Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing for a long time but began self-publishing novels in 2011. My first novel was Trojan Hearse: A Light Look at the Dark Side of the War on Terror. I’ve written four others since then. I work full time so my writing time is between about 4 and 6 am, seven days a week. Writing is primarily a hobby for me but I really enjoy seeing a final product available and having people tell me they enjoyed reading one of them. My books are a little hard to categorize, but I have the most fun with the characters and dialogue and I think those are their strongest points.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel is Soul Source. I can’t tell you what inspired it because it would give away too much about the novel. You’ll just have to read it and see. I got the idea for the one before that, Right of Passage, from a dystopian movie where New York had been turned into a prison. I thought it would be interesting to look at a future where it was the law-abiding people who ended up behind walls and fences in cities to protect them from the lawlessness outside. Right of Passage is about a caravan master who leads food runs between gated cities.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I outline and prepare a lot but once I start writing I let the characters and story go where they want. That means I spend a lot of time going back and revising my outlines to try to be sure the story is going somewhere. My first novel, Trojan Hearse: A Light Look at the Dark Side of the War on Terror, started out as a standard, post cold war spy novel, but kept going down the road of satire and so that’s what it ended up as.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to list. Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, John LeCarre among others. A pretty eclectic group, but hopefully that describes my writing as well. One of the reasons I think it’s been hard to market my books is that they don’t fit neatly into categories.
What are you working on now?
A sequel to my previous novel, Right of Passage (Book 1: Police State of Anarchy). It is a dystopian thriller set about fifty years in the future.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t do as much promoting as I probably could or should. I only sell through Amazon (amazon.com/author/charlesvella). I also have a website charlesvella.com, and a Facebook page.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
You have to like to write. Writing a novel and spending your time trying to sell it isn’t a very enjoyable past time. Once you finish a novel you should start writing the next one. I’ve asked myself if I would keep writing even if I knew I’d never achieve any success at it and am happy that the answer is yes. That’s why I’ve written five novels so far and why I believe that my writing is getting better and better.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In terms of writing advice it came from Hugh Howey, the author of Wool. He suggests that you shouldn’t bother marketing your books until you’ve written several. He also emphasizes that if you want to be a writer you should spend your time writing.
What are you reading now?
Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI. This is a rare foray into nonfiction for me, but I’ve always been fascinated by violent subcultures like the Cheka, the Nazis, and gangsters. This is a very interesting, and ultimately pretty sad, story.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to keep writing.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d probably take everything by John LeCarre I could. For some reason he’s the author I find myself reading and rereading. I am a huge Smiley fan.
Author Websites and Profiles
Charles Vella Website
Charles Vella Amazon Profile
Charles Vella’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile