How did you come up with the title for your latest
book?
SHARC
was originally self-published as The ARC. When I did a re-write I realized I
had already mentioned in the first few chapters that journalists were
referencing the ARC as ‘The SHARC’. So after a little discussion with Kathleen,
my publisher, we decided to change it. It also has scope for any sequels,
unlike The ARC. I didn’t think The ARC II would withstand the sands of time. It
also makes it a separate entity to The ARC, which, unfortunately, had a lot of
errors in it. Changing the name felt like a clean slate.
Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s
complete?
I
title it first. I’ve got about twenty stories, and every one of them has a
working title. I expect that only a handful will change as I get more involved.
Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp?
Yeah,
don’t f*** with a tetchy forty-five foot shark!
Seriously
though, my idea of the ARC is as a scientific hub whereby the depths of the
ocean can be explored and the marine life kept safe. The fact that the shark
terrorizes the Pacific is not in any way meant to be detrimental towards anyone
who is rallying the preservation of marine life. I am all for the preservation.
Is the book, characters, or any scenes based on a
true life experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?
It
turned out that one character, as he grew in the story, reminded me of one of
my friends. He’s a little bit sure of himself, a bit of a player with the
ladies, but a great guy. Funny enough, I’ve already started the sequel and
there is a conversation between two of the characters in the first few chapters
which revolves around an actual incident. It is just a little thing, but it
always comes up in conversation when we go for a beer, so it just seemed
appropriate.
What books/authors have influenced your life?
The
obvious ones are Jaws by Peter Benchley and the Meg series by Steve Alten.
Classic shark novels and the ultimate creature features.
My
favorite of all time is Lord of the Rings. Such a great story and still blows
me away now. Plus any of the Alien and Predator novels, there are so many I
can’t name them all, but I really enjoyed the simplicity of the action
sequences, and being a fan of the movies it added another dimension and also
made me start to think perhaps I could give writing a go myself.
What books are in your to read pile?
I’ve
got around thirty on my Kindle. Some I’ve started but not got into. I’ve also
got paperbacks of Ilium and Olympos by Dan Simmons and Market Forces by Richard
Morgan. My friend at work is really into his sci-fi books and keeps firing
titles at me that he’s just read, so I keep buying them and the pile keeps growing.
I’ve also got a few China Mieville novels that I’m looking forward to getting
into.
What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?
I
have a Sci-Fi book, called Epsilon Landing, that is about seventy-five percent
complete and I am working on the sequel to Sharc. There is also a little horror
anthology that we hope to have out soon. Although next up, should be Wild Wild
Dead, a cowboy horror and The London Warriors, a cross between Escape from New
York and The Warriors. I’ve got a least fifteen to twenty stories on the boil.
Fingers crossed I can get them all completed at some stage.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
This
is a little snippet from the SHARC sequel. It is still early doors and hasn’t
been edited yet but there are a few exerts on my Facebook page.
The Aquatic Research City
Just when you thought it
was safe to go back in the water.
An article by Quentin
Everard MBE
1st September
2015
The ARC, an over baked
idea, an innovative metropolis or is Maxwell Baxter’s savoir-faire a step too
far, even for this enigmatic billionaire?
I remained cautious as my
latest assignment appeared on the horizon. Having never been an ardent fan of
fantasy or anything remotely science fiction, it became hard to feel drawn
towards the domineering city on this blistering sun baked day.
Believe me when I say, I
never felt it necessary to dip a toe or swim with the big fishes within the scientific
pool of life but opinions can change, can’t they?
When I heard of the
project, I wholeheartedly judged the relevance of yet more plundering of
natural resources and money, and at times I felt like the harbinger of doom,
swinging my scythe and demanding that sense prevail.
And yet the moment I
stepped onboard the astounding feat of human ingenuity I realised I had tiptoed
into another world altogether.
Not only did the magnitude
of the said structure vilify all of my previous unjust quotes but it took them
from my grasp, and hung them over a shark tank as if my very inner soul was
live bait waiting to be taken to the depths by a prehistoric leviathan.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that
really strikes you about their work?
I’ve
already mentioned above Lord of the Rings, so J.R.R. Tolkein stands out for me.
The LOFTR was the first big book that I read when I was younger. I remember my
mum and dad buying it for me for Christmas and I opened it and thought ‘how the
hell am I supposed to read that?’ It was the size of a brick and full of
complicated words but I am so glad I took the time to read it, so I thank them
for that.
It
hooked me from the very start. I love fantasy novels. It is so easy for me to
get immersed in the story and Tolkein made it such a believable world. I’d
never read about Orcs before and I loved the character Gandalf. I could almost
go as far as saying it’s a shame there is no Middle Earth. I always thought
Tree Beard was pretty cool and I’ve never met an Elf before. Maybe one day I’ll
get to meet Liv Tyler. Word has it, she speaks Elvish.
Roof
World by Christopher Fowler is another and is the inspiration behind The London
Warriors.
Do you have a song or playlist (book soundtrack) that
you think represents this book?
I
have a few songs that I put together with the book trailer that I created when
I released The ARC. It started off with my vision of the ARC in the 70’s and
the backing track was Light my Fire – Black Might Orchestra http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywOQnqNPfkM
.
Then
half way through the video it skips to the modern version of the ARC and Under
the waves by Pendulum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc6tpOgm1HE&feature=related
kicks
in. I thought it was really cool.
I also did a second trailer, which was a load
of shark images and the backing track was Khyber Pass by Ministry http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy-9fDxn-cU
. This got over 1,000 views
and I hardly broadcasted it.
However,
the big scoop for me was the song for the current book trailer for Sharc. A guy
named Mr. Jkub, who now goes under Jacob Hess, allowed me the privilege of
using a song he wrote called Don’t Panic Babe. I owe a huge thanks to Jacob. I
heard it on a film called Tamara years ago and I tracked him down and he was
more than happy to let me use it.
I’ve
also got some great songs for my cowboy horror story, but that is for another
time and place.
Thanks for listening one and all.
October 8 Interview and review
Deb Sanders
October 9 Guest blog
Lisa’s World of Books
October 10 Interview
Paranormal Romantic Suspense
October 11 Interview
Happy Tails and Tales
October 12 Interview
Fang-tastic Books
October 13 Interview
Roxanne’s Realm
October 16 Promo
Sapphyria's Book Reviews
October 20 Promo
The Avid Reader
October 21 Interview
Laurie’s Non-Paranormal
October 22 Guest blog
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
October 27 Promo and review
Mimmi's Musings
Sharc
Paul Rudd
Genre: Romance, Adventure, Great Whites
Publisher: Taylor Street Books
ISBN: 1479209899 / 978-1479209897
Number of pages: 285
Word Count: 101,000
Cover Artist: Tim Roux
Book Description:
It's massive, it's intelligent, it's relentless and it's always looking for its next meal or its next challenge.
Maxwell Baxter is intent on fulfilling his greatest ambition yet, and he is an ambitious man. He wants to build the largest floating aquarium in the world, an aquarium city, and fill it with all manner of monsters from the depths, the first being a presumed extinct Megalodon he has captured, a prehistoric monster shark currently only thirty-five feet long but destined to grow up to one hundred feet of raw, razor-toothed ravenous greed with extraordinary abilities to detect anything edible or threatening in the water for miles around.
In the midst of international financial negotiations to raise the rest of the money to complete his ARC, and with the Governor of California being entertained on his private yacht on his way to review the facility, the Megalodon escapes and begins to terrorize everything in the Pacific, ships and other sea creatures alike, no matter what their size.
Maxwell Baxter's future rests on a knife-edge, and the Megalodon has a gigantic mouthful of them, each five feet long and giving it the capability to bite a small whale in half with one snap of its jaws.
With a Megalodon about, if you are thinking of getting back into the water, don't flatter yourself – you'll barely be a snack.
Book Trailer http://youtu.be/NZ9e5u6TDV8
About the Author:
Ask a multi-award winning thespian if they would prefer a star on Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame or have the chance to write about a prehistoric shark and they’d take the easy option every time. Me? Sharks are a passion, they always have been. Not to say I have actually met any face to face or relied on a shark cage to keep me out of harm’s way; cos that’s just dumb!
So say hello to the real Paul Rudd. I’m a geek, pure and simple and a far throw from celebrity. I write lots. I’ve watched movies since birth, which probably makes a lot of sense to those who know me well.
My brain is a minefield of ideas just waiting to detonate and making them available has always been a dream. Now, with thanks to Taylor Street, I have managed to take my first step into the unknown.
So now starts the latest saga of my life and a little like the original Lord of the Rings cartoon, the outcome remains up in the air. If only the late Ralph Bakshi was here to conclude it... alas for now I will carry on chasing my own Moby Dick; the great white tooth of a Megalodon, so if anyone has a spare?
This is Paul Rudd of the Nostromo signing off…….
Twitter: @sharcwriter
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