Interview with the amazing and very talented children's writer, Kurt Chambers

EXCERPT from Truth Teller:

Crossing the road, Charlotte admired the picturesque, English seaside town lined with shops that swept all the way to the top of a hill, overlooking the sea. Interesting old houses displayed colourful shop fronts, and a local market filled any spaces in between. She ambled along the well-worn paving stones, not really paying attention to her task of buying gifts for her friends. With her hands in her pockets, she wandered past stalls that spilled out across the path, packed with beach balls and buckets and spades.



She paused for a moment outside an arcade, drawn by the sounds and flashing lights that filled the air around the neon-lit building. Fighting the urge to spend the last of her money on a teddy grabbing machine, she continued to trudge up the hill, losing interest in her mission with every step.


Half way along the road she stopped, stepping into an alley to shelter from the glare of the sun. She leaned her back against the bright-red tiles that decorated the archway. Each one contained a small figure. They reminded her of characters from a fairy tale. She examined them closely, running her fingers over the textured surface. Something about them held a strange attraction.


She gazed into the alley. It led a fair way back, but in the gloom she could see the front of a grubby-looking shop displaying a large ‘Sale' sign in the window. She strained her eyes for a better view, and wondered if she should have a look just in case she could pick up something unusual for Mum. After a moments thought, she decided she had nothing to lose and wandered a little closer, checking over her shoulder as she went.


Reaching the glazed shopfront, Charlotte stood on tiptoes to see over the half-frosted glass that obscured her view of the inside. Despite being taller than most kids her age, the contents of the store remained a mystery. She paused at the door before giving it a shove and peering through the gap. Inside, it looked much smaller than expected, with tall, wooden shelves standing against the outer walls, each laden with an assortment of objects that appeared better placed in a junk shop.


The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, but curiosity urged her forward. She stepped inside, her heart pounding like a drum. An old-fashioned till perched in the centre of a small, wooden counter at the far end of the shop. Behind it hung a set of drab curtains with tiny pinholes, allowing slivers of light to seep through. The whole place had an air of gloom and smelt musty and damp. "Hello. Are you open?" she called out.


When no one responded, she browsed the shelves, discovering some odd, carved wooden figures, similar to the characters on the decorated tiles around the archway outside. She picked up one that resembled a garden gnome and turned the carving around, searching for a price label. Nothing. That's not much help She placed the grotesque, stumpy little figure back down.


Turning to leave, something caught her eye. She stared at a small bookcase resting against the back wall beside the counter. A gentle glow of green light illuminated the shelves, tempting her to venture further and take a closer look. She crept through the aisle and bent down to examine a small, glass snow dome nestled between a variety of clay pots. It looked out of place amongst the other articles displayed in the shop.


She reached out and touched the surface with the tips of her fingers. The cool, smooth surface made them tingle, a strange yet alluring sensation. With a quick check over her shoulder, she picked it up and tipped it upside down. She cupped the delicate item in the palm of her hand and held it close to her face. No snow.


Inside the crystal orb, a tiny globe like a miniature planet revolved slowly around, casting eerie shadows against the dreary walls. "It's beautiful," she whispered.


"Yes, it is beautiful," a voice sounded.


She spun around and stumbled back a step. Behind the counter stood a large figure wrapped in a grey cloak, similar to the drab curtains that hung behind him. From what she could see of him in the gloom, his scruffy, charcoal hair hung down to his shoulders. Eyes as dark as coal peered out below thick, bushy eyebrows, making his thin face look gaunt and pasty. She shuddered. He gave her the creeps, popping up from out of nowhere and staring at her as though he had never seen a customer before.


"I am sorry if I surprised you. I did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable," he said, as though reading her mind. "You are very welcome here."


She put down the small ornament and ambled along the shelves, picking through the strange collection of knickknacks. The entire time, she sensed the old man's stare following her around. She considered leaving, yet the eerie glow from the snow dome kept drawing her gaze back to the bookcase. The temptation from its hypnotic light managed to get the better of her, and she walked back to pick it up again. "How much is this?"

A broad smile lit the old man's face. "Take it, child. I have no use for it in my shop."


Hi, Kurt. I’m so happy you could join me today. You and I have been friends for several years now, and I’d like to ask you a few questions that perhaps I don’t know. You write mainly in the fantasy genre. Have you written in another genre, and if so, which one?

Hi, Dawne, *grin* I'm so thrilled to be a guest on your awesome site :-)


The simple answer to that is no...lol...I did once consider writing a non-fiction novel. It was a crazy idea. I wanted to write a book to promote happiness. I think the working title was, Happiness is a State of Mind, if my memory serves me correct. I even made a start on it at one point after doing a load of research, but it never got off the ground. I kind of went off the idea. All my other novels are children's fantasy. I might consider writing something else one day, but right now, I can't really see myself writing anything else. Kids’ fantasy is what I do best.

Tell us a little about your wonderful Truth Teller series. I began reading this first novel (it’s a series of three books) at its inception, and I absolutely fell in love with Charlotte, the main character. How did she become created?

Charlotte is awesome, I have to agree. She is actually a real person. Charlotte was one of my Brownies from when I used to help run the Stevenage 17th Brownie Pack. We were very close and spent a few fun filled years together. I wrote her into my Truth Teller series as the main character because she was just so lovely and funny, and just perfect for the part. It turned out well as everyone who has read my story loves her just as much as I do. I think an author has to really care for their main character in order to get the reader to care for them too.

Do you have a favorite character type to write about/use as a main character. If so, who/what is it?


I'd have to say I like to write stories about children. I adore kids, and find them just so funny and sweet and much more fun than adults. I share their childish sense of humour...lol...I guess I just never grew up. I seem to be better at writing girl’s characters, which is no real surprise as I worked as a volunteer for over six years with girls aged seven to eleven-years-old, and have two daughters of my own. And a son...lol...

What do you hate most about writing? I know different authors have different pet-peeves, so what are yours?



I have always struggled with literacy. It was always my worst subject by far. That probably sounds a bit of a weird thing for an author to say, I know, but it's true. Writing a novel and bringing it to a publishable standard was probably one of the most challenging things I've ever done in my life. Hey, you've got to love a challenge, right! So, I would have to say my pet-peeve is probably the shear amount of work involved in creating a novel, and then editing like a million times to get it just perfect, if there is such a thing. If you don't like work, then don't become a writer.

You are quite involved with children. Do they give you inspiration to write?


Absolutely! They are my inspiration. Anyone who works with children will know what I'm talking about. If I had the choice of any job in the world, I would choose to work with kids. That would be my dream job.


I know that you’ve been doing everything possible to become published. Personally, I don’t understand it, because Truth Teller is an amazing novel. Charlotte’s story needs to be shared with the world. When that horrid letter or email arrives, how do you cope with the rejection? Now you must tell us, how will you celebrate when the acceptance letter arrives?


It depends on what mood I'm in, I suppose. You do harden to it eventually, but if I'm having a really bad week it can sometimes feel like the end of the world. On a good day, it's like water off a duck’s back. My youngest daughter calls me, The Rejectornator...lol...which is rather amusing. When I mention I've been rejected, she takes great pleasure in really emphasizing the word whilst making a loser sign on her forehead. :D She is funny.

I think when I eventually get that golden acceptance, I will probably burst into tears haha!!! It's been a long, long road. I will be totally overwhelmed. Any writer that has been on this journey will fully appreciate just how much their books mean to them personally, and I'm no exception. Getting Truth Teller published has become my world, so once it is published that will be my celebration. Okay, I admit, I will probably get roaring drunk too...lol...and no doubt make a complete idiot of myself. So, nothing new there really :-)


You have been given two genres to write in only—horror or romance. Which one would you choose, and why?

LOL...Horror, obviously. Romance is for girls! haha!!



What other wonderful tales are in the works for you?


The book I'm working on at the moment is called Unknown Reality. It's a bit of a mix between sci-fi and fantasy. It's about a girl called Chloe (after my granddaughter) who is living a normal life when she discovers that her whole world is just an illusion. The place she called home is just a holographic experiment set up by the Scientists. She finds herself caught in a war and is captured by the Savages, a race of people who despise the Scientists. With no memory of this world due to a computer virus used to sabotage the Scientists' experiments, she has to choose where her allegiance lies, but all she wants is to return to the family that never really existed.


I'm also working on another book titled, The World in Johnny's Back Garden. I'm writing this for a slightly younger audience with the intention of giving children an alternative view of other living creatures around them. It still has a long way to go yet. I've started writing it, but it's really just in the planning stage at the moment. I know where I want it to go, and I have the outline of the story, but it's changing each time I tackle it. The review panel at Ladybird Publishers were very impressed with my ideas and approach to this story, which was a great endorsement. Who knows where it will lead.

Now for some breaking news. I'm actually considering writing a fourth book in the Truth Teller series. Okay, no ideas as yet, but I'm in discussions with a close friend of mine at the moment. I've been asked on several occasions if I would consider writing another book in the series, so anything is possible.

I’ll have to bug you for the title of book four. What journeys will Charlotte take us on? I can’t thank you enough for joining me today. It's been such a blast chatting with you again. I miss you, bud! And look...I did learn something new. Tell us where readers can find you?

Thanks for having me! Best come round my house, 'cause that's where I normally am...lol...

Here is my official web site...http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the.chambers/child/


And this is my blog site...http://www.geniusborderinginsanity.blogspot.com/