In Conversation with Chris Bulteel, author of Fogarty.
1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself. What drew you into writing children’s/YA books?
I was educated at Kings School, Gloucester, which is a cathedral school. Whilst there I became a cathedral chorister. On leaving school I went to college to study hotel management and spent the next 30 years in catering management, mainly involved with large scale catering. On leaving due to health reasons, I worked in social care starting as a care worker, then progressing to a team leader and finally as the Chair of a staff association representing some 7000 staff throughout the UK. I also worked in local government as an elected councillor, becoming Mayor of Wimborne Minster at the age of 30 and Mayor of Poole at the age of 60. I was also made Sheriff of Poole in 2010, one of only 15 town or city sheriffs in England and Wales.
2. Can you tell us a little bit about Fogarty: The Strange Tale of Fogarty Maximus and Other Dragons.
On one seemingly innocent day around the turn of the millennium, Sir Alasdair Maddy McGlynn, a poor Scottish Laird, decides to go fishing on his faithful boat ;Kingfisher’. Caught in a massive storm his boat is hit by a terrifying storm which developed into a tornado. Sir Maddy, knocked unconscious is unaware that his boat is being transported on a huge waterspout to a new and strange land he soon learns is called Erehwon. With his boat beyond repair, he starts to explore his new surroundings, little realising that he is being watched by hundreds of pairs of eyes. What he finds astounds him. More wealth than he could have dreamed of in the form of precious metals and gems. But, unknown to him at the time the owners of such a find would prove to be even more amazing, and have a more dangerous secret….
3. What does your writing process look like?
When my imagination begins to run riot, usually when I am out walking in the country or along the sea shore, I make notes of all that I think. After some consideration I start to write the outline of a plot and then sit at my computer for as long as it takes to write as much as I can before losing the plot. I complete the book and then review each chapter in turn, re-writing and improving along the way.
5. Fogarty is filled with beautiful illustrations by S. Kaye Watson, can you tell us about the design process for this book.
I appealed for the name of an illustrator through Facebook and was introduced to Kaye Watson through a mutual friend. I gave her a copy of the unfinished book to get an idea of her interpretation of the tale. After she had sent me a couple of drafts I realised that her imagination was in tune with mine. She continued to send more pictures, depicting various scenes and characters within the book. It was sometimes the case that the pictures went beyond my descriptive writing and I changed the text to match the illustrations. The end result was 25 skilfully executed pictures that brought the story to life. Much of this work was achieved during lockdown,
6. What inspired you to write Fogarty?
I have been writing since I was a child, dismissing most of what I had written as rubbish. I had written a dragon tale for my own children but it was not polished and after I had received a very poor review from a friend I decided not to do anything about it. I also wrote about the local tugboats in a cartoon fashion, called the adventures of Wendy Anne. These were broadcast on local radio at the time, but work meant that I was under too much pressure to proceed. After my work as a care worker I wrote another book called ‘Trust me I’m a care worker, which was published in 2019 by The Book Guild. I have also published through Kindle a biography of my mother. This is called ‘Yvonne Bulteel, A lifetime remembered in Poetry.’ She was an accomplished poet who wrote, from an early age, about her lifetime experiences.
7. What do you do when you’re not writing?
I find writing and reading my sole occupation at the moment and it helps to keep me sane after being held on the waiting list for over 2 years. Normally I would walk in the country and tend the garden which is a wildlife oasis in the middle of a busy part of Poole. I am interested in nature and conservation of our precious environment.
8. You self-published your own books, what was that process.
Initially I self-published through Amazon and Kindle. It was easy, but they print exactly what you have written and all marketing is directly your responsibility. When receiving the books in print I found hundreds of spelling and grammatical errors. I decided to go to a reputable publisher that did self-publishing. I found one through the Writers and Artists Yearbook. I got in touch with Troubador publishers who, at some reasonable cost, designed the book covers and layouts and had the books thoroughly edited. The books, through them, became available throughout the book world. They have three different branches for differing genres and I found them most helpful. However, the author still needs to do some marketing work themselves, hence the approach to The Book Network which proved a wise decision.
9. What do find the most challenging when it comes to publishing your book. Do you prefer some aspects over others?
Marketing is the most difficult part of the publishing process. Also any new author has to realise that there are thousands of new titles published every year and the competition is very great indeed. What the author thinks is a masterpiece may not be seen in the same way by many.
10. What is the most important message you hope readers of Fogarty take away?
Many of the books for the age group that I am writing are generally fun books and well written. I find that it is important to include lessons of life within a book that makes the book more than entertaining. In the introduction I note that everyone faces many trials throughout their lives and come across many problems. The book highlights some of these, such as bullying, disablement, greed, selfishness, arrogance etc. This is done in a fanciful and readable way and shows that problems can always be overcome. I write this way with my grandchildren in mind, to get them to recognise and solve any pitfalls they may encounter.
11. What are you reading at the moment?
I am currently reading and researching the epic Old English poem about a heroic Germanic hero. The poem consists of over 3000 lines and describes the struggle of Beowulf to become King of the Getas in Scandinavia. Beowulf is confronted and attacked by a monster called Grendle, who he eventually kills. Or so he thought, until I got my hands on the story. It turns out that Grendle was not killed, merely almost killed and he ends up on Erehwon, the land of the dragons. Look out for the next tale from Sir Alasdair Maddy McGlynn!
12 . What's the most useful advice you could give to an aspiring author?
Keep at it. Imagine the p[lot and write down all the ideas as you progress. I always write a short story to begin with which gets expanded, chapter by chapter until the end. Constantly read what you have written out loud and correct anything that doesn’t sound right. Never give up. There is a book in everyone.
About the Author
From school, college and onwards to careers in catering management, local government and social care, Chris Bulteel met many interesting people from all walks of life. He became a Mayor of two towns and a Sheriff of one. On retirement and already a published author Chris sat down to write his incredible tale of dragons from a land called Erehwon. He is based in Dorset.
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