Today I am honored to have Tim Hemlin, author of The Wastelanders and fellow RRBC member, as a guest on my blog. An avid reader and a writer of young adult urban fantasy, Tim tells us more about the people who influenced his writing.
Influences Part 2
Two very different people influenced the writing of The Wastelanders: Stephen King and George W. Bush.
Like me, Mr. Bush is a runner. In fact, one of my goals is to beat his marathon time of 3:44:52. I also respect that he overcame his drinking problem. Now I don’t agree with his politics at all, but he did understand that “action is a unifier.” The quote is Eric Hoffer’s from The True Believer. Hoffer also wrote “there can be no mass movement without some deliberate misrepresentation of facts.” In the years following 9/11 I read a lot of Mr. Hoffer, and in a way I have Mr. Bush to thank for that.
The influence of the Stephen King is probably more obvious. I had reread The Stand when I got the idea for The Wastelanders. Actually, my first title had been The Water Cartel, but my agent changed the name. At first I balked because it sounded too close to The Waste Lands, book three in King’s Dark Tower series, but I was overruled. I had also read King’s book On Writing in which he gives this gem of advice for aspiring writers: write the book you want to read. That has become my writing mantra. I thought it might be interesting to read a book about power, the nature of mass movements, the dangers of climate change, and through it all, love. Consider it my response to George W and my homage to the old master, Stephen King.
Note: Tim’s previous post on Influences appears on John Howell’s blog Fiction Favorites.
About the author:
Tim Hemlin is a marathoner, teacher, and has his master’s degree in counseling, but his passion for the environment sparked him to write The Wastelanders, a dystopian-clifi published in both e-book and paperback by Reputation Books. He is represented by Kimberley Cameron of Kimberley Cameron & Associates Literary Agency.
He has also published a Wastelanders short story called Black Silence as a bridge between the first book and its sequel. He is currently in the notes and brainstorming stage for the Wastelanders sequel.
Recently the Muse has kindly allowed him to tap into that creative magic and pen a young adult urban fantasy. If all goes well with the edits and revision, the final draft should be completed by early summer.
Finally, in the late 90s Ballantine published the Neil Marshall series of culinary mysteries set in Houston, Texas. These include If Wishes Were Horses, A Whisper of Rage (nominated for a Shamus Award), People in Glass Houses, A Catered Christmas (the one I most enjoyed writing), and Dead Man’s Broth. He has recently gotten the reversion rights and is planning on reissuing them under an elite publishing house out of New Orleans.
Hemingway liked running with the bulls. Tim enjoys running with dragons (that’s what he calls his grandkids.)
Connect with Tim:
The Wastelanders is available from the following booksellers:
Cassidy's Bookshelves 
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