It's been a while since I've handed over the reins of The Hippo so I was delighted when Marc Jaytin decided to give it a go. Marc's debut novel, ALPHA: VULTURE (A:V) was released last year and it sounds like a corker to me- but you can see what you think by reading Marc's post today.
So let's kick things off with an introduction before I hand things over.
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| Photo courtesy of Marc Jaytin |
Marc Jaytin is an unpredictable talent. A writer that blends his distorted vision of reality with splashes of pure fantasy.
Years of mental ill health has led Marc through every aspect of the mental health system as a patient and later as an advisor working alongside the NHS and numerous MH charities. He is currently a fully qualified Mental Health First Aider and considered as an Expert by Experience.
This
psychological journey has produced an author who is capable of delivering an
insight very few have been open to, and the blunt delivery of his words makes
for compelling and authentic story telling.
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Thanks for joining me today Marc - I can't wait to hear more about your book! I'll just tell everyone about ALPHA: VULTURE (A:V) and then it's over to you. 😉
Surviving suicide should have been a new beginning, a chance for redemption. A chance to be thankful for a second shot at life. Instead, it became an opportunity to extract revenge against a society he hates. Witness the rise of a vulture and the death of a man, as mental illness helps shape a new level of reality. A reality in which HE, is a serial killer.
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10 things you didn’t know about my book… (series)
1. ALPHA : VULTURE (A:V) is book one in the ALPHA : DEFEATURE series.
2. The story is told from the POV of a serial killer who, after surviving suicide and being let down by the failing mental health system, decides to release his rage onto a society he has grown to hate. Within the story there are real life experiences shared by people (including myself) who have lived with mental illness and these experiences are woven into the story to help the reader, who may never have had to deal with someone who is suffering with mental ill health, actually gain an understanding of what it is like. It also allows those who have suffered something similar to realise that they are not alone. So, although A:V is a work of fiction, there is a lot that actually happened in the real world.
3. At the end of book one you will learn the name of the killer and a quick google search will reveal that he is currently active on social media. By that I mean, he exists. You will be able to trace back through his posts and see when the kills were executed and other insights into his mind.
4. There is reference to a £10 note in the book that was given to a young boy who witnessed a murder. The note in question has the word lucky written upon it. That note is real and is in circulation. Check your pockets – you may have it.
Photo found on Google
5. A:V has eighteen listed chapters but there is no Chapter Ten.
6. All of the mental health references and stories within A:V are based on lived experiences that either myself or others I have spoken to have been through. As a patient (or service user) I have been through the adult mental health system and it is deeply flawed. I was originally diagnosed bipolar five years ago but then 12 months later that changed to OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder) and EUPD (Emotionally unstable personality disorder). My diagnosis does not define who I am, but it does give me a strong standing when it comes to conversations around mental health as a number of people have challenged the views shared within my book and honestly, I don’t mind that. I’m happy to have constructive debates around the content of the book.
Image found on Wikipedia
7. The cover art for A:V as well as for the remaining books, has been created by Eternity Box Art who is a young and incredibly talented artist based in New Zealand. The reason why I chose to work with her was, I spotted a couple of images on Facebook that were posted onto some of the groups I follow, and these were amazing digitally, hand drawn portraits of the serial killers Aileen Wuornos and Ted Bundy. After we chatted I knew that she would be the artist I needed to help bring ‘Alpha’ to life.
8. Book two ALPHA : IMPOSTURE is due for release in March and released very soon after will be Portrait of Them. This book is a key to not only our killer’s identity but also his mental state. It will also present an opportunity for the readers to play detective and try to construct their own theories as to how this series comes to an end.
9. Fans of the first book were given the chance to be written into book three as a victim of the serial killer and I was surprised just how people were happy for me to ‘kill them’ in a book. Altogether there are four readers who want to be written into the third book so that is going to be fun to do. Personally, that would freak me out.
Image found on memegenerator.net
10. Book 3, ALPHA : CAPTURE blurs the line between fantasy and reality to a level never witnessed before and has a potential to launch a fourth book into the series.
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Thank you so much for giving us all a little more insight into your book Marc. I think that it sounds like you've taken a very different approach with your story. I'm intruigued by the external aspects like Facebook and the £10 note (I don't have it by the way!) and I'm very excited to read it. I've just downloaded my copy while you were looking after things here - I hope you don't think I was being rude by leaving you here on your own! 😳
If you too like the sound of ALPHA : VULTURE (A:V) you might be interested to know that it's currently available to download for 99p so why not give it a try?
You can find out more about Marc, his book and connect with him using the links below:
Website
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
I'd like to say a big thank you to Marc for taking over The Hippo today. I've really enjoyed finding out more about you and your book and I wish you lots of success with it and the series to follow.
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