His latest novel is a thrilling dual timeline, Guardians at the Wall, published in June 2021. Archaeologists uncover artefacts that connect them to the life of a Roman centurion in second century Roman Britain.
Tim lives near Windsor - close to the River Thames - the inspiration for his first book of short stories, Thames Valley Tales (2015, revised second edition, 2023). In September 2017 he published a second book of short stories, Postcards from London. These stories draw on the local history and current affairs of towns and cities along the course of the Thames where the author has lived and worked. A new collection of poems and short fiction, Perverse, was published in April 2020.
In early 2017 he published his first children's book, co-authored with his daughter, Cathy - The Adventures of Charly Holmes. Another adventure story was published in 2018 - Charly & The Superheroes, followed by Charly in Space (2020).
What is your latest writerly news that you are bursting to share?
After a quiet 2022 in which my muse was on extended holiday, I decided that what my portfolio really needs is an audiobook. I went back to my short stories and identified nine that I felt would be suitable for audio. Then I contacted an actor/author acquaintance, Richard James, and asked if he had experience of voicing audiobooks and if so, would he do mine. He answered yes, and yes. Once a fee had been agreed, he set about breathing life into my Thames Valley Tales, adding value by nuancing the dialogue and adding sound effects and relevant genre music. I’m delighted with the outcome, and Thames Valley Tales audiobook launched at the end of March.
What has been the best book you’ve read this year?
I really enjoyed Robert Harris’s Act of Oblivion, set in the aftermath of the English Civil War, and it inspired me to write a short story set during the Great Fire of London in 1666. This will be added to my other stories set in London, for my next project, London Tales.
Share your favourite book cover from the books you have written
I was pleased to find Canadian book cover designer and author, Cathy Walker, to give my five-book A Light in the Dark Ages series a consistent themed look. For my story of a youthful King Arthur, I found an artist who had created a picture that matched the title of my book – Arthur Dux Bellorum, depicting a scene from my book. I found the author and negotiated a fee to use his picture on my book cover. Cathy Walker matched the fonts to make it consistent with the book series. It’s my favourite book cover, and possibly my best novel.
How has your writing changed over the years?
I started my creative writing journey by writing short stories. After a year and a half I plucked up the courage to attempt a novel. My first novel was a British dystopian darkly humorous work, Devil Gate Dawn. I began its life a weekly blog, The Life of George, where I focused more on the central relationships between father, son, and father’s new girlfriend, leading to tensions. This was an important step forward for me in my fiction writing, and now I feel that character driven fiction works better than having an obsession for driving a story through the narrative arc.
What was the last cake or pudding you had whilst out and about?
I had a delightful lemon muffin at Café Nero today – the perfect companion to a cappuchino.
You can connect with Tim at his website: timwalker1666.wixsite.com/website
Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Brittany Hester.
If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please get in touch. I'd be delighted to have you.
You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me virtual tea & cake at Kofi - it's what makes the world go round!
Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.
