Earworms received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Zack Duncan.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Earworms, published in July 2022
What’s the book’s first line?
“The man – who was about to become a murderer – stayed silent, focusing on the face of his victim, watching the life drain from their eyes.”
What’s the book about?
Earworms is a mystery thriller with a sci-fi twist about a missing girl, the makeshift detective tasked with finding her, and a secret device that allows its user to enter the memories of the suspect. But memories are not always easy to decipher, and the human mind doesn’t like intruders.
What inspired you to write the book?
I was inspired by binge-watching true crime documentaries. I thought some of these cold cases could only ever be solved if someone had a device to look into the memories of the suspects and see if they truly were guilty or innocent. And so the secret device that Earworms revolves around, the MemCom, was born from that thought.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
Someone should read this book if they enjoy a good mystery and are looking for stories about the idea of memory – what we can trust, what we cannot, and how the past doesn’t always die.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character?
The most distinctive thing about the main character, Max Barker, is that he is a reluctant hero. He doesn’t have any special qualities (at least as far as he can tell) but in acting in his best self-interest he positions himself to play the hero. He reminds me of a lot of people I know who always do the right thing without realizing it makes them “heroic”.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I have wanted to be an author since I could first write as a child. I only took it seriously and attempted to put a novel into the world when I reached my twenties, however.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
This is the first book I’ve published, but not the first I’ve written
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
When not writing, I work in broadcasting. Throughout my career I’ve been a Videographer, Editor, Producer, and Broadcast Manager.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
At the best of times, I will spend a few hours every night writing before bed. When life gets in the way, this is usually reduced to just a few nights per week.
What’s the best and hardest part of being an indie?
The best part of being an indie author is the lack of restraints around creativity; there are no real deadlines or people to please. It’s purely what you want to write, when you want to write it. The hardest part is also serving as your own promoter, and not having a team to help with research, marketing, etc.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
If I could offer advice to other indie authors I’d suggest a “pre-release” to family and friends before you fully self-publish your novel. I had a few close friends that read it for the first time after it was already published and their feedback was the most valuable of all. I’d have loved to incorporate it earlier.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I’m motivated mainly by wanting to hear what people think of my stories. The more people who read it, the more feedback I can collect. I grew up telling stories for fun, sharing them with my brother or my friends, and I feed off of seeing people react to my words, whether it be laughter, sadness, intrigue, fear, or otherwise.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
I most admire Stephen King. After reading On Writing, I learned about his journey to becoming a famous author, how he stuck with it, and his outlook on the process. The fact that someone can go from very few readers to millions of readers inspires me.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
I wish I could’ve written 11/22/63 (by Stephen King, no surprise there). That novel was the most invested I’ve felt in a character’s journey. I remember feeling real anxiety around what happened to the protagonist and his loved ones. It’s also so meticulously interwoven with real life events, that I wish I had been the one to come up with the concept, and research and execute the idea.