I was lucky to get an interview with Christopher Clargo, the author of The Stones of Valtara, and one of this year’s #SPFBO8 semifinalists.

I previously interviewed Christopher, but since he became a semi-finalist, we both felt that a new interview was just the thing…

Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
Thanks once again, Rune, for the opportunity to share something about myself and my book.

I’m a primary school teacher and I live in South Wales, UK, with my wife and two children. When I’m not teaching or writing, I play bass guitar in a cover band.

What was the first thought that popped into your mind when you found out you had made it to the semifinals?
To be honest, I was overwhelmed from the shock of my debut novel being considered a worthy semi-finalist, but also aware at how close the decision had been. I’d like to wish all the authors in Michael Knipp’s batch all the very best with their writing careers.

Why did you decide to take part in the SPFBO?
I first heard about SPFBO on the fabulous podcast, Wizards, Warriors & Words. The authors spoke positively about their experiences in the competition, and of course, had nothing but praise for Mark Lawrence. It impressed me that such a high-profile author like Mark would be so supportive of self-published fantasy authors. Then, after my novel launched in September 2021, a friend and fellow SPFBO member encouraged me to enter it into this year’s competition.

Why should we buy your SPFBO8 book?
The Stones of Valtara is a multi-POV epic fantasy about six warring clans that were forged into a mighty kingdom by three orphaned sword-brothers. The leader of the brothers became king, and made the others his general and champion.

After years of struggle to maintain the peace, the kingdom once again falls into turmoil as treacherous secrets threaten to expose the king’s shadowy past and plunge the land into war.

But the secrets of mere mortals pale into insignificance when compared to the world-shattering secrets of the gods.

And once revealed, nothing will be as it once was.

What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
As a child, I loved creating stories in my head, but unfortunately, I wasn’t very good at writing them down. I struggled in school because of my inability to concentrate on my work during lessons. However, by the time I reached my teens, I managed to develop strategies to stay focused. Yet, I never really found any enjoyment in writing—not until I became a teacher. I started writing my own stories for my pupils to use as modelled texts. Realising that the children enjoyed reading them spurred me on to write more stories. And then in 2017, I decided to embark on writing my first novel.

Why did you choose to write fantasy? And why pick this particular fantasy subgenre?
From the legend of King Arthur to the druidic centre of Ynys Mon, Wales is a land full of myth and legend. And with ancient stones, sacred groves, hillforts, and a Roman fortress (Isca Silurum) right on my doorstep, it was inevitable that my ideas around mythology and fantasy would be influenced by my Welsh heritage.

It was also during my planning stage that I got into Grimdark authors like Mark Lawrence and Joe Abercrombie, as well as reading Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, and Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles. So, fresh from reading about Logen Ninefingers, Jorg Ancrath, Arthur and the Magisterium, I started to develop my story.

As well as books, I’ve watched sci-fi and fantasy films and TV shows ever since I can remember. I think one of my first memories was listening to the Hobbit being read on a British children’s programme called Jackanory. The Lord of the Rings films are, and always will be, my family’s favourite trilogy.

Also, games like Total War, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Dragon Age 2 and Shadow of Mordor have influenced my choice of genre.

Which other author has had the biggest influence on your writing?
Whilst these guys do a great job of everything, I found them particularly inspirational for the following reasons:

Joe Abercrombie for character development

Bernard Cornwell for battle set-pieces (Although nothing compares to the ride of the Rohirrim in The Return of the King)

Mark Lawrence for his ability to jump between the past and present in a book seamlessly.

What’s the best thing about being a writer?
It’s the opportunity writing gives me to create a new world and fill it with diverse and interesting characters that the reader actually cares about. That’s an amazing feeling.

What’s the hardest thing about being a writer?
Keeping to a writing routine when life is complicated.

How do I get into the semifinals? Just kidding! Or not? Do you have a tip, app, tool, or resource you recommend to authors?
I’m still scratching my head about that one!

Here are a few things I’ve learned on the way…

If you’re serious about self-publishing, get a professional editor. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth every penny—especially when you’re new to the game. But even that’s not enough to get noticed in the saturated world of Amazon etc… If you can’t do it yourself, get a book cover designed by a professional and spend time getting your blurb right. Build an author platform by creating a decent website and develop a social media presence.

And make friends in the writing community. Learn from others.

Here’s a list of the tools I use…

Story Plotting – Plottr

Writing – Scrivener

AI Editing – ProWritingAid

Publishing – Vellum

World Building - Unreal Engine, World Creator

Video Creation – Final Cut Pro, Motion, TikTok

Image Editing – Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Pixlr

Map Making - Inkarnate

Audio Editing – Garageband, Audacity

Web Site Hosting - SiteGround

Web Site Design – WordPress (With the Elementor Plugin)

Email Marketing – MailerLite

App Automation - Integromat

I would also recommend using a decent text-to-voice app. I’ve found this great for listening to my chapters whilst commuting to work.

What new projects are you working on?
As well as working on the second book in the series, I spent my summer improving my ebook, paperback and hardback covers. I’ve also set up a Kickstarter to raise the funds to turn The Stones of Valtara into an audiobook.

Here’s the pre-launch link if you’d like to take a look.

Anything else you would like to say before we close?
If you’d like to find out more about me or The Stones of Valtara, visit www.christopherclargo.com. I’ve got a members-only area called Tribe Tarania where you’ll find interactive maps, timelines, a full glossary and a brand-new forum.

Or you can visit my Facebook page.

Finally, I’d like to wish all the other semi-finalists the best of luck in the competition.

Interesting answers as always Christopher! Best of luck with the Kickstarer, the competition, and with sales. And thanks for doing the interview.