Blog Tour: CHASING THE DRAGON by Mark Towse

 

CHASING THE DRAGON

Mark Towse

 

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GENRE:  Vigilante Crime Thriller/Horror

 

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BLURB:

 

A town on its knees, dread's bony fingers wrapping around its throat and squeezing, death rattles soon to follow.

 

Drugs, filth, and a lack of human decency are starving it of hope.

 

Introducing Simon Dooley, our trauma-driven wannabe superhero, the relentless voice of his dead mother pleading with him to "end the chaos." Dressed in a leotard and armed only with a dozen dog poop bags, Simon's plight will find him falling in love and going head to head with the seediest characters walking the streets.

 

The town needed a hero... it got Reformo.

 

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Excerpt One:

 

It’s happening. It’s finally happening.

 

I strip off in front of the full-length mirror, part self-admiration for my new frame and part sorrow for the shy and squeamish young boy who first walked the corridors of the youth detention centre.

 

Okay, not The Rectifier. What then? Captain Justice has been done, you muppet! The Shadow? Nope. Been done, too. The Silhouette? Too jazzy. Unable to wait any longer, the hairs bristling on the back of my neck, I carefully lift the costume from the bed and slip my arms through.

 

Oh, yes!

 

It’s as though electricity runs through my veins. I feel alive, reborn. I feel—

 

“I’m a superhero.”

 

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Topic:  What's your ritual for writing a book from idea to publication?

 

Lots and lots of coffee to kick off the day. 

 

I've written 185 short stories in the six years I've been on this ride, so there's plenty of material. The challenge is deciding which of those shorts has the legs to thrill, chill, and entertain for a sustained period. To date, I've turned two of these shorts into novels, and time-willing, there's plenty more to come.

 

What then?

 

I'll start by saying I'm a pantser. Once I have the thread, I just run with it and see where it takes me. This keeps the journey enjoyable for me and, moreover, fun. Perhaps even more importantly, it ensures my writing is fresh and unpredictable. If I don't know where the story is heading, you can be sure the reader won't. I've used that quote a lot. Someone once suggested that being a pantser wouldn't work in novel writing, but I vehemently dispute that. For me, writing long chapter notes and ticking boxes would introduce a linearity that would ruin my playtime. There are many paths to weave and places to explore that one might miss otherwise. And if I knew what was happening, chapter to chapter, what fun would that be?

Allowing for character growth is also crucial. Only through bringing them to life on the page will you get to know and fully understand them: how they will behave under certain conditions, their motivations, insecurities, and desires. Such behaviour might ultimately differ from what you first envisaged, so adapting on the go is critical. My top tip would be to put characters together that you might initially be nervous about. I used to shy away from this, but you can learn so much from such explosive dialogue and emotions. It helps round off the characters; for me, it's just as much about their journey as it is about the plot.

 

Roughly, I average 2,000 words per day, which isn't much by some standards. That said, I edit as I go, ensuring some degree of control over things. As a pantser, this helps with a degree of accountability. I cannot duck in and out an hour at a time. I need at least a three hour chunk of time to immerse myself in my magic worlds. Often, I'll be seated in the same spot for up to fourteen hours. When life allows, that is.

 

So that's it, really. The story grows organically, as do the characters. My stories get weird fast, but it's important to me that every action and nuance is justified and believable. 

 

Once I've completed the draft, I'll review it a few times. But even as I amend sentence structure and sharpen things, I'm keen for the rawness to bleed through, for the emotions to be just as strong as when the words first hit the page.

 

I don't use beta readers, but I am always happy to send out ARCs. 

 

Oh, and I struggle with more than one project at a time. I've recently dabbled in multiple projects, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

 

Once submitted, I move to my next project and cross my fingers. All that said, I back myself 100%. If you fancy a unique and quite extraordinary experience, pick up Chasing The Dragon today.

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Mark Towse is an English horror writer living in Australia. He would sell his soul to the devil or anyone buying if it meant he could write full-time. Alas, he left it very late to begin this journey, penning his first story since primary school at the ripe old age of forty-five. Since then, he’s been published in over two hundred journals and anthologies, had his work made into full theatrical productions for shows such as The No Sleep Podcast and Tales to Terrify, and has penned fourteen novellas, including Nana, Gone to the Dogs, 3:33, and Crows. Chasing The Dragon is his debut novel.

 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mark-Towse/author/B07H8DBS31

Twitter: @MarkTowsey12

Website: https://t.co/icMAn0LFpd

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/towseywrites/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.towse.75

 

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Dragon-Vigilante-Justice-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0CR6PNZLQ/

 

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GIVEAWAY

The author will award a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

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