Indie Author Stephen Joyce

Indie Author Stephen Joyce

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? Here, the focus shifts slightly to storytelling itself, as crime writer and host Jim Hirtle chats with indie author Stephen Joyce about his debut political thriller, *Seeds of Vengeance*. You'll hear Stephen talk through the heart of his book: an “unlikely hero” called Ryan Young, a data analytics nerd handed a corporate poison chalice and quietly set up to fail.

Stephen explains how he wanted a character “more like you and I”, flawed and vulnerable at work and in his social life, while mixing in humour, romance and some very dark moments to keep the thriller fresh. The conversation is relaxed and matey, with plenty of self‑deprecating laughs about retirement dreams and the shock of learning a first novel needed 20,000 words cut.

Stephen admits, “Writing the book is the easy part… then you come to try and get it published,” and shares how small press Rampart Books pushed him to tighten the story without stripping his creative control. He talks about the emotional punch of honest feedback, the pain of editing out lovingly written scenery, and the danger of leaving in passages that don’t move the story forward.

There’s also a candid look at the realities of indie life: rejection letters, agents who don’t reply, trying to learn social media from scratch, and experimenting with low-budget adverts. Through it all, Stephen’s aim stays simple – to entertain, while quietly pointing at how institutions and media can warp public perception.

For anyone in recovery who leans on books, writing or creativity as part of healing, this chat offers a reassuring glimpse of someone starting again later in life and finding new purpose. Maybe it’ll nudge you to pick up a pen, or at least pick up a new story – what kind of unlikely hero would you create?