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Amy's Bookshelf Reviews

Author Interview: Christopher John Chater


Q: In one sentence, tell me something that describes you as a person?

My name is Chris and I’m a writer.

Q: How many books have you written? How many of those are published?

There are at least seven full-length novels on my hard drive that’ll never see the light of day, and dozens of half-cocked attempts that are better off kept in the digital closet. I’ve also written four or five complete screenplays, a ton of teleplays, and scores of short stories. To date, I have four novels and three short stories for sale.

Q: Do you have an upcoming release? If yes, tell me the title and impending release date.

I have a bun in the oven, but I never talk about a book until it’s baked.

Q: If you could “create” your own genre of what you write, what would you call your books?

Michael Steven Gregory said of my work: “[Chris]…writes his own brand of science fiction fantasy adventure.” That works, but I always go into a writing project wanting to create what I call the three E’s: Exciting, Entertaining, and Enlightening.

Q: Without quoting your back cover synopsis, tell me about the last book you published.

My most recent book is called Out of Body. It’s about a guy who doesn’t take the necessary precautions before he astral projects, and when he returns to his body, it’s possessed by a demon.

Q: Tell me something about yourself that is separate from writing.

I have a Roomba vacuum named Geordi. It follows me around the house, and I think it’s self-aware.

Q: Who is your favorite Author?

I read a lot of the classics when I was younger, and for a long time my favorite writer was Camus, but when I discovered Richard Matheson, I realized he was the writer I most wanted to be like.

Q: What is the last book that you read? (Not counting anything you wrote)

I’m usually reading two or three books at a time, and daily I’ll read passages from philosophical works I enjoy as well as stuff on spirituality, but my last read for fun was Storm Front by Jim Butcher.

Q: When writing, do you have a system or something you plan, or do you just write?

Usually I get hit with an idea and from that inspiration I’ll write a synopsis that’s less than a page. From that, I just jump in and start writing. Often I won’t know the ending, or I’ll just have a vague idea. If I get stuck, sometimes I’ll try to outline, but that’s usually the kiss of death. For me, a writing project is like a relationship, sometimes it leads to marriage, other times it’s a weekend that ends with a walk of shame. Either way I prefer that the story unfolds itself as I write it, rather than trying to outline every aspect of it beforehand.

Q: Why do you write?

Just born that way.

Q: Any final thoughts that you want to give to your fans or even future authors?

My next book deals with the biggest conspiracy played on mankind in history of the world.

The best advice I ever got about writing came from Stephen King: “Read a lot and write a lot.”

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