I said to myself that if I wasn’t published by a certain, big birthday that I’d give up. I didn’t quite make it but I had signed the contract for the Triton Run.

I’m writing this because I think other authors are interested in how we all end up hopefully in the same place, with a book being published whether it be trad, indie or self published. All have their pros and cons and as time goes by I think the status of all three routes is becoming more aligned. I wanted to remind myself of how I reached this point, because I know that I am going to be asked it a lot.

Well, I started reading really young, and I’d read anything. From Enid Blyton to weary, violent war stories by Sven Hassall I think his name was, I’d read it all – but mainly Target Doctor Who novelisations. Those of a certain age will know how important those books were when the BBC didn’t show repeats. And I also wanted to write. I remember in junior school writing something that was akin the war film, The Longest Day. Basically it was scene after scene of very simplistic war situations.

I think I realised I could write, or certainly enjoyed it, in High School when I was about 12 or 13 and we had the creative writing classes. Everyone was told to write a story for homework. I wrote something akin to Conan the Barbarian and handed in 9 pages, far more than the rest of the class. And it was only part 1!

For years afterward I flirted with ideas, but frankly I wasn’t mature enough to follow a story through to the end, and was only able to use simple characterisation. The first page was always a nightmare, I had to get every sentence and bit of punctuation correct, something I no longer worry about. I didn’t have a computer and relied on my Dad bringing home school computers in the holidays for us to borrow. I’d arse about with an idea for a week, give up, and the computer would give up.

I tried again in my mid 20s, though most things ended up inspired by the Stewart Cowley Terran Trade Authority series of books. And then I got married and had 2 children. Thankfully they also enjoyed my love of Star Wars (or were they brainwashed?) and for years I forgot about my aspirations.

Eventually I decided it was now or never, and wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I started messing around with with ideas and the book that became the Triton Run started to take shape. I didn’t tell anyone I was doing it, imposter syndrome was huge (it still is!). What if it was shit? What if people laughed? The nightmare scenario was telling people and then facing the sneering – ‘you finished yet?’ Not least if I had given up. It felt untenable to tell anyone until I had at least finished it and satisfied myself it was ‘not shit.’

Not shit was the initial quality standard I aspired to. I had also noted that the likes of Richard Osman and Simon Mayo had said they wrote their first books in secret, wanting to be sure they could do it. Regrets, I’ve had a few sang Frank Sinatra. Well my regret is that I didn’t tell people sooner. My family found out before I’d got the nerve to tell anyone and that wasn’t great, not least when they’ve been my biggest supporters ever since!

I finished the Triton Run, writing 160,000 words, editing to 85,000 or something and it ending up about 108,000. Querying was interesting, and terrifying. I initially knew it was ‘not shit’ because I got a lot of full requests, probably one in three queries were either full requests or individual rejections which is quite a high percentage I think. BUT, I kept hitting the post, it was all not quite. Some agents said I should email them direct next time to avoid the slush pile, one agent (a very big name in the US) rejected me, then emailed and asked if it was still available. They did go on to reject me (in a very nice way) but I was getting closer.

I wrote something else, finished it and put it to one side with very few queries going out. Then I wrote 80% of what I think is my best idea in a third book. All the books were separate, there’s no point writing a huge trilogy if nobody is interested in the first book I thought. Just as I started to query the second book I was invited to join an orbit writing group, facilitated by the BSFA, which I have loved being a member of. And the same day I joined I received the offer from Northodox.

Frankly, going with them has been just what I needed. I’ve been able to have the right amount of input and it’s felt like a genuine collaboration. We went through have a dozen or so cover designs (I may blog on this separately) and I got to choose. As part of negotiating the contract, which took several months, we agreed that I’d write a sequel.

I had the idea, or at least a way to tie up all the loose ends in a really good way, but suddenly the writing was different. I was under contract, with a deadline to hand the second book in. Its the first time I have felt pressure to write and its been fun, but at time not easy. I do now feel however that I could write a book a year if I needed to, or wanted to.

So, with that deadline approaching I’d better get on and finish the sequel. I know the name, I am nearly there with it. Beyond that I have no idea where the journey will take me, but right now this is all just the beginning.