Author Interview: Carl Hackman

Who are you?

​After serving eighteen years in the British Royal Navy I was medically discharged with a broken back and started my first novel. I had almost completed it when I had to earn a living wage so I taught myself Visual Basic and became a computer programmer. Although it paid enough to live on I felt unfulfilled and became unhappy with the rat race. My wife and I decided to move to the Dominican Republic for a slower pace of life.
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Carl Hackman

I started to write GERALD, my second novel. The first draft was completed within six months and went through revision after revision until I had it shining like a new penny. James Wymore saw the novel and championed it through a few more revisions and it will finally be published by Immortal Works as my debut novel.
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Since finishing GERALD I have completed the first novel I started and am half way through my third. They are all very different and say a lot about my interests in life. Fantastical worlds, animals and medieval England. When I’m not writing I rescue animals in need and have even taken that so far as to gain a qualification, Veterinary Assistant.
In my ideal world I would be writing novels and helping magical creatures such as Dragons, Unicorns and Phoenixes.
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Where do you live?

I live in Sosua, Dominican Republic with my wife and ten rescue dogs.


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​What’s your home life like?

Very quiet apart from the ten rescue dogs we have that seem to like run around as if they are overdosed on caffeine. Barking is a popular hobby with these guys and they don’t settle down until mid afternoon, which is when I can get some words down on paper.
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​What genre(s) to you like to write? To read?

I love fantasy in most of its guises, but I’m drawn more to humor than straight up epic fantasy. I’m a child at heart and like to live in strange worlds that make me laugh. Life is sad enough already without having to deal with it on a page. I also love historical fiction mainly Roman, Viking and Anglo Saxon eras. 

I tend to write in those genres as well. My debut novel is a humorous fantasy about a klutz of a wizard. His heart is in the right place put his execution of magic leaves a lot to be desired and the results can be catastrophic.
 
As animals play a large part in my life I also wrote a novel about a female jaguar who escapes from an illegal predator collection in the UK. When she gains her freedom, she is pregnant so, not only does she need to survive in this foreign land, but she also needs to raise her litter of cubs.
 
The other two novels I am working on are the next in the Gerald series and a novel set in eighth century England.
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​Why did you start writing?

When I was in the Navy I was a voracious reader and when I left, I decided to see if I could actually write a novel length work. It was going well, but I was a complete novice when it came to the industry. Eventually I had to find work and Jaguar was stuck in a drawer for nearly twenty years. Once we moved to the Dominican Republic life was at a slower pace and one day, in the shower, Gerald popped into my head. By the time I had dried myself, he was a fully formed character and I immediately got the initial page down so that I wouldn’t lose the idea growing like a weed. I continued to write and finished the first draft in six months. After I had revised the novel multiple times I started sending it out to agents and editors. I also entered query competitions. During this phase, I worked on and finished Jaguar. My first novel had now become my second completed work.
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​What do you do when you’re not writing?

I do some software development work for my sister’s company and also help at a local animal shelter where I monitor anesthesia during spay/neuter clinics. This is why we have ten rescue dogs; I can’t turn down an animal in need. At one time, we had twenty-two dogs in our house and fourteen of those were new born puppies, so you can imagine the utter chaos in our little house. I also visit a local school where, what started out as a basic author visit, has now turned into a creative writing class for sixth and seventh grade students. This is something I’ve never done before and is a particularly rewarding part of being an author.
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​Where do you like to go when looking for a new book to read?

Due to the fact that I live in a third world country I mainly look on Amazon, but we do have a little book store here called the Book Nook where I occasionally fine a gem. I also like to go down there and write. The atmosphere is great and it takes me away from banzai dogs for a couple of hours. Don’t get me wrong, I love them to death, but sometimes you need a little down time.
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​At what point do you call it quits when reading a new book?

When I reach the end. The only time I don’t finish a book is if I can’t get into the story. Too much back story or world building at the beginning puts me off especially if it is in the form of a straight info dump. Luckily the authors I normally read are all great and I’m immediately in their world; once in you will find it very hard to get me out, even with the dogs tearing around the place.
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​Are you independently or traditionally published?

My debut novel will be published by a small press, Immortal Works
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​How many books/stories have you published so far?

Gerald and the amulet of Zonrach is my debut novel although I have submitted my second to IW as well and am currently awaiting an answer on that.
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​What book/story are you currently promoting or working on? 

Gerald is the book I’m currently promoting as it due for release on May 16th of this year. I am working on the next in the series and hope to have that finished by the summer.

​What’s the elevator pitch?

In the realm of Wyverndawn, a wizard’s height is the mark of his power, so shrinking an entire inch is disastrous for Gerald. Causing a devastating earthquake, hurricane and aiding in the escape of a very dangerous wizard from prison instead of creating a picturesque landmark really weren’t part of the plan.

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My heartfelt thanks to Carl for taking the time to participate in this interview. Please check out my review of Gerald and the Amulet of Zonrach on my Laughable Blog, Goodreads or Amazon.

Nicholas Adams