About

The novel

The Mirror Image of Sound is a novel by writer Dan Djurdjevic.

It started life as an on-line project written in "real time"; ie. it was written so as to correspond with events purportedly occuring on each day of writing.

The novel was written over the period 24/12/2013 - 30/03/2014 (ie. in just over 3 months) in a series of 56 instalments (comprising parts of 12 chapters).

The novel describes what was supposedly happening to me at this time in an "alternate universe".

One of the challenges of writing a novel in "real time" was that it meant that I was that once I'd posted up an instalment, it was pretty much set in stone in terms of the narrative and plot.  There was very little going back and very little revision (other than to correct obvious typographical errors and one or two minor discontinuities).  Basically I was under pressure to "get it right the first time".

To my knowledge, this is not something an author has tried before: serialisation might be "old hat" - but "serialisation on the go" (ie. as one writes) is not a writer's method of choice.

But I took on the challenge nonetheless.  Judging by the response (to an unknown, online novel), I think I've discharged my brief of writing something people want to read.

The other "experimental feature" of this novel was its "multimedia" aspect: it was written with 2014 firmly in mind, with multiple platforms and "Easter Eggs" at every turn.  The original online version of the novel was peppered with hyperlinks but these will of course be unavailable in the printed version.

Nonetheless, you can still experience the story in these additional ways: extra information that unfolded (again, in real time) is still available on the Facebook page for this novel, with regular posts and photographs on the Facebook pages of people like Kylie and Brad.  If you want a precis, go to the "Extras" tab at the top.

More importantly, the music of the band "The People", as engineered and produced by my alter ego in the novel, is still available and can be heard under the "Music" tab.

I hope this rather "novel" experiment was interesting to my readers.  But I hope the novel is interesting without any of these "experimental" features.

Please note that the use of my own name is a mere ruse; neither my namesake nor any of the characters represented correspond to any persons living or deceased and any resemblance to such persons is purely coincidental.

This work is copyright © 2008-2014 Dejan Djurdjevic. All rights are reserved.

From the author

"This blog comprises an online novel. It is essentially a black comedy: a piece of Australiana in the mould of "The Castle" with elements of science fiction, surrealism, high-octane action, adventure, suspense, horror, tragedy, history, reality and, above all, romance.

In addition it comprises a social commentary on work/life balance, the Protestant work ethic, climate science, consumerism and materialism, the promotion of narcissism as a virtue, and the prevalence of psychopathy in the modern workplace.

Usefully, it provides insight into the string, chaos and multiverse theories, serves as an introduction to home 3D printing, gives handy tips on sound engineering and provides belated, but richly deserved, recognition to the Australian rock band "Hunters and Collectors".

Basically it is your run-of-the-mill serialised pulp fiction updated to the 21st century: think Victor Hugo meets Dickens recast as Downton Abbey meets Breaking Bad, meets Game of Thrones - but with a "self-help" angle (think Tao of Pooh meets What to eat when you're expecting).

It is viewable on the full range of internet browsers and electronic devices (both desktop and mobile) and can made available on Kindle. It is highly amenable to merchandising and movie/television adaptation. It is not suitable for multi-level marketing.

Happily, it provides answers to the meaning of life, the universe and everything, albeit in the form of a Da Vinci-like code.

It does not contain recipes nor any analysis of different rope knots (though such things can be added, if necessary).

Parental Guidance is recommended due to adult (and Australian) themes."

About the author

Dan Djurdjevic lives in Perth, Western Australia.  He is married and has two children.

He works as a lawyer, teaches martial arts and dabbles in music and sound engineering.
From 2009-11 he anchored the radio show “The Combat Sports Hour” on 91.3 SportFM.

Dan is the author of the popular (and award-winning) blog “The Way of Least Resistance” and is responsible for its associated YouTube channel.

He is a published writer of short fiction.

This is his first novel.

Further information about Dan can be found on his website: http://www.dandjurdjevic.com.


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