Tanner Garnet interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

Hello and pleased to meet you! My name is Tanner Garnet and I am a writer of fiction that fits nicely into the genres of suspense, crime-thriller and police procedural. In my secret identity, I have held a number of jobs, which include electrical power engineer, teacher of mathematics and science and educational consultant.

I also have an extensive non-fiction writing resume, and while writing textbooks and technical newsletters can be fun, fiction writing is... Way. More. Funner.

When did your love of books begin?

Grade 3. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Wow... what an impression that made! Later I discovered super-hero comics and then at the age of 14, I read The Dead Zone by Stephen King... and that was it: I became hooked forever on popular, and eventually, classic fiction.

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

As far back as I can remember, I always enjoyed reading and writing. When the time came to apply for University, two of my applications were for Fine Arts programs: Dramatic Arts and English, and... one application for science/engineering (just in case). Well I chickened out on my first dream and ‘settled’ for a degree in Engineering Physics and a short, but successful career as a professional engineer.

Quickly recognizing my literary talents, my supervisor at a high tech firm put me in charge of writing technical papers and a company newsletter. It was a kick to try to present technical information in a manner that was both informative and engaging.

Next I went into teaching, which further satisfied my creative, artistic side. Once again I savored the challenge of presenting mathematics and physics content to sometimes-reluctant students in ways that did not bore them to tears. After a few years I was promoted to a board consultant’s position, which led to more writing opportunities with the school board, the Ministry of Education, and eventually textbook publishers.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Throughout my professional career in engineering and education the projects that pleased me the most usually involved writing. By this time I had become a voracious reader of fiction and I started to wonder about combining my two passions: writing and fiction. Could I do it?

Once I started writing my first novel, I fell in love with the process. The story tumbled out of me, not in a linear fashion, but in fits and starts. Characters would create themselves in my mind and kept speaking to me, demanding their stories be fleshed out. I knew that I had to see this through.

I took a very rigorous approach to my writing: for my first draft I just let the words pour out, writing whatever sections came to me on any given day, eventually sequencing chapters and stitching plotlines together. I boldly experimented with forward and reverse timelines. I was not going to do this half-measure... I threw everything into this!

Then, revisions. Beta-reviewers. More revisions. Let it sit. Revisit. Proof-read. Clean up the manuscript, excise purple prose, tighten the plot. Is the story too confusing? Too simple? Are there enough clues? Revise again. More reviewers. Revise. Proof. Copy-edit. Get ready for publication. Format for eBook. Publish!

Re-format for Softcover. Add design elements such as Chapter Ornaments. Publish!

Wow. A labour of love, with an extra helping of labour.

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

Follow your muse and let the rest sort itself out. As a textbook author I wrote what the publisher and teaching market demanded. Fair enough, they were paying the bills. But my fiction adventure was to be mine! I wrote the story I wanted to. I love the result, and I have received enthusiastic support from my reviewers. Whether the book becomes a best-seller or lingers in obscurity, I had a blast writing it. So that is what I would suggest: write the stories you want to and enjoy the ride!

Tell us about your book/books:

My first foray into fiction is the novel The Hands of an Angel, a self-contained story, which can, and likely will, lead to subsequent related tales. The novel can be enjoyed in many ways: a drug trade gang-war slug-fest, a coming of age tale of revenge, a cyberpunk martial-arts mash-up, a detailed police procedural. This story features a number of strong female characters. And I love them!

A follow-up story is ricocheting inside my skull now, tentatively entitled The Blades of Heaven! This story will continue with surviving key characters from The Hands of an Angel and introduce a few new key players! Yes. I can’t wait to write it!

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

Writing my first novel was the easy part (really!). Getting it ready for publication was a ton of less rewarding, but necessary work. Now comes a vital step in the journey: promotion. In addition to Amazon and Goodreads, the social media writing community is a thriving, robust network of fantastic people. In the couple of weeks since setting up accounts/pages on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook I have received terrific support! Especially on Twitter: The #WritingCommunity is so welcoming and supportive.

Next up, I plan to share some videos on TikTok and YouTube, and set up an author webpage that will link all social media accounts and offer additional content such as blog posts, writing updates and FAQs.

My secret weapon, who is responsible for the cover design on The Hands of an Angel, is hard at work on video production right now! I am so excited.

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

Thank you for reading! That’s what it is all about. If you are sitting on the fence, give my work a try. I promise that you will be entertained!

Where can people connect with you?

Here is my growing list of social media profiles:

Twitter: @TGarnetAuthor

Instagram: tannergarnet_author

Facebook Page: Tanner Garnet

TikTok: @tannergarnetauthor

Goodreads Author: Tanner Garnet

Amazon: Amazon.com/author/tannergarnet

Website and YouTube channel to follow.