Small Beginnings

Destiny called ... the wrong man answered.

When your very existence is treason, employment opportunities are thin on the ground. But when one of the biggest crime lords in the city makes The Pan of Hamgee a job offer he can't refuse, it's hard to tell what the dumbest move is: accepting the offer or saying no to Big Merv. Neither will do much for The Pan's life expectancy.

Small Beginnings is written in British English and can be read as a stand alone story or as the first in a series.

Estimated UK film rating of this book is: U (universal) or G (general)

This is a humorous science fiction fantasy story set in a parallel reality.

INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

Q So, tell us about the this series. What made you write it? What makes it special?

A There's a saying, somewhere, that if the book you want to read hasn't been written, you must write it. If you want the honest answer I wrote it for me.

As a reader, I have always loved British satire and humor or humour. I love funny; funny epic fantasy novels like the Discworld series and comedic sci fi like Douglas Adams. I like light fun reads, especially sci fi and fantasy, but I also like a gripping tale that zips along quickly in the time honoured tradition of adventure and action fiction. I love misfit characters, the weirder and more colourful the better. And of course, I like genre fiction mashups; Douglas Adams meets StarTrek meets Doctor Who meets Terry Pratchett and James Bond ... with some Python thrown in. A gripping humorous adventure story sort of thing. I like upbeat dystopia, weird alien races, flying cars, car chases, static powered laser guns ... you get the picture. I like found family stories, or uplifting coming of age tales, I like feel good dystopia, light in the dark.

You won't find standard mythic creatures in my science fantasy - I couldn't face the deluge of emails I'd inevitably get from those who knew more about them than I do, telling me I'd got them wrong. However, you will find all sorts of quirky characters and interesting alien species. From six feet Swamp Things with antennae to cute furry creatures like the Blurpons, with their fluffy ears, big button eyes and penchant for extreme violence.

Q Should this Series be read in order?

A This one? No. The first batch follow one misfit character, The Pan of Hamgee, but there will probably be more, about other characters.

Q What will readers enjoy most about this series?

A Hopefully, the same things as I do: the world building, the characterisation, what, I hope, is pithy, witty dialogue (or dialog) and of course, characters who are flawed and stuff up, and are not beautiful, misfits, ne'r do wells etc. There's not one skinny woman in a leather jumpsuit anywhere in this series. I like writing characters who have zero combat skills, putting them in a situation where they could really do with knowing how to fight and seeing how they cope with nothing but their wits - I'm mean like that. Oh and of course the snurds. You've gotta love a flying car, right?

Q What is your favourite kind of Book? Would K'Barthan Shorts fit on the list?

A Oh yes. I wrote them entirely for me. If anyone else likes them, that's gravy. I think if you're funny you can be harder hitting and setting it all in a parallel reality with made up species of creatures, and alien races, also helps.

Q Do you have a target reader?

A Not really. I wrote it with my nephew in mind - he was a teenager at the time - but it's more a mind set and an approach to life that I'm reaching out to. To give you an idea; the oldest fan of my books whom I knew about was in his 90s - sadly, he's died now - and the youngest is 10. I know people working in trad publishing who tell me these books are 'young adult' but there's probably not enough sex for that. My readers are mostly over 45 and close to an exac

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