Intro to TCBU and Me! - Blog (February 2025)

Kia Ora all, this is my first ever blog upload, where I’ll be writing a bit about me and my debut novel, The Chasm Between Us, shortly to be released! Alongside that, I’ll talk about some of the things I’ve learnt about writing over the years. Let’s blog it up!

My name is Campbell. I’m a young writer from Wellington, New Zealand, which is a city full of artsy, musical, expressive people whose worst opposition, apart from the wind, is hella expensive coffee! But also some really great locally crafted beers. It’s also home to a stunning, picturesque harbor and nature trails dotted around the relentlessly windy but incredible South Coast.

I find myself to be a socially outgoing and hands-on guy, which gives me plenty of time to conjure up plots and characters. Several of those hours accumulate, like a snowball, into a story, which I believe everyone has one to tell.

My inspiration is found in many things, the loud, the quiet, confronting and subtle. Films, books, songs, emotions, art, people, the air I breathe, the sun on the nape of my neck, the Spring rain that spatters a window. It’s beneath the rocks in rock pools and in the mirror when I wake up and ask myself ‘who do I want to be today?’

The answer changes all the time, but at the heart of it is a single whisper: “I want to be someone who makes a difference.”

So here I am, four and half years after I first heard that whisper during a lunch break at high school. After so many songs listened to, films watched and books read, I decided it was time to write my own story. Originally, the first manuscript I wrote is one I finished a first draft of, but didn't pursue further - it was basically about a high school student named Camille who suffered amnesia after being in a car accident, so she had to relearn lots of stuff but fell in love with her best friend, Hamish, during her recovery.

During 2018-2020 my mental health wasn't doing so well, it was sour like lemons. So I made lemonade and part of my own experience is linked to the manuscript I'm currently getting ready to publish!

The romance novel's protagonist, Sam, is a med student studying to be a cardiothoracic surgeon alongside his best mate, Ryan. When he loses his cat, Pete, to a hit-and-run, his life spirals downwards, and he's consumed by alcohol and inner taunting of his shame from past mistakes rising to the surface. Amidst his grief, a gorgeous surfer named Gracie enters his life, sparking a connection between the two. She’s lively and caring—she sees Sam and how he feels. However, her own past isn't as glamorous as Sam thought it to be, which leads to a raw realization for Sam—about her and himself. The novel has themes of supernaturality, Christian faith, mental health, loss and overcoming, as well as family and relationships, love, and courage.

My hope is that readers will sympathize with Sam and feel empowered to overcome whatever struggles they may face, too, and be comfortable enough t