Stewart's had six books published – five novels and a short story collection - and finds it easier to write paranormal and sci-fi stories, so he sticks to those, although he admits, he did surprise himself with a crime and medical backdrop to his latest novel, When God’s Wind Blows! But some genres are more of a struggle to write, such as romance, although he's experimented with a little romance, along with humour, fantasy, and even a couple of children’s tales in his short story collection, Thunderlands. So let's meet him.
Thanks so much for joining me and let's start by chatting about your publishing journey. Are you traditionally published or did you self-publish?
Originally, I self-published through Smashwords and Kindle Direct Publishing, but as ebooks only. My first efforts were a couple of novellas in 2012. Back then, I thought e-readers such as Kindle and Kobo were the future of publishing, and that print books were on the way out. Then, one of my short stories was published in a print anthology, and to see my work in an actual printed paperback was somewhat magical.
I can imagine! So what did you do?
Shortly afterwards, I was taking part in a media photoshoot with two fellow authors, who both had paperbacks. But all I could pose with, was my Kindle displaying the cover. That was it. I was smitten with the idea of becoming a paperback writer, so I embarked on a quest to find a print publisher, and was lucky enough to strike gold pretty quickly, and my first paperback, In Shadows Waiting, appeared in 2015.
Hhmm, that sounds more like skill than luck, but okay 😂 What publishing house?
Dragon Moon Press have brought out my novels, In Shadows Waiting, When God’s Wind Blows, Timeshaft, and The Jigsaw And The Fan; with Next Chapter publishing To Rise Again, and Thunderlands.
Two? Wow, congratulations! Although that would seem to prove you're good at your job! And talking of which, can we discuss your writing process? I've found editing has taken me far longer than I'd anticipated. How about you?
Editing!! Writers either love it or hate it. I regard it as a two-part process: roughing, then finishing. A couple of weeks after finishing the first draft I print it off and read it through. And nearly die of embarrassment. Did I really write such rubbish? Ah, but hold hard. It’s always like this, isn’t it?
I'm laughing because yep, me too! What happens next?
A few weeks of picking it to bits, developing a few scenes here, cutting a few scenes there, showing a particular character trait earlier in the book so the reader’s not surprised by something later on, and finally, yeah, that’s okay. Pleased with that. Send it off to my publisher’s editor.
Job done then!
Nope! Back it comes, almost every page marked with red. Developmental edits, they call them.
Oh dear! That sounds very much like my development edit too, which led to massive rewrites but that was me. What do you do?
I print off two copies. One showing all the editor’s comments with the tracked changes, and one without, so I can read the story clearly. Yes, what they’ve asked for makes perfect sense, and works extremely well. New scenes added. Other scenes removed. More banter added between the main characters. Final read through of the second draft, and back it goes.
So, in summary, my process involves big edits to the first draft to get the story roughly into shape. Then, developmental edits as suggested by the publisher’s editor, which turns my raw story into a saleable commodity.
This is why every novel needs a professional editor.
I completely agree. It's amazing how that additional eye manages to tease a far better book out of you. But rolling things back a bit, is there a germ of an idea that starts you writing a book?
Oh Stewart, I'm so sorry to hear this, but writing is cathartic so I wouldn't be surprised. Okay, moving on, are you a big plotter of your novels, or do you fly by the seat of your pants?
This may sound odd, but it’s actually a mixture of both. I always know where the story’s going, and try to plot the route as much as I can. But I’ve lost count of the number of times my characters suddenly go off on a tangent, doing their own thing, and I simply become a reporter, faithfully chronicling what I see unfolding before my eyes.
However, the pantster dominating the plotter really came to the fore while working on my latest novel, When God’s Wind Blows. The finished book is a paranormal crime thriller with a medical background, and is a sequel to my 2015 novel In Shadows Waiting which is set in 1982.
When I was in plotter mode, it was going to be a standalone sci-fi novel with no connection to the characters and events in In Shadows Waiting. My original idea was that the main character would be a scientist who suffered from mental blackouts since his teenage years.
As the plotting continued, I couldn’t see a feasible ending, and there was no conflict in it, so I realised I needed to change direction. I switched the blackouts to become the paranormal events they are in the book today, and the scientist became a retired police inspector. The conflict was going to be between that character and a criminal he caught 25 years ago who had just been released from prison.
This raised another barrier, though, in that I’d need to devote a couple of chapters to getting a hard-nosed ex-policeman to accept the paranormal, which would waste valuable word count. So, who did I know who’s already accepted the paranormal, and gone through a horrific paranormal experience? Simon Reynolds, in In Shadows Waiting, set nearly 40 years ago. Re-reading that book I saw how easy it would be to link the two stories, and have the cause of events in When God’s Wind Blows in 2020 and 2021, directly connected to what happened in 1982 in In Shadows Waiting.
Gosh, I love this! But please, continue.
Moving on, here’s a case of where being a committed plotter many years ago, is paying dividends. Long before I made a breakthrough in the world of published fiction, I started to write a novel in 1986. I had a detailed 13-chapter synopsis, and actually managed to write six full chapters on my old typewriter. Those pages have been tucked away in my office ever since.
When I made the decision to retire from writing earlier this year, I was going to throw them out, as I wasn’t prepared to commit to the time or effort needed to finish the book. But I showed the synopsis and chapters to an American thriller writer, and she’s going to finish it. All I want from it is to be credited as co-author. So, that’s a nice little project for me in retirement!
Oh, this is brilliant! And won't it be fascinating to see what she does with it too, like maybe picking different points of view from what you'd imagined?
And talking of which, how do you normally choose your POVs?
The point of view depends on what I’m trying to achieve, first with the book, and then with an individual scene. There’s only one point of view In Shadows Waiting, and that’s the main character written in the first person. That’s because I needed the story of the horror facing the family to be developed from their son’s perspective, building on how he feels as it grows from a slow, small start, to a raging crescendo at the climax.
That partly continued with the sequel. But because the scope of the story spreads far beyond Simon’s perspective, I brought in several other points of view, each of which had to be clearly defined with separate chapters. POVs never switched in a chapter.
Yes, that's a good tip. I've mainly written in the third person limited, but my upcoming debut novel is first person and it's been a revelation. I love how intimate it becomes, although it poses other problems, but that's half the fun!
Okay, how about creating your characters. Do you create profiles before, or as you write?
I have an idea of what drives the main characters before I start writing, but characteristics often develop in response to a situation. Once that characteristic has been used, I store it away to ensure further responses will be in character. This way, I can write scenes where the character’s behaviour is not only convincing, but inevitable.
To make them true to life, I have to fully understand their motives. This aspect is what makes novel writing so exciting for me.
Effective dialogue is one of the best ways to create believable characters. Every line of dialogue needs to be tailored for the individual character, so that you can tell who is speaking, without them being constantly named, and even from isolated sentences.
And talking of character names, how do you pick yours?
I find coming up with appropriate names to be extremely difficult. They vary so much, from Albert Carter, a trade union official, through Simon Reynolds, a typical teenager in his early years who becomes a radio presenter later, to more unusual names such as Jigonhsasee, Simon’s spiritual Iroquois Guardian Angel, and Ashday’s Child, which is a nickname for the main character in Timeshaft.
I can agonise for hours just to create a name that seems a perfect fit, but I’m rarely happy with them.
Oh, what a shame you're rarely happy, but I do think we're all our own worst critics! How about your writing style – do you change it for different stories?
The short, generic, answer to this, is yes, that it all depends on the story and how you want to tell it. To expand a little:
When we’re talking to someone we recall events in the past tense, so it feels natural to write in it, as well. It’s also easier to maintain across different points of view.
Swearing can be particularly tricky. The only time I use it regularly is in When God’s Wind Blows. It can be a powerful tool, adding additional authenticity in some situations. But beware of alienating readers if it’s not managed properly. It works best when it’s true to the character and scene.
Many authors dislike purple prose, but in my opinion it has its place if used sparingly, and to invoke certain feelings. For example, in When God’s Wind Blows, there are scenes of Simon Reynolds coming out of a medically-induced coma, and an out-of-body experience, and I use ornate descriptions of what he’s seeing and thinking. Only use this style of writing rarely, and ensure it flows well and advances either the plot or characterisation.
That's great advice! I can tell you have a lot of experience, so can you give any advice to writers, such as avoiding common writing mistakes?
My first two pointers here are a little wider than just writing mistakes, but they’re probably the most important mistake not to make!
Write for yourself, first of all. Your stories should make you happy.
Secondly, you’re never too old to make it, so keep at it. Life, family and work took preference over my dreams of becoming a novelist when I was younger. My first ebook appeared when I was 56, and my first paperback three years later.
Oh, I love this! What other gems do you have?
Talent can’t be taught, but craftsmanship certainly can, and the thing about self-publishing, is that readers can find little gems that probably wouldn’t make it through the rather snobbish gatekeeping of many traditional publishers. By snobbish, I mean the oft-quoted ‘rule’ of ‘show, don’t tell.’
While this ‘rule’ still abounds, any writers hoping for a contract with a traditional publisher must largely show and not tell. The so-called experts say that if the main narrative voice of the book tells us what’s happening, instead of us being shown through a character’s eyes and letting us experience their feelings, it’s a big no-no. Avoid too many instances of staccato ‘this happened,’ ‘that happened.’ Describe it from the character’s viewpoint and thoughts, to take your reader directly into the heart of the action.
Excellent advice, Stewart. And finally, marketing. How do you find it?
In the early days of my writing journey, when I self-published, promotion and marketing took an inordinate amount of time, but it had to be done. It included promotions on KDP, competitions on Facebook and X (when it was still known as Twitter), stalls at local book events and village fetes, and giving talks to local groups.
However, since being accepted by traditional publishers, they handle the lion’s share of marketing, but I’m still active on social media, and continue to give regular author talks. I’ve also been successful at getting my books accepted by local libraries.
Well, this has been a lovely chat. Thank you so much for your time, and I'd love it if we could end by seeing the blurb for your latest book, When God’s Wind Blows.
If you thought the horror was over at the end of In Shadows Waiting, think again. This sequel, set almost 40 years after the tragic events at White Pastures, is a paranormal crime thriller with a COVID backdrop, showing how grief and love affect one man’s sanity.
After a young couple are ruthlessly gunned down outside their home during the pandemic, we weave our way through Simon Reynolds’ personal COVID nightmare, as he seeks answers about the mysterious blackouts he’s experienced since his sister died at the hands of a supernatural entity back in 1982.
Slowly but surely, paranormal events intertwine Simon’s Long COVID journey with Adam and Hayley Hampshire’s murder, unveiling a plot to terrorise the entire world.
When God’s Wind Blows is a paranormal tale of love, insanity, and tragedy, of epic proportions.
That sounds brilliant, thank you so much, and if you'd like to find out more about this wonderful author, please see his links below:
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