Interview with Author Christopher C Tubbs
Christopher C Tubbs is a dog loving Dorset boy who has been knocking around the aviation and automotive industries as a business developer for far longer than he cares to remember. He is his company’s main speaker for conferences and the like and has had an under exercised creative streak since he was at primary school. In his forty’s and fifties, he suffered from anxiety attacks at night, he would wake up sweating and imagining that the world was ending, or they were going broke or something equally disastrous. To get over them, he started telling himself stories and there was an emergent theme, sailing in the Napoleonic era or before.
He got over the anxiety attacks, but then fell foul of arthritis which left him without a hobby, as he was a keen gardener and they have over half an acre which had kept him busy. Then one day, while sitting watching his new gardener do all the stuff, he used to be able to do, he picked up his Mac, started to write and his first book emerged. A Talent for Trouble was born, followed by The Special Operations Flotilla. He just kept writing and eventually while they were on holiday in Italy, his wife bullied him into self-publishing them. He clearly remember the terror of pressing the publish button.
He was absolutely amazed when people not only read them, but gave them descent reviews. Now he is working on book 9 of that series and have just published book one of his second series.
Tell me more about your latest book
Scarlett, the first in The Scarlet Fox Series, is a swashbuckling, pirate romp in the golden age of piracy. It has a female lead character who is young, beautiful and deadly. It is gritty, people in the piracy and privateering business were not nice and Scarlett does things that would be totally unacceptable now. There is also love, loss, betrayal and revenge.
Like my other books it’s an historic, action adventure story based around real events. The heroine is Scarlett Browning the daughter of Smoker Browning. He really existed and was one of the God Fathers of the brotherhood of smugglers in the 1600’s operating out of, what is now known as, Robin Hood Bay in Yorkshire. She ends up in the Caribbean in a stolen French ship and meets up with Henry Morgan who she teams up with for an adventure or two. There is a spiritual aspect as she also meets and is adopted by Carib Indians and is affected by their beliefs, it is often forgotten that in the mid 17th century the Caribs inhabited most of the islands and the Europeans were in the minority.
What was the most challenging aspect of writing this book?
It’s the same as all my books, getting the research done. My regular readers want action but also demand historical accuracy. The internet is a great resource as are my library of books, but you have to be careful and check against three or, even, four sources as recorded history is often reported from more than one perspective. A case in point is the life of Henry Morgan; there is his version of his days as a privateer which paints him whiter than white, and the view of many other people that paint a picture of a drunken sadist and slaver.
What is your normal procedure to get your books published?
I self-publish so its relatively simple, once the cover is designed and delivered, (Dawn Spears is my artist) the text is edited and proofread I submit it through KDP. I have been approached by a couple of publishers, but none have show that they can make more money or sell more copies than I can by going direct. I pre-publicise on Facebook and through my newsletter for about a month before its published. In these days of Social media, eBooks and self publishing you no longer need to do extended pre publicity as its all much more immediate now.
What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
Flow and pace. The story and language must flow and not jar the reader, even when the perspective is changed. The pace should vary giving the reader time to catch their breath between the high energy action sections.
Consistency – close those plot lines, make sure you use the same spelling for character’s names (I hate it when I get that wrong) just be consistent.
Language – be honest to the age, keep it simple, writing isn’t about showing off that you know big words it’s about telling a story!
How many books have you written so far?
The Dorset Boy Series.
A Talent for Trouble
The Special Operations Flotilla
Agent Provocateur
In Dangerous Company
The Tempest
Vendetta
The Trojan Horse
La Licorne
The Scarlet Fox Series
Scarlett
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
I write straight from brain to paper without plot maps or character notes, I think that comes from being a storyteller, so it’s quite quick. 3 to 4 months for a 75K word book writing on average 2 hours a day seven days a week. I could not spend years writing a book, I have a very low boredom threshold. I keep lists of characters and their main characteristics so I can keep things consistent.
How hard or easy is it to establish and maintain a career in writing?
I was lucky, I got it right first time and write in a genre with a limited number of authors writing in it. So, establishing myself was a matter of just getting the first three books out and having something people wanted to read. Maintaining it is a matter of keeping up the standard and improving my craft every time I publish another book. Read A Talent for Trouble and then read la Licorne and you will see what I mean. I have developed Technically and now run more plot lines and characters in every story,
What is your advice for aspiring writers?
Write for yourself, forget the audience, if you don’t enjoy what you have written how can you expect them to? Read your reviews, good and bad and learn from them. Don’t try and impress, keep it simple and stay within your limits.
Visit Author Christopher C Tubbs book links:-
Website: www.thedorsetboy.com
Twitter: @ChristoherCTu3
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedorsetboy/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/KCBR4ITqDi4
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