I’ve always been someone that really enjoys it when a writer successfully blends genres. An expert blend of sci-fi and horror is what I love to read and watch. To a large extent, that’s what I’m trying to pull off with Broken Skies.

Barry Napier – 29 December 2013

The Back Flap

It’s been four years since the asteroid struck Earth. A few scattered survivors roam the landscape. They are beaten, starving, and half-mad. A great deal of those that survived Impact appear to have become infected with a bizarre disease that has transformed them into ravenous monsters that hunt the uninfected for food.

There are also 1,100 people living in an underground government compound. These are individuals and families that won a nationwide lottery to escape the devastation of Impact. They are having problems of their own as water supplies are getting low and the population is getting paranoid.

Beyond these horrors, there is something else; new creatures now walk the Earth, beasts that were not part of Earth prior to Impact. Through all of this, the survivors and the leaders in the underground compound slowly begin to knit together a terrible truth–one that may have them all wrapped up in the center of something much worse than a world-ending asteroid strike.

About the book

What is the book about?

The series takes place four years after an asteroid has stuck Earth and wiped out the majority of the planet. A few survivors roam the ruined landscape and realize that something about this new world of theirs just doesn’t quite add up. There are new creatures that have seemingly popped up as a result of the asteroid impact and oddities all around them that just don’t line up with what the world following an asteroid strike should be like.

There are also survivors in an underground compound, selected to live there in a nationwide lottery. They are running low in supplied and are ultimately kept in the dark about the horrors going on topside.

All of this is linked to one huge ultimate lie as some of the survivors discover that the government lied about quite a bit in the days leading up to the world-ending impact. The question then becomes: why?

When did you start writing the book?

About 5 years ago. It started as a short story and then developed into this really complex set of graphic novels that never really worked out.

How long did it take you to write it?

Not sure yet. There will likely be seven books. And while portions of most of them have been written, much of the series still needs to be written.

Where did you get the idea from?

I was reading some crazy conspiracy theory about how we have been lied to about how the dinosaurs died out—that maybe there was no asteroid but rather, some disease that science can’t really pinpoint. The essential supposed lie about the asteroid started the story off for me. There were a few other things as well, but to reveal them would spoil a few huge plot points of future installments to the series.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Absolutely. When dealing with matters of the end of the world and mass destruction, the issue of religion often arises. My struggle is in having that conversation stand as a part of the dialogue between the characters without hindering their motives.

What came easily?

The conspiracy aspects of it all. I do think that if we are ever on the brink of world-wide destruction, our governments will not tell us everything. I’m a big X-Files guy, so I see the beginnings of a conspiracy in just about everything.

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

In the case of Broken Skies, the characters are all fictitious. There may be a few characters that I modeled after certain celebrities, but that’s about it.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

King and Barker, hands down. Without their influence, I don’t think I would have really bothered trying to write anything when I was in high school. Later in life, I was heavily influenced by writers like Cormac McCarthy, Tim Piccirilli, and Neil Gaiman.

Do you have a target reader?

I’m not sure. I’ve always been someone that really enjoys it when a writer successfully blends genres. An expert blend of sci-fi and horror is what I love to read and watch. To a large extent, that’s what I’m trying to pull off with Broken Skies. So I suppose that’s my target reader…the horror fan that appreciates sci-fi (or vice versa).

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I make a map of sorts. It’s like a storyboard with no pictures. When that’s done, I create a soundtrack or playlist that evokes the mood I want to set. I’ll then do whatever research I need to do and then start writing.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I go by simple chapter headings and a few sentences (after the sort-of-storyboards I mentioned above). Anything more than this is useless, as I’d end up changing it anyway. Usually, anything I write is anchored by 3-5 major plot points that the rest of the outline sort of dances around.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

A bit of both. If a scene feels flimsy to me, I’ll edit it right away to see if I can improve it. As for full-out edits, those come once THE END has been written.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Yes. I don’t see how people write without music.

My tastes and moods towards music alters a bit depending on the book. For instance, I’m writing a southern gothic sort of horror tale right now. I have a playlist filled with Nick Cave, The Butchers and the Builders, early Springsteen, O’death, Tom Waits, and that sort of stuff.

For Broken Skies, I went for a more cinematic, panoramic approach. There’s a lot of ambient/electronic stuff of my Broken Skies playlist: Carbon Based Lifeforms, Eluvium, Sync24, things like that. I also have some Clint Mansell and stuff from film scores like The Book of Eli, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and moody cinematic-type music.

Overall, I tend to lean towards down-tempo electronica for everything else. Almost anything on the Ultimae Label will do.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

When Broken Skies was originally in comic format, Issue 1 was sent to agencies and publishers. But when I started writing it in novella and novel form, I knew right away that it was going to be either a small press or self-published book.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Severed Press had published my novel Nests three months before I decided to ask them about Broken Skies. They are a great bunch of guys, very professional and fun. I thought it might be worth a shot to pitch Broken Skies to them. They obviously took it on and so far, the experience has been great.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

The guys at Severed handled the cover for Broken Skies, but for all other stuff, I’ve either made the cover myself or had it professionally done.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I’m just writing it and leaving the marketing stuff to the guys at Severed Press. I detest the marketing side of writing and am happy to have a press behind me that knows the industry.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Yes. Working with a small press does not make you a blasphemer (no matter what the self-publishing purists may tell you). While I am still not raking in any serous cash, my sales have substantially increased ever since I started working with small presses.

About You

What are you working on now?

Broken Skies will be taking up most of the time in my foreseeable future. But I also have a dark southern gothic story I am working on that is looking to be quite long and complex. I also have another series, this one self-published, called Everything Theory, that deals with some of the conspiracy stuff I mentioned earlier. I’m currently working on that as well.

End of Interview:

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Get your copy of Broken Skies #1: The Sick Ones from Amazon US or Amazon UK.