Terry Tyler is the author of seventeen books available from Amazon, the latest being ‘UK2’, the third book in her new post apocalyptic series. She is proud to be self-published, is an avid reader and book reviewer, and a member of Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team.
Terry is a Walking Dead addict, and loves history, winter, South Park and Netflix. She lives in the north-east of England with her husband; she is still trying to learn Geordie.
KR: Cowld the day, mar
Coffee?
KR: Could you tell me a little about yourself, please?
I sit at a laptop, and I write. Most of the time. When I’m not writing I read a lot, or watch TV. I’m post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre obsessed, and a Walking Dead addict. I’ve been a vegan for about a year, a decision I made because I don’t want to support the animal agriculture industry. I live in North East England with my husband, who I love dearly and is possibly the only person I could live with, these days.
KR: What is your favourite childhood book?
I read a great deal as a child and it’s so hard to pick one, but probably The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. From when I was older, I remember a book called Charlotte Sometimes, about a girl at boarding school who kept waking up and finding that she’d swapped places with a girl who stayed there in 1914. I’ve always loved a good bit of time travel.
KR: What is your favourite album, and does music play any role in your writing?
I can’t possibly choose one album. I don’t keep up with new music at all. My tastes veer towards hard rock (like Aerosmith), southern rock (like Lynryd Skynryd/The Black Crowes), 1930s jazz (Billie Holliday type), Nat King Cole….. but no, music doesn’t play any role in my writing. I have to write in as near complete silence as possible, or I can’t concentrate. Then again, the titles of nine of my earlier books are Aerosmith song titles. I did that just to amuse myself, really. When I caught myself trying to work out what sort of book could be fitted round the title ‘Dude Looks Like a Lady’, I felt it was time to stop.
KR: Do you have a favourite horror movie/director?
No, far too many to choose from. Every year new stuff that gets added to the ‘favourites’ list, and I’ve lived a lot of years. I could do you my top 20, maybe. Then I’d start saying, ‘Oh yes, but hang on, I’ve thought of some more… can we make it a top 30?’
KR: What are you reading now?
I’ve just started reading a YA dystopian book called Clone Crisis by Melissa Faye, for Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team, of which I am a member. It’s really good. I read on average two books a week, though, so by the time this article is on your blog I will have read many more!
KR: Who were the authors that inspired you to write?
Probably every one I ever read, before I started to do so. Or none of them. No one in particular.
KR: Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to just see where an idea takes you?
I could never do the latter; editing would be a nightmare, getting all those random strands to come together! I get an idea, then think it through to see if it’s novel-worthy. If so, I start making notes, but it marinates for ages before I even get any words down. I’m very particular about continuity, not just in timelines but in character development, so a story has to be properly thought through before I start. I also think it’s so important to know how the novel ends. I usually modify/make more dramatic, but I need to know what I’m writing towards. I dislike twists or plot developments that have been thrown in at the last minute, or ends that are too neatly tied up; I don’t want to make those sorts of mistakes myself.
KR: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
Depends how much is needed. Sometimes it’s just a matter of looking up the odd fact on Google. Other times, more. I do practical research as I’m writing; I stick notes in the document saying things like *find out how long tobacco can last for* or *ask B what video games a fourteen-year-old would have played five years ago*. For a recent book, I had to make a few research trips to another area of the country. Mostly, though, I write about stuff I already know about. Makes life easier, and I think it comes across as more authentic.
KR: Describe your usual writing day?
I don’t have one. It depends what my other commitments are. If I am able to have a long stint, I will answer emails and blog comments, ‘do’ Twitter, and then start, and carry on until I realise I’m not working at my best, because I’ve been at it for too long.
KR: Do you have a favourite story/short that you’ve written (published or not)?
I like my current series most, out of everything I’ve written. Other than that, my favourite of my books is The House of York, a dark psychological drama.
KR: Do you read your book reviews?
Oh yes, all of them. It’s always so interesting to see what aspects readers have picked up on, which characters they liked, the reasons why they carried on reading. Aside from anything else, if someone has taken time and care over a review, it would be extremely rude not to read it! And yes, I read any that are less positive, too. There is always something you can learn from them.
KR: Any advice for a fledgling author?
How long have you got?! But I’m guessing you want a fairly short answer. Okay…
- However many writers’ groups/Twitter writers hashtags you join, it’s a solitary pursuit. You need to be completely self-motivated.
- Not everyone will love everything you write. You must be able to deal with that.
- To produce a publishable novel you need two attributes: the first is talent, and the second is dedication. Neither one is any good without the other.
I’ve written several articles with tips for debut novelists:
Seven Myths That Can Hold New Writers Back
Ten Miscellaneous Tips For Debut Writers
Dos And Don’t For First Time Novelists
KR: What scares you?
Rats. Snakes. Fire. The thought of getting a terminal disease. Also, having my home/privacy invaded. I dream about that a lot.
KR: E-Book, Paperback or Hardback?
Ebook. Always, now. They’re easier to hold, you can prop them up while you’re eating, read in the dark, highlight bits, carry lots of books with you at once, and they’re cheap. I do love to see a stack of books, though, which for me is the only downside. My living room is piled high with them, but they’re all books I bought years ago, now, which is sad.
KR: Can you tell me about your latest release please?
UK2 is part three of my dystopian/post-apocalyptic Project Renova series, about a mysterious pandemic. UK2 is about the rebuilding of the country, a couple of years after the virus… by those who instigated it. Survivors who agree to move to the new centres begin to realise that all is not as positive as initially promised.
KR: What are you working on now?
Book four! I only intended to write a trilogy, with a collection of associated short stories, but after UK2 I found I wasn’t done with it yet. Happily, a fair few readers have said they’d love to read more, but I think I’d still have written it even if they hadn’t; I’m not ready to say goodbye to that world yet.
KR: You find yourself on a desert island; which three people would you wish to be stranded with you and why?
You can choose…
a) One fictional character from your writing.
Silas, from my WIP, as long as the shipwreck has magically knocked a goodly number of years off my age, as he is 25 and totally hot. He’s a traveller in the post-apocalyptic world, so is up on all the survival stuff; he’d be a good person to have around. And he doesn’t panic, and understands about people needing their own ‘space’.
b) One fictional character from any other book.
Tyrion from GRR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) series. He’s intelligent and amusing, and I can imagine having many long, interesting conversations.
c) One real life person who is not a family member or friend.
Anne Boleyn, because she fascinates me, and we’d have such fun teaching each other about our different eras. I might have to fight her for Silas, though.
KR: Thank you very much Terry.
Thank you, Gavin, for inviting me to your blog!
You can follow Terry on Twitter @TerryTyler4
You can visit Terry’s Author page here
‘Two decades of social media had prepared them well for UK2.’
The pace steps up in this penultimate book in the Project Renova series, as the survivors’ way of life comes under threat.
Two years after the viral outbreak, representatives from UK Central arrive at Lindisfarne to tell the islanders about the shiny new city being created down south. UK2 governor Verlander’s plan is simple: all independent communities are to be dissolved, their inhabitants to reside in approved colonies. Alas, those who relocate soon suspect that the promises of a bright tomorrow are nothing but smoke and mirrors, as great opportunities turn into broken dreams, and dangerous journeys provide the only hope of freedom.
Meanwhile, far away in the southern hemisphere, a new terror is gathering momentum…
‘I walked through that grey afternoon, past fields that nobody had tended for nearly three years, past broken down, rusty old vehicles, buildings with smashed windows. I was walking alone at the end of the world, but I was a happy man. I was free, at last.’
You can buy UK2 from Amazon UK & Amazon US
‘You’re judging this by the standards of the old world. But that’s gone. We don’t live there any more.’
Six months after the viral outbreak, civilised society in the UK has broken down. Vicky and her group travel to the Northumbrian island of Lindisfarne, where they are welcomed by an existing community.
New relationships are formed, old ones renewed. The lucky survivors adapt, finding strength they didn’t know they possessed, but the honeymoon period does not last long. Some cannot accept that the rules have changed, and, for just a few, the opportunity to seize power is too great to pass up. Egos clash, and the islanders soon discover that there are greater dangers than not having enough to eat.
Meanwhile, in the south, Brian Doyle discovers that rebuilding is taking place in the middle of the devastated countryside. He comes face to face with Alex Verlander from Renova Workforce Liaison, who makes him an offer he can’t refuse. But is UK 2.0 a world in which he will want to live?
You can buy Lindisfarne from Amazon UK & Amazon US
‘I didn’t know danger was floating behind us on the breeze as we walked along the beach, seeping in through the windows of our picture postcard life.’
The year is 2024. A new social networking site bursts onto the scene. Private Life promises total privacy, with freebies and financial incentives for all. Across the world, a record number of users sign up.
A deadly virus is discovered in a little known African province, and it’s spreading—fast. The UK announces a countrywide vaccination programme. Members of underground group Unicorn believe the disease to be man-made, and that the people are being fed lies driven by a vast conspiracy.
Vicky Keating’s boyfriend, Dex, is working for Unicorn over two hundred miles away when the first UK outbreak is detected in her home town of Shipden, on the Norfolk coast. The town is placed under military controlled quarantine and, despite official assurances that there is no need for panic, within days the virus is unstoppable.
In London, Travis begins to question the nature of the top secret data analysis project he is working on, while in Newcastle there are scores to be settled…
You can buy Tipping Point from Amazon UK & Amazon US
The year is 2024.
A mysterious virus rages around the UK.
Within days, ‘bat fever’ is out of control.
Patient Zero is a collection of nine short stories featuring characters from the post apocalyptic Project Renova series. All stories are completely ‘stand alone’.
1. Jared: The Spare Vial
Jared has two vaccinations against the deadly virus: one for him, one for a friend…
2. Flora: Princess Snowflake
The girl with the perfect life, who believes in her father, the government, Christian charity and happy endings.
3. Jeff: The Prepper
What does a doomsday ‘prepper’ do when there is nothing left to prepare for?
4. Karen: Atonement
She ruined her sister’s last day on earth, and for this she must do penance.
5. Aaron: #NewWorldProblems
Aaron can’t believe his luck; he appears to be immune. But his problems are far from over.
6. Ruby: Money To Burn
Eager to escape from her drug dealer boyfriend’s lifestyle, Ruby sets off with a bag filled with cash.
7. Meg: The Prison Guard’s Wife
Meg waits for her husband to arrive home from work. And waits…
8. Evie: Patient Zero
Boyfriend Nick neglects her. This Sunday will be the last time she puts up with it. The very last time.
9. Martin: This Life
Life after life has taught the sixty year old journalist to see the bigger picture.
You can buy Patient Zero from Amazon UK & Amazon US
The House of York ~ a contemporary family drama, spanning the years 1993 – 2014.
Widowed single mum, Lisa Grey, and wealthy businessman, Elias York, are young and madly in love. A recipe for happiness? But Lisa is marrying into a complicated family. Her new sister-in-law doesn’t want to know her. Middle brother Gabriel’s marriage suffers under a cloud of infidelity and gambling debts, while the youngest, Richard, keeps his dark secrets well hidden—and his wife suffers in silence.
Lisa and her mother are bonded by their powerful intuition, but dare not voice their fears about York Towers—or certain members of the family…
Love and loss, abduction, incestuous desires and murderous intent form the basis of this compelling saga in which horrors float just beneath the surface, to bring forth a shocking outcome.
History lovers may be interested to know that The House of York is inspired by events from the era of the Wars of the Roses.
You can buy The House Of York from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Thanks so much for this, Gavin ~ how beautifully you have presented it! I feel the picture at the top of the page adequately fits your horror genre, if nothing else 😉
ps, I am still trying to work out what the first sentence means, above the ‘coffee’ gif!!
Fabulous inteview thanks for the mention.
Really enjoyed this, think the photo is great! Have put a link to it on my latest blog published today, about book series, highlighting two authors whose series I’ve got hooked on, including…well (coyly)…take a peek and find out! 😉
https://laurettelong.com/books-theres-something-about-a-series/