Hi and welcome to my stop on Colin Sinclair’s Elji and the Galrass blog tour 🙂

Many thanks to Colin Sinclair and to Kelly @ Love Books Group Tours

Interview with Colin Sinclair…..

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

I am a 56 year old Husband and Grandad who lives in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. I have two dogs who enable me every day to gain pleasure from my surroundings, even if it’s raining or snowing.

I have two grandchildren who keep me busy and who I can share my Imagination with, and some of the things we get up to are definitely in the fantasy realm 

My Book ‘Elji and the Galrass’ is the first in a series called “The essence Sagas” and is the introduction to some of the characters and concepts that will stretch across many books.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I have been interested in the Universe, its composition and how it works for a very long time. I also believe that there is a concept that you get what you want in Life by giving what you can and imagining what you want. I am a firm believer in that we get what we desire even if we don’t know what that is, and by clearing the mind to allow you to focus on what you want you change your life.

These concepts allowed me to come up with the idea of “The Essence Sagas” and to utilise my imagination to bring them to a story.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

I hadn’t really thought about anyone I know as I was writing the characters, but in retrospection I think I probably base the character of Dregar a little on myself, or my imagined version of myself 

How do you pick your characters’ names?

It’s an interesting question. Most of the names at the beginning of the book just came to me based on the situation they were introduced in. I tried to base the names on the type of land the characters inhabited, so if it was a desert type land then I chose names that seemed to suit that land. I have been lucky to have travelled a lot and indeed have lived in different countries so I chose names based on what I knew. Some names like that of the ‘Grehonaught’ are just completely made up.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

When I write I just sit down and let it all just come out. After I have written a few chapters I go back and jiggle the events round and reorder the chapters. I don’t have any kind of timeline or plot written down, I keep it all in my head. Some would say that is not a good thing, but it works for me.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

I am going to start straight away with Shakespeare and follow that very quickly by Dickens. After that I move to Tolkien then Steinbeck and last but probably not least I really like James Herbert.

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

I would really like to meet Julian May an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and horror and ask her how she managed to create such complexity in her worlds yet still keep track of who did what and when.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes I was always a big reader. I would read anything if it was lying around. My parents were readers and so that wasn’t difficult and at school I had amazing English teachers that encouraged reading and reading all Genres.

When did you start to write?

I started to write at school when I was about 11. I wrote poetry and short stories. For many, many years after leaving school I didn’t write, but in my 40’s I took up writing Poetry again.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

Is there a book you wish you had written?

Oh My! Presuming to rewrite the ending of someone’s book would be beyond my ability. I firmly believe that when you have written your book, it’s yours. That ending meant something in context to you and so that is what it is. We all have different opinions on how things end but if you can squarely say that is how you envisaged the end then that is the end. A cop out I know!

I would love to have written “Of Mice and Men” It’s such a tale of the great depression and created such a stir when written.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?

I think I would call it “The Good Believer” based on my belief that doing good, being kind and forgiving gets you what you want, or at least some way towards that. Dependant on your commitment to it.

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

I would really like to meet Dirk Pitt form the Clive Cussler novels. I would take him to St Raphael in France, there is a great little Café that overlooks a pretty deserted beach there that has epic scenery

What are you working on right now?

I am working on the second book in my “Essence Saga” series and it’s coming along. It’s the Introduction of the secret society “The Essaria” which is really exciting for me.

Tell us about your last release?

I released “Elji and the Galrass” through my publisher in June. It has been an interesting journey based on the fact that it has been my first foray into the publishing world. It started off pretty well but I have found that the marketing of the book is a much bigger task than I thought it was going to be.

Do you have a new release due?

Not at the moment I am still working on the next book though I hope it to be early in the New Year.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

I have only had the one Publication day and it was a bit of a damp Squib as we had issues with Amazon listing the book correctly…but with Chocolate, definitely with Chocolate.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I do have a website, which in all honesty is not very good at all, but my Facebook page has much more information on it and is www.facebook.com/authorcol . I do also have a Twitter profile not used as much as it should be @authorcol

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I love to interact with people about the book and what they think so if anyone wants to drop me a message or ask questions I am more than happy to answer them.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Colin 🙂

 

Blurb

Elji, a boy from a village outside the city of Mehem discovers a “Galrass” a tool usually wielded only by those who understand its power. Perhaps it was left for him to find or perhaps it was just a random happening?

The Galrass embroils him in a struggle he never expected to be part of or even imagined existed. Dregar, a being from a different planet and galaxy ‘feels’ the boys interruption of the universal essence and takes him under his wing and so his journey begins.

Friendships are made and lost and many lives must be put in danger to usher the civilization into its rightful place among the Universal essence. Will Elji fulfill his potential and help save his world or will it fall into darkness?  

Buy Link

https://amzn.to/2P6PN34

Bio

Colin lives just outside the city of York in the beautiful Yorkshire country side. He has been married for 32 years and has two children and grandchildren. He has been acting and singing on stage since he was a teenager and still today performs at the large theatres in the region both acting and singing in lead roles.

He is a gym enthusiast and has competed in natural bodybuilding competitions and also engages in many sports such as Badminton, Squash and Bouldering. He has two dogs which keep him busy walking through the countryside.

Before settling in Yorkshire he was brought up between the Middle East, where his parents worked in the Oil Industry and spending the rest of the time in the UK at boarding school. This is where his love for words came from and he has written poetry for many years.

He now has the time to pursue his passion of writing and has written his first book in a fantasy series that he says has been in his head for longer than he cares to remember.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the blog tour for reviews, and more!

Happy reading 🙂