Where are you from and what do you love most about your hometown?
C.B. – I am born and bred in Derby, a City that I love in part because of it’s size. It is big enough to be a city with a bustling arts community but small enough not to be overwhelming. It’s the mother bear of cities.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? How has that childhood dream affected your career?
C.B. – As a child I always wanted to be a comic artist however the realization that I couldn’t draw pretty much stopped that in its tracks. I still dabble in that side of things, colouring and lettering comic-books however my focus is on writing.
Tell us about your latest book. Do you have anything new in the works and can you tell us a bit about it?
C.B. – I guess in this case my latest book is the Derby Scribes 2011 Anthology, a big point for the group as the last anthology we were in a position to release was way back in 2008. Since then anthologies have been planned and abandoned as the group went through a number of moves and changes. Members left and members joined.
Now finally, we’ve reached more of a stable point for the group that will hopefully last a good long time… keep an eye out for another anthology in 2012.
Why did you write this story for the Derby Scribes 2011 Anthology?
C.B. – This story (‘Obsolete’) is a story I began writing roughly 7 years ago. The first half had been edited and worked to death since then, when we decided to go ahead with the Anthology I decided it was the perfect impetus for me to finally finish the story.
How did you come up with the title for your story in the Derby Scribes 2011 Anthology?
C.B. – The story itself was inspired by a gate-door set into a wall that I used to walk past on my way to work. On it was stenciled the word ‘Obsolete’; I have no idea why, but it started the story brewing and seemed the obvious choice for the title.
How did you choose your genre?
C.B. – My stories tend to be speculative fiction (‘Obsolete’ is no exception) however I wanted to give it a feeling of ‘this-world-but-not-quite’. I hope I managed it.
What inspired you to be a writer?
C.B. – I don’t think there was one moment that inspired me to be honest. For as long as I can remember I’ve enjoyed writing, at school I used to take the stories my friends had written loosely for English coursework and re-write them on their behalf. I just really enjoyed it.
Who is your favorite character in your books? Why?
C.B. – My favourite character is a car, a Volkswagon Sirocco who features in a series of short stories I am writing. These stories are about the characters who use this car however it is written from the point of view of the car, he has a personality that only the reader gets to know.
Have you ever used contemporary events or stories “ripped from the headlines” in your work?
C.B. – I have never directly used events ripped from headlines however very often things in the news and mainly science news that interest me often spin me off in directions that end in stories.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging about writing?
C.B. – Although I love creating stories and world and characters if I plan them out too much I find it very difficult to then write the actual story. I find my writing comes easier if I am partly discovering as I go along, I can always go back and edit afterwards.
What advice would you give to writers just starting out?
C.B. – Read as much as you write, find people whose opinions you trust and listen to any suggestions they make. Also you have to be able to distance yourself from your stories. Don’t treat them as your babies; you have to be prepared to cull them, have them criticized and replace them with other stories.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
C.B. – I do at times find myself sticking on stories, ‘Obsolete’ for example sat half done for years before I finished it. When these blocks strike I tend to move onto a different writing project or some colouring and lettering work. If I take my mind off it then after a while I’ll be ready to get back at it.
Who is your favorite author and why? What books have most influenced your life?
C.B. – When I was a youngster Terry Pratchett dominated my reading, recently however I guess it would be Margaret Atwood or Neil Gaiman. As for books that have influenced me the most they would be ‘Brave New World’ – Aldous Huxley, ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ – Arthur Golden and ‘House of Leaves’ – Mark Z. Danielewski.
How did you deal with rejection letters?
C.B. – I have not had a rejection letter yet, however I don’t send lots of submissions out, a lot of those I do are submissions that I have spoken to the editors about already so in my limited publishing history I’ve not had any *fingers crossed*
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TWITTER : @fictionchris
