This month our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading The Man Who Settled the Score by Andrew Hood. It’s a unique read, that’s receiving rave reviews.
We wanted to know more about the author, and Andrew has kindly taken some time out to chat with us:
Tell us about your book, The Man Who Settled the Score…
The Man Who Settled The Score is a raw and confronting book, and is a standalone sequel to The Man Who Corrupted Heaven.
The story centers around the graphic confession of a killer… the why, the where, the how, and especially the who… providing insight into his dark, uneasy motivation.
The main character John Hannebery has a list, and the list has given him a singular purpose in his sad, conflicted life. It is a list of pedophiles – those who hurt him, his best friends Ivan and Susan and other innocent children in the orphanage where they grew up.
John is determined to hunt down and eliminate them all. But in exacting his revenge for the horrors he and the other children endured, be warned the violence and gruesome physical imagery is extreme
Where did the idea come from?
At the time of writing the book, there were a lot of stories in the news about priests and people of faith abusing children which really disturbed me.
These first two books were my way of trying to make some sense of the whole mess. Trying to understand the different motivations and after effects.
Was it difficult writing about such a serious topic?
Yes very difficult at times. After I finished this book i told myself that I would never write about this topic again because i took a toll on me mentally but I am glad i did.
I did so that others might not have to.
Who was your favourite author as a child?
I started by reading Stephen King. Back then I needed books that could keep my attention and his were always amazing. I eventually moved on to Dean Koontz, who I came to enjoy even more. I think there’s a little of both of them in this story.
What are you reading right now?
I just finished The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and loved it.
You were born in Victoria. If someone is planning to explore the state, what are your top three places to visit?
I live in Sydney now but I still love Melbourne city. All the amazing restaurants and laneways. I also find that every city has one or two amazing bookstores that I always try to visit if I can.
What is The Weekly Tipping Point all about?
It was my first foray into writing. It was a blog that I started where I wrote about the big “tipping point” moments that changed my life.
It eventually gave me the idea of how to write The Man Who Corrupted Heaven. I decided that you could tell a story about a person’s whole life by just describing their tipping point moments.
What advice would you give someone who is interested in writing a book?
That it won’t be easy. That there will be times when you feel like a fraud or an imposter and that is OK. My first draft was terrible, but then I got help to make it better. I eventually wrote four drafts of The Man Who Corrupted Heaven before showing it to anyone, even my wife!
Just try to keep it moving ahead, if only a few extra sentences at a time.
Tell us one fun fact we wouldn’t know about you.
I am obsessed with playing guitar and writing songs on it. I have eight guitars now and my collection is still growing.
What is next for Andrew Hood?
Book 3, The Woman Who Stole the World is also out and I just released an audio only book on leadership which just launched.
I am also halfway through another book outside of this series, but I needed a break from writing for a month or two before I go back and finish it.
Hi, I’m Anna the Editor of Beauty and Lace.