The internet can be a beautiful thing sometimes. Like the following Q&A for an example with author Chris Ward. I read The Tube Riders and thought it was fantastic. I went to Facebook, found his page, and messaged him asking if he’d be interested in doing a Q&A for the site. He graciously accepted, and here we are now. Simple, quick, and effective. Do you know what else is simple and quick, yet just as effective? Heading over to Amazon.com and downloading The Tube Riders for absolutely free! You read that right. The first book of the trilogy is completely FREE! After doing that, perhaps check out his many other books that are available. So after you read the following Q&A and get to know the author Chris Ward, visit Amazon.com and get to reading!
—————-
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I started writing when I was six or seven, although it was just little bits and bobs. I used to do things like make up comic book stories and give them to my parents to read. I was probably in my early teens when I started to want to do it as a career, and by the time I was 18, when I finished my first full length novel, I wanted to be world famous, something I’m still trying to achieve…
What author inspired/inspires you to write?
Back when I was a kid I used to read big fat fantasy books by the likes of Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan, Tolkien, William Horwood, Hugh Cook. I didn’t really have a lot of friends, plus I lived on the edge of a forest so apart from climb trees there wasn’t a lot to do. I really loved long books and long series, although through my teens I started to read more horror and sci-fi, and then into university it was mostly literary type stuff. I can still remember the first Stephen King book I read—Christine—and that was a bit of a game changer because it was so awesome. I’ve always liked to read widely, and I love a lot of authors who don’t really write the kind of stuff I write. I’d guess my favorite authors at the moment are Iain Banks, Gillian Flynn, Don Winslow, and I’ve just got back into JG Ballard, who I read a lot when I was a student. It’s rare that I’ll read two books in a row by the same author though. I just like variation.
What was your first book published?
The Tube Riders, in 2012. I self-published it, although I’d been in a bunch of magazines before then, most notably in Weird Tales 352 in 2008, a pro sale that gave me the confidence in my writing that I needed. Since I decided to self-publish in 2012 I haven’t looked back.
How would you describe your writing routine?
I try to write every day, even if it’s just half an hour or so. In an idea world I’d write in the mornings, from 7 a.m. to lunchtime, but for the time being I’m stuck with a day job so it’s usually evenings and weekends. I write as much as I can, but it’s never enough. I could always do more. I tend to binge write too—I’ll write two or three novels before I go back and start editing them. I love drafting; I’m not a fan of editing but it’s one of those things that just has to be done.
Have you ever had a case of writer’s block? If so, how did you overcome?
There’s no such thing as writers’ block. What does exist though is a lack of confidence in your ability and for me I was always held back by my failure to break into the traditional publishing world. Back in 2009 I wrote The Tube Riders, and I was sure that I had a book that was up there, as good as anything in its genre and in the right hands something that was movie material. I felt that this was it, this was my chance, and if I didn’t sell Tube Riders I’d never sell anything. Yet for months I collected form rejections signed by interns (I did get a couple of partial requests from big US agencies but that was it), and it broke me. After that I went dry for three years. I wasted time writing travel articles and trying to make money writing online reviews. It was all bullshit. Then in January 2012 I came across Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and figured I had nothing to lose. I now have 145 reviews on The Tube Riders, many of which tend to agree with my assessment of the book, thankfully! Since then, my confidence has continued to grow. The more you write, the more ideas you get. If anyone genuinely thinks they have writers block, sit down, pick a random letter of the alphabet and start a sentence with it. Or pick something lying on the desk nearby and ask yourself what it would think if it was sentient. Write it down. It’s all about planting seeds.
On social media you post about word count for the day when writing. What has been the most you have produced, and what number is generally viewed as a good day for you?
I keep a tab on wordcounts, but it’s for personal motivation. In general I’m happy with 2-3k a day. The most I’ve ever written was about 7k in a day, which was near the end of a book. I tend to start off quickly, have a slow spell in the middle, then race through the end.
What has been the most rewarding project in your professional career – in or out of books – and why?
The Tube Riders series. If I never write another word, I’ll always be proud of that. I’m not sure I’ll ever top it.
Do you have any new projects coming up that you want/can share?
I just released a new book called The Castle of All Nightmares, which is the second in the Tales of Crow series. I’m now working through the edits on The Puppeteer King (Crow #3), and I recently finished The Circus of Machinations (Crow #4) (I think that might be a title exclusive there!). I’m hoping to have them out by the end of the year. There will be one more book in the series, which I’ll probably start sometime in the summer. The later books in this series tie into the backstory of Tube Riders a little bit, although they’re set 70-80 years before and they’re not essential reading for the rest of the series. It’s been fun though, taking something that started out really separate and written in a completely different tone and slowly darkening it into a more Tube Riders-esque style. I hope to promote the series in its own right, but having that little connection will hopefully get a few crossover fans.
In addition, I’m also working on a stand-alone YA dystopian, what I call the “cliché book”, because it’s filled with all the genre clichés that fans of the genre seem to expect. Or at least it’s supposed to be, but I’m veering off course a little bit!
How do you see the digital marketplace and digital distribution changing the medium?
There are more sales channels opening up all the time, which is good because Amazon needs a little competition. I think iTunes will be a huge player in the future, but I also think that more popular authors will be able to sell directly to their fans and avoid the middleman. This is something that I’d like to do.
At the same time, though, it’s only a matter of time before eBook piracy is as rife as music theft. I hate it, but there’s very little I can do to stop it. There will come a time far in the future where no one creates anything because it’s impossible to make any money of it. Now, there’s a story idea…
Thoughts on interacting with fans on social media?
I don’t have many, but I love it when I get contacted by fans. It’s a real trip. I go to this day job every day (I’m an assistant English teacher in a Japanese Junior High school) where I get mostly ignored by the other teachers and ridiculed by the kids (it’s usually in a good way haha), and then I come home and there’s an email waiting from someone who likes my books. It makes me feel like a superstar. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it.
Any advice for new authors?
Be aware that success off the bat is the exception, not the norm. Most people bust their guts for years before getting anywhere but don’t give up! The journey is always more interesting than the destination.
How would you like to be remembered?
As a decent person. I do my best but no one’s perfect.
Dropkick Daily 
Leave a comment