THE LAST STORM, THE LURE OF THE FOUNTAIN PEN BY TIM LEBBON

27/10/2021

Then suddenly the world wasn't going so well, and all the lovely ideas I'd had about writing in coffee shops and pubs and on hillsides with a flask of coffee by my side fell apart, and I was left hand writing ... at my desk. But I carried on, taking up various positions around the house while my wife and two kids were also trying to work, locked down and drinking too much coffee.

THE LAST STORM

The Lure of the Fountain Pen
by
Tim Lebbon

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Writing my new novel longhand, in a varied selection of notebooks and with a nice new fountain pen, ticked all the boxes––being able to write literally anywhere; get away from my terrible 3-fingered typing technique (for the first draft, at least); and exercise that romantic notion I've had for years about writing a book on paper, with a pen. But without going hungry in a garret.

I blame Rio Youers. He writes all of his books like this. So for my 47th novel (9 in collaboration), for the first time ever I decided to give it a go.

I started on 20th January 2020, and to begin with it went well. Then suddenly the world wasn't going so well, and all the lovely ideas I'd had about writing in coffee shops and pubs and on hillsides with a flask of coffee by my side fell apart, and I was left hand writing ... at my desk. But I carried on, taking up various positions around the house while my wife and two kids were also trying to work, locked down and drinking too much coffee. And many months later I had a completed novel in 8 big notebooks. All I had to do now was type it up.

I'm a 3-fingered typist, remember. And I probably should have mentioned that my handwriting is truly awful, too. So much so that sometimes when I was reading it back to type up, I only just got the gist. Transcribing took a long bloody time, but it was a really good first editing process, and I don't regret the decision to write The Last Storm longhand at all. It changed a lot about how words transferred from my head and down onto the page. That aforementioned bad typing technique means that when I'm writing onto the computer, I'll often jump back and forth to correct spellings and typos, and edit the writing as I go along. Using a pen and notebook, you can cross out, sure, but I found the flow of words much more natural. I think the speed of writing using a pen matched the speed of my thoughts better than typing, and the creation of those words onto the page felt more natural. There was a flow here I'd not felt before. I'd always intended The Last Storm to have an epic road-trip feel, and I think the method of writing helped that a lot. There was an expansiveness to the experience that I just don't think would have been there if I'd written it all directly onto a computer screen.

I was also not too bothered with word count, which is something I usually keep an eye on when I'm writing on the computer. I had a rough idea, true, but I rarely finished a day worried that I hadn't written enough.

And for a novel about climate change, it felt kind of apt that I was writing using a pen and paper rather than an electronic gizmo.

The Last Storm is about a family of Rainmakers who attempt to use their arcane gift to aid a near-future America suffering from a decade of drought and famine. Things don't go according to plan. It's very loosely inspired by a short story I wrote some time ago called 'Hell Came Down', and I think it's one of the best novels I've written. The characters and the tensions between them really came alive, the setting and road trip felt real in my head––I could feel the heat on my skin, taste the sand gritty between my teeth––and the supernatural elements felt smooth and unforced.

In some ways the theme of this book might been seen as similar to Eden––people try to do something to combat the terrible climate disaster befalling our planet, and things go wrong––and that's no real surprise. I've been a lover of nature since I was a young kid, and I love being in the countryside now, whether it's taking a gentle hike with my family, or racing a tough triathlon through the mountains of Snowdonia. There's no better place to be, and I never take the countryside for granted. It's sad, then, to be able to notice such a change even in my lifetime. There aren't so many birds anymore. Writing that sentence and reading it back sounds stark, almost unbelievable, but it's true. Our garden used to be full of a variety of birds, now we're lucky if we see a few sparrows, an occasional robin or blue tit, and a few magpies. Insects, too, seem to be on the decline, and it's a rare occasion when I see a butterfly.

I'm a horror writer, so it's inevitable I'm going to write about these things. Covid has been tough, but we'll get over it. Climate change is the true challenge of our lifetime, and Eden and The Last Storm are inspired my fears and concerns about what's happening to our planet. I'm sure I'll be writing more novels in this vein ... in fact I have one taking shape now, I'm making notes, and I must admit just today I opened up the box and admired my fountain pen again. Maybe this time I won't be confined to the house.

I hope you'll check out my new novel next June, and drive those dusty highways with me, following the Rainmakers as they try to help. But keep one eye on the skies. You never know what else might fall during The Last Storm..

Check out yesterday's cover reveal for an exclusive first look extract from The Last Storm

the last storm by tim lebbon

A gripping road trip through post-apocalyptic America from Tim Lebbon, New York Times bestseller and author of Netflix’s The Silence.

Struck by famine and drought, large swathes of North America are now known as the Desert. Set against this mythic and vast backdrop, The Last Storm is a timely story of a family of Rainmakers whose rare and arcane gift has become a curse.

Jesse stopped rainmaking the moment his abilities turned deadly, bringing down not just rain but scorpions, strange snakes and spiders. He thought he could help a land suffering from climate catastrophe, but he was wrong. When his daughter Ash inherited the tainted gift carried down the family bloodline, Jesse did his best to stop her. His attempt went tragically wrong, and ever since then he has believed himself responsible for his daughter's death.

But now his wife Karina––who never gave up looking for their daughter—brings news that Ash is still alive. And she's rainmaking again. Terrified of what she might bring down upon the desperate communities of the Desert, the estranged couple set out across the desolate landscape to find her. But Jesse and Karina are not the only ones looking for Ash. As the storms she conjures become more violent and deadly, some follow her seeking hope. And one is hungry for revenge.

The Last Storm is available for pre-order here