Paul Cude is a husband, father, field hockey player and aspiring photographer. Lost without his hockey stick, he can often be found in between writing and chauffeuring children, reading anything from comics to sci-fi, fantasy to thrillers. Too often found chained to his computer, it would be little surprise to find him, in his free time, somewhere on the Dorset coastline, chasing over rocks and sand in an effort to capture his wonderful wife and lovely kids with his camera. Paul Cude is also the author of the Bentwhistle the Dragon series of books.

Visit Paul Cude’s Website and Amazon Author Page (US) and UK. You can also find Paul on Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook.

What motivates you to write and how did you get started?

Oddly the writing just happened. Sounds a bit crazy really, but one night, when my eldest daughter was just a baby (she’s sixteen now), I had the single most realistic dream I’ve ever had. I didn’t remember it until the following day, but when I did, I swear it was just like watching a movie in my head…..so graphic, so intense, so…..mesmerising. Anyhow, I told my wife, who was gobsmacked to say the least. And so was what she said to me, “You have to write it, you just have to.” Initially I just laughed off her idea, bearing in mind that at the time I could only type with two fingers. But over a period of I suppose months, I kept getting more dreams, flashbacks into the story…….sometimes little details, sometimes insights into the characters, sometimes twists and turns to do with the plot. In the end I suppose it was inevitable that I would write it. First I taught myself to type properly…..3 months, and then, well…I began. At first I needed complete silence to be able to write, something there wasn’t a lot of bearing in mind I was taking care of one young child, with another on the way. But over time I’ve learned to filter it all out and can now write with the kids making noise around me if I need to, but I still think I do work more efficiently in total silence. It has taken a long time, and I was surprised how hard and crucial the editing process was. But in the end it was most definitely worth it.

As for what motivates me, in the early days it was the desire to get the story out of my head and down on paper, or onto a computer, almost becoming a compulsion to do so. That certainly still exists within me, but there’s something else that keeps me going, and encourages me when I run out of steam…..feedback on my books. I get feedback in many different ways, but last year I did a five day event about half an hour away from where I live, called the Dorset Steam Fair. It has a huge following, with thousands of people staying on site, and tens of thousands visiting every day. On day one, I didn’t do particularly well, and sold perhaps a couple of dozen books. Mid-morning day two, a familiar face from the previous day rocks up to my stand, and my mind starts to race…..oh no, what’s going to happen, I can remember thinking. Smiling as always, I was about to open my mouth, when the lovely lady beats me to it, and explains that she read my first book over the course of the previous day, and was so taken with it, that she just had to buy the next two. If I hadn’t sold another book over the course of my time there, I’d still have been a very happy fellow. I did sell many more books during that event, and the lovely lady came back to tell me how much she loved the next two books over the course of the proceeding few days. How cool is that? I’ve never had feedback as good as that, and when I get stuck, or a little put off of writing, that one event is enough to clear my mind and get me back on track.

What’s most rewarding about writing?

I’ll refer back to my previous answer. When someone comments on how much they’ve enjoyed your work, there’s nothing better than that. Also, when you see books two and three in your series being bought online, that brings a smile to my face knowing that someone has read the first in the series and enjoyed it enough to purchase the others.

What’s your favorite genre and why?

I love thrillers, steampunk, sci-fi but of course I’m going to have to say fantasy. My dreams for as long as I can remember have been filled with fantastical fantasy, from dragons to elves, goblins to beastly baddies and every mythical creature in between. In the latest of my works which is currently finished and being edited, there are more mythical creatures than you could shake a stick at, and for once I don’t mean the cute, rainbow farting unicorn type. One in particular should stand out for just how harmless it appears at first, before realisation dawns on what it really is. I feel I’ve said too much.

Where do your characters come from?

Mostly from my dreams, although some are inspired by people I know in real life and if you knew me well, you’d know exactly who they are and why they’re in the story. The main character is loosely based on me…..I say loosely, because he is essentially a dragon, but when in his human guise, has a lot of my personality traits and idiosyncrasies, something I’m quite proud of.

Who is an author who inspires you and why?

When in my late teens, I mistakenly ordered a Tom Clancy book…..Debt of Honour. I was too lazy to return it, so it sat on my bedside table for weeks, until one evening, when I picked it up and started to read it. Many hours later I put it down, only because I needed a few hours of sleep before I went to work. I was hooked. After finishing that, I went out and bought all the other Tom Clancy books I could find. It was also about that time that the Star Wars expanded universe books started to appear. I caught sight of the first one while working in a book shop in my role of service engineer. I can remember it clearly: Star Wars Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. It had a striking blue cover with some of the Star Wars characters on it, and I had to buy it there and then, in the middle of doing my job, much to the amusement of the owner of the bookshop. My love of the expanded universe has continued ever since, and as soon as the next book comes out……I have to have it.

It seems my love of books goes in phases. If I have nothing to read, I wander around a bookshop until I find something I like the look of and then read it. If I get hooked, I go back and find other books by that author. Examples of this for me are Terry Goodkind and Christopher Paolini……I love all of their books. The detail, the plot……the characters….are just all amazing. I can only dream of writing as well as they do, and have gone on to buy every book in their series from just buying the first one. At this point I must give Harry Potter a mention. I’ve loved all the books since I read the very first, and bought the last five on the very day they came out, reading them through in one sitting on receiving them. Other authors I’ve found and loved this way include Robin Hobb, J.V. Jones, David Gemmell and Trudi Canavan, to name but a few. I love the way they use their imaginations and the worlds that they create on the pages of the book. They’re all very easy to visualize.

My favourite author of all though, is the wonderful Terry Pratchett and I don’t doubt for one minute that he’s the reason I became a writer. If you haven’t read one of his books you really should. While I love pretty much all the books he’s written, the ones about the guards of Ankh-Morpork, Captain Carrot, Sam Vimes, Corporal Nobbs, Angua and of course the Lord Vetinari, are easily my favourites. The characters themselves are described in magnificent detail, all with their own funny little ways. The plots twist and turn like a raging river, and the humour…..well, let’s just say that is exactly on my wavelength. I’ve cried with laughter on many occasions reading some of Terry Pratchett’s books, and I can’t recall doing that for any other author I’ve read. If you’re a reading fan, you really must try one of his books.

What do you look for in other people’s books?

I like a world I can get lost in, something to take me away from reality. Unforeseeable twists and turns are a must. If you can make me smile, laugh or cry that would be wonderful. Characters that I can somehow relate to, always make me feel good.

What are you writing now?

At the end of November 2018 I finished writing book four in my Bentwhistle the Dragon Series. Currently it’s being edited, but should be ready within the next couple of months. It’s been a long time in the making, and has been the most intricate piece of work that I’ve written. Complicated doesn’t begin to cover it. However, it’s done, and I’m very happy with it. I’ve read it through a few times already, and on the first reading, it made me cry, four times before page fifty…….what’s that all about? Not sure if that says more about me, or the book. Here’s a sneak peek…..

Once the editing is finished and it’s published, it’s on to book five. I’ve written a tiny bit, and have it all mapped out. After that, it will be book six, and then the saga will pretty much be concluded. That, however, seems a long way off.

What kind of book would you like to be known for?

For bringing a smile to people’s faces, taking them away from their worries and into a different reality for just a short while.

What has writing taught you about yourself?

It’s taught me about self discipline, about working hard, even when maybe you don’t want to, and just how cathartic it can be to get the words out of your head and onto the page.

How has your life experience influenced your writing?

My life experience pretty much is my writing. If you want a glimpse into my soul, read my books. It’s all in there…..hockey, dragons, adventure, mischief, mayhem, love, cheekiness, teamwork and a desire to help. Everything that’s written down is a piece of me. That’s all I can really say.

What encouraging advice can you offer new writers?

Write what’s inside you, and don’t try and predict what everyone will want to read in a year’s time. Once you start putting down those very first words, get yourself some social media accounts…..Twitter, Facebook, whatever else you can find, and follow some authors, share their stuff. Not only will it benefit you once your work is finished, but you should find that the writing community will help you in almost any way. If you’re stuck with something…..just ask. I’ve found authors and writers to be generous with their time over the years, with almost nothing too much trouble. I wish when I started out, that I had social media account running alongside writing that first book. It undoubtedly would have saved me many crazy mistakes. I didn’t, but you should. One last piece of advice, and this you can take or leave, and the credit isn’t really mine. I read it in a writing magazine when I first started out, many, many years ago. Basically the article said that once you’ve got your book down, you should consider swapping the first two chapters around. I read this and thought…..duh! But actually, the more I thought about it, the more it really, really made sense. And so I did. Just have a little think about that one.