Words with Chris Sorrell, Author of "Ghost of Achilles"

Can you tell us a little bit about "Ghost of Achilles?"

My first book, Ghost of Achilles - True Ogre is a fantasy based work of fiction which follows the aftermath of the capture of Achilles by Voldek, the True Ogre.  Achilles is the leader of the human inhabitants of Kelvor but the order of things have been thrown into chaos by a brutal conflict which has resulted in his capture.  The book starts off at the end of the battle and follows the struggles of the main protagonist, Ghost, who is Achilles' son, as he comes to terms with the loss and the realisation at the consequences of Voldek's hateful ambitions.

What's your background with writing?

My background of writing is fairly limited as I have not gone down the route of writing short stories or journo pieces as that's not something that particularly interests me.  Ghost of Achilles is my first work of fiction and is something I started two years ago.  Full length novels is where I see myself staying and hopefully having some success with.

Who are your inspirations/influences?

In terms of influences then I would have to say that the main writers who have inspired me are the likes of Louis Ferdinand Celine, Charles Bukowski and Knut Hamsun.  Celine in particular has held a firm hold over ever since I read his debut work - 'Journey to the end of the night'.  It is quite simply the best book ever written.  The fantasy side of my writing is probably more influenced by the likes of David Gemmell and also the world of music, particularly the norweigan black metal scene.

What was it like working with Troubador?

I worked with Troubador who act as Matador publishing and can be found at www.troubador.co.uk.  All in all they were very responsive and offered an excellent service from the start to finish.  They have an excellent reputation in the industry and I would recommend them to anyone else thinking of going down the self publishing route.

Who was responsible for the cover/book design?

The cover design was done mainly from images I thought conveyed the essence of the story at various non copyrighted image sights.  Troubador publishing then put the design together for me which I'm glad to say came out very well.

What are you doing in terms of marketing/publicity?

I shall be focusing my marketing on article writing, forum entries, selling to online and high street book stores, fantasy subscription sites, and hopefully getting some local newspaper coverage.

Do you have any stories from book signings/radio interviews/etc.?

No radio interviews or the like for me yet but it's something I'm trying ot get done so I'll keep you posted.

What is the name of your blog and what can readers expect to find there?

www.myspace.com/ghostofachilles Readers can expect to find updates on how the book sales/marketing is going.

What projects do you have planned for the future?

Other writing projects I have planned for the future are a series of semi autobiographical novels entitled 'man around....'.  The first will be titled 'Man around asia' with others to follow.  I would also look to write the second installment of Ghost of Achilles if the current one does well enough.

Is there anything else about you we should know?

I would like to express to any readers of this that I am very unsettled with the prospect of a proper job and so would beg anyone out there to buy my book and big it up on review sites so that I can continue through life without the horrors of employment and land a big publishing deal to tide me over for a while.

Thanks!