Author Interview: Welcome David Hofmeyr @dhofmeyr

Today we welcome author David Hofmeyr for an interview!

Blurb:

"Intense, original, compelling . . . bristles with attitude. So cool. Just read it."--Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Gone and BZRK

In the vein of The Outsiders and the early Western novels of Elmore Leonard, this inventive debut novel, a cross between the cult classic Mad Max movie series and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, blends adrenaline-fueled action with an improbable yet tender romance to offer a rich and vivid portrayal of misfits and loners forced together in their struggle for a better life.

Adam Stone wants freedom and peace. He wants a chance to escape Blackwater, the dust-bowl desert town he grew up in. Most of all, he wants the beautiful Sadie Blood. Alongside Sadie and the dangerous outsider Kane, Adam will ride the Blackwater Trail in a brutal race that will test them all, body and soul. Only the strongest will survive.

The prize? A one-way ticket to Sky-Base and unimaginable luxury.

And for a chance at this new life, Adam will risk everything. 

Title: Stone Rider

Author: David Hofmeyr

Publisher: Delacorte

Publication Date: July 14, 2015

Welcome David!

1. Did you always know you wanted to be a writer or did you want to be something else? 

I guess I always knew, but like most people I veered off-course. I’ve been a waiter, a barman, a radio news anchor, a copywriter, an information architect, and an Advertising Planner. Returning to writing has been a joy. It’s my first passion.

2. How long does it take you to write a book from start to finish?

It depends. First drafts should take eight months, leaving enough time for the edits if you need to release a book a year. But a debut is a different beast. Stone Rider took two years to complete.

3. How do you come up with themes for your stories?

Themes emerge. They are the lifeblood of the story and often hit you when you’re not writing, when you least expect. On the train, in the shower, or running. Something clicks into place and you just know.

4. Do you have a schedule of when you write? 

Yes, but inevitably I end up breaking it. For me the objective is to write 1,000 words a day and aim for a 70,000 word first draft. But hitting that word count is tough when you still work a day job in advertising. You have to allow for ill discipline and writing when the mood strikes. If I’m not feeling inventive I choose to edit instead.

5. How are you able to balance other aspects of your life with your writing?

I don’t. I fail. Things are left undone. But I try to have the discipline and rigour to write every day, even if it’s just a few lines. It’s about rhythm and flow for me. I have to keep it going.

6. What elements do you think make a great story line? 

I think the most effective and compelling stories are primal stories. Protecting your home. Protecting your family. Falling in love. Surviving. These stories will always reach out to us. But I love stories that take you into a dark world, where the lead characters must endure in order to come out the other side changed, but alive. Although sometimes not alive is great too. No Country for Old Men.

7. What was the hardest thing about writing a book?

Finding the time to dedicate so many hours to the process. But also the insular nature of writing. Just you and the screen. I often miss the collaborative side of creativity. That’s why I enjoy the editing process.

8. How many books have you written so far? Do you have a favorite? 

Stone Rider is my debut novel.

9. Do you have a favorite character?

My character, Kane. He’s an outsider and a rebel. A Christ-figure. Mysterious and dangerous. He’s a huge amount of fun to write.

10. Where do you write?  

Mostly at my desk at home in Parson’s Green, London. But also on the train, in coffee shops, gastro pubs and dive bars.

11. When deciding on how to publish, what directed you to the route you took? 

I attended the Bath Spa Writing for Young People MA, run by Julia Green and her team of wonderful authors. Mimi Thebo, Steve Voake, Lucy Christopher and Nicola Davies. The course produces an anthology containing extracts of the student’s novels. The anthology is sent to agents and publishers. This is how I met my agent, Stephanie Thwaites of Curtis Brown, who sold the book to Penguin and Working Title Films. But I had submitted previous novels directly to publishing houses before … and received some great rejections. 

12. Have you gotten feedback from family about your book(s)? What do they think?

So far my brother and my father have read Stone Rider and they love the story. Which is cool, because my brother hates science fiction and my dad mostly reads non-fiction. My mom’s a writer too and she’s waiting to buy the book in the bookstore for authenticity.

13. What kinds of things do you like to do outside of writing?

Travel. Film. Who has time for anything else?

14. What kinds of advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing? 

Read. Never stop reading. And don’t just read from one genre. Read everything. And then sit down, close your eyes and write what you see in your head. Follow the characters in the scene. Who are they? Where are they going? They will tell you the story.

15. What is your favorite book? favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to write? 

I love the prose of Cormac McCarthy. I’d like my own stories to have a fragment of the dream-like lyricism and beauty and also hellishness of his worlds. I like the way he evokes a spirit of humanity. My favourite book is probably The Road. Dark, but with hope.

16. Do you have any go to people when writing a book that help you with your story lines as well as editing, beta reading and such? 

Yes, the other writers that I studied with at Bath Spa. Other authors are tirelessly supportive, I’ve found.

18. Are you working on anything now? 

The sequel to Stone Rider … Blood Rider.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, David. It was great having you here. Good luck with the sequel!

I'm the author of The Stone Rider Series. In my day job, I masquerade as a Planning Director for a big advertising firm in the UK.