UK Crime Writer Tom Bale
After my review about Tom Bale’s recent book ‘See how they run’, I can proudly announce, that he agreed to give me an interview too! How cool is that? I’m pretty excited to share this awesome interview about an incredidbly talented writer with you . Let’s find out some more about top author Tom Bale.
First of all, the question you’ll probably answer the most.
How did you become a writer?
A lot of reading, and a lot of writing: it really is as simple as that. I’ve never taken any classes, never belonged to a writers’ group or had any kind of mentoring. I just read a lot of books, and taught myself how to analyze what worked and what didn’t. Over the years I wrote short stories, novels, TV scripts, comedy sketches, poems – I sent them out and got nearly all of them rejected, but gradually I began to get a few encouraging comments from editors, and I used that feedback to improve my writing.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and how your job as a fulltime writer changed your life.
I was submitting my work from the age of fifteen, but it took nearly a quarter of a century to become a full-time writer. Before that happened I had various other jobs – I was an insurance claims handler, a project manager and business analyst, and I also had a few years at home as a house-husband when my children were very young. When I finally had the break-through it was literally a dream come true – I still have to pinch myself, almost, at the thought that I earn a living from making up stories.
What is your writing progress? Do you have a strict process from the shape of the idea to the finished book?
Often I set out to write a detailed plan, but I tend to reach a point where the notes start to morph into the book itself. My main goal, once I’ve begun, is simply to get a finished draft, no matter what kind of state it’s in. That means I usually end up with a large, messy document, full of odd little ideas that I’ve thrown in on impulse – and then the real work begins! I love the process of rewriting, throwing out the ideas that no longer fit, and building up those that do. Typically I will cut around 25% of the total word count in order to get the story as streamlined as it can possibly be.
What do you feel when you have finished a book? And what is the first thing you do, when you’ve finished a book? Probably sleeping the whole day, right?
That’s a good question – and very relevant right now, as I’ve just finished an intense period of rewriting. For several weeks I was working from 8am till 2am, seven days a week, so catching up on sleep is certainly a high priority! There’s always a great exhilaration when a book is finished, and but the strange thing is how quickly it wears off – within a few days I’m usually starting to feel a bit low, a bit grouchy, and then my wife will remind me that I’m always like this when I’m not writing, and that means it’s time to think about the next project.
Let’s have a look at your recent work, how did you came up with the idea for ‘See how they run’?
See How They Run is different to most of my books in that it was inspired by a real event. Someone tried to break into our house one night, soon after I’d gone to bed. Because I was still awake, I heard a noise and then saw our outside light come on. When I opened the bedroom window, the intruder escaped through the garden. But afterwards I realized that if I’d been asleep I probably wouldn’t have heard him – and the thought of someone prowling through the house where my family were sleeping was very scary. From that I came up with the idea of a young couple, Harry & Alice, who wake to find two men in their room, demanding to know the whereabouts of a man called Renshaw…
I have to say, that I really liked the bad guys the most. You really have a talent for bad guys, don’t you?
Thank you, that’s very kind. I have to admit that I love writing the scenes with my bad guys, though I have to be careful not to become too sympathetic to them. It’s a case of getting the right balance, so that they come across as human rather than cartoon-like, while also remaining nasty enough to truly unsettle the reader.
What inspires you during writing? Do you listen to music, or do you got out for a walk and just let the nature inspire you?
Most days I try to leave the house and walk or cycle to a local café. I find that a bit of fresh air and exercise helps to get me in the right mood to write; and odd as it sounds, I often find it easier to concentrate in a busy environment – especially if I make sure there’s no wifi! But for the rewriting and editing I prefer to work at home in my study, and then I’ll often listen to music. As long as it’s something very familiar, I find it easy to concentrate with music playing.
Do you have some ideas, which you want to put into a new book?
I have lots that I haven’t yet been able to use, some of them going back twenty years or more. Although I mainly write thrillers, I sometimes get ideas that are better suited to other genres. At the moment there’s a supernatural horror novel that I’m desperate to write, but it’s probably going to have to wait a while.
Can you remember your very first story, you’ve written?
I can remember it very clearly indeed. It was called The Other Side of the Hill, and I wrote it when I was thirteen. It’s about a young boy who takes his dog for a walk – they discover an alien spacecraft and come to a grisly end!
One last question: Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming book ‘All fall down’?
Yes, All Fall Down is another standalone thriller, which starts with the Turner family enjoying a Sunday afternoon barbecue. Suddenly a dying man stumbles into their garden, pleading for help. The family do what they can, but the man dies before he can tell anyone what happened to him. In the days that follow, the Turners experience a number of strange and unsettling events, but by the time they realize they’re being stalked, it’s too late…
So that was my interview with Tom Bale! I want to thank Tom, who took his precious time for this awesome interview and a special thanks to Kim Nash from Bookouture! She made it possible, that we can raffle a eBook version of ‘See how they run’ on our site! So here’s how you can win a copy: Make sure you’ve liked and retweeted this interview on twitter. I’ll announce the winner on Sunday, 10th July.
If you want to learn more about Tom, you can check him out at his homepage: www.tombale.net
Or use social media channels to be updated about his actual and upcoming projects at twitter @t0mbale and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tombalewriter
And for those who haven’t read my review of ‘See how they run’ yet, check it out here: https://skatronixxx.com/2016/05/23/review-of-tom-bales-see-how-they-run/
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