I would hope that the type of reader that will enjoy my book would be people that are aware of the world around them rather than just what’s at the end of their noses, and will take that same world with a pinch of salt. But to be honest, I would hope that anybody that loves a good book could enjoy it. 

Ryan Bracha – 5 April 2013

The Back Flap

Will Thunder, one half of television’s highest paid comedy duo Thunder & Lightning, is being held hostage in his own home by a masked woman with evidence that Thunder is a paedophile, rapist and murderer. She’s streaming his torture  live to the world and giving the public the chance to decide his fate, and they love it. Crowds are gathering outside and if she doesn’t kill him, they will.

Every channel has its own angle on  the story, and they’re not holding back. 

But who is she? Is she working alone? How is it that she has all of the evidence of Will Thunder’s depravity? And how the hell has he been getting away with it for so long? All very valid questions, but they need answering quickly because today’s news is very much Tomorrow’s Chip Paper.

Faces old and new explode onto the page in the second novel by Ryan Bracha, author of the best selling Strangers Are Just Friends You Haven’t Killed Yet.

About the book

What is the book about?

It’s a highly satirical story of an A-list super celebrity who has been taken hostage by a mystery woman, who is using the internet to reach out to the public with evidence of his depravity, from drug taking to rape, paedophilia and murder. The police can’t touch her, and the public are fully supportive of her actions. TV producers are bending the rules to ensure exclusivity, she’s got a growing army of admirers on the social networking sites, and the whole of Britain is hooked by the events. The book is basically the story of how she got there, why she’s there, and what she’s got planned. The book features several characters from my first book, so it is a sequel of sorts.

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing it in September, after the release of my debut novel, Strangers Are Just Friends You Haven’t Killed Yet. I had a lot more that I wanted to do with the stronger characters, so I got straight onto the case.

How long did it take you to write it?

From start to finish this one took about five months, my aim was a few thousand words a day.

Where did you get the idea from?

My inspiration for this one has come from a combination of the news media sensationalising situations for their own purposes, and the way that people responded to the same stories on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Those sites give the world a chance to voice its opinions, however controversial those opinions might be, and it can breed a mob mentality before the facts are all fully visible.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

With this one, no. I knew the story I wanted to tell, and I knew how my characters thought and acted based on situations they were put into. Compared to the first book, this one almost told itself.

What came easily?

The character of Tom. I find him so witty and charming, he’s a real pleasure to write. His mind doesn’t work like most people’s, he’s very intelligent, funny, fearless, and fiercely protective of his fiancee, he’s a real law unto himself.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

All of my characters are fictitious, but some things that are said, or done, are inspired by things I’ve heard of in my own life. I’m always listening to members of the public everywhere I go, and things that strike me as particularly idiotic or funny will generally make it into my stories.

Do you have a target reader for this book?

I would hope that the type of reader that will enjoy my book would be people that are aware of the world around them rather than just what’s at the end of their noses, and will take that same world with a pinch of salt. But to be honest, I would hope that anybody that loves a good book could enjoy it. It’s not so focussed on its message that it would alienate anybody that picked it up without knowing much about myself, or the book. It’s an action thriller with brains. The first book was very localised to my native Yorkshire, and this book goes worldwide, it’s the bigger budget sequel!

How was writing this book different from what you’d experienced writing previous books?

I enjoyed it a lot more. The first book took me about four years to write, and there were times I thought it would never be finished. I had a seed of an idea, and all of these characters I wanted to bring to life, but I just couldn’t tie them together and it felt disjointed at times. This novel flows a lot better and I spent a lot more time developing individual characters and letting them take the story where it needed to go, rather than having a multitude of characters telling a single story. I think my writing has developed and matured since the first book.

What new things did you learn about writing, publishing, and/or yourself while writing and preparing this book for publication?

When I published my first one, I did so blindly. I was naive and wet behind the ears, I had no idea as to the size of the indie author community. I just hoped that by releasing my book I would get sales by magic. It wasn’t the case, since then I’ve met other great indie authors like Keith Nixon and my eyes have been opened as to what we need to do as authors to get our work read. For this book I’ve tried to remain as self sufficient as I can, teaching myself the art of marketing, how to use desktop publishing software to create my own cover-art and publicity material. My book has been finished for over a month, but I’m not rushing into releasing it as I did first time round. I think the major learning I’ve had is the ability to remain patient. As the great Chuck Palahniuk once wrote: “The aim isn’t to live forever, the aim is to create something which will.” and if I’m going to create something which will live forever, I need to be damn sure that it’s good enough.

End of Interview:

You can follow Ryan on twitter or like the book’s page on facebook.

Get your copy of Tomorrow’s Chip Paper from Amazon US (paper or ebook) or Amazon UK (paper or ebook).