Perhaps it was serendipity that led me to bump into the lovely Andy Briggs, because Trapped By Monsters seems like the perfect platform to talk about Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind…
If you are or have ever been a Geek, then you’ll know that ‘trapped by monsters’ is a pretty good description of the way life can feel when you’re in your teens. In writing this book, that’s what I wanted to convey; the feeling of being an outsider and constantly having your back to the wall, whether you’re at home, at school or out and about with your mates.
There are plenty of monsters in this book, both real and imagined; Archie plays a role-playing game with his friends, called Dungeons and Dragons. In the gaming-world, he’s a Level 5 Mage with the ability to Summon the Undead. Trouble is, in the Real World, he’s just a Geek, with no powers at all. But it’s the Real World that tests him the most.
I love fantasy books. I love heroes and wizards and people with uncanny abilities. But, from my own experiences as a teenager, I’m painfully aware that you don’t wake up one morning being able to turn invisible or fly out of the window and that’s what I wanted to write about; Archie uses his imagination to escape from all the Bad Stuff that’s going on in his life, but is all too conscious of the fact that it’s just escapism. When he’s rolled those final dice and slain that final dragon, the Bad Stuff’s still going to be there.
My teenage years saw the world turn upside-down; my parents got divorced. Not only that, but they got I replacements for each other, which is a real manhole-sized pill made of bitterness to swallow. In Geekhood, I wanted to take a look at how young adults deal with that; when the two people in your life that you trust the most start behaving like strangers, you have to find your own coping mechanism. For Archie, there’s Dungeons and Dragons, but he’s also got something called his IM.
The IM (Internal Monologue) is something I think we all have. It’s that little voice in the back of your head that narrates your day for you and let’s you know when you’re being cool and when you’re being a jerk. Archie’s IM has become quite loud and tends to focus on the jerk stuff more than anything else.
There are other monsters, in the shape of the school meathead. I was a perpetual victim of bullies and, looking back, I’m amazed that I put up with as much as I did without turning green, ripping my clothes and smashing the school up. But then I wasn’t dabbling with Gamma radiation at the time. Jason Humphries takes centre-stage as Chief Grunt in the book, giving Archie a hard time, just because he can. It’s what bullies do.
But the most fantastical, mystical, almost mythical creatures for any teenaged, Geeky guy have to be girls. In fact, Geekhood was partially born out of a true story about when I tried to ask a girl out at the age of 13. And fainted. So, with a certain amount of malice aforethought, I gave Archie every ounce of the charisma and confidence that I possessed at the age of 14. Which added up to none. And then I put Sarah, the Most Beautiful Girl in the World into the equation to see what would happen. It’s not pretty.
I’m really pleased, proud and humbled by the reception that Geekhood’s received and more so by the teenaged Geeks who’ve approached me after events and shared their stories with me. It’s also made me realise that the experiences I’ve put down in print – that are heavily based on my own – are not exclusive to me; Geeks seem to have a lot in common, from their love of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings to the people that plague them and the girls that constantly fail to notice them. We are not alone.
I’m also pleased to say that there’s a sequel in 2013, where things get even Geekier. I hope you enjoy it and, if you do, drop me a line at www.theandyrobbsite.co.uk and let me know.
Live long and may the Force shine on the hour of our meeting.
Andy Robb. Geek.