The Douglas Bastard by J. R. Tomlin

6/4/2022

A sequel to The Black Douglas Trilogy

Multi-volume, multi-genre author introduces us to her latest work of historical fiction, “The Douglas Bastard” is the sequel to the Black Douglas trilogy:
King Robert the Bruce and the Black Douglas are dead — and Scots once more must fight for their freedom.

Young Archibald, the Black Douglas's bastard son, returns from exile to a Scotland ravaged by war. With treachery and danger on every side, he must learn to sleep with a claymore in his hand and one eye open because even his closest friend may betray him...

Content warning: violence against a child

This is a marvelous book! I love historical fiction it’s my third favorite genre. Books centered on the United Kingdom are particularly attractive to me because much of my heritage comes from there.
The author has taken a minor figure and walked with him through the major events he would have faced and been involved in. She did a great job!
I love how she wove so many minor details of daily life into the story. I felt I was right there with Archibald. His struggles with being the bastard son of a noble included repeated bullying by his peers. He held his own with even odds.
The fights, jousts and war scenes were brutal like daily life for most people. The dialogue came across quite real.
This is a great read and I award 4.9 stars.

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Douglas-Bastard-Sequel-Black-Trilogy-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/-the-douglas-bastard
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/the-douglas-bastard

You can follow the author:
https://twitter.com/TomlinJeanne
http://www.jrtomlin.com
http://jeannetomlin.blogspot.com

I have reviewed another book by the author:
www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-wayward-alliance
Here is my review of another of Tomlin's books: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-lion-of-galloway

Copyright © 2022 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction

75 Comments

J R Tomlin link

6/6/2022 11:36:35 am

Thanks so much for the marvelous review!

Mark

6/6/2022 11:47:49 am

You are welcome. I enjoyed reading your book a lot.

First question.

Please, tell us more about yourself. Perhaps something a little bit beyond your bio.

J R Tomlin link

6/6/2022 12:04:44 pm

The most important thing is more about my westie, naturally. His name is MacFluff and of course he runs the house. (But don't tell the cat 😜) He loves walks and hikes with me. This part of Oregon is great for both.

I have a daughter and two granddaughters on whom I tend to dote here, so my family is close. Being close to family really is the most important thing in addition to the doggy walks.

Mark

6/6/2022 12:37:54 pm

We are in agreement about those things. Dog walks are very important. Our dog died a few years ago and we miss him a lot. We are waiting until we are in our next place before getting a dog.

It seems like you moved quite a way to be near your grandkids. We did the same thing, moving from Oregon to Florida a little over a year ago. Our son and younger daughter decided to move from Oregon to the east coast. Our daughter, with their three kids, won as we decided to remain close to them. Our son has a teen daughter and a young son, they live in South Carolina. We see them several times a year.

New questions.

Are you a full-time or part-time writer?

What kind of work do you do if you are a part-time writer? Feel free to skip that question, if you would rather not answer.

J R Tomlin

6/6/2022 12:44:25 pm

I don't mind answering in the least. I am a full-time writer although part of that 'full-time' is taken up with other related chores. This is typical. Part of that is working with beta readers, editors, and proofreaders, but a lot is marketing, working with cover designers, formatting, updating uploads when you make changes. At times the parts that are not the actual writing can be overwhelming, but they are essential if you make it full time.

Mark

6/6/2022 01:58:10 pm

Very good! A lot of writers think only of writing when they start down the road towards publishing their book. What they don't realize is that they are going to be responsible for the business side of writing as you just mentioned.

Even if a writer is lucky enough to get a traditional publishing contract, which I recommend against for a number of reasons, said writer is not on easy street, by any stretch of the imagination. Since the publisher has temporary ownership of the copyright because the writer granted a license, the publisher can require a change of cover, a change or many changes in the book, even rewriting the book if the publisher requires it. The publisher can delay publishing the book for months or longer if they deem it will help them make a profit. The publisher exists for one reason, to make a profit and stay in business. The writer is going to be responsible for almost all of the marketing efforts also, if that is not spelled out in detail in the contract.

The business side of writing is a serious business and needs to be treated as such for the financial wellbeing of the author.

New questions.

Did you used to work? If so, did your work have any influence on your writing?

Why did you choose this genre, or do you feel the genre chose you?

J R Tomlin

6/6/2022 02:20:58 pm

I worked as a journalist previously, which is less helpful to fiction writing than one might think - although these days I feel as though some newspapers and networks publish more fiction that non-fiction.

As far as genre is concerned, I would say it chose me. Of course, my love of and study of Scottish history is part of that. Also, the earliest adult fiction I read (way before I was an adult which is another story) was historical fiction by Alexandre Dumas père and Sir Walter Scott. I continue reading a lot of HF. Many of us start writing to tell a story that they think needs to be told. That was how it was in my case. I was so dismayed by the dreadful mess that was made of Scottish history by movies like Braveheart that I wanted to write something at least close to the real stories.

I continue writing novels set mainly in Scotland because I am much more expert in its history than any other region although the history of the Low Country and the Mongols fascinates me. And I may have mentioned that I love Scottish history with all its complications, heroes and villains. To make it even better for story writing sometimes the hero and villain are the same person. You can hardly throw a rock without hitting the makings of a great story.

Mark

6/6/2022 03:34:19 pm

You are right, journalism ain't what it used to be. Many journalists, regardless of the medium, pick and choose the facts they wish to report on and how they feel about it.

It's no surprise to me that you have strong ties to Scotland since your father came from there.

Wanting to know and tell the real story is where so many books have started especially in historical fiction. While I know very little about William Wallace beyond Gibson's movie, I do know enough to understand that "Braveheart" is not a documentary.

You have written more than 20 books about Scottish history. I am glad you didn't let all of that work go to waste.

Hero and villains are defined by the point of view sometimes. A well-written villain thinks he is the hero of the story, if he was telling it. Every major character should have flaws to make them more realistic.

New questions.

Who designed the cover of your book? Feel free to drop a link if appropriate.

This next question might have an obvious answer, but I miss things on the cover sometimes. What do the elements on the cover represent?

J R Tomlin

6/6/2022 04:27:26 pm

All the covers in my Black Douglas series were done by Ebook Launch Covers. They are very professional and good to work with.

https://ebooklaunch.com/

The most important element is the Douglas banner with its three stars argent on a azure chief. (Or blue band with three white stars for anyone not showing off that they speak 'heraldry' 😜) This is the banner of the Lord of Douglas that struck fear in the hearts of his enemies during the First Scottish War of Independence. After his death in Spain crusading as he carried the heart of King Robert the Bruce to the Holy Land, his legitimate son, William, added the heart which is still on the coat of arms of the Douglas family.

The rest of the image of the cover is an imagining of what the Battle of Neville's Cross might have looked like. That battle and Archibald's escape from the aftermath is the culmination of the novel.

Mark

6/6/2022 05:10:34 pm

They do nice work. Thanks for recommending them.

No, I do not speak heraldry. I had a friend; his name was Harold. Not the same thing though, of course. Coats of arms and other heraldic devices are interesting subjects.

New questions.

Was it hard to come up with the title?

What was the process?

J R Tomlin

6/6/2022 05:26:24 pm

That particular title was easy to come up with. Archie was after all a bastard and a Douglas. I would have preferred something a bit less obvious but was stumped.

As far as 'process', I just brainstorm and write down possibilities. My preference is for a title that leaves a question in the readers' minds. "Noble Traitor" I think is one of my better titles in that regard. Some relate to quotes. "Nor for Glory" is part of a quote from one of Scotland's most iconic documents, the Declaration of Arbroath, a bit like the US Declaration of Independence. It also raises a question for people who aren't acquainted with the whole quote, if they aren't fighting for glory, then what? If you answered 'freedom' then you answered correctly.

Mark

6/6/2022 06:35:30 pm

You are right, that title was pretty obvious without any good alternatives. That is not usually the case for many authors.

Many of them spend a lot of time coming up with the perfect title. It has to represent the book within the genre well. It has to be different enough to stand out from other titles of similar books and not too different, so it is easily recognized as being in the right genre. Some writers enlist their fans to help them decide in a newsletter, I think it's a good idea to help build the fanbase.

Noble Traitor is a great title, at first glance it seems like an oxymoron, two concepts opposed to each other. It really stimulates the interest. I like that tidbit about Nor for Glory, very nice.

New questions.

I realize that many character names were dictated for you by history, for those that weren't, were the character names difficult to develop?

How did you choose them?

J R Tomlin

6/6/2022 06:58:58 pm

I am very strict about only using names that be traced to Scotland of the period. There are lists of people mentioned in the Scottish parliaments of the 13th and 14th century. I always use those.

The names of the actual people can be more difficult. For one example, Sir James, the Black Douglas's father was William of Douglas. His son legitimate son was named William. And two of his cousins. And one of his cousin's bastards. A number of those are in the novel. The Ramsays were an important Scottish family that seemed to name all of the males in their family Alexander. (all is only a slight exaggeration)

I try to solve the problem by referring to many of them by their title, but that isn't always possible and does get to be a headache. It can be a headache making sure the reader can tell who is who. lol

J R Tomlin

6/6/2022 07:24:49 pm

And that comment clearly shows why it is important to hire a proofreader. 😜

Mark

6/7/2022 08:09:48 am

I have heard of many authors using lists of popular baby names, old phone books and old newspapers to find names that were current at a particular time. For your time period, parliament lists are a great idea.

I had no idea that the name William was so popular in that time period in Scotland. While speaking of popular names, in the family of my father-in-law, nearly all of the men were named Michael George or George Michael and there were several of each. I never did figure out how the family members knew who the speaker was talking about. I always had to ask my wife which one was the subject of the conversation.

Yes, everyone needs a good proofreader. I have Grammarly enabled on my laptop to watch all of my typing and it finds my typos almost all of the time. I am terrible at typing and make many typos. It caught eight in this comment box alone.

New questions.

Have you entered any writing contests?

Have you won awards of any kind for your writing?

J R Tomlin

6/7/2022 10:24:04 am

King William the Lion's 48 year reign was the longest in Scottish history so that may explain the popularity of that name. And there were three King of Scots named Alexander.

I don't enter contests because I feel that few are worth the entry fee.

Mark

6/7/2022 10:42:12 am

Thanks for clarifying the name situation, that makes a lot of sense.

I understand that feeling. There are a lot of scammy contests, the danger is real. Some contests just want as much out of your wallet as possible, the more nefarious want to lockup your intellectual property rights. Here is a copy-and-paste link to a blog that might help sort things out for you and the visitors to the interview: Beware Bogus Writing Contests! Look for These 8 Red Flags. https://annerallen.com/2019/05/beware-bogus-writing-contests Anne is one of my favorite bloggers. You can also hit the search box below and look for 'scam'. There are many links to different blogs about threats to writers and their books.

Contests that provide feedback are quite useful to help a writer improve their writing craft. But not all contests provide that kind of feedback.

New questions.

I noticed that your book is not in Kindle Unlimited. Is there a reason for that?

Have you ever gone through the query process, seeking an agent or submitting directly to publishers or did you go straight to indie publishing or self-publishing, and why?

J R Tomlin

6/7/2022 11:09:52 am

My four historical mysteries are in Kindle Unlimited but the rest are 'wide'. There are a couple of reasons. The payout per page in Kindle Unlimited is so low that I lose too much on borrows. It works for lower priced books but once you get to the $4.99 price point, it becomes questionable. I also prefer not depending entirely on one retailer. Amazon heavily dominates and has for a long time, but that does not mean it always will. If Amazon is ever hit with a successful monopoly suit, that could end overnight. A government that is big enough to allow a monopoly is also big enough to break one up. The breakup of the Bell Telephone system in 1982 is a case in point. My sales particularly at Apple make up for any shortfall from not being in Kindle Unlimited.

mark

6/7/2022 12:34:50 pm

Thanks for confirming what I have heard from a few other authors. Kindle Unlimited has it's uses. Some authors do quite well on KU, many do not. I didn't know about the price point peak.

I think going wide is a smart move for authors. Putting all of your eggs in one basket is never a good idea. Some shoppers refuse to buy from one platform or another. It makes a lot of sense to be on as many platforms as possible. Here is a good article about that very thing, another copy-and-paste link: Aggregators just might be an author's best friend! https://www.kotobee.com/blog/everything-need-know-aggregators/ It is a few years old so some things might have changed, but it's a good place to start.

New questions.

Have you self-published all of your books?

If not, what caused you to switch?

J R Tomlin

6/7/2022 01:02:33 pm

Whether to self-publish or go through the wringer that is querying agents is a complicated one. I had an agent who shopped one of my novels to some major publishers for a while. He got some interest but no sale. That was about the time that self-publishing was taking off. I had a couple of friends who were doing extremely well with self-publishing, so I decided it was worth at least trying. I withdrew my novels from my agent and self-published them. Within a year, I was doing well enough that I saw no reason to go back.

Let me say that there are self-publish authors who outsell me by a large margin. I don't want to give the wrong impression. But I still have made more money than the vast majority of trade-published midlist authors, who sadly tend to get little support from their publishers. I am extraordinarily lucky to make as much as I have because it is still a small percentage of self- or trade-published authors who actually make a living (a fairly modest living in my case) at publishing.

Mark

6/7/2022 02:49:42 pm

All that work the agent did earned him not one penny. Legitimate agents don't get paid until the author signs a contract then the agent gets a percentage of the advance usually and a percentage of the royalties after the advance has been repaid. The author gets very little in the end.

I am happy for your success. I know that a lot of authors can't quit their day job and live off of their earnings. It takes a nice collection of published books and time for that to happen. I have read in multiple blogs that one of the important factors in marketing is to not focus solely on the newest book, keep reminding people that there are other books in the series and more series, if that is the case. It seems to me that writing in different genres would be helpful also. While there are some readers who want to read only one genre, there are others that like to read everything a favorite author has published.

Almost all publishers today provide little to no support for the author or the book once it is published. Their profit margins are too slim, now they worry if they will earn enough to cover the cost of publishing the latest book. This is a major reason for the overall contraction of the publishing industry.

New questions.

How do you think your book compares to a book published by a major publisher?

There are many unethical practices in publishing, which one is the most unbearable in your mind?

J R Tomlin

6/7/2022 04:22:23 pm

I think my novels compare well with trade published historical fiction. Probably what is hardest to match with trade is simply line editing and proofreading. Most trade publishers have multiple proofreaders to go over a novel because any proofreader is subject to human error. Multiple passes by different proofers can overcome that. It is difficult for an independent author to match that even with our best efforts.

The scammers that infuriate me are the vanity publishers who often charge thousands of dollars with promises of huge support and high sales. There are still so many people who fall for their lies and it is often those who can least afford to.

Mark

6/8/2022 07:31:06 am

Yes, traditional publishers can have several editors and proofreaders, but it doesn't eliminate all of the spelling errors. The last several trade published books I have read all contained one or more spelling errors.

Vanity publishers are really bad, without a doubt. Some are not content to take all of an author's money, there are a few that want to steal the author's intellectual property also. They lock up many of the author's licensing opportunities for themselves.

Hybrid publishers are a recent development within independent publishers. Some also call themselves co-publishers. They offer to publish a book and explain that they expect the writer to bear some of the publishing risk by sharing some of the expenses. Many of them offer ala carte pricing of all of their services. Theoretically, they also offer a higher royalty to the author because of the cost sharing. Some authors think hybrid publishers are merely a wolf in sheep's clothing.

New questions.

Is there a book that causes strong emotions to come up no matter how many times you read it?

Do you have a favorite book by another author or just favorite authors?

J R Tomlin

6/8/2022 10:03:39 am

The novel 'The Charioteer' by Mary Renault had a huge emotional effect on me in spite of its flaws. Ms. Renault had some serious issues with internalized homophobia which are reflected in the novel. She was a lesbian but spent her life convinced that admitting as much would somehow cut her off from 'her fellow humans' which is terribly sad. But that novel was the first by a major publisher in which a gay protagonist neither died nor ended up living miserably and it had quite an impact on me and many in what was then referred to as the 'Gay Liberation' movement. I own a rather rare first British edition and I still read it about once a year with great fondness in spite of its flaws. Of course, she was also a great historical fiction author and I have read all of her historical fiction as well.

Mark

6/8/2022 11:28:38 am

That is interesting. Mary had a difficult life, no doubt. How lucky you were to find that first edition. Congratulations.

New questions.

Did you have a favorite book as a child?

Which of your books is your favorite, and why?

J R Tomlin

6/8/2022 11:39:33 am

I started reading 'grownup' books at what I suppose was a rather precocious age. The first book I recall as being my favourite when I was about ten was 'The Three Musketeers' and needless to say, as it definitely was not written as children's literature considering the plot lines of adultery, etc., parts of the plot went right over my head at the time. I am still a huge fan of Alexandre Dumas père and consider his 'Count of Monte Cristo' as one of the greatest novels I have ever read.

For a very long time, the book of my own that was my favourite was 'A Kingdom's Cost', but to be frank I now think that 'Noble Traitor' is a better novel. That novel does a better job of exploring the factors that made the two Wars of Scottish Independence so complicated.

Mark

6/8/2022 12:03:49 pm

The Three Musketeers was an interesting choice for a 10-year-old girl. It didn't match the usual reading habits of that demographic, such as Black Beauty or Nancy Drew.

I think I was reading through The Happy Hollisters series, a large family with seven or eight kids who solve neighborhood crimes.

New questions.

Does writing have a spiritual or healing component for you, does it energize you or make you feel tired?

Why is it important for writers to tap into the emotions of the characters?

J R Tomlin

6/8/2022 12:33:57 pm

I would say it does both. Especially when my writing is going well I feel energized while doing it but when I stop I often feel exhausted.

How could you possibly portray the emotions of your characters without tapping into them? I think connecting with characters emotionally is important to readers, so the ability to do that is essential for most writers of fiction.

Mark

6/8/2022 01:36:46 pm

That makes sense to me. It can feel good while doing it, that is for sure.

The emotional connection between reader and characters is very necessary. Without it, the characters will seem flat, like cardboard and the reader will lose interest.

New questions.

Have you ever done NaNoWriMo, National November Writing Month?

If you have, what kind of preparation do you do before it starts?

J R Tomlin

6/8/2022 02:42:25 pm

I sometimes think I'm the only writer around who never has. Usually in November I am in the middle of finishing a novel, so writing one that month just doesn't work for me. I've sometimes thought about doing it, but it never seems to fit for me.

Mark

6/8/2022 06:35:36 pm

As you may have noticed, a lot of writers get quite excited about it in September and October. Some writers join a group for mutual support, sometimes there are prizes. The plotters will lay out the book by chapter or scene ahead of November 1st. Some will do as much research as possible also. They have a lot of fun.

New questions.

Are you an under-writer or an over-writer?

When the first draft is done, do you need to add more to it to flesh it out or do you have to cut material because there is too much?

J R Tomlin

6/8/2022 06:42:40 pm

I try hard to achieve neither but it is much more likely to be to add. I write a fairly lean manuscript. I am one of those writers who goes over the previous day's writing to make changes and corrections. If I decide I left something out, I can't go forward until I fix it.

That is not how they *tell* you to do it, but it works for me.

Mark

6/8/2022 08:08:00 pm

I have heard "them" say that also and I have repeated it to others: the purpose of the first draft is to get it out of your head. You can't edit and improve what is in your head. The first draft is supposed to be a pile of garbage. It has only to exist.

In your way, that is what you are doing. Getting it written down first then going back the next day or session to clean up the writing a little bit.

Some authors have the mistaken idea that a first draft should be perfect. We know that couldn't be further from the truth. Those writers sweat all of the details and grammar and find that the inspiration has left them because the muse got bored. A sad state of affairs.

New questions.

Have you ever used yourself as a starting point for a character in a story?

Would family or friends recognize you in the story?

J R Tomlin

6/8/2022 09:03:25 pm

I'm afraid that I disagree with the 'first draft should be garbage' theory. When I write, it is the best that I can manage to put down at that point. I do take time and effort on my first draft to get it right. I don't worry much about punctuation, although I punctuate fairly correctly merely from unconscious habit, but I constantly 'sweat' other details. I double check historical facts as I write and if I find a scene is not working well, I go back and rewrite it. How I write would not work for a lot of writers, but writing tends to be a fairly idiosyncratic endeavour. I try to avoid giving advice on procedure for that reason.

I have never used myself as a starting point for a character. I do think we all put bits of ourselves in by using our own experiences or emotions as models, but that is different than modeling a character after myself.

Mark

6/9/2022 07:12:07 am

Every average or rule has exceptions, no doubt about that. You have refined your writing over the course of more than twenty books, so that works very well for you. A little disagreement between friends is not a bad thing.

You are right again. Emotions are similar among people the world over, and infusing characters with realistic imagination is not the same as modeling a character after a specific person. Writers rely a great deal on personal experience modified by imagination to empathize and project for the characters.

New questions.

What do you do to flesh out the characters for your stories?

Which is more fun to write, the protagonist or the antagonist, and why?

J R Tomlin

6/9/2022 12:07:33 pm

You are absolutely correct that there is nothing wrong with friends disagreeing. As far as the advice, in my experience there is no writing advice on earth that is right for all writers. A writer may have to try out a variety of advice and see what works for *them*. If it works, it cannot be wrong. 😜

I am a terrible person to ask for advice about characterisation because I have no idea how I flesh out my characters. They seem to live in my head and at some point have bothered me enough that I write about them. As far as appearance, like a lot of authors, I may base their appearance on someone I know or some celebrity because that help keep it fixed firmly in my mind's eye. For example, both King Robert the Bruce and James, the Black Douglas, looked like two popular Scottish folk singers. Archie of course looks like his father so I did not have to go looking for someone new.

Mark

6/9/2022 02:06:47 pm

I love that. I have encouraged more than one new writer to try different methods of writing, plotting and winging it. It's always a useful experience and something can be gleaned even if a certain method is not used in whole. I also recommend that writers read outside of their genre to learn new things.

I love that! More than one writer has said the same thing, they write to get the characters in their head to be quiet. They clamor to have their story told, it seems.

Quite a few authors look for pictures that match the picture they have of the character in their head. Some authors write a character sheet about the major characters also. When there are a lot of characters in a long story that could be helpful for simple things like hair color and eye color.

Rick Hall is a client and guest blogger, he has created website to help authors ensure their characters are psychologically congruent also. Here is the copy-and-paste link: https://www.wordrefiner.com/guest-blogs/character-creation or you can put Rick's name in the search box below to find his guest post.

New questions.

What is one thing you hate about your protagonist and one thing you love about the antagonist?

Which is more important to a story, pace or flow?

How do you control it?

J R Tomlin

6/9/2022 02:26:06 pm

I must admit that I hate that Archie did nothing about the murder of Alexander Ramsay at the same time knowing that there was nothing he could do. A character being forced into a position of passivity is always hard. Of course, we have not seen the last of William of Liddesdale and he does not improve upon longer acquaintance. I hate that William of Liddesdale *is* an antagonist. He should have and could have been a great hero.

For me pace is the most important. Controlling it can be difficult, especially in the kind of historical fiction I write where I very much limit how much I can change events. I simply try to be aware of the pace and intersperse scenes with what I think is the pace needed.

Mark

6/9/2022 03:58:26 pm

Those situations where there seems to be no good answer are quite difficult. They can be used quite effectively to advance a story but are hell to live through personally.

Very genre has some unique limitations but perhaps none more than historical fiction. Every line must fit within the known historical facts. It's a little bit like finding a skeleton of a turkey and trying to imagine what it looked like and what it did from day to day.

You are good at controlling the pace, inserting scenes and adding description work well to make an entertaining story.

New questions.

What is your writing routine when you sit down to write?

Do you write in a straight line or do you write whatever the muse provides for you at a given moment?

J R Tomlin

6/9/2022 06:21:25 pm

For the most part, I write in a straight line. But if I 'get stuck' on some scenes, I do occasionally skip ahead.

Mark

6/9/2022 08:21:31 pm

A lot of writers do exactly that. I think it might be a little easier for plotters than pansters but I am not real sure about that. In either case, once it's in the computer it is easy enough to move sections around.

New questions.

Did your writing process change much from your early books to your current book, or did it stay the same?

Now that your book is published, is there anything about it you would like to change?

J R Tomlin

6/9/2022 08:34:24 pm

I try not even to consider changing anything unless it is an outright error, because if I let myself I would tinker with a novel forever, and the chances are I would just tinker out the spontaneity. I do wish that I had shown more of David though. He is, to put it mildly, an important person in Archibald's life. Fortunately, I can remedy that in later novels about Archie.

Mark

6/10/2022 07:54:06 am

You are wise with experience. Some new writers do exactly that. They keep making adjustments trying to make every word perfect in its placement. I suspect that some writers use never-ending edits as an excuse to not publish. They like being a writer but are afraid their book won't sell, so it is never published. I think some of those quit writing and others start another book to repeat the process.

David was a good friend and encourager for Archie. I loved that part of the book. Male friendship is not portrayed significantly in many books. It sounds like Archie might get his own series; I am glad to hear that. I enjoyed his loyalty and willingness to help others. He is smart and seeks to be the best at whatever station in life he is filling at the moment.

New questions.

What else are you writing these days?

What do you do to launch a new book when it is first published?

J R Tomlin

6/10/2022 11:23:13 am

I am working on the next part of Archibald's life. Archibald returns to a Scotland both divided and under attack and the king he is sworn to imprisoned in a foreign land. He is determined to build a resistance to English conquest but as a bastard with no title, he has no natural following sworn to him, so this is not an easy road he takes.

I advertise a new novel pretty heavily. A lot of my advertising is through BookBub but I also use Written Word Media's advertising. I have a email list with about 1500 names all of whom are my readers (I grew my email list organically & it continues to grow) So I try to build up anticipation over several months with snippets and a cover reveal there. I do not use a 'street team' which is a technique that I'm just not comfortable with.

Mark

6/10/2022 01:27:11 pm

Your fans will certainly be excited for the release of the next book. Frankly, I am also. I like Archie a lot, he has grit and gumption.

Those are good methods to build a fan base and bond them to you and your books. Your email list will continue to grow, sales will continue to grow also. When a new reader first discovers one of your books and fall in love with it most of them will want to read all of your books.

New questions.

Have you ever participated in a book blog tour, why or why not?

How do you think your book relates to the world we live in today?

J R Tomlin

6/10/2022 02:42:13 pm

As a matter of fact, I did a blog tour for the release of The Douglas Bastard. It is important, I think, to choose your tour carefully, but its a good way to introduce a new novel.

I wish my novels did not relate to the modern world. The basic questions I tend to pose are "What is worth fighting for? Your country? Family? Beliefs?" and "How far is it right to go in fighting for them?" Those remain very salient questions in the modern world.

Mark

6/10/2022 03:55:46 pm

The human condition is pretty universal. We all want to love, be loved, and have a few nice things. Some want more of the nice things than those around them. It would be nice if all humans were valued equally, it's sad that some think they are more equal than others. Sadly, I don't see that changing anytime soon.

New questions.

Did the blog tour meet your expectations?

Will you do one again?

If so, with the same group or a different group?

J R Tomlin

6/10/2022 04:07:48 pm

I was quite happy with it. It was run by Coffee Pot Book Club which specialises in promoting historical fiction and all the blogs were ones that specialised in my genre. That makes a big difference in results.

I probably will do another one.

Mark

6/10/2022 05:18:35 pm

You made a good choice, then. I am glad to hear it. Not everyone has had the same experience as you did.

New questions.

What is the one thing you hope readers will remember from your book?

Do you have a classical author or poet you admire?

J R Tomlin

6/10/2022 05:30:16 pm

I grew up, as I think I mentioned, reading Alexandre Dumas père and still love his work, especially The Count of Monte Cristo. But I also love Victor Hugo, Dickens, and Austen. There are a number of poets whose work move me. I'd list Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, and W.H. Auden among my favourites.

Mark

6/10/2022 06:42:45 pm

Yes, you did mention Alexandre Dumas pere. While I have not read the COMC, I have watched the Jim Caviezel movie many times, he is quite an accomplished actor, and the story is phenomenal, amazing plotting! I want to read the book just to see all the good stuff that got left out of the movie.

You mentioned several other heavyweights of literature also. They were all at the top of their field.

New questions.

What software do you use to write and publish your books, and why do you use those?

How do you keep track of all the characters and events in your books?

J R Tomlin

6/10/2022 10:34:44 pm

I write in Word and format with Vellum. Quite a few writers use Scrivener. I tried it out and for me it felt intrusive with too many bells and whistles, but I know people who swear by it. Vellum, as far as I'm concerned, is by far the best way to format. I don't think anything else comes close to comparing.

I keep a 'bible' of characters and descriptions although I'm not as good as I should be at keeping every detail in it.

Mark

6/11/2022 08:16:16 am

Almost every writer uses MS Word. It has a huge installed user base and cross-platform to Apple products. Vellum is used by quite a few authors. I have heard Scrivener is very powerful, but it has a steep learning curve.

Quite a few authors have a character book. I think it's a necessity after the first book of a series. Some readers enjoy the details, and they notice when a detail is wrong for a character or an event. That type of person can make a good proofreader.

New questions.

Have you ever had the experience of the story swerving in a different direction than planned, as if a character was driving it?

I know there are many ways to build the outline. Do you do it all on the computer or do you get analog in the beginning, perhaps with sticky notes or note cards?

J R Tomlin

6/11/2022 11:09:17 am

I once had a character absolutely refuse to do what he was supposed to do. He 'insisted' that he would do something else. I think that can happen when you have a strong sense of who your character is.

The only outlining I do is of historical events that have to be matched in the novel. I do that on the computer but then I print it. Other than that I am a panster for events that are not dictated by history.

Mark

6/11/2022 02:21:16 pm

I have heard very similar comments from other authors. Most say that the story is improved when the author allows the character to do as they wish in those circumstances.

That makes a lot of sense. If you don't follow the major historical points, then some reader will point that out gleefully. I guess that the genre would also change from historical fiction to just fiction or is there a different sub-genre?

New questions.

Do you have a defined space for writing at home, or would you be a coffee-shop writer, if we weren’t stuck in the covid mess?

Do you listen to music or have the TV on when writing, or do you need quiet?

J R Tomlin

6/11/2022 05:09:03 pm

I have a small home office with a desk where I write. I don't think that I could deal with the distractions of writing in a coffee shop. As you can probably guess from that, I need quite.

Mark

6/11/2022 06:19:17 pm

That makes sense to me. A coffee shop environment would be too distracting for me. I have a similar setup in our apartment.

I do like quiet, but I can work if the TV is on or music. I am able to concentrate against the background noise. I learned that skill by reading while riding a school bus. That took a lot of concentration.

New questions.

Action, dialogue, or narration; which is easiest to write?

Of the five senses, which is the easiest to write and which is the hardest?

J R Tomlin

6/11/2022 06:38:19 pm

For me dialogue is easier and I have to resist the temptation to overuse it. I find the sense of smell the hardest, but it is particularly important to include.

Mark

6/11/2022 08:35:09 pm

When dialogue is done well, it is a wonderful way to move a story along. Revealing crucial information without resorting to an info dump is only one way that shows how important dialogue can be. The use of action beats to eliminate a lot of 'he said, she said' helps a story along as well. Personally, I find dialogue draws me into the story more than description.

Having said that, dialogue can be misused also. Dialogue that doesn't contribute or move the story along is as useless as description that merely wanders through the plot both are surefire ways to have a book closed and not finished by a reader.

I think your dialogue in TDB was quite good.

Many authors agree with you about how hard it is to write about smell. Anytime the senses can be invoked for the reader is usually worthwhile.

New questions.

Have you ever done any theater, written a play or any screenwriting?

Have you bought any advertising on Amazon or Facebook?

What were your results?

J R Tomlin

6/12/2022 12:07:26 am

I have done a lot of advertising. Bookbub, Amazon, Facebook and smaller venues such as Freebooksy. Some has done extremely well and some has been an expensive flop. Where I have had the worst results was Amazon ads.

Mark

6/12/2022 10:18:37 am

Amazon ads can be the worst according to many authors. A few seem to do well. It seems the 'Zon keeps fiddling with the algorithms and what worked a few months ago doesn't work now.

Here is an article, one of many, that might be useful, copy-and-paste time or hit the search box below: How to Change Your Kindle Keywords, by Dave Chesson
https://annerallen.com/2020/09/how-to-change-your-kindle-keywords-by-dave-chesson

New questions.

Speaking of marketing, why did you pick me to help promote your book?

How long does the research process take before you start to write a book, or do you do the research as you write?

J R Tomlin

6/12/2022 11:07:34 am

I actually rarely try a new promoter but your cost is reasonable and I liked the concept. So I decided to give your promotion a try. 😜

I have researched this period of history for a very long time, starting in university (and that *was* a long time ago), so for the most part I do the research before writing. But I have to constantly check to be sure I recall the details correctly. Sometimes there are details I have never researched that I have to research now, such as the details concerning a particular cave I believe was used. So I also do research while I am writing. I have a fairly substantial library on late medieval Scottish history which I depend on. One of my pieces of advice for HF authors is not to depend on Wikipedia which is often incomplete or simply wrong and even sometimes biased.

Mark

6/12/2022 11:51:26 am

Thank you, I have tried to keep the cost reasonable. As far as I know, I am the only one who offers an interview in this format. This takes longer than the usual 'please answer these 10 questions' by email or a video blog, the video is recorded and edited and does not allow any interaction with the audience such as my format does.

I had a hunch you owned a lot of books concerning this time period. Not everything is on the internet. Yes, Wikipedia is not trustworthy all of the time.

New questions.

At what point in the Black Douglas trilogy did you decide to write this sequel?

How much time passed from when you got the idea to write this book; then actually starting to write the book?

J R Tomlin

6/12/2022 12:37:33 pm

I always knew there was a story to be told about Archibald, a fairly surprising one. When I finished the four novel Son of Scotland series about Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, it left events in Scotland rather up in the air. He died at the worst possible moment for Scotland's survival as a nation. When I started looking at who could take up the baton of Scotland's freedom, he was a natural choice especially since most of the other leaders of Scotland were killed in battle. There were several decades in which whether Scotland would survive was in very serious question.

Mark

6/12/2022 01:34:26 pm

That is an interesting way to discover a key player. I like it. It sounds like Archibald was a natural choice.

I didn't know about how perilous Scotland's fate was. Not many countries ever come back from being absorbed by another. Quite a close call.

New questions.

Going back in time, did you do any kind of creative writing, even back in grade school?

How early was it that you realized how powerful words can be?

J R Tomlin

6/12/2022 02:29:14 pm

Scots were determined to survive as a nation. There have been a number of times since when its survival has been in question, but it always comes back fighting. That is one of the reasons I love writing about it.

My first love was poetry and I started writing poetry when I was eight or nine years old. Sadly, I discovered that I am not very good at it, although I kept trying until my late teens. I do much better with prose. I don't remember ever thinking 'Ah, words are powerful' but I must have realised it on some level when I started using them to express my thoughts and emotions.

Mark

6/12/2022 03:55:35 pm

Poetry is interesting. I am not a poet either, though I have dabbled in my college years. Some poetry makes no sense to me, at times. There are also times when I find I am quite moved without a clear understanding of why. Sometimes, poetry touches me in a significant way.

New questions.

Do you have alpha-readers and/or beta-readers to help you smooth out a lot of wrinkles before publishing?

If you don’t, why?

If you do, how did you find them?

J R Tomlin

6/12/2022 04:13:17 pm

I have one beta reader with whom I've worked for a long time. His skill level and suggested changes are really closer to that of an editor. He is great at finding what I need to work on. I don't feel the need for more input than that. To me, having a lot of beta readers seems a bit like writing by committee, although that is just my feeling. Many successful authors do that. After that the novel goes to a line editor and then usually to multiple proofreaders.

Mark

6/12/2022 05:55:03 pm

That is the lowest possible number to have a beta reader. It's wonderful that he is so helpful to you. A few authors don't use beta readers at all. Some other authors have multiple beta readers because not everyone sees the same thing or in the same way. A little bit like witnesses to an accident or a crime. It sounds like you have a well-organized and efficient system.

New questions.

At what stage in your writing process do you bring in your beta reader?

Do you give him an e-version like a PDF or a hard copy you printed?

J R Tomlin

6/13/2022 12:10:32 pm

He prefers to read as I write, so he is brought in very early. He uses a Word file so he can use Word comments. My system is probably a bit different than most but it seems to work for me.

Mark

6/13/2022 12:51:13 pm

That is a great system! I do the same thing for proofreading. I know it works very well.

Last questions.

Do you ask questions of your beta readers, or do you let them comment on what strikes them?

If you have questions, what kind of questions did you ask them to get the feedback you wanted?

J R Tomlin

6/13/2022 01:21:40 pm

I also want to say thank you for the review and the excellent questions!

J R Tomlin

6/13/2022 01:20:40 pm

Mainly he comments on what he notices. I sometimes as a follow up question to one of his comments though. I don't by any means take all of his suggestions, but he is good at making me think about issues I hadn't considered.

Mark

6/13/2022 01:54:13 pm

To bring up issues worth considering is the mark of a good beta reader. In the early stages of writing there is lots of room for improvement.

You are very welcome, Jeanne. Sadly, it is time to bring our chat to an end. I have another promotion beginning tomorrow. You have been a fabulous guest. Thank you so much for sharing about your writing and publishing process with us.

Until next time, keep on writing.

J R Tomlin

6/13/2022 02:37:27 pm

It has been very enjoyable, Mark. Thanks!

The Douglas Bastard by J. R. Tomlin

A sequel to The Black Douglas Trilogy

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