How much weird stuff can I say in an hour?

Talking WHO KILLED THE HUMANS? with Adrian from The Writer's Den

I think this is my most interesting interview yet, and I’m quite the perfectionist when it comes to my interviews so I think that means it is probably good.

---

You may have noticed my own podcast, THE PHILLIP CARTER SHOW, has been on a break for the last few weeks. That’s because I wanted to have a fresh feel for it in 2024, to have a more talk-show comedy angle to it.

I’ve also been busy. On top of applying for radio hosting jobs, I’ve been doing more standup comedy. So I don’t get banned from social media, anything I’ve recorded is on my Patreon. This will eventually merge with the talk show as I find more and more funny people to poke with sticks.

---

And I’ve been working on WHO KILLED THE HUMANS, the sequel to WHO BUILT THE HUMANS, as well as THE STEPHANIE GLITCH, THE EARTHLOOP TRILOGY, and some poetry collections.

For the Sci-Fi, Earthloop specifically, I am using the fact that it was almost fully funded in one ComicCon weekend as part of a query letter I am sending out to a cool publisher or two. I won’t be bothering with the massive ones, because I’m just too weird. I want an indie press ideally, someone I can talk to about the process. The queries have eaten a lot of my time, as it’s been about 10 years since I last put time into writing one. I have had to relearn it.

---

After which, I’m going to America, Utah specifically, to meet a friend I have technically befriended twice on the internet (once as myself, once as my Lego alter ego when we were teenagers). I booked it fairly recently, and it is a writing holiday.

Never been on one of those.

It’s also a chance to escape my brain. I had a really weird time a few years ago and I only recently worked out that my brain is still recovering. I have a theory that driving across a desert hunting down UFOs might fix my PTSD. Seems sensible. Anyway my pal is going to be keeping me alive, sorting my transport, food etc, and we will be travelling to Roswell for a bit, where I am going to write about Lax Morales’ adventures in EARTHLOOP in the sorts of diners and motels half his stories take place around.

It’s a research trip.

I expect the first EARTHLOOP book will be done upon my return, as well as WHO KILLED THE HUMANS, which you can pre-order below.

---

The interviews

So I’ve not had time to do my podcast thing. I’ve had a lot going on.

But I have managed to appear in some podcasts, most notably Adrian’s THE WRITER’S DEN, which is a load of fun.

Here’s the hour-long interview, where I cover everything from book cover design to my larger, overarching writing philosophy and themes, to why I think indie publishing might just be the next big thing because of the freedom it gives to genuinely creative people (I said this in a lecture in 2015 and it’s taken this long for people to notice I was right). For example, my comedy poem on freedom of speech from WBTH is mostly blacked out, a joke which only one person has been confused with thus far.

I was well ahead of cancel culture, long before the Roald Dahl controversy.

Anyway, here’s the first hour.

After that we stumbled into the Green Room, where I went off on a bit more of a tangent about the WHY behind my writing, and how I think the Arts could evolve in the future. Adrian and his audience are really great, welcoming people, and we need more of that in the Arts.

---

I managed to sell three books during the duration of the interview, which doubled how many books I had sold thus far in March and almost offset the money I had wasted on Amazon Ads the month prior.

So podcasts are important. They keep the writing industry alive.

Without podcasts like Adrian’s, I don’t think I’d still be selling books at all.

---

THE FUTURE

My next post will be FreeFictionFriday (I set my own one up this time) specific to sci-fi and fantasy comedies. Naturally, I didn’t find loads of people for it, but everyone who did find me is very funny.

I will also be posting a revised introduction to the new tiers and perks in my WHO KILLED THE HUMANS? crowdfundr page. The book is now 67,000 words long, and the release is planned for Winter 2024.

You can pre-order anything now, from signed hardbacks, to eBooks. I’ve added paperbacks on request as well.

There’s even a link to WHO BUILT THE HUMANS? which you can download today from your favourite retailer.

And I’m hoping to get posters sorted as well. Not put those on the tiers yet because I want to put time researching how to drive the costs down for you.

Just click this button to check the tiers out.

WKTH is a collection of interconnected sci-fi comedy stories, starting with a magical horse that poops out prophecies of a dark future.

There’s also a sentient missile, a return for Tin foil Tim, and a lot more comedy I don’t want to spoil.

It is funnier than WBTH.

It’s also darker.

---

Other ways to get it

And, if you’re not in a position to pre-order it now, but you would like to, don’t worry. Amazon currently has the eBook on pre-order, and you can grab that today without paying. They only charge you one week before release (set on Amazon for Feb 2025), and only the lowest price the book was ever listed for. So if there’s future discounts on Amazon, they’ll be applied.

Pre-orders on Amazon will build up until release day, so if 500 people pre-order it there, then the algorithms that rule over reality will declare that WHO KILLED THE HUMANS? is the biggest selling sci-fi novel that particular day, and it will go super mega ultra viral because of it.

I am still learning marketing lingo, but that’s the gist of how pre-orders work.

The more people order it, the more popular it is when it comes out. And, since Amazon only cares about books within the first 12 weeks after release, this is a critical period to get people noticing it.

Thanks for checking it out. See you tomorrow for FREE FICTION FRIDAY!

---