Hello, dear reader. Welcome to this Substack page. I am Mo. Author of several Dystopian Novels:
The Afterwards Trilogy:
Afterwards - Forwards - Backwards.
Extractivism - The Lithium Thread
Feel free to drop by for a little more information about me and maybe to read some excerpts from my Novels. Since I was asked to do an interview for a local newspaper some time ago, I thought I might as well start by sharing the answers to the questions they asked me.
Please consider a free subscription here on substack, to follow me on other social media: https://linktr.ee/mopolis or leave a comment below or in the chat.
Interview:
- Can you tell us something about the Afterwards Trilogy?
Yes, of course. It is a Dystopian Trilogy, written in American/English and it tells a story of what our world could look like after a third war. The protagonist; Alex, or Alexandra, is a veteran who has fought in the wars of the Middle East but not in the Third War. However, as one of the survivors, she manages to flee to Canada. She is determined to find a person, (Jackson) with whom she had online contact on social media before the chaos in the world escalated disastrously. He founded a community, together with his best friends, to build a new, peaceful, and sustainable society. Together, they experience the challenges associated with the dangers of a governmentless world, combined with dealing with the traumas and frustrations that they still carry with them from their past in combat. Moreover, other survivors pose a deadly threat to their own and several other communities. Led by former politicians who have a certain vision of the future that, as has already been shown in the world’s history, is not in alignment with Jackson's objectives. Alex inevitably becomes involved in the struggle to create an improved new society, where political movements collide and issues of diversity, equality, acceptance and change of thought play an important role.
My goal as a writer, is to write a common story with common sense. A story about people. Without overcomplicating it, to keep the story understandable to most readers and hopefully, insightful. The first part of the Trilogy describes what could happen if the current problems in the world escalate, how people manage as a society, and about a developing love between two people. A story about grief, the struggle of having PTSD, and how difficult it is to get to a certain stage of healing. A story about having low self-esteem, sacrifice, and unconditional love. How someone's regained confidence can lead to courage. Courage to go completely out of your comfort zone, to defend and fight for principles. A story about the desire to create a new world, moving forward as a peaceful and equal society. The other two Novels; Forwards and Backwards, explore in a more extensive way how people with different backgrounds and beliefs can unite and what mindset will be necessary to achieve that goal.
- Are your books published?
Yes, the complete Trilogy is available in both paperback and E-book, and my fourth Novel: The Lithium Thread, is going to be published in 2024 as well. I use the following link where you can view (and hopefully follow) my social media channels:
- When did you start and what made you start writing in the first place?
I have been writing poems and other scribbles, since I was thirteen. Later, I also wrote song lyrics, but never professionally. Somehow, I almost always wrote in English/American because that's what I felt most comfortable with.
Before 2021, I had never managed to write a complete book, especially not to publish it. I started writing part one of the Afterwards Trilogy, in October 2021 and the second part in February 2022. It turned out that what I wrote then, apparently had foresight on developments in the current world, which led to myself, and my Beta readers, having quite some goosebumps.
- how do you get inspired?
Phew, what doesn’t inspire me would be an easier question, maybe…; Society, nature, politics, injustice, inequality, relationships of people, personal experiences, other writers and poets, music, and other idealists. 😉
- How do you write your books?
It turns out that I'm a pantser writer. This means that you have very little of the structure of the story inside your head on paper, but then you are mainly guided by the characters in your book and the situations that develop along the way. A very nice way of writing. Sometimes you will start writing a chapter of which you don't even know how it will end yet. Once the first draft is done, as with every author, a long editing process follows, but so far I never had to change anything in the storylines.
- Do you have to do a lot of research?
Yes. Quite a lot of research actually. Personally, I think that's one of the more interesting parts of the whole process. It’s educational, challenges you, and provides a lot of satisfaction if you manage to apply it correctly in your Novel. Even though my chosen genre is Dystopian, (fiction) many facts are based on reality and they simply have to be correct.
-How long does it take to write a book?
So far, it usually takes me about four to five months to complete the first manuscript. Followed by a period of editing, sometimes rewriting, more fact-checking, and so on. My Debut Novel took a bit longer because of the initial world-building and research, but in retrospect, I published the second part in the same year. The third part; Backwards, was published in April 2024, but that’s because I decided to first write my fourth Novel; Extractivism, in the meantime.
- Is writing your profession?
Yes, but that's always an interesting concept. No one else can decide for you, whether or not you are a professional writer, and no one is going to confirm whether you are. The structure of being a writer best aligns with how I can organize my daily activities within the possibilities. I used to work, among other things, as a self-employed person in consultancy, where I could schedule my own working hours, which was very convenient at the time. The discipline and work attitude needed for being independent back then, now helps me to create what I want to put in writing. In my opinion, anyone who has a passion for writing should be allowed to call themselves a writer. Whether they are writing poems, short or long stories, and anything in between. The need, creativity, and skill to put your words on paper in a certain way, with perhaps the intention of reaching other people, already makes you a writer.
Nice to meet you!
Nice to meet you!
Nice to meet you!
Hello, dear reader. Welcome to this Substack page. I am Mo. Author of several Dystopian Novels:
The Afterwards Trilogy:
Afterwards - Forwards - Backwards.
Extractivism - The Lithium Thread
Feel free to drop by for a little more information about me and maybe to read some excerpts from my Novels. Since I was asked to do an interview for a local newspaper some time ago, I thought I might as well start by sharing the answers to the questions they asked me.
Please consider a free subscription here on substack, to follow me on other social media: https://linktr.ee/mopolis or leave a comment below or in the chat.
Interview:
- Can you tell us something about the Afterwards Trilogy?
Yes, of course. It is a Dystopian Trilogy, written in American/English and it tells a story of what our world could look like after a third war. The protagonist; Alex, or Alexandra, is a veteran who has fought in the wars of the Middle East but not in the Third War. However, as one of the survivors, she manages to flee to Canada. She is determined to find a person, (Jackson) with whom she had online contact on social media before the chaos in the world escalated disastrously. He founded a community, together with his best friends, to build a new, peaceful, and sustainable society. Together, they experience the challenges associated with the dangers of a governmentless world, combined with dealing with the traumas and frustrations that they still carry with them from their past in combat. Moreover, other survivors pose a deadly threat to their own and several other communities. Led by former politicians who have a certain vision of the future that, as has already been shown in the world’s history, is not in alignment with Jackson's objectives. Alex inevitably becomes involved in the struggle to create an improved new society, where political movements collide and issues of diversity, equality, acceptance and change of thought play an important role.
My goal as a writer, is to write a common story with common sense. A story about people. Without overcomplicating it, to keep the story understandable to most readers and hopefully, insightful. The first part of the Trilogy describes what could happen if the current problems in the world escalate, how people manage as a society, and about a developing love between two people. A story about grief, the struggle of having PTSD, and how difficult it is to get to a certain stage of healing. A story about having low self-esteem, sacrifice, and unconditional love. How someone's regained confidence can lead to courage. Courage to go completely out of your comfort zone, to defend and fight for principles. A story about the desire to create a new world, moving forward as a peaceful and equal society. The other two Novels; Forwards and Backwards, explore in a more extensive way how people with different backgrounds and beliefs can unite and what mindset will be necessary to achieve that goal.
- Are your books published?
Yes, the complete Trilogy is available in both paperback and E-book, and my fourth Novel: The Lithium Thread, is going to be published in 2024 as well. I use the following link where you can view (and hopefully follow) my social media channels:
https://linktr.ee/mopolis
- When did you start and what made you start writing in the first place?
I have been writing poems and other scribbles, since I was thirteen. Later, I also wrote song lyrics, but never professionally. Somehow, I almost always wrote in English/American because that's what I felt most comfortable with.
Before 2021, I had never managed to write a complete book, especially not to publish it. I started writing part one of the Afterwards Trilogy, in October 2021 and the second part in February 2022. It turned out that what I wrote then, apparently had foresight on developments in the current world, which led to myself, and my Beta readers, having quite some goosebumps.
- how do you get inspired?
Phew, what doesn’t inspire me would be an easier question, maybe…; Society, nature, politics, injustice, inequality, relationships of people, personal experiences, other writers and poets, music, and other idealists. 😉
- How do you write your books?
It turns out that I'm a pantser writer. This means that you have very little of the structure of the story inside your head on paper, but then you are mainly guided by the characters in your book and the situations that develop along the way. A very nice way of writing. Sometimes you will start writing a chapter of which you don't even know how it will end yet. Once the first draft is done, as with every author, a long editing process follows, but so far I never had to change anything in the storylines.
- Do you have to do a lot of research?
Yes. Quite a lot of research actually. Personally, I think that's one of the more interesting parts of the whole process. It’s educational, challenges you, and provides a lot of satisfaction if you manage to apply it correctly in your Novel. Even though my chosen genre is Dystopian, (fiction) many facts are based on reality and they simply have to be correct.
-How long does it take to write a book?
So far, it usually takes me about four to five months to complete the first manuscript. Followed by a period of editing, sometimes rewriting, more fact-checking, and so on. My Debut Novel took a bit longer because of the initial world-building and research, but in retrospect, I published the second part in the same year. The third part; Backwards, was published in April 2024, but that’s because I decided to first write my fourth Novel; Extractivism, in the meantime.
- Is writing your profession?
Yes, but that's always an interesting concept. No one else can decide for you, whether or not you are a professional writer, and no one is going to confirm whether you are. The structure of being a writer best aligns with how I can organize my daily activities within the possibilities. I used to work, among other things, as a self-employed person in consultancy, where I could schedule my own working hours, which was very convenient at the time. The discipline and work attitude needed for being independent back then, now helps me to create what I want to put in writing. In my opinion, anyone who has a passion for writing should be allowed to call themselves a writer. Whether they are writing poems, short or long stories, and anything in between. The need, creativity, and skill to put your words on paper in a certain way, with perhaps the intention of reaching other people, already makes you a writer.
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