Pirate Radio received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Merms.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Pirate Radio published on the 31st of March 2020.
What’s the book’s first line?
“There had been hypothetical talk about it for months, if not longer, but George never, in a million years, expected the day to actually come.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
When an autocratic regime starts to take more drastic measures against protesters a small group of rebels takes to the ocean along the coasts of France and Portugal to keep their cause going. George, a self-proclaimed cynic follows them out to sea where he struggles to deal with the unpleasant situation he’s managed to find himself in.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
What inspired me most to write this book was a frustration that came from feeling like I, as an individual, couldn’t do enough to ‘save the world’.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
I think this book offers a pretty good insight into the minds of today’s young activists, demystifying and humanizing them while remaining entertaining.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Personally I think the most distinctive thing about the main character, George, is that he’s a mess and allows that to define and defeat him.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I’ve always liked writing and coming up with stories that I would scribble down into notebooks that piled up under my desk, so I don’t think I ever really decided to become an author. I simply kept writing until I had something I wasn’t ashamed of sharing with others.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
This is the first novel I’ve written, but I’ve also put together a collection of poems titled Tropical Storm which I published in 2018.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I’m currently attending a school for traditional wooden boat building and am hoping to make a career out of that when I’m not writing.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
It depends completely. Sometimes I write between one and two thousand words per day every day for a couple of months and sometimes I go months without writing a single word.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
What motivates me most is the fear that if I don’t write down the ideas that are swimming around in my head, I’ll forget them.