Interview with author Stewart Bint

It’s Friday, you know what that means! No, there won’t be some annoying camel video, I said Friday, not Wednesday. 🙂 Today’s #fridayguestinterview is with Author Stewart Bint, let’s kick this interview off with learning a little more about the author from the man himself.

Stewart:
I’m Stewart Bint, from Leicestershire in the UK.  I’ve been a writer of sorts all my working life – I trained as a journalist and broadcaster, then moved into Public Relations. My first two pieces of published fiction were in a magazine in the 1980s, but then there was a break until 2012!  I’m now a novelist, magazine columnist and PR writer.

The Writing Piazza:
Can you tell my readers a bit about the books you have written?

Stewart:
I was signed by a new publisher earlier this year, who offered me a five-year contract, and have just brought out my paranormal/horror novel, In Shadows Waiting, as a paperback. This is a ghost story that gets darker by the page, inspired by my real-life brush with the supernatural. The story revolves around an ordinary family who find themselves the victim of an ever-increasing onslaught. It starts gently, building to a shattering climax. During a spate of burglaries in their village the family start seeing fleeting movements in their garden. Then things happen in the house. The police can find no sign of intruders. What was simply annoying becomes frightening. Then dangerous. Then deadly. It’s clear there are supernatural forces at work.

The Writing Piazza:
Sounds like a real nail-bitter! How about your book Timeshaft, can you tell us about that?

Stewart:
Following the fortunes of two sets of time travelers, Timeshaft extends my earlier novellas Malfunction and Ashday’s Child, linking the two storylines and extending them into a full-length novel. The Timeshaft is a path through time from pre-history to the end of the world, under the control of environmental protection group WorldSave.

WorldSave operatives travel through the Timeshaft preventing ecological disasters, but that’s more of the back story. The plot focuses on the group’s leading agent, the enigmatic Ashday’s Child, an elderly tramp born in another era. But why has he really spent his life flitting through the ages? What is he seeking? Combining Ashday’s Child’s activities and hidden agenda with an accident befalling the very first time journey by the fledgling Time Research And Exploration Project, Timeshaft rocks along to the past and future with paradoxes and twists galore.

The Writing Piazza:
Those time-traveling novels always get my head spinning! But it sounds like a fast-paced thrill ride of a book. And that’s so fun that you have linked two of your shorter works together. Do you have any other short stories?

Stewart:
Thunderlands is a collection of 17 short stories ranging from the sublime to the unforgivably ridiculous. Powerful, like The Twitter Bully. Puzzling, like A Timely Murder. Horrific, like The Growing Thing. Ridiculous, like Living Proof. Very different, like Ree — The Troll of Dingleay.

The Writing Piazza:
Sounds like you’ve been busy? Can you tell us about the very first novel you ever wrote?

Stewart:
My first full length novel was The Jigsaw and The Fan, a light-hearted ghost story with constant bites of satire. A strike prevents a dead trades unionist taking his place in the afterlife. He returns to Earth to haunt a stately home, and angry that the wealthy owner makes money from visitors, sets out to frighten them away. A pair of roguish guardian angels oversee the proceedings, but they are more concerned with their own battle of wits raging across eternity than they are with the well-being of their unwitting pawns on Earth.

The Writing Piazza:
That sounds ghoulishly delightful! So fun for a first book. Now that we’ve heard about your various books, can you describe your publishing journey for us?

Stewart:
Throughout my 20s I worked as a local radio broadcaster and set my ambition to become a published novelist by the time I was 30. Hhmmm, I was only 26 years late for that, as I was 56 when my first novella, Malfunction, was published by Smashwords. I had been writing fiction all my life, but never considered it good enough for anyone else to read, so didn’t submit to publishers until a friend convinced me otherwise.

My original plan was just to offer my work to e-book publishers. Which I did for three years…firstly with Smashwords, and then with Amazon’s own ebook division. I felt my decision was vindicated by the fact that the rise of e-readers has had a significant impact on the book purchasing market. Since 2008 print sales are down 26% while e-books have grown from nothing to £563m.

Then one of my short stories was published in a paperback anthology, and to see my work in an actual printed book was somewhat magical.

I was smitten, and started my search for a print publisher, eventually submitting to Booktrope, based in Seattle, America. To my delight they offered me a five-year contract. And the thrill of holding my paperback for the very first time was unbelievable.

I can safely say there have only been high spots since that day back in 2012 when my first ebook became available for Kindles, Kobos, iPads, Androids and the like.

The Writing Piazza:
That does sound thrilling! I can’t wait to hold my own paperback in my hand. I’m not against e-readers but there’s just something about having that physical book that makes it seem so real, so exciting!

How about any funny/inspirational/exciting stories, do you have any of those from your journey as a writer?

Stewart:
Probably the only thing I could share here is how I was inspired to start writing fiction in the first place, by the original series of my favorite television show, Doctor Who, way back in 1963 when I was just seven.

I became enraptured by the story-lines which could take place at any time in Earth’s history and future, and absolutely anywhere in the universe and beyond. I started creating my own worlds and my own characters, writing my stories in little blue notebooks until my parents bought me a portable typewriter for my ninth birthday.

Those make-believe worlds became invaluable after my Dad died when I was 11. I retreated more and more into those places where I was in control of my characters’ fate – knowing that whatever happened to them during the story I would make sure they were okay in the end. My worlds were certainly better than the real one at that time.

The Writing Piazza:
The magic of writing. It’s such an amazing thing to be able to write or read and submerse yourself into this whole new place. And to have that control to make sure things end up happily ever after is one of the things I love about fiction. I always like to say, if I wanted realistic endings I’d watch the news. I think a lot of people can relate to your journey.

I know we can’t spend all our time in make-believe worlds though I’m sure we all wish we could. So I was curious, are you a full time writer or do you also have a “day job” and if you do, what do you do?

Stewart:
I’m not a full-time novelist, but I am a full-time writer. I have three writing roles. The “day job” is a Public Relations writer for the world’s leading CAD/CAM software developer. The company creates software for industrial machines that cut metal, stone and wood. Our software basically tells the machines exactly where to cut the raw material to manufacture the end products. My main role is to visit our customers and interview them about how they use the software, and then write the story up for trade magazines. It’s absolutely fascinating, and I love it. It’s the best “day job” I’ve ever had.

Also, I have my own column in a local fortnightly magazine. It’s called “Up Close And Personal, With Local Novelist Stewart Bint.” And, of course, my novels.

The Writing Piazza:
Wow, sounds like all that keeps you pretty busy! How do you balance your fiction writing life with all that other writing you have going on?

Stewart: 
By being a meticulous time manager, and being prepared to put in long hours.  My day job is based from home, which is a big help. I can log off from my company computer at around 6 pm, have dinner, and then fire up the personal laptop to either write or, as at the moment, work on marketing activities for In Shadows Waiting. Since the book was published, I have rarely finished work before midnight.

Also, I go barefoot almost all of the time, whether it be a trip into town or a hike along woodland trails; it provides the break I need from the keyboard and keeps me relaxed and grounded.

The Writing Piazza:
That’s adventurous, going barefoot everywhere?! But that’s great that you’ve found a way to get it all done and keep yourself grounded. Let’s talk more about the business side of writing if we could. Do you have any advice for authors hoping to get their books published?

Stewart:
Keep persevering and never give up. But above all…submit your work! I never thought my work was good enough to be published, and didn’t bother to polish beyond a first draft. Then a friend encouraged me to submit to a publisher. I did, and the rest, as they say, is history. Also, as I was 56 when my first e-novel came out, age is no limit either!

The Writing Piazza:
Perseverance is a required trait for any writer hoping to be published. But courage is also necessary, I couldn’t agree more! It’s hard to put yourself out there but it’s the first step. Be courageous!

What is one thing you know now, that you wish you’d known before you published your book?

Stewart:
Writing the book and having it published is only the start. I hadn’t realized how much time I would need to devote to marketing.

The Writing Piazza:
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard the struggle writers have had with marketing! We have been trying to add more resources for it here on TWP since I know so many people (myself included) struggle with book marketing. There’s a great article just posted on the subject, anyone interested can read it HERE.

Before I let you go, I have to ask, are you currently working on a new book?

Stewart:
I am working on suggestions from my publisher’s editor for my time travel novel, Timeshaft, which is scheduled to come out around Christmas. Two more of my existing ebooks are likely to be out as paperback next year, with a brand new novel, To Rise Again, in 2017.

The Writing Piazza:
How about any upcoming events? Do you have anything coming up?

Stewart:
Other than a month-long book blog tour which my publisher’s marketing manager has set up, nothing at the moment, but I’m working on it! I’m hoping to hold signings in local bookshops and libraries, and give talks to local schools and organisations.

The Writing Piazza:
Wonderful, well good luck with your future plans. And thank you so much for your time and for being a guest on my blog!  For anyone looking for more info on Stewart and his writing, or if you’d like to connect with him, here are some ways you may do so:

His website: Author Stewart Bint
His twitter: AuthorSJB
His author Facebook page: Stewart Bint Author

Stewart and I would also like to thank all you fabulous readers for joining us today. We are so grateful that you took the time to read this interview, we appreciate you all very much! Have a great rest of your day.

Until we meet again.