- Mark Jackson
Lost cities, secret societies, Nazi archaeology and Atlantis. Join Dr John Hunter in his unrelenting quest to unveil the hidden and explosive beginnings to civilisation.
A German property developer, Hans Hoffmann, revels in the belief he has discovered the key to unleashing the weapon responsible for sinking Atlantis. Hoffmann requests the help of Cambridge archaeologist, Dr John Hunter to validate his mysterious find. Hunter's acceptance leads the maverick academic on a journey from the headquarters of a clandestine organisation in England, to a lost city in the heart of the Brazilian Rainforest, and climaxes inside a chamber hidden deep beneath Egyptian Heliopolis. Pioneering theory is spliced by epic battles, daring escapes, and elaborate schemes aimed at unravelling a secret history hidden from humanity for the past twelve thousand years.
Atlantis is a very visual word. A word evoking mystery, forgotten realms, underwater palaces… the list goes on. I find this Plato inspired concept of Atlantis fascinating and read anything and everything I can lay my hands on. The theories are diverse and range from the feasible to the outlandish but certain concepts kept reoccurring. The Atlantis Deception takes the ideas of accepted and alternative theory, weaving them together to create a feasible universe where our past still dictates our future.
The novel follows the trials and tribulations of a fictional Cambridge academic, Dr John Hunter. The focus is not on Atlantis itself, but rather on what happened to its people it the wake of the loss of their homeland. The Atlantis Deception is a classic action adventure tale with heroes, villains, shadowy organisations and self-serving plots, each of them underpinned by progressive archaeological theory. The novel is written with the aim of both exciting and making readers think in equal measure. Although imagined, many of the conclusions the characters reach are cutting edge and described in such a way so as to blur the line between fact and fiction.
Mark is a qualified solicitor who splits his time between protecting the rights of academics, writing thriller fiction and raising five mostly lovely children. He studied Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Birmingham with a nod towards alternative theory, focusing on the relationship of Giza complex to the stars; portolan maps; and the origins of civilisation and religion. It was within this flame the plots for his future novels were born. Mark’s writing career extends back over a decade and his diverse portfolio includes three novels, a number of short stories and even a six-part sitcom. Long listed for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, he is currently a featured author on the popular writing website, Wattpad, garnering over 6,000 followers from all around the world and achieving well over one million reads of his first novel. Aside from Wattpad, Mark is also an active member of a number of other writing websites, spending his spare time offering editorial and structural advice to fellow authors. Up to now Mark has considered writing as a creative outlet for the myriad of characters and ideas roaming about his head. The time has come to tease them out of hiding and breathe a little life into their lungs.
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Mark has been working with the Southampton Artist, John Howse, in developing images to be used for the cover and trailer. John has kindly allowed prints of some of these images to be used as incentives for certain pledges.
The Professor snorted in triumph and jabbed a thin finger at the open book, tapping the circular image carved into the Druid’s staff. ‘This circle within a circle is a basic, yet ancient symbol,’ she said. ‘It has been used to represent the gods of heaven and earth; night and day; a god for the skies and another for the underworld. In this context the external disc represents the Sun and the central disc is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Although once common, this symbol has more or less disappeared from public consciousness. But if one were to look, you can still find it scattered throughout the world; omnipresent in our art and architecture, both ancient and modern.’
‘Omnipresent?’ asked John.
‘John Hunter,’ said the Professor, feigning surprise. ‘How you ever got a first class degree, I’ll never know. Haven’t you seen an aerial photograph of Stone Henge?’ She plucked a selection of books from her shelves and dropped them one by one on the desk. ‘Stone Henge; Avebury; Thornborough. In fact Neolithic Europe as a whole is teeming with examples of this symbol. If you want modern examples, try looking at the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral from the air; the Pantheon in Rome; St Peter’s in Vatican City; the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, or indeed any domed building in the world. More often than not they are buildings with a religious connotation, either current or hidden in their past.’
John nodded. ‘So this Order was created to venerate the Sun and the stars?’
‘Well, yes and no. There is an alternative interpretation.’ John leant forward. ‘During my research phase I discovered that, although the sun symbol remained, over time the inner circle came to represent something quite different. It symbolised a weapon of some sort, a weapon of such power it was said to displace the will of the God into the hands of man.’
‘What the hell does that mean?’ Sara snorted. ‘The will of God into the hands of man? Are you implying this group developed some kind of WMD?’
‘I am not implying, Dr Reed, I am telling you they achieved it. A weapon of such unparalleled power that, on the one occasion our ancestors activated it, it devastated and wiped out an entire civilisation.’ She paused for effect. ‘A civilisation now symbolised only by its capital.’
The Copy Edit and Draft Illustrations
Tuesday, 10 April 2018
Hi all,
I been advised an email didn't go out when the copy editing process began. I am really sorry for the lack of an update but pleased to inform that the copy edit is 90% complete and the text should be ready to go in the next week or so. The next stage will be the cover art which i'm really looking forward to seeing. As much as I don't like to admit it, many books are judged by their covers…
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Third Draft Completed!
Monday, 29 January 2018
Thank you all for your patience in awaiting this update and I'm pleased to say the third draft in finally back with Craig (the editor) for a final read through. The writing feels much tighter now and it's been great to work with a professional who can point out flaws I wouldn’t have even recognised!
As for the delay, sickness, plagues and pestilence have all been rife in my neck of the woods and…
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Second Draft Complete!
Monday, 27 November 2017
Dear all,
I am so sorry for the lack of updates but I am pleased to announce the second draft of The Atlantis Deception has been delivered to my Unbound editor. It turned out to be a massive undertaking and one I'd not counted on in terms of time. Characters have been renamed, point of views tinkered with and even the ending has altered. I really hope I have taken the novel in the right direction…
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Fully Funded! The edit is underway...
Friday, 18 August 2017
Thank you all so much for your kind support. I still cannot believe I have achieved the target (with a lot of help from my friends!). If you think you know of anyone else who might be interested, please spread the word. I can add an illustration or two with another 10%!
You'll be pleased to know that Unbound have not delayed in initiating the next stage. I have already been allocated an editor…
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An Amazing Week of Pledges
Monday, 24 July 2017
After a surreal twenty-four period, 'The Atlantis Deception' reached 87% thanks in the main to Tom Howse and the support of Broadsword Construction Group http://broadsword-group.co.uk/.
“Broadsword Group undertake various construction packages across multiple industry sectors. We have successfully completed contracts within the Commercial, Residential, Leisure, Education, Defence, Office &…
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New Artwork from the studio of John Howse
Thursday, 25 May 2017
Thank you so much for your ongoing support.
I am pleased to announce that John has excelled himself in creating his second image for the project. There is so much symbolism and detail involved, he has agreed to take part in a brief interview to discuss the piece and its significance.
I am lucky to have him involved on the project and I hope you agree it is a great image and a fantastic example…
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New Artwork designed by John Howse
Wednesday, 26 April 2017
Thank you so much for your ongoing support. I am pleased to announce that John has been busy and created a wonderful image to form part of the pledge images. They are in a variety of colours and I believe capture the spirit and msytery underlying the novel. I can't can't wait to see what he comes up with next! Kind regards, Mark.
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