The Bookshelf: Author Spotlight: Seth Tucker

Published 1:00 pm Monday, January 22, 2024

This week I had the pleasure to interview Seth Tucker, a local science fiction and horror author. Tucker has written a collection of novellas, short stories and novels ranging from horror to action-adventure. He spoke with us about his inspirations, writing advice and future projects.

Request: Tell us about your writing process and the way you brainstorm story ideas.

Tucker: Every story I write comes from some inciting spark, that “What if?” question that drives the narrative. I keep a notebook with one or two sentences of story ideas but never start a story until I know the ending. When I started this journey, I would tell people that I write like I’m on a road trip: I know where I’m going and a few of the sights I want to see along the way. This is still true, but lately, I find myself putting more effort into the route to the stops.

I often write in my home office, in the basement, where I’m not likely to get distracted by whatever is happening outside with the neighbors or by requests from my daughter to play. It gets difficult at times to find the discipline to put my butt in the chair and fingers on the keyboard, but I know the stories won’t get written if I don’t.

I never set time limits for myself, but I’ll set word goals. If I’m working on a novel, I aim for two thousand words (or more) a day; for novellas, I do at least one thousand words a day; and for anything under six thousand words, I try to finish in a day. I’ve been fortunate and finished novels in a single month when the words were flowing great, but on average, I can finish a novel in two to two-and-a-half months, not including editing.

Question: You’ve recently started writing horror stories, what is your inspiration behind that?

Tucker: I’ve always loved monsters. When I was 13, I started writing horror stories for fun. Seventeen years later, I wrote my first novel, “Friedkin’s Curse: A Werewolf Tale of Terror,” which is horror. Dan Winston and Lee Baum bounded out of my imagination into a world of monsters and men of action, and I stepped out of the scary pool for a while, occasionally dipping my toe in with a short story here and there.

My father loved the “Winston & Baum Steampunk Adventures”; he’d reread them every few months. When he passed away in 2020, I dove back into horror full force because I couldn’t face those characters, knowing he’d never get to read them again. I found it easier to exorcize my grief through darker stories. No matter what I write, though, I’m sure it’ll have some variety of monsters in it; whether it’s scary or not will depend on the window dressing.

Q: Do you believe in writer’s block? How do you overcome it?

Tucker: Writer’s block is an interesting topic. I know some writers who believe in it and others who think it’s an excuse. I can’t say either one is correct. I’ve found it difficult to work on certain stories or passages in books, and I have to set it aside and come back to it. I don’t quit writing, though. When I hit those roadblocks, I write something else. Sometimes, it’s a journal entry, an essay, a letter, or even a prompt for a new story.

I’ve encountered those roadblocks where you run into a story problem that you didn’t anticipate. In those situations, I discuss things with my wife, writer friends, or just my usual group of buddies. One of those three has always managed to help me find a way through.

Q: You wrapped up your six-book series “Winston & Baum Steampunk Adventures” in 2022. How did you celebrate the publishing of your first book compared to your last book in the series? How did you feel?

Tucker: My first “Winston & Baum” novel (“Winston & Baum and the Secret of the Stone Circle”) started out as a fun adventure story to help me blow off some steam. I never realized the roller coaster it would take me on.

I had a finished, fully edited manuscript for the short story collection, the sixth book (“Tales of the Hunters”) in 2020 when my father passed. It took me two years to bring myself to publish it. “Tales of the Hunters” is the first book in the series that he never got to read. When the first book came out, I did a big release event with a local bookstore and thought this would be it: I’d hit the big time. With book six, I put it out into the world and have enjoyed the wonderful responses I’ve gotten from fans and the continued questions regarding any future adventures for the exterminators of the strange and weird.

Q: What marketing strategies do you find most helpful?

Tucker: When it comes to marketing, I’m still finding my way. The ever-shifting social media landscape and advertising options can be a little daunting for a guy who only wants to write. I’ve taken to X and Bluesky to interact with readers and fellow writers while I use Facebook, YouTube and TikTok to generate awareness of my books.

My website (radioactiverabbitink.com) is where I usually go to let people know if I’m attending an event or releasing something new. There are many different marketing strategies, and I haven’t found the one that best suits me. What I know is that I love getting out to events with people to discuss my books, meet the readers and have those personal interactions where I can see their excitement at the concepts or the covers. Those are the moments that encourage me to keep on, keeping on.

Q: What other authors are you friends with, how do they help you become a better writer?

Tucker: I’ve formed many great relationships with other writers over the years. I’m particularly close with Bobby Nash, Kenyon Henry and Chad Sides. All four of us are at different points in our writing careers, from heavily established to still early in our writing journey. Each of them helps me and pushes me in very different ways.

When I was starting out, Bobby Nash was well-established, but he took time to talk to me about my books and how I might want to adjust my covers. He’s very gracious with his time and always happy to talk about his process. Kenyon Henry has helped greatly in how I market the books and myself. He’s also one of the most encouraging guys you could ever hope to meet. Chad Sides, another horror guy, and I discuss our works in-progress and possible future projects.

All three are different and write in different genres, but each is encouraging and fantastic.

Q: If you were given the opportunity to form a book club with your favorite authors of all time, which legends or contemporary writers would you want to become a part of the club?

Tucker: An ideal book club would consist of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jim Butcher, Robert E. Howard, Joe Lansdale and Brian Keene. It’s a good smattering of people with varying interests who would recommend works that several of us would never think to read on our own, not to mention the insights they would bring to the table.

Q: How do you think the concepts such as Kindle and ebooks have changed the present or future of reading?

Tucker: Kindle and ebooks opened an avenue into publishing that was missing for many people who aspired to be writers. I have self-published all my novels because I kept being told that publishers were looking for young adult or paranormal romance manuscripts, genres I’ve never been accused of writing in. The ebook revolution gave small presses and independents a way to get their books to the masses without the massive upfront cost of printing a physical book and then being dependent on the big chain bookstores to stock it. Online retailers make it easier to search for any topic in any genre. I sell far more ebooks than I do physical copies.

Q: Can you tell us about your current or future projects?

Tucker: Coming up, I have a few sword and sorcery fantasy novellas in editing and a collection of horror short stories. I think enough time has passed, and I can return to “Winston & Baum” for another adventure.

Q: Any advice you would like to give to aspiring writers?

Tucker: I have nine novels, a short story collection in print and a handful of digital-only short stories available right now. Any event I go to, I meet someone looking for the magic formula to write stories. The answer is simple: There isn’t one. I’ve managed to write as much as I have because I put my butt in the chair and finished the story. Don’t be afraid for your first draft to be bad: Every first draft is bad. I put everything on paper in my first draft and whittle it down as I edit. If you want to write a story, write the story. Once it’s finished, you can go back through and polish it.

• To check out Tucker’s novels, you can explore our vast catalog of books, video games and audio selections at ngrl.org or our social media, @DaltonGALibrary (Instagram) and @DaltonWhitfieldLibrary (Facebook). Our operating hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday; you can reach us at (706) 876-1360.

Jessica Carrasco is the public relations coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library.