot write pick up two spare pencils and shove them in your ears. And if the voices in your head then tell you ‘you can’t write’ ignore them.

I still cannot quite believe that I have several books under my belt (there isn’t much room) and am now writing the next. Before this however I have just published a ‘one off’ short story, Hetman: Donetsk Calling. This story like my novels features my ‘hero’ former SAS Trooper turned SIS (the proper name of MI6) operative, Aidan Snow. This was written in just over a week on location in Kyiv. I was actually at the places I mention in this story on the day I wrote about them. Mostly it has to be said with a bottle of vodka, but that is another story.

I know that I am rambling a bit but I am too used either to ‘tweeting’ or just letting my characters speak. Writing about ‘oneself’ is difficult and feels to me to be the height of vanity. And at 6’5 I am quite tall…

So back to the title of this blog post ‘my journey as a writer – have I missed the bus?’ What does this mean? To be honest I don’t know but it sounds good.

Until I bore you again, goodnight and thank you for reading this post.