Conor H. Carton

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

I am a retired, Irish, male suburbanite. Having worked in Supply Chain Management for international companies before moving to teach SCM in the Middle East. I have been married to the same wonderful woman for forty years and have a daughter I adore. I read crime fiction, history, and comics, as well as hugely enjoying being retired. I had a lifelong ambition to become the greatest space cowboy outlaw wizard in the universe. I achieved this ambition and have a beautiful certificate on my wall to prove it. Admittedly, the space-time continuum is proving reluctant to bend to my will right now. I am not giving an inch. To those naysayers who maintain that the certificate is only a (in fact the BEST EVER) Christmas present from my wife and daughter. You should know that you are on my list just as soon as I have the Universe sorted out. On the weekends, I am the Chief Wizard of the Black Ring, which involves a lot more PR than wizarding, which is a little disappointing, I must admit. My time will come.

When and why did you start writing books?

About twenty years ago, I was unemployed, and I wanted to have something to show for the time. I wrote a story that had been in my head for some time. I completed the first version of Bottle Born Blues and sent it to an agent. They returned it unread, as far as I could tell. For the next fifteen years, I attempted to revise it. Finally, I had an idea for the opening sequence, which would allow the rest of the story to unfold. I wrote the story because I have been an avid reader since I could read. I had a vague daydream when I was in school that I would be a writer.

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

I wrote Bottle Born Blues for myself to show that I could. As I was finishing the story, I thought I should see if I could get a publisher interested in it. I sent submissions to agents and was declined or ignored. I Realised that Bottle Born Blues was not a standalone story; it was the first part of a trilogy. A lucky meeting with a writer led to contact with his publisher, who offered me a contract for the full Spoils of War trilogy. This has since expanded into a twelve-book project, the Inhabited Systems Collection.

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

Whatever book I am writing now is my favourite. I discover more about the Inhabited Systems as I write and I love this. The stories are a progression. What has happened in one story has consequences in later story. Simultaneously, I try to make each story as comprehensible as possible on its own. Lincoln is my favourite character. She is competent, confident, and loyal to her friends and family. She is the lifeform I would hide behind if I ever got into a fight.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

The third book of the Spoils of War, The Thousand Year Fall was a very heavy lift. I knew the start and had an idea for the end. Writing a story that worked and provided a proper conclusion to the trilogy was hard. I wrote pages that just felt dull, simply to keep going. I wanted words on the page at least so I could revise them later. It finally came together, and the writing turned into a pleasure rather than a chore.

Who is your favourite author and book?

My favourite author is Charles Dickens. I love all his books and it is hard to pick a favourite. Little Dorrit may just win in a photo finish. Jane Austen and Arthur Conan Doyle jostle Dickens for top slot. Their stories just invite the reader to fall into the story and repay that trust with such generosity.

What book are you reading right now?

Jesse James. Last Rebel of the Civil War. T.J.Stiles. I have been a fan of Jesse James since I was the youngest cowboy in Dublin. This book is a revelation. It puts Jesse James in his context and he emerges as even more interesting. The Truth Will Out. Jane Isaac. An engaging UK police procedural. They effectively split the narrative up among the cast and the reveals are very well staged. The Bogie Man. The Incomplete Case Files. Alan Grant & John Wagner (Writers), Robin Smith (Art), Bambos, Ellie DeVille, Jim Campbell (Letters). A superb Scottish comic featuring a character who thinks they are Humphrey Bogart from the Maltese Falcon. The art is a pleasure to read and delivers a clever and very sharp story. The lettering is natural and flows with the art and supports the story.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

Films I have seen, stories I have read and sheer desperation to solve a knot I have written myself into. Sometimes the inspiration is very clear to me, I do not think it would be so to a reader. I like how a writer has solved a problem, and that starts me off thinking how I would solve a problem.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I am very domestic; I like to stay at home. Having worked for eleven years in the Middle East and I have had enough of airports. We go away for brief breaks in the UK instead. I have a carefully built-up comics database which I fall into now and then. When I find I cannot concentrate on writing, it is very helpful to sink into the administration of my comics. It is very soothing.

Do you have any new books in the works?

I am completing the first book of the next Inhabited Systems trilogy, Waifs & Strays. This story is called A Hurler on the Ditch. I have started the second book, Just Another Victim Of Reality and the third book, The Scarlet Sunrise. I have also started the first story of the third trilogy, The Broken Seal. This story is called When History Came to Town. This is a new way of working for me, previously I worked on one story at a time. I changed when I realised that all the books in the Inhabited Systems Collection formed a single complete story. I found I had ideas for the next story that would come to me while writing the current book. Not wanting to lose these ideas, I started each book. It is very helpful to move over to another story if I am feeling blocked by another. I also like how I can do something in a later story that is a consequence of an action I have yet to write in an earlier book. As a reader, I like to see how continuity is used by authors to add depth to a story.