My first novel, Far Point was a conspiracy/techno-thriller about a reclusive engineer who investigates a fatal accident in China. Although it is not about me, the story is based on real-life incidents, and it features people like those I knew and worked with.
I started writing it when I was pinned down by a typhoon in Hong Kong. I was trapped in my hotel by the storm and the choice was simple: the bar or the book. Having suffered from too many visits to the former, I retreated to the latter. My decision was made easier by the fact that I had picked up a paperback at the airport on my way out and after reading it I thought, "That was awful! I'm sure that even I can do better than that!"
The rest, as they say, is history. I wrote the book and for a variety of reasons, I decided to publish it using "Print on Demand" technology. An American publisher - lulu.com - offered this as a very simple, straightforward and economical service. Lulu was also tremendously efficient and professional and as a result the book quickly began to appear in world-wide listings. People started to buy it from bricks-and-mortar bookstores as well as through the internet.
Well, that was three years ago. In that time Far Point has sold well, and it even won an award (see below).
Spurred on by this success, I have just finished writing the sequel. The working title of the new book is Sub: Achilles and it tells the story of how the hero from the first novel deals with a personal tragedy and moves on to exciting new adventures. This book is less technical then "Far Point" but instead focusses more on a threat to the electricity industy across the globe. As with the first book, political intrigue comes to threaten highly technical engineering operations, and the hero has to fight off attempts to stop his work before it exposes an international conspiracy.
As they say - watch this space!
A PRIZE!
I was surprised and delighted when Far Point won a prize in a literary competition organised by the Institution of Civil Engineers. The ICE President at the time, Gordon Masterton, had felt like I did about the need for positive role-models for the profession. "All we've got is Bob the Builder" he said one day!
Gordon put in a lot of his own money, and then got support from the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors.
My book was first short-listed and I sat, in a state of nail-biting tension, while the winner's name was extracted from the envelope. Talk about "Blow me down with a feather!" - my chin almost hit the table with an audible thud! I'd won!
