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carlclarabut

The Start


Did I always want to write? No I don't think so. I always liked the idea of making some sort of art whether film or pictures. That's one of the reasons why I joined Barnet college and started a media studies course. I went there with my best mate who I am still great friends with. He went on to become very successful at photography and I became a chef.


A lot different to what I imagined after leaving college but still a creative and rewarding field. Of course being a chef is hard work and at times too demanding. I never knew why I drifted away from wanting to make something of my own. Being an avid film lover and lover of facts I always wanted to direct. Writing never occurred to me, mainly because I am a terrible speller but life moves on.


That was in my late teens and now being in my, almost mid forties I thought that was something I would never achieve. Not that I paid much attention to it as I travelled the world with my wonderful wife and had children. I worked in London, moved and now live in Australia. The life of a chef maybe not financially rich but my God do you meet amazing people from all over the world with unique rich cultures. The chef game is full of many people that without their experiences of religion, sexual orientation, work ethic and taste in foods I would never of been able to write this book. There is not a chance without these life experiences I could have written Dusk Travellers.


There is one more thing that happened that change my life and is what gave me the idea for the book and that unfortunately is having cancer. Finding out that I had Hodgkin Lymphoma shook me and my family to my core. Being a happy half full type of person quickly disappeared as the chemo set in.


Trying to be optimistic I thought I would be able to watch my Netflix list or finish my gaming pile of shame. I even thought that I could lose weight and sort my self out like read and listen to in articles and podcasts. Having great friends and family some of which like my parents and sister came over from England to Australia to help with the kids and myself. At first the chemo was fine, till it wasn't. My appearance changed much to the shock of people who knew me. I suppose knowing what chemo can do is still a shock until you see the effects on someone you love.

I didn't care what I looked like, the only thing on my mind was getting through treatment which was getting harder by the week and trying to be a dad and husband which it felt like I was failing at.


Before having children I was totally oblivious to things like day care or changing rooms in shopping centre's. The same is with cancer. The amount of wonderful people that I have met that work in this industry is amazing. It was during one my treatments at the hospital when I was getting my drugs through a needle into my arm that I had my idea for Dusk Travellers.


You sit in a big chair with a drip attached to your arm while drugs are put through your body for a couple of hours. During this process among the busy ward my mind would often wonder some where else. At times I didn't want to be in that room no matter how nice the staff were.

One day I wondered why wouldn't vampires have blood transferred into their veins instead of sucking their meal from someone's neck.


And from there I had an idea for a book to write. Hopefully over the coming months I can share with you how I wrote Dusk Travellers over the next year and half.


Cheers for reading Carl



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