4 days ago
Muso friends realise dream of co-authoring a gritty suspense novel
Avoiding the stereotypical characteristics of a serial killer story, Sean Towsen (Atlasville) and Craig Palmer (Westdene) have successfully penned their first novel, which will leave readers with feelings of empathy towards the antagonist.
Hexadecagon: A City on its Knees forms part of authors Sean and Craig's first instalment of a two-part gritty crime novel, which for the past three years pushed the creatives' to write about what they describe as a 'hybrid virtuous villain who comes across as playful and likeable'.
The life-long friends and Forfeit Thee Untrue (FTU) band members collaborated on the project, spearheaded by Sean.
'I have always dreamt of trying my hand at storytelling and dabbled with various storylines,' said Sean.
'But due to work/life commitments, many manuscripts have been doomed to gathering dust.
'In 2022 it was as if a veil had lifted and the plot for Hexadecagon: A City on its Knees started swirling. Having a clear idea of how I wanted the plot to play out, I called on Craig and his background as a psychologist to help in building characters of substance.'
Celebrating the July 7 release of their novel, Sean and Craig sip on Americanos, detailing how the project not only gave life to complex characters but how it serves as a legacy project which will immortalise their names as readers share their work.
'Neither of us can be described as avid readers,' joked Craig.
'We have probably read six books, most of which were setworks at school.
'This is probably not the best start for aspiring authors, but I think it does give us a bit of an edge.'
Laughing, he explained that without having any reference about what has been done before, their project was not at risk of being influenced nor becoming a genre cliché.
'Throughout the book we remained committed to leading the reader on a journey where they will experience the internal and external conflicts of each character,' said Sean.
'I believe it will appeal to the senses and that the well-timed humour, horror and shock will keep readers invested in the storyline.'
At only 218 pages, the duo wanted to create a suspense novel which can be easily read from cover to cover, without leaving their audience fatigued.
Synopsis
Set in New York, in the 1980s, Detective Charles William Coffey, an average investigator, finds himself thrust into the centre of a chilling manhunt for a methodical and enigmatic killer known only as Michael.
The pursuit of Michael becomes more than just a case. The novel is as much a character study as it is a psychological crime thriller.
It is a story where loyalty is fragile, the mind is a battlefield and the most dangerous truths are the ones we hide from ourselves.
In the end, it's not just a serial killer that Charles must find; he needs to confront the man he is becoming.
Hexadecagon: A City on its Knees is now available on Amazon,
Bibliophiles who prefer getting their hands on a physical copy can order theirs on all social media platforms by searching Towsen&Palmer or email [email protected].
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