Max Jeffries is a Sydney-based crime fiction author who has recently celebrated the launch of his debut novel, Altered Sense. Following the story of Will, a man who is granted visions of crimes yet to be committed following a vicious attack, it is a thrilling read that explores trauma, personal growth and friendship. What We Reading sat down with Max to talk about everything from Altered Sense to the challenges of reaching young readers in the era of Netflix!
Thanks for speaking with us, Max! First off, tell us a bit about yourself and what led you to the world of writing.
My pleasure, and thank you for the opportunity to reach out to some more book lovers. It’s a wonderfully supportive community, and I am so glad to be part of it.
I was born and raised in Sydney, Australia and I am still living in the Sydney suburbs with my wife and baby boy. Growing up I was always a big reader, and books were such an important part of my life. I devoured as many as I possibly could, reading everything I could find, but specifically, I have very fond memories of reading C.S Lewis, Roald Dahl, RL Stein and Enid Blyton. I think I was always quite creative as a child, and during school, I found I was happiest when I was able to write and have the freedom to tell as many stories as I could. As I got older, I delved into crime fiction, and I really grew to appreciate a good mystery, blended with twists and plenty of action scenes. I actually think reading at a young age and exploring different genres of middle-grade novels, then evolving into adult crime fiction is what shaped my writing today.
Writing my own book was something I had wanted to do for years, but I found I lacked the confidence to commit to trying to write a novel. A couple of years ago, something changed, and I stopped holding myself back and simply decided to try again. So without any fear or reservations, I started work on Altered Sense. I was really amazed at how therapeutic the process was, and I just lost myself in the story, thrilled at how the characters came to life and eventually evolved with their own momentum as the plot thickened. Because of how much I enjoyed the process, I began writing this book purely for myself, to achieve a goal and for a sense of accomplishment, without ever thinking it would be published. Before I knew it, I had completed my first draft and since then I have continued writing and haven’t thought about stopping.
When I’m not writing I am a busy dad but still finding whatever time I can to read and write as I have plenty more stories to tell!
“I found I was happiest when I was able to write and have the freedom to tell as many stories as I could.”
Talk to us about Altered Sense. It sounds like a seriously gripping psychological thriller?
Altered Sense is my debut novel and it follows a young man named Will Denham. One night, Will is walking home from work and is viciously attacked by a group of strangers on the street, and is taken to hospital with serious head injuries. He then begins experiencing strange visions and naturally, has no idea what he is seeing, and what is happening to him. This is when Will begins to question his sanity.
Will then digs a little deeper into the things he is seeing and discovers they are in fact crimes yet to occur.
When his closest friends are confronted with the things Will claims he is seeing, they fear for his state of mind, and this adds to much of the complications in the story, but this allowed me to explore themes of personal growth, trust and friendship, juxtaposed with several violent crimes and how Will thrust’s himself into the investigations.
In Altered Sense, I wanted to create a crime story, but I also wanted to present it in a different way, with a non-traditional protagonist. I started with the idea of someone having supernatural visions and I then applied this to crimes being investigated traditionally. With the strange visions Will begins to experience, I wanted to explore the way others would respond to him, as most often people refuse to believe things they can’t see themselves or can’t understand, which is a recurring challenge within this story. In contrast to other, more traditional crime stories, Altered Sense follows three separate investigations presented in a linear timeline, which I feel highlights Will’s personal growth as he comes to understand and accept his new gift.
Will was intentionally designed as an introvert and lacking in confidence as I wanted to show how ordinary, reserved people can become extraordinary when thrown into difficult situations. Throughout the story, Will undergoes tremendous personal growth, and I really grew attached to him, and I hope others will too.
Altered Sense is very fast-paced. I tried very hard to keep it as action-packed as I possibly could in order to make for a fast read, without ever a dull moment!
What is the number one goal you want the book to have with readers?
I wrote Altered Sense with an adult audience in mind, however, I do feel mature young adult readers would also thoroughly enjoy it. While there are some strong themes and references to violent crimes throughout, I have presented them in a somewhat mild way without being too graphic, thereby making it more widely accessible. I understand younger people are flooded with social media and an array of streaming services, so perhaps reading is not as popular as it once was, so my number one goal is to encourage young people to choose a book over a movie. I want to show people that books can be action-packed and fast-paced, and there is a wonderful world out there in the land of books where rules don’t apply and a story can extend as far as the author’s imagination can stretch.
My younger cousin (21 years old) recently read Altered Sense, and she loved it. She loved the way the characters developed, and that every chapter contained plenty of exciting plot twists and turns. She is traditionally a non-reader, and in fact, she told me she had never finished a novel before reading Altered Sense. I was so thrilled when she told me how much she loved the book and how thrilled she was at finishing her first-ever novel! It is this type of feedback that makes me grateful for being able to share my art and seeing the reward of people loving books.
“It is this type of feedback that makes me grateful for being able to share my art”
What do you think makes you stand out as an author? Are you someone who throws themselves into the stories they write?
My writing style is fast-paced, and in Altered Sense it is a mix of accurate storytelling in the way traditional crime is investigated, mixed with the complete fictional supernatural visions Will experiences. I feel this blend of traditional crime writing, mixed with something so strange and paranormal is what makes this book stand out against a sea of other similar crime stories.
I think my passion for creating accessible stories makes me stand out. By accessible I mean short, action-packed and written in such a way younger and older readers could find enjoyment in my books.
I do think I throw myself into the stories I create. When I was writing Altered Sense, a lot of my personality made its way into the book, and I found myself almost lost in the story as it progressed. The way I completely submerged myself in the plot, using as much of my own experiences to craft the character’s personalities, I found they began to almost write themselves as the characters really grew into their roles and underwent tremendous personal growth.
Every scene I write, I try to picture myself there, watching on and allowing the characters to do what would come naturally in accordance with how I initially created the template for their personalities. I think this style of writing is what makes Altered Sense so relatable to most people. While the idea of supernatural visions may sound absurd, the way Will and those around him deal with them is so authentic and all reactions to the various twists and turns are raw and natural.
Where do you think Altered Sense stands amongst your achievements so far?
In terms of my creative outlet, Altered Sense is definitely a top achievement. I never thought I would actually finish my first book, let alone see it published and read by many people! It was honestly one of the most difficult tasks I have ever accomplished, but the result made the hours and hours of work all worth it, and I feel very proud of the thrilling story I have been able to share.
What would you say is the biggest hurdle facing independent and up-and-coming authors today?
I think the biggest hurdle is the rise in streaming services with an endless amount of movies and shows to binge-watch, mixed with the saturation of social media. I don’t know if people are time-poor these days, or perhaps not as prepared to indulge in a book for days/weeks, but rather prefer to stream movies and TV shows, and I do think this is having an impact on new readership, especially the generation growing up with Netflix and other streaming platforms as the norm. I do believe writers are up against this huge market with people finding it more convenient to consume visual media as opposed to a book.
When I was growing up, I had access to maybe four TV channels and as soon as there was nothing on, I read, and I am so grateful now for the amazing journeys I had in so many books.
In saying that however, the rise in social media and technology has also afforded up-and-coming writers new opportunities. Through E-Books and social media, authors can now brand themselves on a worldwide market, and there is no longer a restriction on where someone lives. My book, published in Australia, is just as accessible to someone in the United States as it is to my neighbours.
“Through E-Books and social media, authors can now brand themselves on a worldwide market.”
If you could go back in time and give your younger self one tip, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self to have the confidence to start writing earlier. I had several story ideas many years ago that I felt were never good enough to turn into a book, but reflecting on this now, I actually believe if I trusted myself, I could have completed some really exciting books. These ideas are still around though, and I hope someday I find the time to revisit some of these stories.
I would also give this advice to other people looking to start writing. Please trust yourself and just try. Writing is an art form like any other and with practice, you will get better. Don’t be afraid, and don’t be put off by other books out there you think may be better. Just have the confidence to try it and I do believe every book has its place in the world and it will find its readers.
And finally, what do you hope the future brings you and your writing?
Exploring my creative side while writing Altered Sense has triggered a real passion for writing, and I will continue to do this. I am continuously working on different projects, and I don’t actually want to limit myself to one genre. I am also very excited to announce I am working on a follow-up to Altered Sense, which I am very excited about. This sequel was very fun to write, and has lots of twists and turns!
I also want to keep advocating for young people to read, and prove that reading a great book can be more fun than a movie or video game!
Check out Altered Sense by following Max on Twitter or over at his website
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
