Cover designed by Jade Jex @Steam Power Studios
London has a dark side⦠And Iâm the one who runs itâ¦
Iâm not only Londonâs, but also the UKâs finest. Iâm the âTop Manâ...
I am the âHardmanâ...
Iâm an animal, untamed, uncaged...
Iâm untouchable, unlovable, the way I like it.
There is only one thing that unnerves me...
My past...
âSheâ is my past and maybe... My undoing⦠* This work contains Drama, Profanity and very Mature content, intended for readers 18+ * Standalone Novella
INTERVIEW WITH SAMANTHA FONTIEN
SAM INTERVIEW
What made you write Hardman?
~ It was the one/story with the loudest voice for me. I had started two others, but this just fell out and onto the page. It was easy to write, for me, it wrote itself.
It's a step out of your normal theme, have you enjoyed it and can we expect more books in this Genre?
~ Maybe, as I absolutely loved writing it, especially his voice/grammar, as heâs not a stickler for the language rules like Duncan was. Hahaha. I've never sworn so much on paper. Hahahaha. Over 300+ F bombs related words, never mind the 70 odd C word usage. I even surprised myself, but I had to stay true to his character.
Duncan and Co, was and always will be a huge part of me and I had to follow Duncanâs rules for so long, so, it was refreshing throwing caution into the wind, hahahaha. Even my editor at the beginning of HARDMAN's speaking, was ALL over the grammar, until she soon realised, that it was how he spoke, taking into consideration his education and his environment. In fact, when she corrects you with a sentence like this;
To say I am irked!!!! - He is PISSED OFF not irked - more Downtown Abbey than Hardman!!
... Then you know you have to watch, what Hardman sayâs and how he delivers it. So yes, it was lovely not to watch my Pâs and Qâs with him and I loved writing a good few of the chapters, they came out easy, so itâs defiantly something I am pondering on for the future.
And, it was my 1st, first-party POV too, as I normally do 3rd party and multi POV, so, yes, it was great fun. I do love writing the gory or fight/action scenes, and I did guns and manly stuff and so on, with the Dragonflies Trilogy. But thatâs only because I like action myself. I see it as years and years of conditioning from my dad watching Cowboys and Indians and War/Espionage type films and books, Hahaha... Now, I have a âman brainâ; Iâm not a normal pinkie girl, I donât DO pink lol.
Is there a follow on to Hardman?
~ Nope... Itâs a standalone Iâm afraid and... Expect more standalones from me too.
The reason for this is; because all my previous eight books (HARDMAN is my ninth,) have all been connected or entwined in some way. It was great having new people to play or talk with, as so to speak hahahaha. I am actually working on another new standalone title/story (which will hopefully be out late February or early March?) and Iâm loving the freedom of new characters, although I do love my Dragonflies men and always will.
Swoon Rubin Miller, still does it for me and I love writing him, I really do.
INTERVIEW WITH THE HARDMAN
HARDMAN INTERVIEW
Sir, thank you for agreeing to do this interview. I hope Iâm not holding you up from any important work.
~ Nah, youâre alright... Always got time for a pretty girl... And whatâs with the âSirâ?
(He laughs shaking his head at me)
Iâm hardly a âSirâ am I? Iâm a Geezer or a Gov if you prefer.
(He laughs again)
What do you like to do for fun?
~ (He shrugs his shoulders)
Dunno... Any ideas?
(Now he's knowingly smiling at me, as he winks. This guy is an outrageous flirt.)
Why do you do the things you do?
~ Dunno what you mean?
(He laughs now at me, trying to look innocent).
Youâre not wired are you?
(He laughs again)
Nah, only joking with ya... I suppose Iâm what youâd call, one of them ânatural born leaderâs...
Decisions will always have to be made... Even those, you donât want to do... Someone has to take control... Iâm just âThe Someoneâ, thatâs all.
(He shrugs insolently, like Iâve asked him what time it is?)
Do you enjoy the power and notoriety of it?
~ Yeah, I suppose I do. Itâs always about the power; and the notoriety... I suppose the two go hand in hand with one another. But I always wanted a name for myself, always knew I would be something.
Do you sleep well after your punishments?
~ Yeah... Why wouldnât I?
(He looks totally blasé now. I will say, I was a little scared asking him this, I understand why he has the reputation he does, he is very cool, calm and collected.)
... As I said, decisions are made every day, with anything you do... Itâs how you deal with it that really matters. Punishment is necessary; itâs how we learn after all.
Put it this way... Growing up at my house, you got either the belt or the back of someoneâs hand, for bringing trouble to the door or giving cheek..
So you learned pretty quickly, not to get caught, or, to be a cheeky cunt... Everything you do, has consequences... And anyone who lives the lives, and do, what do what WE do, knows this from the âget goâ...
Well they should do, unless they're as dumb as fuck? And thatâs a problem, cause thereâs always some brain-dead fucker out there doing something they shouldnât. Thatâs why thereâs people like me... To keep them fuckers in check, manage them. I always say; âIt is what it isâ...
I mean, think about it.... If it looks like shit, smells like shit... Itâs SHIT!! Plain and simple, you donât have to be a rocket scientist to know that... And itâs the same philosophy for âif youâre caught doing something you shouldnâtâ... Be prepared for retribution.
(He shrugs very matter of factly, and I find myself hanging on every word. I watch enthralled as he shakes head woefully. Heâs a good speaker and incredibly charming. Makes me glad heâs too dirty to be in politics, as heâs quite captivating.)
What is so special about âHerâ that makes you want to give it all up? Do you think you will ever stop?
~ Everything about âHerâ is special... âSheâ is trulyâ one of a kindâ. âSheâsâ a good person, always was. Sheâs my total opposite. And thatâs why âweâ work.
Iâm a lucky fucker, but I always was... Oh, and letâs not forget, I love the way she calls me a cunt... Iâm a sucker for it.
(He winks again knowingly at me, the guy really is incorrigible.)
And yes, I have âStoppedâ as you call it. If youâre talking about work that is?
(He laughs cheekily at me.)
In fairness, it was time to; the writing was on the wall.
(Now he looks seriously at me shaking his head.)
You canât live my kinda life and expect to live forever...
There will ALWAYS be someone up your arse or trying to take a big chunk out of it. There will always be someone gunning for your spot as âTop Dogâ if you have it, and âtheyâ want it, bad.
Youâd have to want it bad as well, I can tell ya, to wanna try and take it from me!!
Itâs human nature, to want to better yourself... But itâs pure âprimalâ, to want the number one spot... Especially if youâre a natural born hunter like me?
I still do have my fingers in a few pies, but they are kosher. So, no harm, no foul.
(He shrugs.)
My problem is, I need to keep myself busy. You see... Iâve been making my own money since I was a kid in some way or another, always an entrepreneur me...
(He winks cheekily at me)
If there is money to be made, I guarantee you; it will be ME making it. But I DO know... If itâs not kosher and I donât keep my nose clean, Iâll lose âeverythingâ...
This I know as she tells me it daily...
Nah only joking... Sheâ donât âhaveâ to âtell meâ... I KNOW, she wonât tolerate any of my shit...
... And being honest, I donât feel like I need to now, or Iâm compelled to do it, if you know what I mean, you know, cause its naughty an all... Which was often, the very reason for me to do it in the first place...?
(He laughs cheekily at me.)
What can I say? Iâm a thrill seeker, innit.
But believe me; I will tell ya, âSheâ keeps me more than busy... I donât have the time for anything, or anyone else now.
(He laughs to himself)
Should have done it sooner...
(He shrugs again nonchalantly at me.)
Oh well, you live and learn... Donât ya?
After the interview, I found myself flirting with him for a further ten minutes, until he informs me, that he has to go and pick up his son up from school. As he leans in to kiss me on the cheek, Iâm ashamed to say I found myself wondering if he was going to kiss me on the lips; seeing as he had been flirting with me throughout the entire interview, but sadly, he didnât.
On his way out, I see him drop a bundle of money onto the table, paying the bill for the lunch weâve just had, even though it was for his interview.
He may be a very bad man, responsible for having a hand in some horrible things and he maybe a little rough around the edges, but in all fairness to him... I found him very charming and a perfect gentleman, bar the continuous flirting which I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed.
I can understand the attraction with the gangster life, if theyâre all like him. But I would have to be like âHerâ, and the way she approaches it, as that kind of lifestyle, really wouldnât appeal to me either.
The End
Iâm a Happily Married, MUM of 2. I LOVE Musicâ¦I should as I am the daughter Of Musicians and was reared with a guitar in one hand and a pen in the other.
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