“Remember this.”
Thomas Schaefer is
haunted by a memory.
He has devoted a
large part of his adult life to finding his kidnapped daughter. Since Amber’s
disappearance ten years ago, Schaefer has become an expert in the recovery of
missing people – his particular specialty is rescuing young adults from cults.
Schaefer inhabits a
dark world populated by sinister characters. His obsession with finding Amber
draws him down a desperate path. His only seeming sources of succor are Doctor
Harry Gilmore, a renowned cult deprogrammer, and Ellen Ovitz, a psychic
Schaefer once consulted in his desperation to find his daughter. Gilmore and
Ellen represent different approaches to life – the rational and the spiritual –
and Schaefer finds himself torn between the two.
Against his better
judgment, Schaefer takes on a case that Gilmore brings him – the disappearance
of a young girl, Katie Blake. The case shares many similarities with Amber’s
kidnapping – the two girls even look the same. Schaefer meets Katie’s mother,
Sally Blake, and says he will find her missing daughter. Schaefer starts by
shaking down known pedophiles, but has little success. He also asks a police
contact to investigate an occult symbol found at the scenes of Amber’s and Katie’s
kidnappings.
As he encounters
events he cannot explain, Schaefer turns to Ellen Ovitz, who tells Schaefer
that there is a dark cloud around him – that he must give up the search for his
daughter if he is to have any hope of salvation.
Alistair Mathers, a
distinguished occultist, discovers that Schaefer is at the heart of a dark
conspiracy. Schaefer cannot give up the
search for his daughter, and finds himself struggling with the challenge of an
increasingly macabre world. When he is used to kill an innocent man and
implicated in the murder of his police contact, Schaefer goes on the offensive
and tracks down the people who are manipulating him. Schaefer discovers that he
and his daughter are part of an occult ceremony that goes back hundreds of years,
and that there is much more at stake than their lives: their souls face the
prospect of eternal damnation.
Adam has stopped by for an interview:
? When did you first realize
you wanted to be a writer?
Sitting in my commercial law tutorial realising that a career in
law wouldn’t let me exercise an overactive imagination.
? How many jobs did you have
before you became a writer?
I tried turning pro when I was 22, but lacked the discipline to
do anything but kill time. So I embarked
on a corporate career and had four jobs before I had another crack at
writing. This time it seems to have
worked out.
? How long does it take you
to write a book?
So far the average has been about four months.
? What would you say is your
most interesting writing quirk?
Phase is only my second novel, so I’m not sure I’ve been writing
long enough to develop quirks. I do like
listening to drum and bass music as I write, however, so if things seem like
they’re happening at 150 beats per minute there’s a reason.
? Where do you get your
ideas or inspiration for your characters?
From life. Live life,
talk to people, expose yourself to the most colourful people you possible can,
listen to their stories, peel back the layers and understand the psychology
behind them.
? How do you decide what you
want to write about?
There’s a buzz of excitement that always comes with a new
idea. If the buzz remains after you’ve
chewed it over for a couple of months, it’s probably worth pursuing.
? What books have most
influenced your life?
The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, Cloud Atlas,
the works of Stephen King, the works of Peter Biskind, and Jeeves &
Wooster.
? What are you reading right
now?
A draft manuscript of Welcome Home by my friend Adam Sydney.
? What do you like to do
when you are not writing?
Spend time with my family, make films and go to the gym.
? What is your favorite
comfort food?
Lamb shawarma from Ranoush Juice on Edgware Road.
? What do you think makes a
good story?
An emotional reaction. If
I can write something that thrills, saddens, angers or otherwise emotionally
engages people, I feel I’ve done something right.
? Who would you consider
your favorite author and why?
Alexandre Dumas. He wrote
entertaining tales of adventure that were considered a little trashy and
populist by contemporaries, but have stood the test of time.
Fun random questions:
·
dogs or cats? Dogs
·
Coffee or tea? Tea
·
Dark or milk chocolate? Dark
·
Rocks or flowers? Rocks
·
Night or day? Night
·
Favorite color? Blue
·
Crayons or markers? Markers
·
Pens or pencils? Pencils
Thanks for having me.
More about the author:
Adam Hamdy is a British writer and filmmaker. Hamdy’s self-published debut novel, Battalion, has been described by
critics as a ‘blistering political, techno-thriller’ (The Lottery Party) and a ‘must read’ (Bookreview.com). Hamdy executed
innovative deals with The
Huffington Post and
Qustodian
to
promote the book, which currently rates 4.3 stars on Amazon.com, and 4.6 stars
on Amazon.co.uk.
Hamdy produced and co-directed the critically
acclaimed, award-nominated cult feature, Pulp, which was sold to Microsoft and became the
first fi lm to ever premiere on the Xbox platform. After Pulp’s successful UK launch,
Microsoft released the fi lm in Australia and New Zealand, where it quickly
shot to number one in the overall fi lm sales chart in both territories.
Hamdy has also written for the comic and
video game industries, and created The Hunter, one of the most successful series of independent
graphic novels in recent years.
Hamdy holds a BA in Philosophy from the
University of London and an MA in Law from Oxford University. He had a
successful international business career before changing direction to pursue
his long-held ambition to become a writer and filmmaker.
