David Wardrop, Author of Long Walk Home

Book cover for "Long Walk Home"

Today we are interviewing David Wardrop about his speculative fiction novel "Long Walk Home."

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am thirty and live in Glasgow, Scotland. Consider myself an active citizen scientist and spent a lot of time doing volunteer work with various groups and organizations.

Describe the plot of your new book in a few sentences.
It is the end of the world (of sorts) the planet has run out of petroleum and while things are going crazy the main character decides to journey from the city to his parents house, hence the title Long Walk Home. 

Who do you think would most appreciate this book?
I think teens and young adults mostly.

What inspired you to write a novel about a guy who decides to take a long walk to his parents’ house during the apocalypse?
Think right from the start I knew I wanted this novel to be light hearted and also it looks at how the end of the world is not the end of the world and that things still go on amidst massive upheaval and change. 

Are there any authors who have influenced your writing style?
Not influencing but probably responsible for me being a writer is Philip K. Dick. This writer was my introduction to science fiction and I have read the majority of his works, a truly incredible mind the author of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Man in the High Castle Ubik and Valis to name a few.

Author David Wardrop

How do you feel about the increasing popularity of ebooks?
Ebooks are a good chance for debut writers to make their work available. It really is printing for the masses, essentially writing by the people for the people.

Is there any aspect of writing you don't like?
Time restraints, be it the outside world, or time spent reading other works.

Have you ever had writer's block? If yes, how'd you deal with it? If you have not had writer's block, why do you think you haven't?
It is not writers block as such but a lack of focus. It is hard to sit down and write and write and write.

Do you write with a computer, typewriter, or pen and paper? Why do you use this tool?
I have a notepad and use it for taking notes like a list of characters or a more detailed plot outline but all the novel and short story writing is done on computer.

What do you have in mind for your next project?
A number of things, the one I like the most is the UK under a dictatorship but the twist is it would be a Green Party dictatorship with the environment put first.

Is there anything else you'd like potential readers to know about your book?
The main purpose of the novel is to make people look on the lighter side of things.
 
An excerpt from "Long Walk Home":

She said, “It is the end of days.” And then she started crying. It was so weird to see the boss cry but what was even weirder than that was when she jumped out the window seconds later.

I stood there a couple of minutes, maybe five I don’t know, before I fully registered what had happened. 

One minute she was standing there saying it was the end of days, whatever the chocolate fudge that meant, the next she dived out the window.

Another thing that was weird was that she could actually lift her feet off the ground in order to leap out the window.

My boss, Mrs Danton, is, was, a pretty heavy set woman but she leaped out the window like a gold medallist athlete.

More Information
Visit the "Long Walk Home" Lulu page
Find "Long Walk Home" on Smashwords
Check out David Wardrop's other work, "After"