ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH TO ENTER THE CAVERN?: A FIVE MINUTES WITH INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR ALISTER HODGE

Alister Hodge is a Sydney based author, writing within the genres of horror, science fiction and young adult. He is also an Emergency Nurse Practitioner and a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney. As a mental break from providing healthcare in a busy Emergency Department, Alister leaves behind the everyday traumas and horror of the real world, by creating new ones for post-apocalyptic and dystopian landscapes.
 
Alister’s novel ‘The Cavern’, and his debut Plague War series, including ‘Plague War: Outbreak’, ‘Plague War 2: Pandemic’, and ‘Plague War 3: Retaliation’, are published by Severed Press. A new young adult horror / SF novel title ‘The Viperob Files’ was also published in May by Crossroad Press.
 
Aside from fiction writing, Alister has authored numerous journal and textbook publications, and is the co-creator of an app to support triage nurse development in Australia and the USA.
 
Information and links to his books can be found at his website and blog 
Amazon author page

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I live in Sydney with my wife and two daughters. I’m a keen traveller, loving to experience new foods, sights and cultures. I’ve spent time exploring parts of Africa, the Middle-East, Asia, South-East Asia and Europe, and it was through travelling and work in the UK, that I had the good fortune of meeting my beautiful wife, Lee.  Together, we have two amazing daughters that I’m extremely proud of as they grow to be caring, active girls.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I work full time as an Emergency Nurse Practitioner in a busy Sydney Emergency Department, so an awful lot of my days are spent sewing up wounds, and managing minor trauma and illness of the local population. It can be a challenging environment, but every day is different and rewarding in its own way. Outside of work, writing and the basic chores of everyday life, my main priority is getting some down time with my wife and girls. I also love the outdoors, whether it’s going for a run, walking the dog or fishing. And then to top it off, nothing beats kicking back with a beer and a good book.

Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?

By working in the Emergency specialty, both in the UK and Australia for over seventeen years, I’ve come in contact with humans at their best and worst. I’ve treated patients during medical emergencies, seen death, trauma, life changing illness and then the grief and loss of families. Someone might be a good person, and have their life cut short in a car accident, or never smoke a cigarette in their life and still end up with a lung cancer diagnosis. In such environments, the usual facades that people put up are stripped away, and it’s a privilege to work with people in what can be the most stressful and difficult time of their life.

I think this is reflected in my novels, where I take an almost grimdark style of writing. My characters have flaws, and face challenges. There is evil, and unfortunately the worst is often found in the minds and actions of other humans and what we do to each other. When I describe blood, gore and agony, or  life and death situations, it comes from personal experience. I know what the crunch of a broken bone feels like under hand, what the pattern of blood looks like after it squirts from a severed artery. I’ve experienced the stress and self-doubt that must be overcome during a medical emergency, and also witnessed the grief and distress of family members confronted by the loss of a loved one. These are unforgettable experiences that I suppose can’t help but leave a mark on my subconscious and writing.
 
The term horror, especially when applied to fiction always carries such heavy connotations.  What’s your feeling on the term “horror” and what do you think we can do to break past these assumptions?

Often widely successful horror works, whether it be film or novel, are described by reviewers in other terms, e.g. psychological thriller, as if they might be doing the body of work a disservice if they called it a ‘horror’. This needs to change if broader representations of the horror genre will be accepted by major publishers and make it back onto the shelves of books stores.      

A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate, considering the current state of the world where do you see horror going in the next few years?

There might be increasing interest in apocalyptic novel settings, because in the current world order, they now seem entirely possible. Global safety is deteriorating as the middle-east slides into ever greater conflict, while relations between powerful nations are strained over trade, and threats of nuclear war are bandied between certain leaders with school yard bluster. And that’s just on the human front. Threats from nature also hover at the door, waiting to kick our arrogance back to size. Seas are rising, polar ice-caps melting and the severity and frequency of storm events grow by the year as our planet warms. Diseases such as haemorrhagic Ebola are appearing with greater regularity, and the possibility of a mutated bird flu crossing the species barrier cannot be ignored.


What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author?

I read across a number of genres, however the stories and writing that has probably most influenced my own include Max Brooks’ ‘World War Z’, Joe Abercrombie’s ‘The First Law Trilogy’, and George RR Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series.

What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off?

Although not horror, I recently enjoyed ‘We Ride the Storm’ by Devin Madson. It’s a action-packed, violent dark fantasy novel. I’m looking forward to chasing down more of her work.

How would you describe your writing style?

I try to keep prose tight, aiming for the minimum amount of descriptive detail for the reader to create a clear mental picture of the scene, without it becoming a distraction from the story itself.

Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?

I’ve been fortunate to receive a number of positive reader reviews, and these have certainly helped motivate me to continue writing on those days where the words don’t come easily.

I’m continually learning and seeking to improve my writing. Feedback and advice from Amanda Spedding of Pheonix Editing, who edited my first novel ‘Plague War Outbreak’, and my fourth novel ‘The Viperob Files’, has helped tighten numerous aspects of my writing. This year I was lucky enough to gain a mentorship with Alan Baxter through the Australasian Horror Writers Association. It was priceless experience to gain insights from an experienced writer regarding numerous aspects of our craft.

What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?

Writing the synopsis. Turning a 80-100,000 word manuscript into a one page synopsis (or less) is always a world of pain.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?

Although I’ve had women and children killed in my books, I won’t  incorporate child abuse into a story line or include scenes describing rape in progress whether it be of man or woman.

How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?

Both. In the end, I think the sound is more important. If the name is jarring or doesn’t flow with the text surrounding - it has to go. I changed the name of one character in my latest WIP on completion of the first draft because it just didn’t sound right on the page.
 
Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?

I’ve become a little leaner in the initial draft, leading to less words being culled in the editing phase where I used to lose up to 20% of the text.

What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?     
    
A work ethic that ensures writing opportunities aren’t squandered with procrastination. A quality I have taken from my health background into writing, is a commitment to life-long learning. It is important to keep an open mind to constructive criticism, to strive for continued improvement in the quality of writing I’m sending into the world. Professionalism during interactions with publishers and other writers is also important.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?

You’ve just got to get the words down on the page. Sometimes the writing will require more work in the editing phase than others, but you have to start somewhere. I’ll spend some time fleshing out a brief outline of up to ten chapters at a time, however I’m happy to throw it out the window if the characters call for something different to happen. I find the key purpose of this initial brain storm is to quiet my mind enough to just let me begin writing.

Getting your worked noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject?

I’ve attempted to increase my presence on social media, and involvement with appropriate online groups that are reading books similar to my own. I’m also seeking to give something back to the writing community through increased involvement with the Australasian Horror Writers Association, where I’m assisting with this years Shadows Awards for collected works.

To many writers, the characters they write become like children, who is your favorite child, and who is your least favorite to write for and why?

My favourite character from my first three books is a teenager named Erin. She’s a tough kid, that despite suffering the loss of loved ones, and surviving the hideous violence of the apocalypse, refuses to take a backward step. She’s probably the only character of the series that I couldn’t kill off.

On the other side of the equation, I’ve enjoyed writing some evil characters, however, Chris from ‘Plague War 3: Retaliation’ was a different story. Chris was misogynistic, arrogant, sadistic man, and I never failed to feel a little sullied on leaving his headspace.

What piece of your own work are you most proud of?

Plague War 3: Retaliation
 
And are there any that you would like to forget about?

The first book I ever wrote back in uni. I’m happy to accept it as a learning experience, but it’ll remain in the filing cabinet.  

For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why?
Plague War Outbreak is a great introduction to my style of writing. It’s punchy and action packed, with characters that you grow to care about more each chapter you read. The experience of reading the book has been described by multiple people as like watching a movie in their mind. You’ll also learn I’m not adverse to killing off a main character either. Sometimes they have to pay the ultimate price for errors or decisions made.

Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?

I think a line from the blurb of ‘Plague War Outbreak’ sums up the world my characters inhabit; “No-one is safe in the apocalypse, and only those who are willing to fight will survive.”

Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?

The past month has been a busy one. I’ve release two books; a creature horror titled ‘The Cavern’, and a YA science fiction / horror / dystopian novel called ‘The Viperob Files’.
 
The Cavern – blurb:
When a sink hole opens up near the Australian outback town of Pintalba, it uncovers a pristine cave system. Sam joins an expedition to explore the subterranean passages as paramedic support, hoping to remain unneeded at base camp. But, when one of the cavers is injured, he must overcome paralysing claustrophobia to dive pitch-black waters and squeeze through the bowels of the earth. 

Soon he will find there are fates worse than being buried alive, for in the abandoned mines and caves beneath Pintalba, there are ravenous teeth in the dark. 
As a savage predator targets the group with hideous ferocity, Sam and his friends must fight for their lives if they are ever to see the sun again. 

"The Cavern is a tense and compelling descent into subterranean horror, with characters you will care about in a setting unlike most fiction these days. I've never been a fan of caving, but having read this book, I'm staying above ground in the sunlight forever." - Alan Baxter, author of DEVOURING DARK and the ALEX CAINE SERIES

The Viperob Files – blurb:
 
In 2194, the excesses of the Petroleum Age has warmed the Earth, raising sea levels, causing massive social upheaval, and hideous mutations within the animal kingdom. 

Ethan lives on an island owned by Viperob, a powerful corporation that constructs military drones for the Australasian Army. As the sixteen-year-old child of a Viperob employee, Ethan’s education includes combat training to ensure the corporation has a private army to protect its own assets in time of war. 

When his father, Nikolai, discovers a plan to hand control of the military’s AI drones to a foreign power, he is murdered to suppress the information. Ethan, however, has been left a copy of the files in question. To bring this evidence to the Australasian Army and prevent a possible invasion, he will need to outwit a private security force led by the psychopathic Lieutenant Harris, survive mutated predators and escape Viperob’s island complex.
 
“Alister Hodge has created a wildly dystopian world where hulking crustaceans aren't the only enemy three fearless teens need to worry about. Set in futuristic Australia but teeming with ancient monsters, it's the company-controlled island where Ethan, Jaego and Gwen discover true horror often lies in those closest toyou. The Viperob Files is a rollicking read from start to finish, dragging the reader into its depths and refusing to let you go. Hodge is a deft storyteller whose characters shine upon the page, both those you cheer for and those you want to die a most terrible death (like horrifically terrible...twice). His is a future imagined, but one that also hits scarily close to the truth. You should be reading this." - AJ Spedding, award winning author and editor.  
 
As to what I’m working on next, I have a few projects in the works. First one being a sequel to The Viperob Files, however, that may get sidelined to begin work on a new Grimdark fantasy novel that is gradually forming into some concrete story arcs in my mind.

If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?

Rape being used a method to prompt character growth or resilience.

What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?

Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law Trilogy was truly awesome.
I’ll leave the reviews of books that disappointed me to other readers.

What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do?  And what would be the answer?

Why do the big five publishers and most agents have an aversion to horror novels? Or on the occasional time they do get picked up, why are they always marketed as something other than horror? Unfortunately I don’t have any easy answers though.

Read our review of the Cavern by clicking here 

The Cavern by Alister Hodge  

When a sink hole opens up near the Australian outback town of Pintalba, it uncovers a pristine cave system. Sam joins an expedition to explore the subterranean passages as paramedic support, hoping to remain unneeded at base camp. But, when one of the cavers is injured, he must overcome paralysing claustrophobia to dive pitch-black waters and squeeze through the bowels of the earth. 

Soon he will find there are fates worse than being buried alive, for in the abandoned mines and caves beneath Pintalba, there are ravenous teeth in the dark. 
As a savage predator targets the group with hideous ferocity, Sam and his friends must fight for their lives if they are ever to see the sun again. 

"The Cavern is a tense and compelling descent into subterranean horror, with characters you will care about in a setting unlike most fiction these days. I've never been a fan of caving, but having read this book, I'm staying above ground in the sunlight forever." - Alan Baxter, author of DEVOURING DARK and the ALEX CAINE SERIES

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