Novelist Tom Haward is back for a new interview. This time we’re chatting about his new alternate history, The Path of Revenge.
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Bio:
Tom was born in Essex and, at 4 months old, he and his identical twin were adopted into an oyster farming family. Tom now runs the business as generation eight of Haward oyster farmers. He has a fiancée, baby daughter, and a cockapoo.
Tom has an MA in Creative Writing. The Path of Chaos (Cinnabar Moth Publishing), his debut novel, released in August 2023. The Path of Revenge is the sequel in The Path of Chaos series and released August 6, 2024.
Welcome back to Reviews and Interviews, Tom. Please tell us about your newest release.
The Path of Revenge is an alternate history part of The Path of Chaos series, which explores if the Roman Empire still ruled the world. The Path of Revenge follows on from the events of The Path of Chaos where rebel leader, Boatman King, is trying to overthrow the empire.
What inspired you to write this book?
I had an idea for a Roman Alternate History when I was studying an MA in Creative Writing. From that inspiration came my debut novel, The Path of Chaos. My publisher was amazing to offer me the opportunity to write The Path of Revenge after giving me a contract to write The Path of Chaos.
Excerpt from The Path of Revenge:
It was a chilly Autumn morning with barely a breath of wind. He gazed over to the other side of the channel to see a seal lazing on the mud. A heron landed a few metres away from Boatman, unperturbed by the man’s presence. It only took ten minutes to leave shore and get to the oyster beds by boat, but it felt like a wilderness. For a moment, Boatman felt like the trauma and stress of the past few months had evaporated, out here in this tiny wilderness.
“I definitely prefer hitting a Roman in the face to this.” Tobias’s words brought Boatman back to reality.
“Being out here is good for the soul,” said Boatman.
“What the fuck happened to your soul? It’s muddy, wet and cold. If I wanted that combination, I would have gone to fight in the Aestii region.”
“You need an open mind, Tobias.”
“No, I need to be somewhere hot. I used to have a gorgeous, golden tan. Do you remember that? Do you remember my tan? I looked good.” Tobias looked down at himself, mud splattered up his oilskin overalls, “Now I look like a pale hobo.”
“Did Maverick know where your off switch was? Because it would be really handy right now.”
“I came out here with you. Voluntarily.”
“Only because Bella didn’t want you.”
“I’m offended she didn’t want me to go with her.”
“She’s hunting birds. It needs to be done quietly. As in, no constant talking,” said Boatman.
What’s the next writing project?
I’m working on the final book in The Path of Chaos series which should be an exhilarating conclusion to Boatman’s story.
What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book? (or the biggest challenge with this book)
Continuity is a huge challenge. When writing characters and events it’s a big challenge to ensure you’re maintaining continuity as it can be easy to forget a small detail about your character!
If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?
There’s always gap filling up until the final draft is saved. And then you read your novel when it’s printed and think about how research could have been done better. The thing I find with research is not to let it bog down the creative process as my ultimate aim is to write something readers can escape into and the reader is suspending disbelief when they begin, so as long as there’s consistency and continuity the research should be helping to ensure that’s the case.
What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.
I don’t have a writing space. I write wherever I’m inspired. I like noise so write well in a pub or at home with a film on. It all depends on when I get a flash of inspiration and need to start typing. I don’t force myself to write, I write when it feels right.
What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?
John Connolly is my favourite author as I loves poetic prose and a couple of my characters are a love letter to his writing. Thomas Harris’s Hannibal is my favourite novel of all time and Faust’s emery palace is a nod to Hannibal Lecter.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?
Thanks for reading what I’ve done. Anyone who writes knows it’s a big risk sharing what you’ve done with others as it’s so personal, so thank you for taking the time to read it, regardless of whether you liked it or not.
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Thank you so much for featuring Tom Haward today.
Thanks for sharing. This sounds good.
Everything about the book sounds good to me.
Thank you for interviewing Tom. Wonderful Author and human.
This looks like a fantastic read. Thanks for sharing.