When I first started hosting this interview series for Bookouture, I presumed I would only be finding new British Women’s Fiction & Historical authors to host and feature; imagine my happy joy in finding a bloke who was writing cutting edge Thrillers full of the kind of Suspense I find exciting to read as well as the fact they tend to keep me up at night if I’m reading them quite late into the evening hours! You know the kinds – where you feel the skin standing on frayed edges as you can barely sit because you want to know how it’s going to resolve – if it’s going to resolve even! – and the pacing of the story is set to such a lovely high octane level, you get properly caught up inside it’s chapters with such wicked enjoyment?
I fancy a well-conceived Crime Fiction on television all the time – the most beloved serials I love from four countries (i.e. America, Britain, Canada & Australia) are crime dramas – as I love needling out how the investigators and/or detectives put the pieces together in order to catch the people behind the crimes. I also love the psychological and sociological aspects of the dramas, which is why in my Story Vault you’ll notice I’m selectively reading Crime Dramas, novels of Suspense and certain authors of Thrillers who are whetting my thirst for these kinds of stories! Having said that – ooh my! – I have the tendency to being quite particular because I do have a sensitive heart in many regards, so I’m carefully finding authors who know how to give their readers a bit of a thrilling plot but can pull back a bit not to scare us right up and out of our skulls completely! Laughs.
I was so happy I could interview Mr Bale – as May is the month I picked two Rom Suspense novels by ChocLit (You Think You Know Me by Clare Chase and Some Veil Did Fall by Kirsty Ferry) whilst becoming acquainted with the Marjorie Trumaine mysteries by Larry D. Sweazy by Seventh Street Books; an imprint specifically for those who love a wicked good novel of suspense & mystery from Prometheus! I was smitten by the traditional Suspense stylings of David Morrell in his Thomas DeQuincey series as much as I love the techno-thriller style of Adrienne Quintana which I met inside ‘Eruption‘. I even loved the suspenseful catch-in-my-throat ambiance of ‘Up Close‘ by Henriette Gyland (also by ChocLit) as it was packing such an emotional punch of awareness! Even Swedish Thriller author Joakim Zander gave me a story (The Swimmer) to chew on which took me to height of human focused drama within a high paced suspenseful story!
I know one day I shall be happily reading Mr Bale’s story, but for now, having shared this conversation with him, I’ve appreciated getting to know a bit more ‘behind-the-book’ and of his personal approach to writing the suspenseful thrillers I am seeking to read!
To gain a bit of a back-story on how I came to host Bookouture authors,
please visit my first conversation I featured with this publisher with Teresa Driscoll!
How far would you go to save your family?
In the dead of night, new parents Alice and Harry French are plunged into their worst nightmare when they wake to find masked men in their bedroom. Men ruthless enough to threaten their baby daughter, Evie.
This is no burglary gone wrong.
The intruders know who they’re looking for – a man called Edward Renshaw.
And they are prepared to kill to get to him.When the men leave empty handed, little do Alice and Harry realise that their nightmare is just beginning. Is it a case of mistaken identity? Who is Renshaw? And what is he hiding?
One thing is clear – they already know too much.
As Alice and Harry are separated in the run for their lives, there is no time for breathe in their fight to be reunited. And with their attackers closing in, there is only a choice:
STAY ALIVE. OR DON’T.
Terrifying, unputdownable and full of twists and turns, this debut thriller will have you on the edge of your seat right to the very last page.
As your writerly career took its routes through various genres and distinctive writing outlets of influence, do you feel Crime is the niche you’ve sought to find all along or is it simply the gateway towards discovering all the stories you’ve yet to create?
Bale responds: It’s true that after meandering through a number of genres including science fiction and horror, crime is where I seem to have set up camp: certainly the vast majority of what I’ve written over the past twenty years has fallen into that category. But there’s never been any deliberate agenda – I simply go with the ideas that pop into my head, and most of those relate to crime fiction. But there are exceptions: I have an unpublished YA novel that has elements of fantasy and science fiction, and I intend to write at least one sequel to that; I’ve also been very keen to write a horror novel for several years, and there’s an idea for one, fully sketched out, that’s nagging away at me at the moment.
I love how you’ve allowed your writing style to organically flow out of the nexus of where your imagination alights the seedlings of your ideas! It’s the best approach because it hones in on what is currently attracting you to the page and where your heart has the most joy in fusing with your muse! I must say – YA Fantasy & Science Fiction are some of my favourites to read! I’ll have to remember to keep an eye on your updates to see when your going to be pursuing this idea! Horror – wells if it were under the ‘Cosy Horror’ category I could handle it, otherwise, I know others who will find it a better fit for them! I recently mentioned how Jorie became a Cosy Horror girl, too! I think you should always remain open to where your writerly inspirations take you – and for now, I’m thankful you’ve been quite prolific in the Crime umbrella of genres! I seriously do look forward to reading your stories!
Since you’ve mastered the art of crafting thrillers, what do you feel is the hardest part of etching in the psychological aspects of the story without revealing too much too quickly to the reader?
Bale responds: Well, firstly, thank you for the compliment, though I feel very much that I’m still learning my craft. But there’s no doubt that knowing how to withhold information is one of the key elements to writing a good thriller. It comes down to personal judgement as to when and how to parcel out the details that the reader needs, and it’s a delicate art – reveal too much and the reader loses interest; too little and it causes frustration. I can’t claim to have any particular process, other than to cut and tweak endlessly during the rewriting stage, by which time I should have a full grasp of the psychological detail that I need to include, and hopefully a pretty good idea of where in the story it should be placed.
You’re quite welcome! I think we (as writers) can feel we’ve never quite learnt enough but when your on target with conveying your story, even to new readers who haven’t yet had the chance to read your stories – if your translating your style and stories to us, that’s the marked measure of a writer whose come into his (or her) own. This is the part that I must confess always interested me – finding that balance inside the thriller or suspense whilst not short-changing the reader. I’ve noticed this balance as I’ve read novels by the authors who write inside this arm of literature and found it quite curious how they’ve mastered the art of telling these stories! You’re included in this group as I could tell by my research about your stories how well in-tune you are with presenting the story to the full enjoyment of reading it from the reader’s perspective.
What do you appreciate about writing Thrillers vs Suspense novels or do you feel they are each equal to each other with only small differences between them? What do you think separates them if anything?
Bale responds: I have to say that I rarely think in terms of the many genres and sub-genres that get applied to books after they’re published. I simply focus on the story I want to tell, and since my books feature crimes, and I hope that they are thrilling and suspenseful, and often involve a mystery of some sort, I suspect they could come under any number of categories! I realize why booksellers, librarians and the like need to subdivide fiction, but it’s a pretty murky division in my view.
I do agree – sometimes you can get bogged down on the small details; until I became a book blogger I did not overly notice the differences in style, voice or genre but then, I noticed they are all different pieces of the whole – each uniquely crafted and told, yet I have the tendency to read genre-bending authors who re-define their own niches, too. I do tend to sub-categorise Crime Fiction in my Story Vault based on personal preferences for intensities or what I conceive as being ‘Suspense’, ‘Thriller’ or in regards to Cosies: Traditional or Historical Cosy for instance. As a bit of a guiding map for my readers who might be keen on the same stories, to pick up my trail and seek out their own lovelies to explore too. Laughs. Yes, I think the divisions are murky but sometimes necessary to know if you can ‘handle’ a certain plot thread, too.
As “See How They Run” involves a young family who have to run to save their lives, how did you thread the plot to give such a jarring reality to the family but without crossing a line where it would stop being believable?
Bale responds: Again, thank you if you feel that I succeeded there. It’s another aspect to storytelling that is enormously subjective. Every reader will have different levels of drama, different scenarios that they are inclined to regard as believable – or not. I can only rely on my own judgment. I worked hard to maintain the internal logic of the story, and while there is minimal police involvement, it’s clear that, initially, Harry and Alice have very good reasons not to call the police; after that their actions are governed by what I feel is a plausible sense of self-preservation.
From what I was gathering based on a few reviewers who have read this story and from what I gathered in my research about how you crafted it – it felt to me that you found ways in which to lengthen the steps for Harry and Alice to be on their own before involving the authorities which I felt was a clever thing to do but also a complicated one. I had wondered if it were about their intense desire to self-preserve their ability to live but also, to find a way out of their circumstances before everything became further muddling if the authorities were called too soon. Champion!
Which character of this story did you enjoy writing about the most?
Bale responds: With some books there are very definite favorites, but that wasn’t the case so much here. I enjoyed the sections where I was switching between two story strands – Harry and Ruth on one side, Alice and Renshaw on the other – and as always I thoroughly enjoyed writing about the most twisted characters. It’s lovely when your supporting cast comes vividly to life – their scenes make a refreshing change because you’re not living with them day after day. So writing about the twisted, ghastly Michael Baxter and his equally ghastly mother, Nerys, was a lot of fun!
Wow! Not what I was expecting you to say! I oft find the hardest characters (and least enjoyable!) for me to write are the ones who are quite disastrously ghastly! And, here – you get a kick out of writing them! Laughs. I do understand why – it’s free licence to explore a different kind of psychology and characterisation than you normally would – but ooh! I give you credit! It’s harder for me to pen those sorts than any other!
Which character challenged you or gives you something new to think about in regards to creating their back-story and personality?
Bale responds: Ruth – without giving too much away, it’s fair to say that she might be judged as an unsympathetic character; some of the choices she made could be viewed in a negative light.
Yes, I did quite a bit of work on Ruth’s history, building up a full biography and timeline, most of which wasn’t strictly needed for this story. But I knew from early on that I might want to feature her in another book – and in fact part of that timeline includes a crossover with a character from a couple of my previous novels.
It was also clear from the start that she would be quite a tough, uncompromising character – not always sympathetic, and certainly not someone whose past choices are going to meet with universal approval. But whereas there are characters you want the readers to like, in Ruth’s case I’ll be content if the reaction is a kind of cautious admiration for her strength, her determination, and the way she is now trying to atone for her past mistakes.
I do appreciate hearing this – how you’re going to interconnect some of your other stories with Ruth; I find this fascinating when authors can find breadcrumbs for readers to pick up on and follow as they advance their stories forward. It’s a treat for the reader but I imagine it’s an equal treat for the writer, too whilst conceptionalising the whole framework of the interconnecting parts! I shall have to wait til I meet Ruth properly before I conclude my final thoughts on her behalf – if she’s written the way you’ve implied I might give her a bone and recognise she’s determined towards reaching a goal she needs to fulfill. Atonement and redemptive acts are the hardest to achieve and I do give credence to those (characters) who attempt to find a way through to that kind of closure.
Pacing is quite important when it comes to Crime Dramas and Thrillers; as the latter is so taut and tuned to work against the clock in most instances, how did you approach “See How They Run” in regards to narrative pace and rooting the reader in each individual ‘moment’?
Bale responds: This is another one where most of the work is done during the editing phase. My first drafts tend to be quite bloated (and badly written!) I don’t plot out the story beforehand in great detail, but I do love to throw in every little idea that occurs to me – seeding the story in the early chapters and then later seeing what blossoms as a result. It’s often a very gratifying experience, though – to continue the analogy – it also means an awful lot of weeding is required at the end. Through several drafts I’ll try to discard anything that slows the pace, unless it’s absolutely essential to the story.
You write the bones down and then go back through seeing where you need to tweak the crafting of it’s message and voice – it’s an organic writer’s style to just get out the main bits of a story before polishing it. It’s the way I write too in many regards, as my outline is generated as I write – wherein I jot down key notes as a reference for my own uses as I continue to write, but it’s not an outline as such in the traditional sense – it’s just my imagination and the inspiration to tell the story at hand. I like how stories evolve this way because they become so very fine tuned in the end.
As this novel is driven by its characters with little to no outside help from law enforcement, did you find this a strength as you wrote it or did you find it provided a level of uncertainty on how to knit out a resolution readers would appreciate finding after everything that happens?
Bale responds: There’s a lot more freedom, certainly, if the story doesn’t have to be told from within the framework of a conventional police procedural, and that’s something that has always appealed to me. I suppose it can lead to a few more technical challenges, but it wasn’t a problem here in terms of providing a resolution. I brought in a law enforcement presence when it was appropriate, and I think the various story strands came together quite nicely at the end.
I am itching to know how the resolution happens but I will remain patient until I get to read the story at a time where the story is meant to be in my hands — knowing more about it’s plot stirs more curiosity on my end, of course! And, I am hopeful my readers will feel the same way!
What do you love the most about character driven story-lines? Which characters do you love most: the good guys or the ones who have questionable motives to do harm to others?
Bale responds: In genre fiction, of course, we all know that telling a good story is essential. But without interesting, believable characters to root for (or to fear) then even the most action-packed story will fall flat. And in terms of which I prefer, it’s hard to say – as a writer I strive to understand and empathize with even the nastiest of my characters, because I think that’s the only way you can create someone the reader will engage with. It goes back to that idea that even the bad guys don’t see themselves as such – in their minds there’s a very good reason for what they do, and that has to come across in the way they’re portrayed.
You’re hinting at the reason why I like seeing the sociological point of view on behalf of characters rather than merely the psychological – to put another way, I was quite enthralled with the film ‘Road to Perdition‘ for this main reason! It was guttingly difficult to watch in many ways, but it’s why the choices were being made and how those choices were made which granted the most enjoyment – in other words, the lines were blurred between good and bad or the traditional definitions of it, because the one you felt was the worst character had redeemable qualities in the end.
Do you enjoy writing serial fiction or one-off stand-alones best? Do you think is harder to bridge continuity and pacing with a series or is that something you’d like to explore?
Bale responds: From a strictly commercial point of view I wish I was compelled to write a string of books about a troubled detective on the trail of various psychopaths! But although I sometimes enjoy reading that kind of story, I seem to find it too restrictive to write that sort of series fiction. I get a real buzz out of the freedom and the challenges of making a fresh start, as it were, with every book.
Having said that, I do have this character, Joe Clayton, a former undercover cop living on the run, who appears in two of my previous books – “Terror’s Reach” and “Blood Falls” – and I’d certainly like to write at least one more story to see how things turn out for him.
When I read your thrillers it will be the first time I haven’t read successive characters – either in duologies or full-on serials where everything threads together to tell the conjoining story. Except for the two you’ve mentioned, of course! I do love reading one-offs even if my heart prefers serials at times because I get attached to the characters (both major and minor) – I think it’s human nature to want to spend more time with characters we’ve enjoyed learning about but as you pointed out – there is a curious element to challenge ourselves to meet and ‘let go’ of characters after the time they’ve spent with us has expired; so not to be continuously upturnt by not seeing characters re-appear in our lives. Good point!
Which Crime Dramas on television do you feel best hone the craft and give you a heap of joy following? What made them stand out?
Bale responds: I don’t actually watch a huge number of crime dramas. Compared to most books, TV crime shows are often ridiculously implausible, and in recent years there have been one or two massively popular shows (that will go nameless) that I absolutely loathed! But there is a UK drama called “Scott & Bailey” which feels brilliantly realistic; it has great writing and performances, and the main characters are nearly all female, which is particularly fabulous because it isn’t treated as any kind of big deal – it’s about a couple of detectives and their boss, and they just happen to be women. And Amelia Bullmore, as the boss, is brilliant – and not unlike how I picture my character, Ruth Monroe, I’ve just realized!
I was always a big fan of “Inspector Morse”, and while I’ve never really warmed to the successor show, “Lewis”, I have been absolutely captivated by the prequel series, “Endeavour”, starring Shaun Evans as the young Morse. It’s a really sumptuous production, with a magnificent cast – I’d watch anything with Roger Allam in it.
Ooh dear! I wonder if my favourites are in that ill-fated category of being too predictable? Of course, most of what I watch is never overly preferred – so perhaps not! I love Inspector Morse but the second season I think broke my heart – the story-lines were so emotionally distraught to watch I had to abandon ship and started to watch Inspector Lewis; til I realised what I really wanted to watch was ‘Endeavour’ as Morse is such a winning character! Morse just leaves a strong impression on you!! I’ll have to give the series a go you’ve mentioned – I do watch a heap of lovelies from the UK per annum when I’m not watching “Murdoch Mysteries” or “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries” — although, I fear I might be letting go of “Foyle’s War” soon as I hadn’t heard if it were renewed. “Elementary” surprised me – I had boycotted it in favour of “Sherlock” til the latter disappointed me dearly and I switched series! Laughs. I do love women driven mysteries – there was a police procedural in the early 2000s over here called “The Division”? It was smashing!
Are your writing tools analog or digital? What do you use whilst you’re writing in other words: a vintage typewriter, notebooks and pens, a computer or portable gadget, a tape recorder or your own combination of materials which help you write down the bones?
Bale responds: Oh, digital all the way. I started using a typewriter from quite an early age, 10 or 11, I think, and then progressed through electric and electronic typewriters, word processors and now computers, so I’m a pretty fast typist – if not always an accurate one. I used to write my first drafts longhand, but that stopped some time in my twenties, and nowadays I find it physically painful even to write a check (though that’s another story!)
The voice record function on a phone can be useful, for getting down an idea before it’s lost, and I’m never without a USB memory stick, so that everything I write can be backed up several times a day. You only have to lose a hard drive once to know how vital it is to make copies of everything.
I’ve lost more than one computer and sadly more files than I dare imagine are not recoverable – I learnt about USB drives far too late to make too much of a difference sadly; but thankfully most of my writings are on older drives or I have hard copies of them. Part of my reason for collecting vintage typewriters is to write less electronically as a whole – although I do appreciate word processing digitally, I think I’d rather go back to my roots with notebooks, pens and typewriters! I get you on the muscle issues – most writers have this issue and your not alone!
How do you renew your spirit when you’re not researching and writing?
Bale responds: Getting out in the world! I like to travel on public transport, just watching and listening to the people around me, absorbing the countless story possibilities that exist all around us; for the same reason I like to go to places that are unfamiliar to me, just wandering the streets or sitting in a café and watching the world go by. Then there’s reading – which is as essential to a writer as air or water – and also watching movies. If I’m ever struggling to develop an idea, I find that going to see a movie, sitting in the dark and letting someone else’s story unfold in front of me, seems to be a great way of nudging the imagination back into gear.
This is why I was thankful my Mum took me on bus trips whilst I was growing up – we’d hop on the city bus and transfer to downtown. It was such a clever way to be introduced to a cross-section of my city and even a few further away – I loved meeting the people and seeing different portions of the city, too. It never left me – I also love how we took road trips moreso than travelling by planes because it gave me stronger impressions of how communities and townes go through different phases of growth, progress and changes. I can relate to everything you wrote, actually – I always felt a wicked good film was a great gateway into my own imagination – to just decompress a bit and take my head off my own thoughts is the best way to ‘resume’ lateron! And, it goes without question how much I love devouring literature! Laughs.
Thank you for letting me interview you!
Thank you for asking me!
I’d like to thank Mr Bale for allowing me to gain an insight into his riveting Thriller long before I have the blessing to greet it in print! I loved how we share commonalities between our writing styles and what we like to do in our ‘off-time’ as well. Such a wicked convo as a whole and I’m hoping my readers have enjoyed this ending of my first interview series featuring Bookouture authors!
It’s wicked brilliant to have such stimulating conversations with fellow writers! I am hopeful I will have the chance to interview more authors from Bookouture as well as start reading the stories I am featuring as soon as I’m able to secure their print editions! Thanks for taking this journey with me and I hope you’ve found some awesome #newreads to devour!
Converse via: #Suspense or #Thriller & #Bookouture
About Tom Bale
Tom Bale decided that he wanted to be an author from the age of seven but, after another career got in the way, it wasn’t until much later that his dream was fulfilled. After several books with Random House, Tom signed with Bookouture for two stunning ‘everyman’ thrillers.
This author interview is courtesy of Bookouture!
Site | Blog | @bookouture
I happily had a full line-up of engaging conversations by this Indie Pub across the pond who is starting to make a bit of a splash stateside! It’s my honour and pleasure to bring these conversations to my readers, whilst helping to expand our knowledge of wicked awesome writers of Women’s Fiction or Historical Fiction whose stories are full of heart and soul; just the way I love the genres to be! They are focusing on guttingly brilliant dramatic story-lines, whose fusion of realism and the introspective focus on a woman’s journey is not only pro-positive but inspiring to find.
I appreciated featuring a bloke whose writing spell-binding Thrillers which sound as if they leave you breathless for the dramatic climaxes but eager to solve the mystery inside his stories whilst you root for his characters! I’m referring to today’s spotlighted British Thriller writer Tom Bale who wrote such a convicting story-line!
The reason I chose the authors I have to interview is because if their books were readily at hand, I know I’d be lost inside them! I always interview authors (or offer guest posts) of whom I’d genuinely and earnestly want to read; it’s a precursor to the day when I can read their stories and a lovely interlude for my readers to find #newtomeauthors they might not have discovered either!
In case you’ve missed my previous interviews feat. #Bookouture authors:
- Teresa Driscoll | Last Kiss Goodnight
- Natalie Meg Evans | A Gown of Thorns
- Renita D’ Silva | A Mother’s Secret
- Debbie Rix | Daughters of the Silk Road
- Kerry Fisher | After the Lie
- Helen Pollard | The Little French Guesthouse
Let’s celebrate bookish conversations & the stories behind them!
Kindly leave your comments, thoughts and musings about this interview for Mr Bale in the comment threads below! I welcome your commentary! Esp if you are a regular reader of Crime Fiction, Thrillers & Suspense where strong story-lines keep you on your toes!
Read this wicked exciting convo feat. @t0mbale & how he crafts his #Thriller #Fiction! Share on X
Similar to blog tours where I feature book reviews, as I choose to highlight an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog. I provide the questions for interviews and topics for the guest posts; wherein I receive the responses back from publicists and authors directly. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them; I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers.
{SOURCES: Book Cover Art for “See How They Run”, author photograph of Tom Bale, author biography and book synopsis were provided by the publisher Bookouture and used with permission. Conversations with the Bookish Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Blog dividers and My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com. Comment banner created by Jorie in Canva. Tweets are embedded due to codes via Twitter.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2016.
Comments via Twitter:
@joriestory Fantastic, Jorie! Can't wait to see it! Thank you x
— Tom Bale (@t0mbale) May 7, 2016
@joriestory Great, thanks! I will keep a look out for it!
— Tom Bale (@t0mbale) May 7, 2016
@joriestory Thanks, Jorie. I really appreciate your contribution to this!
— Tom Bale (@t0mbale) May 7, 2016
.@t0mbale You’re most welcome! Loved our conversation about #amwriting Thrillers & Crime #Fiction! Such a wicked good time #Bookouture rocks
— Jorie Loves A Story (@joriestory) May 7, 2016
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