John O’Brien is the author of the A New World Series. We recently took a look at the first book in the series and did A New World: Chaos Review which you can check out. Needless to say we enjoyed the first book!
1. Can you provide a brief summary of your novels, A New World?
The overview of the novels and series is that a deadly virus has created a pandemic across the world. The fear has driven governments and pharmaceutical companies to rush a vaccine through. The vaccine is created and dispersed throughout the world in short order. The vaccine turns out to be worse that the flu itself as approximately 70 percent of the world’s population dies outright. A further 29 percent are genetically altered into a ferocious new species which hunt at night. The remaining 1 percent have an immunity to the vaccine and are the only vestige of humanity left alive. It is into this world that Jack Walker, a former pilot and former special operations soldier, is suddenly thrust into.
Chaos
Jack, a sometimes humorous, sometimes philosophical ex-special operations pilot and soldier is one of the few left to struggle through the desolation left in the aftermath; seeking to survive as a new ferocious species emerges from the rubble, hungry and unrelenting. Will his special forces training be enough? Will he be able to keep his children safe and guide the few survivors through perils that now roam the world they once knew? Or will the hordes that now own the night prevail, forever removing the last of mankind from existence? Humankind was once at the top of the food chain. But that has now changed.
This series begins with Jack Walker being suddenly thrust into a world where the infrastructure which cherished Armani suits, night clubs, fast and expensive cars and watching the daily stock market are gone. Left in its place is the material world mankind built but a majority of the population has vanished; replaced by a new, savage, unrelenting, cunning, animalistic species which hunts and operates at night.
Return
Jack Walker, journeyed half way around the world and completed his daring rescue. He must now return home, traversing a world filled with endless hordes of night runners; the genetically altered, ferocious species that now inhabit the dark recesses left over from the demise of mankind and now dominate the planet. The only things more dominate are the billions of corpses left to rot where they died.
It is through this world that Jack must use his special forces training to lead a small group of survivors back home to where there is the faint hope of sanctuary. His training is pushed to the limits as he is confronted with situation after situation coming face to face with the night runners. He must walk that delicate, fine edge between action and keeping his kids out of harm’s way; between taking risks and turning away as he continues his quest for survival.
Never having walked away from risky situations, Jack must now carefully weigh his decisions as the stakes are much higher. His kids’ very safety hangs in the balance, along with the safety of the few remaining survivors. This gripping, action-packed tale tells Jack’s story of survival in a post-apocalyptic world filled with peril.
Sanctuary
Jack Walker has returned from the rescue of his girlfriend with a small band of survivors. Their harrowing journey from the Middle East included a stop at the CDC where they learned vital information about the ferocious new species that hunt at night. The night runners dominate the landscape and a world turned upside down by the sudden death of billions.
With humanity on the brink, the small group must carve out a sanctuary against the nightly onslaught from night runners on the prowl for food. They must enter into darkened buildings in search of supplies; darkened buildings that are now the domain of the night runners. Danger lurks with each step and death lies in waiting for the unwary. Jack and the group must stay one step ahead of the game; a game where the night runners continue to adapt to this new world. Will his training and instincts be enough? Will this last remnant of humanity make it through this next phase of survival?
2. What were your motivations to write this series and intersperse 1st person with narrative style?
I was, and am, motivated by the ultimate survival situation. I had this story running through my mind for several years about facing an apocalyptic event and what would I actually do in such an event. I wanted to take the skills I have and tell the story. The first person perspective originated from wanting to tell the story like I was actually living it. I wanted the reader to be inside the head of Jack and know what he was thinking and perhaps know why he took the actions he did. The narrative style just folded in with the situation I tried to create of actually being there with Jack. I did want to provide the character development through both action and dialogue. I’m honestly not sure there was much thought process into the narrative style but just more of how I write.
3. Considering the overall plot, why did you choose to use the Pacific Northwest as a setting? Was this based on a personal preference or because so few authors in this genre have used that area?
The use of the Pacific Northwest was primarily because I know this area well. Before beginning the series, I thought about where the best place to be during and after and apocalyptic event of this nature. I thought the Pacific Northwest offered the best chance of survival. There is plenty of water and game. Coupled with the sparse population and the closeness of the outdoors, it would offer the best chance at long-term survival. There are not many places that offer such a close proximity to water, hunting, and fishing.
4. As this is your first foray into the zombie/apocalyptic genre, what made you look at this genre?
I have had the apocalyptic story running in my head for many, many years. I guess the survival schools and subsequent assignments have spurred that on to a large extent. With regards to the zombie genre, I wanted to throw in added dangers to make it more interesting. My son has been a longtime fan of zombies and so I have been keyed into that genre from him. I read several great books in the genre and wanted to tell the story running through my head as well. The zombies add a very interesting twist to any post-apocalyptic story.
5. When you sit down and write what is your perfect writing environment, Quiet, Music, a specific room in the house?What helps get you in the mood? Watching classic horror films or…?
It really depends. Most of the time, I prefer a quiet environment to write in but I find that sometimes music in the background helps as well. I have my desk situated to look out of a window overlooking the firs and cedars around the house with squirrels out playing and deer meandering through. I sometimes head out to a coffee house and park there with my laptop. I also appreciate heading down with said laptop to the brewery and parking there. I’ll do that if I find myself having a difficult time getting through the transitional scenes.
With regard to mood, I think I am always in the mood to write although a fair amount of procrastination will take place from time to time. The story line and parts of subsequent books in the series is always playing out in my mind.
6. What kind of research did you do to get the ambiance of the story setting, the environment, incorporating military tactics and decorum into the plot, attitudes of the characters, developing the characters specifically Captain Walker, Sergeant Lynn his girlfriend and the Night Runners?
For the most part, I just played the story in my head and set the ambiance and settings from the ones I had in my head. Some of the surrounding areas and such I derived from google maps. Most of the tactics, scenes and such were derived from my actual experiences and incorporated into the plot of the story, although I couldn’t put them directly in exactly as they occurred, the experiences are the foundation behind the tactics and scenes. There was some research I had to do on current modifications on weapons and current inventory as I have been out for a little while. I had to know what I would/might find in an armory today.
Honestly, Jack and Lynn just happened. Granted, I derived Jack to a certain extent from myself but the other characters just happened as I typed the story out. It just felt right the way they materialized and acted. I did take the character Robert from my son to a certain extent but all of the characters just developed as the story unfolded. I sometimes am just as surprised by the way the story and characters turn out as anyone else. The night runners also evolved to a certain extent. I didn’t want to make the slow, shambling zombie as I wanted the creatures to be an even match physically; to make them more of a challenge. I threw in the night only capability and lowered intelligence factors otherwise the survivors wouldn’t have lasted long. Just enough to make it a challenge without being overwhelming.
7. What were the major deciding factors to self-publish this series instead of going through a publisher? Wouldn’t it be easier to use an editing service and all the other services provided by a publisher?
Yeah, let’s not talk about editing. I did try the traditional route at first and the “no thank you†letters came in with each attempt. I still wanted to tell my story and so decided to self-publish. I actually didn’t know that was an option until I researched it and came across a blog about it. I have since decided to remain self-published, having been offered a three book contract, due to several reasons.
The first is that I would retain little control over the editing and the voice I use in telling the story is important to me. I did hire an editor for the second book and it came back grammatically perfect. However, the voice had changed to the point that I fell asleep about ten pages into it. I had others look at it and they came to the same conclusion. It lacked punch. The publisher also wouldn’t allow me to use my own covers and I feel strongly about both the voice and the covers for presenting this series. I have an amazing cover artist and so keeping her was/is important to me.
Another reason was the loss of rights to my book for ten years. That just didn’t seem right to me. I want to be able to give my books to friends or to price them the way I want. I want the books and series to be affordable to the readers. I know a lot of people are on a tight budget and so would like for them to be able to enjoy them without worrying over the price.
Finally, the percentages. They were in line with traditional book publishing percentages and I would not be able to do this full time with what they offered. Now, please understand this is just me and the traditional route is great for others. They do offer so many other services such as editing and able to easily put the books out in a variety of formats. Plus, they have marketing services they employ. But, I like being the independent author with the ability to tinker with the books as I see fit and that the readers enjoy.
8. What advice can you impart to other authors who want to use a military thematic element into a zombie/horror/apocalyptic genre novella/novel?
Be precise and do your research. I have found a lot of readers in this genre are military or ex-military members. They will see through a rushed attempt. I would suggest that authors write what they know and with the skills they possess or absolutely know about. This will add an authentic theme to the story. I would also suggest asking anyone they know who was in the military for their perspective or thoughts, perhaps even having them read the draft for errors or suggestions.
9. Who do you feel is directly responsible for your entry into the horror genre and specifically the inclusion of zombies into your work?
My son. He is the zombie expert and has read/watched most zombie literature/movies. I would also like to mention Master Sergeant Jennifer Myers for the same reason. She is the one who told me which books were the best within the zombie genre and clued me directed me to the genre in general.
10. What are your favorite books and films within this genre?
Well, I would have to say first off that World War Z is one of my favorites. I also enjoyed Z.A. Recht’s series, The Morningstar Strain. It’s really too bad he passed away as those were really good. There are a ton of others I enjoy as well. I’ll be reading The Infection by Craig DiLouie and the LZR series by Bryan James here shortly.
11. If you had to do it all over again, the writing, the publishing, etc, what would you do differently?
There are two things I would do differently knowing now what I didn’t when I first published. The first would be along the editing lines. I first published A New World: Chaos with minimal editing and this hurt me initially as the initial reviews will show. The second would be to put up professional covers right off the bat. I made the first cover for Chaos and I’m glad I hired an exceptional cover artist since. Thank you SM Reine for your magic. I had her redo the Chaos cover and that made a huge difference.
