Hello fellow book lovers,

Today you may have seen the hashtag humanvoicesonly on social media. As Amazon decides to bring in AI to record audio books, authors, artists and narrators are taking a stand to say no. Work shouldn’t be taken away from narrators by computers.

As part of Human Voices Only, sections of AVA, Earth and Bones, and Love and Blood are being read by narrators on social media so please go have a listen and share them to show you support for the amazing talent of the narrators out there!

An Interview with Christopher Ford
Author of Life and Freddy and the Vikings

First, an introduction:

Christopher Ford lives with his partner Judith and their four children in Southport, England. He first started writing as an undergraduate at Liverpool University where he studied English Literature. During this time, he became involved in writing satirical short fiction for the campus magazine and his stories When the Lights Go Out and The Truth of the Matter have since been used as exemplars in creative writing classes in further education.

Christopher was inspired to start writing after he was asked to cover a creative writing group when the usual tutor became ill. He enjoyed teaching the class so much that he decided to have a go himself. Prior to becoming a writer, he taught English in schools and colleges throughout the north west of England and has been involved in promoting the teaching of literacy in primary schools. Outside of work, Christopher enjoys travelling and experiencing different cultures and he enjoyed a period of his life living and working as a teacher in Spain. Christopher is a published author of children’s fiction with Forever Freddy and the Vikings available at CAAB Publishing and his short stories Supertree and Devotion have featured in the magazine Brilliant Brainz and the anthology Crimes and Cabs.

Life is Christopher Ford’s debut novel.

Great to have you here to chat Christopher, can you tell me more about Life your debut novel?

Yes, I have recently completed my debut novel, Life. It is an adult speculative fiction story with a reading length of 60,000 words. The inspiration behind the book was, like most ideas, accidental, and came about when his partner asked him, 'What would you change if you could live your life again?' I thought I'd write my answer down. I really didn't realise it would become a novel until I was halfway through.

Here's the blurb: What if something was too important to forget and too dangerous to remember? When she was born, Beth Morgan inherited her mother’s red hair and something else, something she didn’t understand. A memory! A memory of a dead scientist from another country, another time and another Life. A memory of a secret formula that could save the earth from inevitable environmental apocalypse within two decades. But is twenty years enough? Will twenty years be enough to go to school and make new friends? Is twenty years enough to grow up and fall in love? Will twenty years be enough to save the planet? Only The Humanist Society stand in Beth’s way. A society tasked with preserving humankind. A society that has learnt of Beth’s secret and will stop at nothing to prevent her sharing it with anyone else! Even if it means murder!

That sounds exciting! I have actually read Life and it was great. I’d recommend it for speculative fiction fans. Are you working on anything else at the moment?

I am currently working on my second novel, Kismet. The story of a boy mistaken as an asylum seeker.

What has been the best bit about being an author so far?

Getting a publishing contract with CAAB was the high point! My first writing contract! I was over the moon. The low came after when I realised I wasn't selling enough books.

Do you have any advice for new authors or things you’ve found trickiest? I know for me its marketing!

This is really my weak point, but I would say this, try to treat your book as a product and market it to right audience. What genre are you writing and which group of readers read this genre?

As for advice, be yourself. Don't try to be someone your not. Let your own voice be heard. That's when you will write your best stuff!

Do you have any other hobbies?

I love books and I love reading. But other than that, I guess I enjoy watching old films. 'Play it Again Sam' is my favourite film.

Can’t beat books! It’s been great to chat, lastly can you tell me where readers can get your books?

I'd just like to say thanks for the support. One thing that this journey has taught me, is the importance of supporting each other. Writing is hard work with little reward. We need to stick together. My book Forever Freddy and the Vikings is currently on Amazon, but my novel Life will be coming soon, so watch this space!

Follow Christopher on Instagram here

Thank you for reading and don’t forget to check out the amazing narrations of AVA, Earth and Bones and Love and Blood.

Lydia x