David Hofmeyr Interview

We have talked to David Hofmeyr as his new book, Stone Rider has just been released.

First of all can you tell us a bit about your debut novel, Stone Rider?

Stone Rider is The Hunger Games meets Mad Max. It’s the spaghetti westerns I loved as a kid. The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West. It’s Pale Rider and High Plains Drifter. But mostly it’s a coming of age story about loners and misfits and their semi-sentient bykes, a wild race across a brutal post-apocalyptic desert and a chance to win the ultimate prize.

Can you give us some insight into your main character, Adam?

Adam is loner and a misfit. He’s grown up in the wind-swept, dust-bowl town of Blackwater a town adrift in the Badland. He’s an orphan, raised by his brother who has trained him to be an excellent rider. Adam only feels free on his byke. Everywhere else he’s afraid, forced into the shadows. But he’s a survivor and no matter what life throws at him, he stands up and he endures. He cares about people. He’s a kid with humanity in world where very little is left.

You also have to tell us a little about the bykes, where did you get the idea?

It came to me in a dream. I wrote a piece for Steve Voake, my peerless writing coach at the Bath Spa Writing MA and I saw riders blazing across the desert, like horsemen of the apocalypse, intent on bad things. But instead of riding horses they were riding otherworld machines.

We meet Adam in a dystopian future in a race for something better. In many ways a common setting, with maybe the Hunger Games being the most successful. How would you say your story is unique in that aspect?

I was guided by the writing of Cormac McCarthy more than other YA Dystopias. I wanted the story to be lyrical and dream-like. I wanted to express something about our relationship with landscape and finding our place in the world. I wanted to evoke a spirit of humanity.

What goals might you have set for yourself when writing Stone Rider and how do you feel about the end result?

I wanted blood and dust. Fear and adrenalin. I’m happy with the result. It’s not the perfect novel, but it’s different and personal to me. I’m proud of the story and I care about the characters.

Can you tell us a bit about the process that led to the book being published?

I was lucky to attend the Bath Spa Writing for Young People MA, run by the talented, Julia Green and her team of wonderful authors. Mimi Thebo, Steve Voake, Lucy Christopher, Nicola Davies and David Almond. The course produces an anthology containing extracts of the student’s novels. The anthology is sent to agents and publishers. This is how I met my agent, Stephanie Thwaites of Curtis Brown, who sold the book to Penguin and Working Title Films.

Rumors has it that Working Title have bought the film rights. Any news you can share about that?

Working Title are a company with incredible pedigree in cinema and I’m thrilled they bought the option. The screenplay has been written by Dave Andron of Justified fame and I believe the next step is to find the right director for the project. Can’t say more than that.

How did you start writing? Was there a particular book or moment in your life that spurned you on?

I wrote an essay about a man driving his car when I was an eleven-year-old kid. My English teacher loved it. And I loved the process of writing. I was hooked from that day. Other writers have also had an enormous influence on me, especially Cormac McCarthy and three of his books. All the Pretty Horses, The Road and Blood Meridian.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of the writing process, and why?

Sometimes the isolation kills me. Sitting in front of the glowing monitor. I like interacting with people, so too many hours alone can be daunting.

What sort of challenges, as a writer, might you have faced before your first book was published? Any insights you would be able to share for those aspiring writers seeking advice?

Rejection letter are part of the deal. I’ve received a bag load. I wrote one or two other stories that never made the cut, but I’m glad I kept going. Finding the right story and the right agent is critical. Plus you need to have a thick skin and a never-say-die attitude. We fight for our dreams.

For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?

There is nothing like the feel of a real book in my hands. Nothing compares.

What kind of books do you read, any favorite authors?

Everything! Favourites include: Tim Winton, Cormac McCarthy, Annie Proulx, S.E. Hinton.

What do you do when you’re not writing, any hobbies?

Travel. Film. Who has time for anything else?

What’s next, what are you working on now?

The sequel to Stone Rider … Blood Rider.

* * * * * * *