Interview with Dean Crawford. Plus, GIVEAWAY.

I reviewed Dean Crawford’s Apocalypse a little while back. It’s a good book, and I’d like to give one of our readers a chance to read it. Simply enter our giveaway for a chance to win a copy. Comment, share and like us for more chances.

But first, read Dean’s thoughts about post-apocalyptic living.

Hi there, Dean. Thanks for coming by. Don’t mind the zombies. Let me just tell you a little bit about what we do here – we’re In Case of Survival, and we like talking about the end of the world.

 First things first, could you tell our loyal minions a bit about your novel, Apocalypse? I understand it’s your third novel.

Hi guys, thanks for the invite here! Apocalypse is the third novel in a series of books featuring Ethan Warner, a former US Marine hired by the Defense Intelligence Agency to investigate crimes that other agencies are unable to solve. In Apocalypse, a billionaire has managed to create a device that can see through time. However, he is not a scientist and does not understand that what he has created could literally destroy our planet if it were to become unstable.

 And a little about yourself? 

I’ve been writing since 1995, and over the years developed a love of fast-paced thrillers with a scientific edge, finally achieving a publication deal in 2010. I enjoyed reading the work of Michael Crichton and wanted to do something similar, as I felt that novels with a great deal of real-world facts and revelations tend to be very satisfying for readers. Prior to becoming a full-time author I was a graphic designer and sign-maker for twelve years. Outside of work I enjoy motorcycles, fitness ( running, weight training ) and flying ( light aircraft ).

 They say ‘write what you know’. Is that the case with your work? I mean, I’m not expecting that you, personally, plan to blow a hole in the space-time continuum, but the rest? How did your interest in flying translate to the world you write in?

By the time I started work on the Ethan Warner series, I’d already learned a lot about science through general interest, popular science books and television programmes etc. This translated fairly well when it came to researching for the books because I had a basic grounding in things like genetics, astronomy and so on. From there it was a little easier to go into more specific details for the books, like genetics for Immortal and Einstein’s General Relativity for Apocalypse ( don’t worry – there’s nothing scientifically heavy in the novels, but I had to do the research to understand what I was writing about ). I think though that the “write what you know” rule applied to me mostly in terms of genre rather than content. My bookshelves are filled with thrillers, and they’re the kind of novels I enjoy the most. You need to have a passion for what you’re writing as an author in order for that same passion to make it onto the page and inspire the reader. As for the flying, I often manage to get some kind of aircraft into the story: I wanted to be a fighter pilot but was refused entry to the Air Branch of the RAF due to being very slightly short-sighted.

 If you are planning to blow a hole in the space-time continuum, are you looking for a second in command? I’m sure at least one of our readers would be interested.

I think that every self-respecting author should have a plan for world domination brewing somewhere in the back of their minds. Prospective applicants for the role of Vice-Insane-Genius should, for the purpose of tearing up the space-time continuum, have a degree in physics, demonstrable knowledge of black holes and event-horizons and be willing to work long and unsociable hours. Rewards will be absolute power and the ability to see what people are going to do before they actually do it.

 Our readers are really into apocalyptic events and dystopian worlds, and space-time continuum shenanigans is certainly an interesting way for it all to go boom. Do you think the world is likely to end/go dystopian? If yes, what will be the most likely cause?

It’s easy to feel cosy in our developed world but we’re actually extremely vulnerable. Our reliance on electrical energy, and by extension fossil fuels, means that were peak-oil to be exceeded our civilisations would collapse. Grain deficits, climate change, a lack of fresh water due to industrial pollution: all of these factors could produce an irrecoverable decline. However, in the absence of a truly global catastrophe, I don’t think mankind could be eradicated completely. Many people in the world live at a subsistence level and would hardly notice the western world imploding upon itself. I think there would be a dramatic shift in power distribution in the event of our fall, with populations in the western world collapsing due to lack of resources as others in the developing world begin to thrive.

 What skills could you bring to a post-apocalyptic survival group?

 I served in the Territorial Army when I was younger so I learned a bit about living in the wild, and I also stay physically fit which I think would be important when most meals need to be hunted. I think that the strongest benefit to survival though is common sense and practical thinking: without those, no group would survive for long.

 Any survival tips for our readers?

Get out of the cities and urban areas. The biggest threat in an apocalyptic event is everybody else. Abandoning your homes and cars and all other remnants of today’s world is important, because most people would try to hang on to them for psychological comfort even though to do so would be certain doom. Find a secluded area in the countryside away from game trails but close to fresh water, and camp out for a few months. It will be hard going but by the time you return home, most people would have succumbed to starvation, dehydration, disease or the hands of their neighbours fighting for the last scraps of food. Use an air-rifle to hunt birds for protein ( low noise and recoil ) and get to know local fauna as there’s a surprising amount of food just swaying in the breeze. Above all, don’t get injured – there are no hospitals or doctors left remember! If you’re lucky, eventually society will reorganise itself, and it’ll be a lot sharper for it. Left to once again endure evolution by natural selection and Mother Nature on her terms, only the smartest and toughest humans will survive.

 Now, tell us anything you want about anything you want.

Well, interestingly enough there’s an apocalyptic theme in my previous novel, Immortal, concerning the population problem and one man’s decision to eradicate this problem by releasing a lethal virus. Although fiction, his aim and reasoning is taken directly from real-world studies concerning our planet’s “carrying capacity”, and that with 7 billion plus people alive today, we’ve already exceeded planet Earth’s ability to support humanity….

 Thanks for talking to us, Dean, and good luck out there in the wastes.

We are giving away 1 copy of Apocalypse by Dean Crawford to our loyal readers.

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Apocalypse by Dean Crawford is a fast-paced scientific thriller, chock full of exciting moments and badass characters.

 

 

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