The Camera is my fourth novel. It is a dystopian psychological crime thriller based in the City of Rain.
The Camera was originally a short story taken from my Short Story Anthology I book ‘The City of Rain’. I enjoyed the characters so much that I just had to expand the story.
Following a recent break-up a man finds a worthless camera in the local bookstore. What happens next is a chain of events that fractures his reality but also provides a purpose in his drive for feeling. A seemingly random assortment of character and chance event all combine to dramatic and climatic effect as the camera begins to show photographs of possible futures. The disparate lives are all linked by the camera and the man who holds it.
This is a twisted tale of loss, of love, of murder and redemption. They are all only a click away.
What cannot be denied is that a photograph cannot lie. But who is really in charge of the truth?
Yes this could be an existential question but I just wanted to tell you a little about myself.
My name is Adair Broughton and I am an author from Childer Thornton, near Chester and The Wirral.
I write for fun but would love to be able to write full time.
I’ve written four books now and two short story anthologies and currently working on the third anthology which will be titled ‘Thoughts of Occupation’.
I will eventually sort through all my poetry and maybe publish them in the next couple of years. If only there was more time! Far too much writing still to do….
I try and write about what intrigues or interests me at the time so I am not tied to any particular genre. However, I do believe the novels are similar in that they are essentially character driven stories of the lost people of society, often with dark undertones but with flashes of joy and life’s meaning at his richest. I hope that my stories will confound and make the reader ask questions about love, life, consciousness, belief, friendships and how chance often leaves the biggest impact on our lives.
I will try and blog a little about my creative process but also offer some poetry and even short stories which will hopefully whet the appetite to delve deeper into the landscapes and characters created.
I currently have all of my work available on Amazon, either as paperback to buy or to download via Kindle.
I will write a separate article about each of these works where I would also love to answer questions, if any arise from anyone who has read the work.
I’d love feedback as I will always strive to continually develop and learn my craft. As I said, writing is fun for me but I want to get better.
Many thanks for taking time in checking out this Blog
Praha, a young man named after the city he later visits, is drawn deeply into reading science and philosophy in order to find out why there is something rather than nothing and what his own place in it all is. Coming to the conclusion that life is relative, he asks himself, to what?
His musings on the origins and purpose of the Universe, on the implications of the latest scientific discoveries and theories, and of course on love, are interlaced with the appearance of a mysterious young woman, who brings with her subtle images of another time and place.
For everything that becomes known there will always be an infinite regress of why. It is this aspect of infinity that is appealing.
This is the authors first foray into Novel writing (first written in 2006) but the questions it asks are possibly eternal.
If you want to see life from a new perspective, delve in, you may find some answers too.
Crossing the Bridge of Infinity is AVAILABLE NOW on Amazon either in Paperback or Kindle for download.
The Journey is one hundred and ninety thousand words and should reside in the genre ‘fantasy’ but can equally be read by those that enjoy fiction generally. (There are no dragons etc). It is the first part of a trilogy but can be read as a single work.
‘The Journey’ tells the tale of a young man who leaves his village to search for answers regarding the disappearance of his mother. Two nations separated by differing histories, culture and climate is the backdrop. It follows the forming and loss of friendships and of misunderstandings that happen between people, which can then spiral out of control. It is about conflict between people as well as nations, about the dichotomy of belief against truth and ultimately about the contrasting journeys people can make for different reasons that become inextricably entwined. There are some close parallels to the current political world climate (invasion of countries as an example and the different reasons or people’s opinions for that) but it is not immediately obvious and leaves it for the reader to make their own judgements. It is about the reality of good and evil, highlighting the fact that the lines between them are seldom clear-cut. Perspective can be the greatest perception.
The main character is Talar who returns to a village he had previously left to warn his old friend of a war that he thinks is imminent. From there a series of events occurs that means he cannot warn his old friend of imminent trouble. He is chased for a crime he did not commit, his friend thinking him responsible. It describes their thoughts and feelings and how transient friendships and life can be. Each character is on a separate journey but throughout the book, through their own interpretations and emotional conflicts the story pieces together the events that truly happened, so only the reader is given the complete picture.
The Journey mixes the intensity and fast pace of a David Gemmel book with the development of character as can be found in Terry Goodkind novels. It also contains philosophy, not dissimilar in approach to Milan Kundera.
Thought Parallel asks questions about consciousness, humanity, ethics and love.
It contains cutting edge science fiction, philosophy and is a study of character. With a fast pace and a tense atmosphere, time is running out…..
One man is dying, he seeks to push the boundaries of possibility and ‘download’ himself into a computer but first he has to find the essence of consciousness.
A female scientist is working on a secret research programme of human cloning to give people a constant supply of healthy organs and a full chance at life. She justifies her work now, having faith that cloning will one day be accepted but she has to decide if her profession or her personal life is ultimately the most important.
Plus there is the matter of the clone, is it her imagination or can she see something stirring in its eyes.
One man finding solace in books and the safety of solitude meets an enigmatic yet mysterious woman and begins to take the risks he never thought he would.
After establishing the virtual churches or ‘Virches’ another man begins to have doubts about his religion and his personal conflict becomes an experiment in finding out what does it mean ultimately to be good or bad. He begins to enjoy the new freedoms he has given himself a little too much.
As the story rapidly unfolds so does the connection and intricacies between them the rising tension then races towards a climax that transcends any expectations.
In essence it asks the ultimate question of what it means to be human.
The Distant Dreams is the second book in The Distant Moons Short Story collection.
Some of the stories are still in the City of Rain but often the reader is taken on much further adventures.
Once again there are eleven stories in this second anthology and, similar to ‘City of Rain’, are still all character centered Dystopian tales of disparate lives, of changing circumstance and of people who are generally at a pivotal moment in their lives.
Each story can be read on it’s own but some of the characters can appear and fade in some of the other stories. See if you can see how they relate. There are dark thoughts, sparse but bright moments of joy and many hidden depths of intrigue.. These can be stories of strangers, of family, or stories of friends, stories of chance and stories of loss. Hopefully you can find something in each one.
This time there are robots, bookshops and trips into Space to name a few.
If you survived the City then take a step outside and be sure to look at the stars on your travels.
The Distant Moons Short Story Anthology I City of Rain
‘City of Rain’ is my first foray into what I think is my best area of writing, the short story with a twist!
These stories are all based in the City of Rain. There are eleven stories in this first anthology and are all character centered Dystopian tales of disparate lives, of changing circumstance and of people who are generally at a pivotal moment in their lives. Each story can be read on it’s own but some of the characters can appear and fade in parts of the other stories. See if you can see how they relate.
There are dark thoughts, sparse but bright moments of joy and many hidden depths of intrigue. These can be stories of strangers, of family, or stories of friends. They are stories of chance and stories of loss. Hopefully you can find something in each one. They are tales of all our hidden thoughts.
Adair Broughton - Author Blog 