Author Interview: Chris Barker
1. Hi Chris tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to write?
Hi! I’m Chris Barker, and I was born a thousand years too late into a world far too realistic for my liking! In my opinion, I should be riding a war horse gloriously into battle. Or sprinting across the open field charging down a shield wall. Or possibly just drinking myself into a stupor in one of the capital’s many taverns – one of the seedier ones.
Since I’m not though, you’ll maybe find me walking with my ever-patient wife and dog in the woods of Buckinghamshire. When I’m not outdoors, I’ll be sat in my dark green study, at an antique desk, with his grandfather clock ticking away in the background, flying spaceships in virtual reality.
I have no tragic backstory, no underlying motivation, nothing bad ever happened to me. So, I write for fun. I try to take 26 letters, and put them in an order and hopefully make someone happier.
2. What appeals to you most about the fantasy genre?
To quote a fairly mediocre film script, which itself is based on a rather improbable book – “I am a man plagued by those two most terrible words, what-if?” A great story to me hold a premise, or a context, which fascinates me in how different it is to the world we all inhabit. Some of the best stories have the smallest tweaks, or the simplest suspensions of disbelief.
I write mostly low-fantasy, that is fantasy with very limited fantastical elements, so I suppose you could say it is indeed the lowest form of fantasy! For me it is about understanding the psyche of a cast of characters, and what would they really think and react if the world wasn’t as it is. I enjoy reading or watching a world where the inhabitants are the central focus, then letting it play out to see what they do – whether it be alternate histories, alternate futures, or entirely made-up domains. I am a strong believer in the underlying grey area that anyone and everyone can exist in. People are neither good nor bad, especially not from their own perspective, any more than the world they inhabit allows (or forces) them to be. I’m quite the fan of the anti/unwilling hero, or the villain who had a point after all.
But then again I also love an over the top, classic fantasy sword and sorcery adventure of hero’s and monsters. So I wouldn’t pay too much attention to me!
3. Tell us a little bit about your latest project and the challenges you’ve faced putting it all together?
I released my debut novel – Breachman, in Feb 2022.
It was the culmination of a lot of work, late nights, ignored invites and an aching neck. I wrote it to see if I could write a book, then when I had, I wanted to make the best book I could make. Then I started to see it gain momentum and wanted to see if I could learn how to market it at all… and six months later I resurfaced again!
It has gone far better than I ever expected, hitting over a thousand sold in the first six months, which is rare from an unknown (and untrained!) author. I’d hoped to one day sell a hundred, maybe across a five year timeline!
The setting is one of a dwindling kingdom, torn apart by civil war over what remaining resources and power there is to be had. Rebel forces, Royalists and a quasi-religious Order that emerged from the study of medicine in a horrific, yet wonderous way.
The titular character is the Commander of the Breachmen - a drafted militia of criminals with a few scattered volunteers who violently disrupt the opposing army until the professional army arrives. He is weary at the end of his fifteen-year service and wants rid of the whole business. He is soon caught up in a political intrigue by the head of the rebel forces, who from their perspective fight to free the king from the grip of the aforementioned Order. The supporting cast include a seventeen-year-old girl who happens to also be a convicted murderer. An aloof physician and loyal Order member. Finally, there is a mirthful mercenary, who discovered a route through the Western mountains and found the only horses in the kingdom, which he has banded into a mercenary force to fight for the highest bidder.
It all sounded rather good when you put it like that! But it was not without it’s challenges.
I found the editing process incredibly rewarding, yet completely horrifying as well. I engaged with professional development editor, a copy/line editor and proof readers. And they all sought to basically show me what non-sense I had written! Or rather it may have been written nonsensically. I will never forget the developmental editors 5000-word report… the book itself was only 81000 so he had a lot to say! To then see it be perfected in my mind, only to go round again through the machine and come out full of more holes! It was all money well spent in the end, and a lot of knowledge was gained from it for me as well as just the changes to the story.
The other (enjoyable) challenge was dealing with my cover designer. Now they were excellent, and had the patience of a true saint, but when we got to about revision 200 of the cover I think they may have been tearing their hair out. Again, it was money well spent and I am thrilled with how the cover came out – one of the most rewarding elements was comparing the ‘day one’ version vs the finished one!
4. What type of characters do you like to write the most and how much of yourself do you put into them?
Morally ambiguous, self-indulgent, arrogant and ‘not as funny as he thinks he is…’ would be the best answer for both the types of characters and which parts of myself I put in!
I do enjoy characters with depth, and realism. Not everyone has a horrendously tragic backstory, not everyone is the chosen one destined for great things. I like to try and write people who are just trying to exist, in whatever situations (both wonderful and horrendous) that we put them in.
5. For any wannabe writers out there what’s the most useful thing you’ve learned?
Do or do not do, there is no try… ah wait that is Yoda. But the little green guy had a point.
The only thing stopping you from being a writer is the writing. The community as a whole is fantastic, particularly the self-publishing community. But anyone who tells you that you have to do one thing or another first, that you must read to write, study to publish is simply wrong.
It doesn’t need to be good, it doesn’t need to be tidy, it doesn’t even need to make a whole lot of sense. You can be a writer simply by throwing some thoughts down on a page and giving it a go.
You might find you really enjoy it, which is the main aim, you might find you are really good at it, even better. You might even find you can make money from it…. In which case do let me know how!
That – and getting an editor is painful, but worth it.
6. What writing tricks do you utilise to hit your deadlines and keep your stories on track?
Enjoy them. If you aren’t enjoying writing it then chances are people wont enjoy reading it. Never turn down what could be fun to write about for what would be ‘right’. Reading is just starting at little lines and hallucinating wildly, so take time to imagine when you are writing and then write the next best thing!
7. Are you a plotter or a pantser (make it up as you go)?
As you will no doubt have seen from my incredibly formal and structured answers, I am (and always have) just making it up as a I go along.
I think its good to know where you are headed in a general sense, but where’s the fun in knowing how you will get there!
8. What plans do you have for the future? A new series or perhaps a dip into other genres?
The plan (such as it was – noting my previous answer) was always to write a book, see it on a shelf, try and sell at least a copy and then be done with that. I might think about writing another if I enjoyed it. Maybe if I sold 200 in 5 years I’d consider it… Maybe 500 in 2 years… Maybe a 1000 in six months…
I left the door open for a sequel. Don’t know where it’ll take me yet!
9. With the world the way it is at the moment what sort of tales do you prefer? Ones with heroes where good triumphs over evil or ones that take a darker approach?
I always try and write from the viewpoint that everyone is the main character of their own story. And often the villains are convinced they are the good guys, and even then, there are probably no such thing as good guys, maybe just good acts.
10. What’s better, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars?
Whoa Whoa Whoa… Now I will grant all three their respected place in history as the holy trinity of fantasy. But if I had to choose a fantasy world to live (and most likely die…) in, then you’d need to throw in the Witcher into that mix, and even sprinkle a little of Firefly in there for good measure.
Follow Chris on social media at -
Facebook Page Link: https://www.facebook.com/Breachman2022
Instagram: @breachmanuk
