Christopher C Tennant interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

So my name is Christopher C Tennant (the "C" is for Charles, which is my middle name), and I am an author, educator, and photographer from Denver, Colorado, in the USA. I am a writer who dabbles mostly in experimental works and literary fiction, though I try to continually put out work in other areas as well. After all, variety is the spice of life, and without it, anybody's portfolio would be bland eventually.

When did your love of books begin?

Not sure when I first fell in love with reading, but when I was in 4th grade I read all of "Redwall" by Brian Jaques, which the teacher had listed as the only 8th grade level reading material in the classroom library. Afterwards I began writing a short story, partly based on the novel but also based on other stuff I was reading at the time, and I've been smitten with the process ever since.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

It developed slowly. Through adolescence, I was a very imaginative child, but as I grew older I began to steadily increase my desire to write and woldbuild more. Some of my earliest work was actually a Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting I made when I was in 9th grade, which I refined multiple times over the years as I learned more and more about how to tell a better story. I finally made the jump from Dungeon Master to author when I realized there wasn't enough market demand for homebrew DnD settings, and decided my time was better used enthralling a wider audience with my literary works anyway.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

I think that's also something that grows slowly on a person. I tend to be more of a writer who architects an entire story before I really begin commiting to it. By that I mean I build the skeleton, the muscles, and then the flesh, in that order. This helps me see the endgame of what I'm writing before I get too far into the beginning, and I can lead the characters to that endgame in pieces, instead of just discovering it as I go. Oftentimes I will write a bold opener first, followed by a follow-up scene, and then jump to the ending, and then spend the rest of the time trying to get the two to tie neatly together.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Do it! It's a very fun, very low cost-of-entry hobby compared to most and is rewarding to watch yourself grow in. If you're thinking about doing it, don't hesitate. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will your accomplishments, so you might as well get started now.

Tell us about your book/books:

Ha! You got me. I've been trying to be tight lipped on these for a while but I guess now is a good time to share a bit about them.

I have two titles I am primarily focused on, in addition to my short stories and poetry.. While I'm a little back-and-forth on which will be published first, my two titles are "Americans in Space", a sci-fi-graphic novel about America during a transition phase, and "The First Civilization", about the dawn of civilization and why the principles that lead to the dawn still matter to us 5,000 years later. Both of these are very literary in nature and are attempting to take slightly experimental routes of delivery; I don't know of many graphic novels that attempt to tell us "who we are and where we're going".

I have several other works in various stages of completion as well, including several children's books I very much intend to finish, but as of right now, those two are my focus, and I spend alot of time doing them.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

Hmm. Not sure. I love getting critiqued? It's always good to find new ways to grow and improve your craft while still staying true to who you are as a person.

I guess I also love discussing literature with other book lovers, though I have to admit, most of my friends have a very different reading taste than I do!

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Be true to who you are, but be willing and ready to receive constructive criticism when it comes. Since alot of my work is speculative, I talk alot about where we've been in the past, where we are now, and where we may one day be in the future. So by its very nature, I'm going to talk alot about the darker things that may be upcoming for us and the ways in which tomorrow's weeds are this morning's pollen if we're not vigilant, serious, and sober-minded about our reality. When you read this in my work, please take heart. Don't despair over the imminent danger of the world, but take hope in the fact that, if we act now, we may have a chance to save some things.

Where can people connect with you?

A little bit of everywhere. I am on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Facebook, and a few other places I don't use as regularly (not TikTok). I love hearing from fans and am typically a warm, uplifting person who thrives in inspiring other people.