Tom Fowler is the creator of the C.T. Ferguson Mystery series!
What motivated you to take the plunge and become a published author?
Like most people, I had a story I wanted to get out into the world.
Years ago, I’d gone through the process of trying to find an agent without much success. Starting in about 2016, I became really interested in indie publishing, so I started learning as much as I could about it. In the fall of 2017, I self-published my first crime fiction novel.
Why did you choose to write crime fiction/thrillers?
I’ve always enjoyed them. While I’ve read in a variety of genres, it’s been mostly crime fiction and thrillers for several years now. I also love a good noir or thriller movie.
Where did the inspiration for your protagonist come from?
For my mystery series, I knew I wanted a private investigator who was a little unconventional. I love characters like Spenser, Marlowe, etc., but I didn’t want my protagonist to be a former cop. Around this time, I watched a lot of shows like Monk, Psych, and The Mentalist. Those convinced me I didn’t want to go the photographic memory route, either.
So I went more with what I knew. I’ve worked in the IT field since 2000 and in security since about 2007. I created a character who came to be a PI but started out as a hacker. He didn’t have the classic law enforcement or military background.
With my new thriller series, I created the character in a very early and primitive form when I was about seven or eight. I wrote stories about a guy who was an “adventurer,” because everyone’s going on an adventure when you’re a kid. A couple years ago, when I came up with some thriller story ideas, I remembered this character. He needed a proper name and a real background, both of which I was able to give him.
Where did the inspiration for your antagonist come from?
For the most part, each book features a new antagonist. We have some characters—good and bad—who recur, but the main villain is new each time. I make them different from the hero in some key way.
For instance, in my upcoming thriller, the villain is a disgraced colonel. (Not a spoiler, btw—readers get the info before the main character does.) He and the protagonist share several traits, but a key difference is their morality and the way they look at other people.
How do you arrive at the vision needed to create your stories?
I’m good at getting into characters’ heads.
It’s not an instantaneous process, though. It takes time to find a narrator’s personality and voice, and taking this time is important—doubly so if you’re writing in first person. Before I published my first mystery novel, I wrote about fifteen short stories. Almost all of them were dreadful, but they provided useful practice in finding the right voice.
Also, several have served as the bases for novels in the series, so there are other benefits to taking this time.
Every author has other authors they draw inspiration from. Which authors have inspired you in your writing and storytelling career?
Several.
First, some big names in the mystery and thriller space. Robert B. Parker. Lawrence Block. Elmore Leonard. Sue Grafton. John D. MacDonald. Raymond Chandler. Lee Child. Mark Dawson, to name a prominent indie.
I’ve also found the indie author community to be very welcoming and supportive in general. You’d think people in the same genre would be competitors, but there’s definitely a spirit of camaraderie.
Some authors find inspiration from specific films or music. If this is the case for you, please share which films have inspired you? Which songs or musicians?
I don’t listen to music while I write, and I can’t say any songs have inspired me.
I enjoy a good detective movie, but I wouldn’t cite any as inspirations. Not directly, at least. The things we see and enjoy probably influence our writing in ways we’re not consciously aware of.
What aspects of storytelling do you find the most challenging?
The inevitable slog around 75%. It’s where act two is ending and the third act is about to begin. Even working with an outline, I struggle a little bit here. I know what’s going to happen, and I can see the end in sight, so I want to get on with it.
What do you find to be the most enjoyable or satisfying aspect of being an author?
Interacting with readers. For every person who says “you suck” or leaves a one-star review, there are a hundred or more who found your books and want to share how much they enjoyed them.
Just this week, I had a reader email me from New Zealand. They bought my book on Kobo. New Zealand is about 500 hours by plane from where I live. It’s amazing to me that someone who’s literally half a world away found my book, read it, enjoyed it, and took the time to tell me. It’s an awesome feeling.
What advice would you offer to any would be authors working up the courage to publish their first book or story?
Do it. Books don’t earn you any money sitting on your hard drive. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but if you want to sell it to strangers, it needs to look professional. This means you’ll need to work with an editor and cover designer. They’re not free, but they don’t have to be expensive. It can be done.
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Mystery prequel (free): https://bit.ly/CTprequel
It’s C.T.’s first case. He wants an easy one.
Instead, he gets Alice.
C.T. Ferguson spent years as a hacker. He lived in Hong Kong, working against the Chinese government. Then they found him, threw him in jail, and eventually kicked him out. In Baltimore, C.T. sets himself up as a private investigator.
Then Alice walks in.
She’s sure her husband is cheating on her. C.T. looks into it but isn’t convinced. He soon discovers Alice has serious problems of her own.
When Alice’s troubles get even worse, C.T. finds his own life in danger. With a liar for a client and enforcers hounding him, can C.T. prevent his first case from becoming his last?
You’ll love The Reluctant Detective because it blends classic mystery with modern cyber intrigue.
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