My favorite times writing are when I’m in Orlando. My wife works at Universal Studios for part of the year, and I get into a rhythm when I’m down there with her. I drop her off at work, then I go to the nearby Einstein Bagels and abuse their bottomless cup of coffee while I write a chapter or two. Then I go back to Universal and ride the Hulk coaster and hopefully rattle some new ideas loose. 

Victor Catano – 18 July 2016

The Back Flap

When Gabriel’s witch girlfriend doesn’t return from her latest trip, he gets on the road and heads out to find her. Sheila’s coven is secretive and distrustful of Gabriel, so the only help he has is Sheila’s familiar, a bulldog named Orson, who is psychically linked to both of them.

In Florida, they walk right into an elaborate plan to steal Orson. A mysterious wizard named Yareth is behind the plot, and he may also know where Sheila is.

Gabriel and Orson will have to fight for their lives as they navigate around all the magical roadblocks to force Yareth’s hand. They won’t give up until Sheila is safe.

About the book

What is the book about?

The book is about Gabriel, an ex-army man who is living in New York with his girlfriend Sheila and her dog, Orson. Sheila is a witch and is doing work for her coven, finding rare and exotic artifacts. When she doesn’t come back from her latest trip, Gabriel goes to look for her. Her coven won’t assist him and his only help is coming from Orson. He’s also Sheila’s familiar and can communicate with both her and Gabriel telepathically. Together they follow her trail to Florida and try and find her and bring her home.

When did you start writing the book?

I started it around Halloween of 2012. I had been kicking around the idea for a while and I had an opening scene that I really liked, so I decided to write it down and see where it went. Turned out I liked the story and the opening scene just naturally kept on going.

How long did it take you to write it?

I finished it in January of 2014, but it wasn’t like I was chained to a keyboard that whole time. I’d write a chapter when I had time. When I had a few chapters, I showed it to my wife and to my mom. They both loved it and encouraged me to write more. Soon after that, my mom showed it to her friends and they started a kind of book club where they would all demand new chapters. So, that was some nice feedback.

Where did you get the idea from?

A lot of it is inspired by our late cocker spaniel, Ollie. Ollie was my wife’s dog when I met her. She swore that he had psychic powers. He could always seemed to make food fall out of the fridge or roll off the table with his doggie telekinesis. She said that one reason she knew I was the one for her was that Ollie liked me so much and she knew that meant she could trust me. Ollie was over twenty when he passed away a few years ago and we miss him everyday.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Not really. It came to me pretty smoothly for the most part. The hardest thing was just making myself take the time to write it.

What came easily?

The voices of the characters. Orson and Gabriel’s banter was my favorite part to write. Their back and forth was very natural to me.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Well, Orson was inspired by our beloved dog. Gabriel is kind of the guy I would like to be. And his relationship with Sheila is inspired by my relationship with my wife.

So, to answer your question, completely fictional.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I love Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books, especially how Reacher roams the country. That was part of what I thought about in this book. And then, what if the roaming character had a dog he talked to. And what if the dog talked back?

Do you have a target reader?

I want anyone who enjoys urban fantasy, adventure, humorous books, and even mysteries and thrillers to give it a try. Those are all the kinds of books I like, and I was mainly writing a book that I would enjoy reading.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I write best when I’m writing everyday. And I know that can be hard sometimes. Believe me. I work full time as a Technical Director in a theater and once a show gets going there is no time for anything else.

My favorite times writing are when I’m in Orlando. My wife works at Universal Studios for part of the year, and I get into a rhythm when I’m down there with her. I drop her off at work, then I go to the nearby Einstein Bagels and abuse their bottomless cup of coffee while I write a chapter or two. Then I go back to Universal and ride the Hulk coaster and hopefully rattle some new ideas loose.

But, at the end of the day it just comes down to making the time to park yourself in front of the computer and mash your fingers into the keys until you type words you can tolerate showing to someone else.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

Not really. I remember the screenwriting classes I took in college were all about the outline and mapping out your story, but I have never really been that kind of writer.

I’m much more into the Curb Your Enthusiasm format. I heard an interview with Larry David about the show, and he said that most of the scenes aren’t scripted, but there’s a start point and an end point they need to get to and then the middle part is more or less up to the actors. That’s kind of how I feel about it. I know where the chapter starts, and I have an idea where I want it to end, and then I let the characters get there.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I do some editing as I go along. If I get stuck, I often go back and see what I wrote before and try and polish it a bit. That helps remind me of what I set up and if I should change anything to make something else work later on.

Did you hire a professional editor? (May skip if being published by a small press rather than self-publishing)

Red Adept Publishing has some amazing editors. Alyssa Hall worked with me to get the book into shape and she did a fantastic job of suggesting edits that made the book clearer and more concise but at the same time not changing the essential tone of what I had written. Even though I must have gotten about 700 edit notes, and I went through them all, the character of the book didn’t change. All my stupid typos and plot holes changed, and for that I give all thanks to Alyssa.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I actually like having the white noise of the TV on. I find Law & Order reruns very good to write to. (OG or SVU, both are great.)

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Why yes I did! Which was a pain. First off, have fun finding some agents who are taking submissions from unknown people. When I had found a couple, I sent off query letters and some sample chapters and then I never heard back. And of course, most big publishing house don’t want to deal with unsolicited manuscripts.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Honestly, I went Indie because they accepted my book. Red Adept accepts submissions from anyone. They have been so supportive and great to work with.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

Professional! Streetlight Graphics do an incredible job. The cover of my book was the first draft they sent me.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

RAP has a marketing plan, and I’m grateful. One of the reasons I went with an indie press over self-publishing was – frankly – because I had no idea how to get a book out. I could have put it on Amazon and sold twenty copies to my friends and family and that would have been it. And it would have been badly edited with a homemade cover. RAP is getting me on a blog tour and on NetGalley and getting me reviews.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

I’m sure they’ve heard it before, but it bears repeating:

1) You are probably not getting rich on your book, especially your first one. So you’d better be writing because you love it and want to tell some cool stories and not because you heard JK Rowling now owns all of Wales.

2) Keep writing! It takes time to build up a following. And if enough people like your first book, they will go for the second one. But you have to have a second one for them to buy.

About You

Where did you grow up?

In the lovely city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. My parents moved there when I was a few days old. My dad teaches at one of the universities there.

Where do you live now?

New York City! Which is great because I love baseball, jazz, and musical theater and there is lots of all of that here.

What would you like readers to know about you?

That I am so happy people are liking my book. My wife keeps saying that of course they like it! It’s really good! But it’s something I’m getting used to.

What are you working on now?

First, I am working on finishing a second book in this series. I hope to have it done by autumn and then the editing process can begin. After that, I want to finish a book I started during last year’s NaNoWriMo, which is a horror novel set in Savannah at the taping of a Big Brother style reality show in a haunted house.

Thanks for having me!

End of Interview:

Get your copy of Tail and Trouble from Amazon US or Amazon UK.