Five Questions with Tyner Gillies

Welcome to the 5 Questions Series. Each week, I’ll ask five questions of some of my favorite authors, editors, publishers, and other industry professionals. This week, I’m talking with Tyner Gillies.

Tell me about your most recent book? What’s it about and what do you want readers to get from it

My most recent published work, ‘The Black Door’, is the conclusion to a trilogy (including ‘The Watch’ and ‘Dark Resolution’) I wrote about Quinn Sullivan and the members of the Resolution Cove RCMP detachment (a made up place). The whole series really boils down to Mounties fighting the things that go bump in the night. It was a lot of fun to write, and I really fell in love with all the characters as I learned more about them over three books.

When I sat down to write ‘The Black Door’ I really wanted the book to be about love. Love of family, love of friends, love of community. The theme of love and friendship run deep throughout the book, even with the main antagonist. What I hope readers take from the story is that no challenge or circumstance, no matter how dark, is insurmountable with the support of those that love you. Love really does conquer all, and shines a light into the dark.

You have the cutest cats. Do they ever show up in your writing?

Hahaha, thank you. I have given several cats minor roles in a few of my short stories, and in my first couple of novels, but I cannot say that any of my three cats (Logan, Jonah and Floki) have ever actually made an appearance. I will have to see if I can fix that.

(Ed. Note. We interrupt this blog post for pictures of all of Tyner’s cats)

We met at a writing conference and we’ll see each other at the Surrey International Writing Conference this fall. How important are writing conferences in your career and why should writers go to them?

The first conference I ever attended was the Surrey International Writing Conference (SiWC), in 2007, and I have been every year since. In that first attendance, I was working on this long, rollicking, ridiculous high fantasy novel, filled with bad cliches and terrible writing (It current sits in a desk drawer and will remain there forever). At most well-organized conferences they have “blue pencil” appointments, where attendees have an opportunity to present an excerpt from their work to an established writer and solicit feedback.

My first blue pencil was with Jack Whyte, Scots/Canadian historical fiction author. I was sure that Jack would be floored by the absolute brilliance of my work and immediately sing my praises to the world. Instead, he read the first page, looked up at me, then back down at the page in his hand, and let out a long sigh. He put the pages on the table between us, folded his hands on them, and asked me to tell me about my story.

Resisting the urge to get out of my chair and act out the more exciting parts, I gave him an explanation of the concept almost as long and rambling as the story was. He told me, in his Scottish brogue, “You’ve got a great idea for a story, but no idea how to tell it.” He gave me a moment to be dejected, then said, “You can get there, but you’ve got some work to do.” Then he spent the rest of our time together giving me a long list of books to read and writing exercises to complete.

That, really, was the beginning of my storyteller’s education. I spent three years in university before I ran off and joined the Mounties, studying English Literature, but no creative writing. All of my lessons on the craft have been in writer’s workshops in conferences and festivals.

I have been returning to SiWC every year since then, as well as other conferences and festivals. From each one I have taken something away that improved my craft. It’s a slow build, but it is a build indeed.

I have also found some of my life’s dearest friends in the halls of writers festivals. I cannot overstate the value of the community you can find among like-minded creatives.

I whole-heartedly encourage any writer, at any stage in their career, to attend a conference. You won’t regret it.

What are you working on now?

My agent (the esteemed Stacey Kondla) is currently querying a newly completed novel about a big city cop who goes back to his tiny hometown where his father was once the detachment commander (chief of police), and discovers he has an illegitimate half-sister. I am very hopeful this will be my ‘breakout’ novel, so my chief occupation is trying not to check my phone every twenty-three seconds, to see if there is any response.

My current work in progress is a crime novel about a contract killer who takes on a terrible job for a ridiculous amount of money and (hopefully) learns a few lessons through his experience. I’m only about 15k words into the first draft and I haven’t even landed on a working title yet. I had one, but my writing group told me it sucked, so I’m waiting to be struck by a bolt of inspiration.

If you could offer one piece of advice to emerging writers, what would it be?

The best piece of advice I could share is this: Don’t Quit. Don’t Ever Quit. Don’t You Dare Fucking Quit.

I have amassed an impressive collection of rejection letters from both agents and publishing houses. I completed seven novels, started and abandoned several more, and published four novels with an indy press before I finally wrote a story that landed with an agent.

There are those among us who see success with their first story. Others, like me, have to labour long and hard before our craft really starts to come together and we find our authentic voice. If you persevere, work, read, practice, fail, and start all over again, you will eventually get to where you need to be. The one thing I can tell you for certain is that quitting won’t speed up this process.

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received in my life came from one of my policing colleagues; “If you don’t try, the answer is automatically no.”

It’s up to you to try.

Bonus question: Have you ever taken a picture of a weird bird?

Yes. I was working an OT shift and this distinguished gentleman landed on a fence as I was driving by, so I stopped to take a pic. It’s a vulture. And I’m also obsessed with taking pictures of clouds.