Is it August already? Wow. Where as the time gone? It’s time for another author interview and this week I welcome CD Gallant-King.
Welcome CD.
Glad to be here.
First, I have to say after going through your bio and checking out your website you are one of the most interesting people I’ve done an author interview for.
Um… thanks I think.
(Laughs) trust me, that’s a good thing.
If you say so. I’ll try not to be a spectacular letdown.
I love the quirky whit and the humor it’s a lot of fun. Anyway, let’s get going shall we.
Sounds good.
First tell me, what are you currently working on?
I’ve got a few projects I’m working on, but off the top of my head I would say my Werebear vs. Landopus series. It’s a grotesque comic fantasy about terrible people doing horrible things trying to be heroic.
So, it’s about politics?
(chuckles) No, but now that you mention it… (chuckles again).
Okay, so it’s not about politics, what is it about?
Each book features a group of “heroes” trying to destroy some hideous monster, but each time they only make things worse. It’s not for everyone and definitely recommended for mature audiences - not just because of the violence but because of the endless stream of dirty jokes and the casual discussion of the genitalia of various fantasy races.
And you’re sure it’s not about politics?
I’m sure.
All right enough of me trying to be funny, the series sounds interesting and I can see that it might not be for everyone. I’m curious what is the easiest thing about writing?
Coming up with an idea and sitting down to start a new story is the easiest thing in the world. That’s why I have literally hundreds of unfinished manuscripts on my computer. I have so many ideas, some good, some really, really terrible. Sometimes I write a few lines, sometimes a few pages and sometimes even a few chapters before I get bored and/or realize the idea isn’t as good as I thought it was.
I’ve been there before. I think that is something everyone can relate to in some form or another.
I think so. Still, sometimes I can reuse these ideas in other places, other times they just sit in The Closet collecting dust. I hope that one day I’ll be able to come back and finish all those crazy ideas. Or maybe someone will eventually write a computer program where I can just pump in my character sketches and plot outlines and it will spit out a finished novel.
Who knows?
Oh come on, you know it’s coming. The AI will need something to read after it takes over the world.
Probably, with collecting all these thoughts and ideas do you write on a typewriter, computer, dictate or longhand?
I usually write on the bus during my commute to work with my tiny old beat-up laptop balanced on my knees. Sometimes I write longhand, though.
Seriously? Longhand?
Yep. I actually wrote the first draft of Hell Comes to Hogtown completely longhand because I thought it would be easier to do on my commute. Except then I had to transcribe the manuscript, also on the bus, balancing both my laptop and my notebook on my lap. It was maddening, but at the same time helpful because I got to do a lot of editing and revising as I went between the first and second draft. In different circumstances I might do it again, but as long as I’m writing on the bus I think I will keep to putting the words directly into the computer.
Given you do your writing while you commute do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?
I just try to get as much as I can. If I can’t get a seat on the bus, or if I’m tired and I doze off, I don’t get a whole lot of words in. So I try to be flexible and work where and when I can. If I’m focused, I can get 1000-2000 words on a good day (including the commute both ways). But it’s not at all unusual for extenuating circumstances (like forgetting to charge my laptop) results in exactly 0 words written.
With everything you put into your books what are your thoughts on giving books away for free?
What do you hope to accomplish by giving the book away? If you want that person to read your book and now they can, well, then it worked. If you want that book to cure cancer or teach a dog to do backflips, you’ve probably failed.
(Unless the book is literally about curing cancer or teaching a dog to do backflips, of course).
If you mean, will giving books away help increase your sales, then I think it probably will help, at least in the long run.
I agree.
The absolute hardest part about marketing a book is just getting it into people’s hands. There are so many books out there (not to mention movies, TV shows, etc) vying for everyone’s attention, being heard through the noise is a monumental feat. Being heard loud and being convincing enough to actually get someone to pick up your book is another level harder. But if you’ve literally placed the book into a potential reader’s hands, then you have skipped all that. Sure, you’re out the cost of the book (that’s the cost of marketing), but if they like it they might buy another book, or write a positive review, or tell a friend about it. At the very least they might mention to someone about the nice author person who gave them the free book, and your name will pass into infamy. And sure, they may just chuck it in the garbage, but once again: price of marketing. How much money have you spent on ads that amounted to the same thing?
I think people forget that and need to factor free books as part of their marketing plan. Of course you don’t want to give all your books away for free.
The trick of course is giving the book to the right person who will actually read it and may enjoy it. Giving a book about back-flipping dogs to someone who is looking for paranormal Christian YA erotica, for example, may not be the best choice.
Paranormal Christian YA Erotica… that… well I’ve never heard of that.
It’s a thing. Google it. Just not when you’re at work.
That is all we have time for today. I hope this wasn’t too painful a process?
Excruciating.
Excellent, then my work here is done. Anyway, I’m glad you were able to stop by for a chat.
Thanks for having me.
Of course, keep us posted on your books and feel free to stop by anytime for a chat. I enjoyed having you here today.
More about CD Gallant-King
C.D. Gallant-King wrote his first story when he was five years old. He had to make his baby-sitter look up how to spell "extra-terrestrial" in the dictionary. He now writes stories about un-heroic people doing generally hilarious things in horrifying worlds.
He's a loving husband and proud father of two wonderful little kids. He was born and raised in Newfoundland and currently resides in Ottawa, Ontario. There was also a ten-year period in between where he tried to make a go of a career in Theatre in Toronto, but that didn't work out so well.
C.D. has written eight novels you haven't read, because they're still locked in The Closet. The Closet is both a figurative and literal location - it is the space in his head where the stories are kept, but it's also an actual closet under the stairs in his basement where the stories are also kept. It's very meta.
He has published two novels you can read, Ten Thousand Days in 2015 and Hell Comes to Hogtown in 2016. He has an ongoing series of dark comic fantasy stories called Werebear vs. Landopus, which is available on Kindle Unlimited. His work also appears in Mystery and Horror’s supernatural humour anthology, Strangely Funny IV.
To reach out to CD find him at any of the below:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
Goodreads
Find CD's books at any of the below:
Amazon
Kobo
Smashwords
B&N
