Interview With Ted Tayler Author of Fatal Decision @ted_tayler @sdsxxtours #giveaway

The perfect blend of detective mystery and everyday life, that will delight fans of Sally Rigby, Faith Martin, Joy Ellis, Simon McCleave, and Pauline Rowson.

Fatal Decision

The perfect blend of detective mystery and everyday life, that will delight fans of Sally Rigby, Faith Martin, Joy Ellis, Simon McCleave, and Pauline Rowson. The first in a gripping series that will have you hooked.

Tell us a little about yourself

I’m from Melksham, Wiltshire, England. I’ve lived here ever since my family moved here from Corsham (5 miles away) when I was five. I left school at 18 with a clutch of O and A Levels, and joined a bank initially, but moved to a local Tyre company because it fitted in better with my musical ambitions. I was made redundant in 2000, took various part-time jobs until 2016, and then my writing demanded that I gave it my full attention.  When and why did you begin writing? I wrote a book of memories from my life in bands which was published in 2011. At the end of 2012, I wondered if I could write fiction! Those are the when’s. I’m still wondering why!

Tell us something interesting about you

In the mid-60s, I worked for the Kray family. This could send a shiver down the spine of people who either experienced the family first hand or have read about their ‘reign of terror’ in London at that time. Charles Kray, who was related to the infamous brothers, was a director of an entertainment agency who booked us to play at pubs and clubs across London. His name appeared at the head of every contract we received; one of his ‘boys’ arrived at the majority of venues to pay us the contracted amount or tell us it was ‘cheque to the agent’ tonight; we never argued. We worked for the agency for eighteen months and had no trouble whatsoever; it was probably the best agency we ever worked for!

When you aren’t writing how do you like to relax?

I watch sport; I love to read a good crime thriller. I enjoy times with the family whether it’s just Lynne and I pottering about in the garden, or visiting the children and the grandchildren. I listen to music; I prefer a live band to recorded material; it takes me too long to decide what to listen to from my collection – CD, cassette, or vinyl.

What is your least favourite quality about yourself?

I don’t suffer fools gladly and I can be a little too quick in letting people know it; I try to bite my tongue, but a caustic comment slips out now and then.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

That’s for others to decide. I think of myself as a storyteller; I hope with each successive book I get better at it. What I’ve been told is the reader feels as if we’re sitting across the table from one another, and I’m just chatting with them.

Do you have a favourite movie?

‘Breakfast Club’ or ‘Stand And Deliver’ are the two stand out movies that come to mind. I don’t watch many movies these days – as you can tell.

When did you discover your love for books and literature?

My mother loved to read. She was the one to encourage me. Her eldest sister and her sister-in-law were both English teachers, so there was no escape. Whenever we visited them, they devised word games and spelling bees or sat me down with a book to read if it was raining outside. There was no TV, and in the countryside where they lived, there was no electric light. Many of our games on winter evenings involved creating shadows on the walls and ceilings by gaslight. Although I loved literature, I never dreamed of writing until I was in my mid-sixties.

How is a normal day for you structured?

When I’m writing a book, I start work at nine in the morning. I set aside forty-five minutes to an hour to deal with emails, social media, and promotion. After a short break I write for two hours. My wife and I then have lunch together before she orders me back to work! The length of time I work in the afternoons varies between two and three hours. My target is an average of two thousand words a day. Some days it’s easier to achieve than others; and if I haven’t reached that number in the afternoon, I might return for an hour in the evening. I’ve never suffered from writer’s block, so that isn’t necessary that often. A day’s work has produced as little as 750 words, and as much as 4000. I maintain two thousand a day without much trouble.

How did you come up with the concept for The  Phoenix Series? Who was your inspiration for the character Colin Bailey?

Colin Bailey was the anti-hero of ‘The Final Straw’ which is a thriller from 2013 about an emotionally damaged young man seeking revenge against anyone who had stopped him becoming the person he believed he was destined to be. The character wasn’t based on anybody, and the Phoenix wasn’t even a possibility. My wife pestered me to write more about Colin Bailey and tie up the loose ends from the first book. After ‘Unfinished Business’ I was happy to stop. Writing was something I’d never done, I’d done it, and was ready to walk away to find another hobby. Because I recognised the two books had given me a great character in Colin Bailey, I agreed (reluctantly) to a trilogy about a secret organisation that hired Bailey to continue his vigilante role. Phoenix was reborn.

Where did you come up with the names in your first book?

They were a mixture of first names and last names of friends, schoolmates, and work colleagues. Since then, I’ve used a daily record of births and deaths in my home town from the 18^th century to the present day, compiled by a local historian and posted on Facebook..

Who designed your book covers?

I’ve used The Cover Collection since 2018, and have no thoughts of going elsewhere. Their quality and service has been superb.

How did you get the idea for ‘The Freeman Files Series’?

A lucky accident. I’d finished writing the last book in The Phoenix Series by May 2018, and after five years struggling to make a breakthrough, I decided I’d done my best. The next six months were spent sourcing new covers, rewriting blurbs, switching browsing categories, and carrying out a deep dive into crafting keywords that would give positive results. The relaunch of the Phoenix series in January 2019 saw me securing a Featured Deal with BookBub at my first attempt. My change in fortunes in March 2019 was dramatic, but as there were no new books in sight, the bubble was bound to burst.  My wife insisted I started writing again. Although only a few hundred people seemed keen on getting to book #12 in the Phoenix Series, she thought they would enjoy a short series of thrillers, or mysteries once they were done.That’s how Gus Freeman was born. I planned to write six books, back-to-back from August 2019, publishing the first, ‘Fatal Decision’, in time for Christmas. The following five books would then appear at monthly intervals. This rapid-release technique was designed to get me off the hook. There would be no more writing after Spring 2020; and retirement beckoned. What went wrong? Another Featured Deal, this time for the first Box Set in The Phoenix Series gave me a second major boost with a Christmas #1. Three months later, the world was entering lockdowns and ‘Fatal Decision’ secured a Featured Deal at the beginning of April, despite only having fourteen reviews. Readers around the world were desperate for books, and I had four of the six books in the series ready and waiting on Amazon. Gus Freeman and his cold case mysteries had struck a chord with many more readers than Colin Bailey.I stretched The Freeman Files series to ten books, and kept writing. I was shut indoors for twenty plus hours a day, so what else was I to do? Ten became sixteen as the books grew in popularity, and I finally called it quits at twenty-four in April 2023. I was shattered, having published over thirty titles since December 2019. 

What are some common errors new authors make when writing thrillers and how do you avoid them?

I’m the wrong person to ask about anything technical. I’m a simple story teller. I would never presume to tell a real author how to create suspense, or to adopt the tools and techniques my limited education armed me with. I left school and got a job that allowed me to sing in a local band. I turned down the interview for a university place in case it whisked me a hundred miles away from what I loved doing. 

Does writing drain or energize you?

Writing is a discipline. I have my daily schedule when I’m writing. If I find a chapter is giving me issues, I stop writing, walk away, and find something else to do. I may listen to music, read a thriller (I review over one hundred books a year), watch sport, or go shopping with my wife. I’ve solved more than a few chapter problems in the local supermarket or garden centre. Family plays a huge part in both our lives too, so we might spend time with our children and grandchildren. I’m soon energized to get back writing again.

How do you work through self-doubts and fear?

When I was a musician I learned very early on that no matter how hard you try, no matter how good you are at what you do, there will always be some people that dislike what you’re playing. If you’re lucky, there will be a lot of people that do like you and stay with you on your journey. I never doubted myself or had a fear of failure because I knew I had given it everything. I see no reason to think about my writing any differently. I know some people will hate what I write and that it’s entirely probable I’ll never be wildly successful. Why worry? It’s the best I can do and that’s enough; if only a few readers come on this journey with me it will be worthwhile.

Do you focus more on creating strong characters or a strong plot?

For me it’s fifty percent of both. As both series developed, I felt I had created dozens of strong characters, many of whom might only appear in one book. Some have been ever-present, and their personalities determine how the plot I’ve selected is handled. I never set out with a rigid script. I chose themes from the headlines to be featured, or an unsolved murder, and established a rough framework for the book, and a time frame. Then, I let the characters take me where they wanted to go. That’s why some characters I loved writing about have been killed off. When I was in that garden centre, staring at bedding plants crammed into a tray, it dawned on me that to enable others to grow, some of the plants needed thinning out.

What inspired you to write your first book?

A friend asked if the stories I told about my experiences in the 60s and 70s were written down. He thought it would be a shame if they went to the grave with me. I wasn’t planning on going just yet, but I started to write them down anyway. 

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Charles Dickens. ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ is my favourite book. It’s the little things he observed in Victorian England that gave his books so much credibility and longevity.

Is there one person past or present you would meet and why?

Alexander the Great. I just want to stroke the mane of his horse Bucephalus. Why? You will have to read my first book of memories to find the answer.

What do you want written on your headstone?

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What is your favourite quote, by whom and why?

‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.’ (Aristotle) I believe that if I keep doing what I believe to be right, in whatever venture I undertake, eventually I will reap the rewards. I never give up.

Do you have any advice for writers?

Enjoy what you are doing; make sure you write for you own amazement. Stick to it regardless of the knockbacks that come your way and measure your success in a way you are comfortable with. I go back to my musical experience; there were thousands of bands & musicians out there striving for a break. Only a small percentage ever made it to the top. Some of the best bands I met never got that break, while some pretty rubbishy ones had a handful of hit records. Life isn’t fair. All we can do is do our best and enjoy however far our writing takes us.

Why do you write?

I enjoy communicating with people. If it’s verbal, face to face, then that’s fine and I enjoy that too; however, I can reach more people with the written word and long after I’m gone the books I’ve written will be available, somewhere, for anyone who wishes to read them. I don’t have a ‘message’ to get across; I’m just a storyteller.

How do you feel about self-publishing? 

I wouldn’t be without it! Ten years ago it was in its infancy. Things move at such a pace these days, five years from now, who knows what will be possible?

What’s the first stage to making a story? Do you dive straight in, or plan the whole thing?

As a series develops, although you might confine a theme to a single title, you have a raft of characters with ongoing stories. This means you have threads to pick up and pursue. I begin by selecting several themes per title and decide which subject will involve which characters. So, the first stage is to select the themes, then to research them, and when everything’s ready I write.I’ll sit on the fence with the second part of the question. I prepare a rough outline for each chapter. These serve as signposts. I set off on the journey between Point A and B, but I let the characters take me wherever they wish to go. I end up in situations I never dreamed of, but I make sure I get back to Point B before travelling on to Point C. That’s what works for me. I make a rough plan, and after that it’s seat of the pants time.

What are the challenges in making a book, and how long does the average process take?

Writing a book is easy. What you need to recognise is that when you finish writing you’re only ten percent of the way through. Marketing, promotion and expanding your social media presence makes up the other ninety percent. As for a book’s content, one challenge is consistency. It’s vital your characters are exactly as you described them when they first appear. A key challenge is to maintain the level of excitement and anticipation. If my books are to sell, I must find a range of different themes, and methods of investigating them. Variety is the spice of death for thriller writers. How long does it take? My books average sixty-five thousand words. I can complete that part in six weeks. Research could take two weeks ahead of that, editing and polishing two weeks at the end. So, the average process takes ten weeks. 

QUICK QUIZ Favourite food: Chicken CurryFavourite drink: Red wineFavourite colour: Royal blue   Best holiday spot: Santa Eulalia. IbizaFavourite song: What’s Going On, by Rory Gallagher.Star Wars or Lord of the Rings: NeitherBucket List #1: Write a bucket list.

Ted Tayler is the international best-selling indie author of the Freeman Files and Phoenix series. His next project is another series of challenging mysteries set in England in the 1930s. Brothers In Crime is scheduled to appear on Amazon from October 2023.