Author Interview – Ted Tayler

What is your favourite quote, by whom and why? ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.’ Aristotle.

I have always felt that if I keep doing what I believe to be right, in whatever venture I undertake, eventually I will reap the rewards. I never give up.

What is your favourite colour? Another easy one! Blue. A particular shade of blue, as worn by the football team I have supported for over fifty years. Birmingham City FC – the mighty Blues!

When and why did you begin writing? In 2006 we were on holiday in Ibiza and we met two young American girls, a long way from home, who stopped to have a drink with us in a bar one evening. They listened with great interest to some of my stories from my time in groups back in the day and when I got home, a friend Tom Sangster asked me if I had any of these stories written down, for posterity. I laughed. He said it would be a shame if they died with me and other people didn’t have the chance to share them, particularly my children and grandchildren. So I relented and started from the beginning and trawled through those that were fit to print until my singing days were over. It was four years before I got the book published, partly due to my laziness, partly due to the recession. I haven’t stopped writing since 2011.

How did you come up with the title of your current book? I had started out writing ‘The Tipping Point’ then I discovered Amazon was infested with them! I decided to switch to ‘The Final Straw’ then as the book was published Snow Patrol brought out their latest album. Curses, foiled again! Ah well, perhaps they could provide the soundtrack for the movie?

Who designed the cover? I was really lucky there. I searched for cover designers in the UK and their prices were out of my price range. I chanced upon www.bookcovers.us  and a delightful young lady called Melissa G Alvarez. She had a range of options, catering for the thrifty author on a limited budget like myself and the upper end of the food chain. She gave me four basic cover designs based on my book ‘blurb’, allowed me a couple of revisions, then in days I had my cover at a price I was comfortable with. Melissa even managed to capture Colin Bailey as I had imagined him. If the book sells well, then the cover will play a significant part. If there are further books, I know where I’ll be going for my covers!

An only child, unloved and unwanted by his parents, Colin Bailey is a bitter, emotionally damaged young man, hell bent on exacting revenge on anyone who has stopped him becoming the person he believes he was destined to be. What sets Colin apart is his intellect and meticulous planning. Detective Phil Hounsell pursues his man relentlessly, while trying to avoid the small town in which he works sliding further and further into the grip of two rival gangs.

A devastating event in Colin’s life provides the final straw that herald’s a bloodbath. Can Phil prevent it happening or will he too be a victim?’

This tale of revenge spans almost two decades, yet the police are chasing shadows; it builds in pace and tension to a thrilling climax against the backdrop of a seemingly quiet West Country town.

Buy Now @ Amazon & Amazon UK & Smashwords

Genre – Crime / Thriller

Rating – 18+

Connect with Ted Tayler on Twitter

Website http://www.tedtayler.co.uk/