Greg’s signature read

A BOOK signing tour taking in three states is a giant leap from 12 years in the publishing wilderness.

But that’s the happy position former Goulburn man Greg Barron finds himself in following release of his first book.

More waves of success are washing his way with a three-book deal from publisher, HarperCollins.

Mr Barron, a former St Patrick’s College boy, caught up with old friends and new in Goulburn on Sunday. He dropped in to Town and Country Books to sign copies of his first tome, Rotten Gods.

Released on July 1, the work is already attracting quality reviews and handwritten notes of appreciation to his publisher.

The work is set in the near future and explores a world of terrorism, climate change and big decisions resting on world leaders. When a United Nations conference is hijacked by extremists, a cast of characters seek to have their voices heard, some through bloodshed, others through coming to understand the goodwill necessary for change.

It’s about the futility of competing religions, the need to shift expectations and the power of combined voices of goodwill to effect change, Mr Barron says.

“World affairs and inequality are of huge interest to me and I’ve developed the story along those lines,” he told the Post.

“After 9/11 and the London bombings it became a very important issue. The global financial crisis, climate change and terrorism all converged and you wondered where it would end.”

He’s seized on these same themes for his next two books agreed with HarperCollins. They’re not exactly sequels but will contain some of the same characters.

“They (the publishers) had an immense amount of faith in me,” Mr Barron said.

“(The next two books) will have different stories but still look at various crises facing the world today and putting characters in the situation of solving world problems.”

He’s already completed the first draft of the second book, Savage Tide, due for release next July 1. The third is due out in July, 2014.

Writing has always been a part of his life but he struck out with publishers with several novels. He met more success after signing an agent five years ago. Then HarperCollins snapped up Rotten Gods, setting him on his way. Now living in Macksville with his wife and two sons, Mr Barron also works part time in IT, as a librarian and music teacher. He writes for up to three hours daily.

“Writing is rarely easy but it’s always rewarding, he said. “Sometimes the best written works target an audience.”

Twelve years of research on Rotten Gods, including 20,000km of travel, has finally hit the mark. Family friends and old schoolmates caught up with him on Sunday before he hit the road for another book signing in Tuggeranong. On Monday he was in Wagga as part of the 40-bookstore tour across Australia.

Mr Barron lived in Goulburn from 1974 to 1983. His parents, Fay and Bob were teachers, the former at Marian College and the latter at the College of Advanced Education, now the Police Academy.

Rotten Gods retails for $29.95 and is available at Town and Country Books.

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