The Basic Story Concept

Well the story started to develop quite quickly after that. My intention was to fill the story with lots of set dressing and as many samples as I could. A sample is where I take a scene from a famous movie, novel, TV show or possibly even a song and then weave that into the plot. Nothing would be sacred and everything would have to be done on as grand a scale as possible. What I wanted to read was a detective story that I wouldn't be able to guess the ending.

One year after I finished Heavy Duty a publisher was interested in it. They kept it for a year and kept me going right up to the details for the cover blurb.

And then they cancelled.

I am going to call this company Systel Publishing after the name of one of the companies in Heavy Duty, so that I don't keep having to say "a publisher I don't want to name" all the time. I am not unhappy with them. Business is business.

The story as brief as I can make it. Cameron Pride becomes entangled in a web of intrigue involving three super corporations a reclusive wealthy family, the Police and Heathcliff. For some reason he can't understand, everyone thinks he knows where Bron Lainey has disappeared to and they want to be there when he finds him. What he eventually discovers is that an AI computer has predicted that he will find Lainey.

Everyone wants to find Lainey because they believe Lainey will lead them to a missing alien artefact known as the Pandora Object. The Pandora Object is an immense alien library of science and technology. Caught up in this intrigue and helping Pride on his way are: The Huf Puf Tribe - a group of virtual Native Americans who control small robot beetles, The House Gangs of the Hack, Parcho his friend, Princess Alison and the Furries of CraySevenLand.

Not helping him is Major Violet Jones special anti-terrorist officer, The Merryweathers - a bunch of eco-terrorists, Heathcliff - the most evil man in the world. Mercedes Allardyce who threatens to expose him if he doesn't find her sister Marie and Dave Drooszhbah's Media Corporation which broadcast a news feature accusing him of being Heavy Duty, the mysterious virus writer who brought down a SkyHook Space Liner causing hundreds of deaths.

And if that wasn't bad enough. There is BJ and his kid sister Biscuits who always manage to screw up whatever he is doing. Then there is The Elephant, the AI released from captivity by Taro Ansi the Japanese telephone engineer and last but not least - Bron Lainey.

You can see why it is a Manga Novel. And why it needs a blog to explain it.

Question number one. Who or what is Heavy Duty? I decided not to tell even Fraser. I haven't told anyone yet because you don't find that out until the last book in the trilogy. Or do you?

Question number two. Who is Heathcliff and what is he up to?
Clearly revealed by reading.

Question number three. Why do the satellites cameras fail to show certain areas of the Earth at certain times?
This question fairly obsessed Systel Publishing who had Heavy Duty for a year. The answer isn't too difficult if you think about, as Lisa Simpson would say. The idea was not to reveal the stuff about the satellite until, well the second book. An most of the people who read Heavy Duty actually never ever mentioned question three. They just wanted to know who is Heavy Duty.

So who is Heavy Duty?
I once asked Chris if he could write a synopsis of Heavy Duty - I wanted to compare my idea of a synopsis to his and he ended up writing a mini-feature called Who Wrote Heavy Duty which contained all the back story and identified all the dates that were removed from the original on the instructions of the publisher. (Just a round about way of trying to get me to spill the beans.)

This date removal was also suggested by a number of agents who rejected it but offered that helpful advice. (One agent wrote to say that Heavy Duty wasn't there cup of tea. So I sent him a Tea Bag with the suggestion that it might be! On reflection, rather unfair - but an irresistible temptation.)

There are lots of other interested mentions and mysteries, I think Fraser's favourite future thing was a packet of marijauna cigarettes with the brand name Thai Sticks which were grown in France and didn't actually produce smoke, an idea that Phillip Morris spent millions trying to develop - the smokeless cigarette that is, not the wacky backy part!