Crime / Suspense / thriller
Date Published: 06/07/2021
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
The town of Unity sits perched on the edge of a yawning ravine where, long ago, a charisma of angels provided spiritual succour to a fledgeling human race. Then mankind was granted the gift of free will and had to find its own way, albeit with the guidance of the angels. The people’s first conscious act was to make an exodus from Unity – they built a rope bridge across the ravine and founded the town of Topeth. For a time, the union between the people of Topeth and the angels of Unity was one of mutual benefit. After that early spring advance, there had been a torrid decline in which mankind’s development resembled a crumpled, fading autumnal leaf.
Following the promptings of an inner voice, Tula, a young woman from the city, trudges into Topeth. Her quest is to abide with the angels and thereby discover the right and proper exercise of free will. To do that, she has to cross the bridge – and overcome her vertigo.
Topeth is in upheaval; the townsfolk blame the death of a child on dust from the nearby copper mines. The priests have convinced them that a horde of devils have thrown the angels out of Unity and now occupy the bridge, possessing anyone who trespasses on it. Then there’s the heinous Temple of Moloch!
The Abdication is the story of Tula’s endeavour to step upon the path of a destiny far greater than she could ever have imagined.
What is your favorite part of the writing
process?
I find writing a fascinating
process. It’s so all-encompassing.
So, I do a lot of
thinking and contemplating when I am not writing, trying to imagine the next
scene, what the characters are saying, and where they are heading with their
lives. I keep a notebook with me. I think my muse has a sense of humour because
I’ve learnt she speaks clearest when I’m in the middle of something completely
unrelated to writing, or I’m sleeping.
My first novel took 6
years and was a labour of love. Then as I learnt the art of writing and the craft
of editing, and how to manage the work, do research and allow my imagination a
free role, the second, third and fourth novels took 1-2 years each.
And now my fifth novel,
my Work In Progress, is taking longer than I expected, and I’m having to learn
different ways to adapt to its demands. That’s because my muse has decided that
it’s not one book, but two! A series, which in itself is a new departure for
me.
The writing process varies
from book to book, which only adds to the intrigue, because what does that say?
Does each story have its own way, makes its own way? Who knows? Just go with
the flow.
I suppose it makes sense
that inspiration for each novel is different. Perhaps it’s like the idea that a
man chases a woman until she catches him. A writer chases the muse until she
yields and provides the author with the requisite inspiration. So is a writer’s
task to entice and persuade the muse to give of her secrets? Allowing you to write
the next chapter, the next scene, the next sentence, and the drama unfolds.
So, all this to say that
my favorite part of the writing process is all of it. It’s like nature. You can’t
say which is the best bit of nature, every part is nature, so every part is beautiful
because it exists. So it is with writing. I particularly enjoy writing when you
can’t type fast enough because the words are coming through so quick, and the
images so clearly, that your fingers can’t keep w]up with them. I love it when
the research you’re doing miraculously fits into the scene you next need to
write. I love it when the edit you’re making brings a simple clarity to your
work. I love it when the addition of a phrase adds color, and paints the scene
better, or when a piece of dialogue exactly matches the character.
And what about the
elephant in the room? What’s that you ask? Oh, it’s the answer to the question,
What is Writing? I’m still waiting to read a simple answer to that question.
But no one ever seems to ask it.
So, let’s have a go –
what is writing?
The dictionary says; the
activity of writing. How can you define something in its own terms? You can’t. It’s
like saying an orange is orange coloured. It doesn’t even say it’s a fruit. Yet
the writers of dictionaries are word-smiths too, so you’d have thought they
would know.
Let’s have a go then…
Writing is a subtle, immediate
translation of the whispers of your muse.
Writing is an integral
correspondence between you and the subject matter.
Writing is the name of
the bridge from the unconscious to the conscious.
Writing is a media of interpretation.
Writing calls for an
ensemble of arts and skills, and is a marrying of strange but compatible
elements, that is as difficult and complex, yet as easy and as simple, as growing
up and being a better person.
Writing is a fascinating
art or craft because no one knows what it is. Yet everyone proceeds as if they
do.
And we haven’t even got
onto the next question…
And that is: What is reading?
You’re doing it now, you
tell me.
About the Author
Justin Newland is an author of historical fantasy and secret history thrillers - that’s history with a supernatural twist. His stories feature known events and real people from history which are re-told and examined through the lens of the supernatural. He gives author talks and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Bristol’s Thought for the Day. He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.
His Books
The Genes of Isis is a tale of love, destruction and ephemeral power set under the skies of Ancient Egypt. A re-telling of the Biblical story of the flood, it reveals the mystery of the genes of Isis – or genesis – of mankind. ISBN 9781789014860.
“The novel is creative, sophisticated, and downright brilliant! I couldn’t ask more of an Egyptian-esque book!” – Lauren, Books Beyond the Story.
The Old Dragon’s Head is a historical fantasy and supernatural thriller set during the Ming Dynasty and played out in the shadows the Great Wall of China. It explores the secret history of the influences that shaped the beginnings of modern times. ISBN 9781789015829.
‘The author is an excellent storyteller.” – British Fantasy Society.
Set during the Great Enlightenment, The Coronation reveals the secret history of the Industrial Revolution. ISBN 9781838591885.
“The novel explores the themes of belonging, outsiders… religion and war… filtered through the lens of the other-worldly.” – A. Deane, Page Farer Book Blog.
His latest, The Abdication (July, 2021), is a suspense thriller, a journey of destiny, wisdom and self-discovery. ISBN 9781800463950.
“In Topeth, Tula confronts the truth, her faith in herself, faith in a higher purpose, and ultimately, what it means to abdicate that faith.” - V. Triola, Coast to Coast.
Contact Links
Twitter: @Matador
Hashtag: #Matadorbooks
Purchase Links
Author’s Website (where buyers can enter a dedication to be signed by the author)
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