CRUISING the back blocks of Dubai, walking the streets of Nairobi, and being perilously close to a successful Somali kidnap of a French national in Northern Kenya were all part of the research for ex- Goulburn resident Greg Barron’s debut thriller.
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The book, “Rotten Gods,” will be released on July 1 with international publisher Harpercollins.
Rotten Gods is set in the near future, when a new wave of terror threatens a world stricken with storms and supertides.
Hopes rest on a United Nations sponsored conference in Dubai; where world leaders must finally make the hard decisions necessary to bring civilisation back from the brink of disaster.
When the conference is hijacked by extremists, a vivid cast of characters seek to have their voices heard, some through bloodshed and violence, others through coming to understand the goodwill necessary for change.
Rotten Gods is about the futility of competing religions, of the need for a shift in our expectations, and that the only real mechanism for change is the combined voices of people of goodwill.
Greg lived in Goulburn from 1974 to 1983, attending Wollondilly Demonstration School and St Patrick’s College. He later gained qualifications in Education and Aquatic Science. He has also commenced studies in Global Terrorism through St Andrew’s University, Scotland.
He has worked in a number of professions, including teaching, primary production and as an educator in remote Indigenous communities.
“I have fond memories of Goulburn. I spent my formative years there. I will never forget the war memorial light sweeping across the city, the Wollondilly River. Most of all though, I remember the people.’ Old Goulburn school friends will recall Greg’s penchant for writing stories, but the road to publication has not been an easy one.
“For more than 10 years I wrote every day, and submitted half a dozen novels and numerous stories to publishers, none of whom were interested,” he said.
“Five years ago, however, I managed to interest an agent, and from there things started to get interesting.
“We went very close to getting a couple of novels accepted, but ultimately failed at the final hurdle.
“With Rotten Gods we had two publishers interested, and while I can’t say we had a bidding war, the competition definitely helped.
“Rotten Gods was a fun book to write, but the research was incredible, involving 20,000 kilometres of travel, thousands of websites and hundreds of books. The second book, titled The Savage Tide, is proving to be just as big a challenge.”
Greg now lives on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales with his wife and two sons. Greg will be in Goulburn on Sunday July 8 at Town and Country Books, 10.30am and he would love to see both old friends and new.
You can find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greg barronauthor or on the web at gregbarron.com For more information phone Ken or Colleen at Town and Country Books on 4821 7900.
