David Hofmeyr

David Hofmeyr was born in South Africa and lives in London and Paris. In 2012 he was a finalist in the SCBWI Undiscovered Voices competition, and in 2013 he graduated with distinction from Bath Spa University with an MA in Writing for Young People. He works as a Planner for Ogilvy & Mather in the UK.

Hofmeyr's first novel is Stone Rider.

From his Q & A at My Bookish Ways:

Will you tell us about Stone Rider and what inspired you to write it?

Stone Rider follows 15-year-old Adam Stone who has lost everything and joins a brutal race on semi-sentient ‘bykes’ to win the chance to escape a dying future Earth. Think The Hunger Games meets Mad Max meets Cormac McCarthy. An adrenalin-fuelled race across an epic desert.

The idea was born in a dream. Crossing an alien desert came a group of riders, like horsemen of the apocalypse. Only here, instead of horses, they were riding other-worldly bykes. I knew I wanted fear and adrenalin, dust and blood and vengeance. A primal story. I suppose it sprang from the Westerns I loved as a kid. The Dollars Trilogy. Pale Rider. Once Upon a Time in the West. But also something futuristic. Alien. Mad Max. Blade Runner. Star Wars.

What do you think makes Adam a compelling character?

Adam undergoes a huge change in the book. In the beginning he’s hesitant – both physically and mentally – and unable to express himself, or stand up to bullies. By the end of the story Adam finds an inner strength that allows him to endure. Adam is a loner and a misfit and I think all readers can relate to being an outsider in some sense. Adam has...[read on]

Visit David Hofmeyr's website.

Stone Rider is one of Rachel Paxton-Gillilan's top five YA books for Mad Max fans.

My Book, the Movie: Stone Rider.

The Page 69 Test: Stone Rider.

Writers Read: David Hofmeyr.

--Marshal Zeringue