The Author Interviews: #6: C H CLEPITT

In this series, I'll be interviewing self-published authors and writers about their books and their lives as writers. For my sixth interview, I had the privilege of interviewing C H CLEPITT on 17/06/2016. CLEPITT writes comedy, science-fiction and fantasy and is the author of 'I Wore Heels to the Apocalypse'.Let's get started!What made you want to become a writer?I have always written. When I was a child I used to write stories or record them on audio cassettes (that’s how old I am!). The thing about being a writer is if you don’t give your characters somewhere to live then they live in your head, which gets very crowded indeed, so you create worlds for them and chronicle their adventures.Why did you choose to write in this genre? Have you ever considered trying other genres?I write across multiple genres, I never liked labels or trying to fit things into little boxes. My stuff is very hard to pin down, readers have said things like “I don’t like fantasy, but yours is more like a thriller”. My advice is don’t get too bogged down in labeling it, just enjoy it. My style is fast paced and character focused, and if you like one of my stories you will probably like all of them, irrelevant of genre.What do you love most about writing and why?I love having a creative outlet. Writing for me is about changing people’s perceptions, not just entertaining. I hope that my work is both enjoyable and thought provoking. Also, it is the best feeling in the world when someone tells you they enjoyed your work, it makes it seem all worthwhile. I would say that the best way to show an author you appreciate them is to leave a short review, none of us do it for the money, it’s not that great!What do you dislike about writing and why?Writing can be very isolating, it’s easy to get stuck in your own head and that’s not always the best place to be. I am currently working on a collaborative fantasy project with other authors, and that’s much easier, because we are reacting to each other we’re able to keep it fresh and go on for much longer than I could on my own. Also, I dislike the marketing that all writers are expected to do these days. It just feels like you are shouting into a void and nobody hears you. There is the constant feeling that if you could just do it better you’d be successful and everyone would be reading your work. We are all desperately seeking some magic formula, which almost certainly doesn’t exist.If you could trade places with any of your characters, which would you choose and why?I’m not sure I’d want to trade places with any of my characters, they are never in the best situations. I don’t think I’m cut out to lead a rebel army to victory over an oppressive dictator, I don’t fancy getting stuck in a village with a broken arm, and possible zombie apocalypses just sound unsanitary. I suppose I could swap places with Crew from my Crew Chronicles series of shorts, that way I’d get to travel the galaxy and meet new people.If you could live in any of the worlds you have created, which would you choose and why?Again, none of my worlds are that appealing! There is always an oppressive government and an unjust system to be battled against, so we may as well stay here for all the difference it makes! I suppose there’s a certain freedom to living in a post-apocalyptic bubble with a badger spirit guide and some supportive friends though!What's your writing routine or schedule like? Do you struggle to find time to write? How do you stay organised and keep to your deadlines?I work really well to a deadline, I find it motivates me. The problem is I don’t have a deadline when writing novels so it can sometimes be tough to find the motivation to sit down and write after a day at work. However, I absolutely flew through I Wore Heels to to Apocalypse, and am now 20k into the sequel. The characters have so much to say I just can’t shut them up!Who or what inspires you? Where do you get your inspiration?I am inspired by anyone who is brave enough to stand up for what they believe in. Usually my inspiration comes from things that upset me, in the media or in life. My way of trying to challenge something I feel is wrong is to write about it. I read an article once that there was an awful lot of unrecorded violence against transgender people, so I created Crew, a character with no gender, with the hope of challenging people’s perceptions. One of my characters in the collaborative piece I am working on is also trans*. I think if we introduce different characters as a matter of course, without making the main focus of the plot their gender or orientation people will start to accept that there is diversity, and that is not a bad thing.Do you have a favourite author and if so, why do you enjoy their work?There are so many great authors out there it’s impossible to pick a favourite. I love Philip Pullman and Neil Gaiman for their amazing ability to build worlds that you can totally lose yourself in. Virginia Woolf for her subtle feminist sense of humour and Sue Townsend, The Queen and I is still one of my favourite satires.What do you find most challenging about being an indie/self-published author and why?It is hard to differentiate yourself from the masses if you publish independently. There are lots of people publishing things before they are edited properly, giving them away for free or selling them very cheap, and whilst this is clearly their choice, it means that indie authors have gained a reputation for not being as good as traditionally published work. This is not true for many of us. I go through a stringent editing and usually three waves of beta readers to make sure my writing is the best possible quality. It helps that with I Wore Heels to the Apocalypse I am only half self published. I have signed a contract with a micropublisher who have control over one ebook distribution channel. You’d be amazed how much more seriously people take you when you’re associated with a publisher, it adds a sort of credibility. It doesn’t make the marketing any easier though!Any COMMENTS/ NOTES to the reader:Thank you for taking the time to read this interview. We can connect on Facebook and Twitter if you want to find out more.Thanks to C H CLEPITT for this interview. I wish you all the best with your book! If you want to find out more about the author,please click here.