Welcome special guest: author Paul Hinton ( #horror @badmoonbooks #FF #SO )

Today we have author Paul Hinton visiting. Paul Hinton is a 49 year old English Golf Professional working in Wallasey where he lives with his wife Jenny and his three daughters Sara, Samantha and Shannon. He started writing as a hobby to fill his time during the long snow filled winters while working abroad but soon discovered a passion for story telling.

So, Paul, what inspired you to become a writer?
My wife. She got tired of me always talking about writing a book and insisted I either sit down and write or shut up.

When did you attempt your first story? What length was it? What's become of it?
Way back in 2006. I wrote it in pencil on A4 paper. It was about 200 sides long. After it was finished, I realised I couldn’t do anything with it so I rewrote it on the computer. Unfortunately, I was pretty dumb in those days, at least in relation to computers. As I finished each chapter the second time, I printed them out and erased the memory. During the process, the story obviously changed but, at the end of the day, I still didn’t have a copy on hard drive. That meant sitting in front of the computer yet again only the second time I saved it which was just as well as the story continued to develop over the following several months. During the process, the book turned into a fourteen hundred page trilogy, the first part of which has been published.

How many stories did you complete before you sold your first?
I was on my fifth novel by the time the first one was published.

What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?
Best: Never stop trying! Worst: Give it up, stick to Golf.

The book you’re promoting, is it a stand-alone story or part of a series? If it’s part of a series, please list the order the books need to be read in for maximum reading enjoyment.
The Reaper is a standalone story with the option to continue. Whether it does obviously depends on how it’s received and what my publisher thinks. What sparked the idea is quite simple. I remember watching several news reports at the time about injustice and thought at the time wouldn’t it be nice if victims had another option. At that moment the Reaper was basically born.

*** Now for some fun info… ***
Are you a cat, dog or both kind of person?
As we have three cats and a dog, I have to admit to being a cat and dog person although two of the cats in question don’t really come near me.

Would you/have you own(ed) a snake or some other exotic pet?
We also have two chinchillas sharing our bedroom. Seeing as they are night active, sleeping can be difficult sometimes but we utilise the time reading and writing.

If you were stranded on a desert island and were only allowed to have five modern conveniences with you, what would they be?
Stranded on a desert island I would take a generator, a full fuel tanker, a television, a dvd player and a microwave.

*** About Paul’s book The Reaper… ***

~ Blurb ~ Charles Osborne is a happily married, highly successful businessman. Normally speaking his life should be perfect but a twist of fate followed by a miscarriage of justice has forced him into a seemingly never ending fight against the Consortium of lawyers that are apparently controlling the justice system. He has adapted a secret identity in an attempt to keep his family safe, a character that is feared by both the lawyers involved and the criminals they represent… The Reaper.

~ A brief look into The Reaper ~ * Charles Osborne is happily married with two wonderful daughters. He owns a very successful Broker business in London that has made him rich beyond normal expectations. Normally speaking his life should be perfect but a tragic miscarriage of justice - involving the deaths of his parents - has persuaded him to invest his time and considerable wealth in fighting a seemingly never ending battle against a local firm of lawyers - The Consortium. The immoral lawyers that work for the company are prepared to go to any lengths for the good of their clients - as long as the price is right. This fact has resulted in several guilty parties escaping punishment for crimes they are guilty of - a fact that Charles is unable to accept.
* Well aware that his identity must remain hidden, Charles has created the Reaper, an unforgiving figure that represents the consequences for anybody that dares to cheat justice. Over the years he has gathered a group of specialists around him that support his efforts - Jerry, personnel and security - Sid, computer expert and hacker extraordinaire - Mr Smith, judicial expert - Peter, weapons and specialist equipment - Mary, medical expert and Francois, Interpol contact. After his team have confirmed the accused is guilty and the victim’s families have agreed to the intervention, the Reaper concocts a punishment that fits the crime and visits the guilty party. It has become a ritual that has had a positive effect on the criminal underground controlling parts of the city before the unrelenting vigilante appeared on the scene. Because of this, the police have more often than not turned a blind eye but pressure is slowly rising for them to act. The Consortium themselves are trying desperately to find the man behind the Reaper, driven on by the brutal criminals that secretly own the law firm.

***Buy Paul's book here***
Bad Moon Books

***Find Paul here...***
Facebook
paul_hinton01@yahoo.de
Already published: The Undiscovered Paul's The Undiscovered
Already published: Rammy Paul's Rammy
Coming soon: The Splinter Paul's The Splinter
Coming soon: The Pack Paul's The Pack
Coming soon: Splitters Paul's Splitters

Thank you for joining us here today, Paul! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your work.