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Welcome to C.B. Czech – Outlaw Writer!
I started wanting to write a very long time ago, and over
the years, scribbled little story ideas on all sorts of scraps of paper, most
of them lost now. In my mid 50’s, I seriously put pen to paper and wrote a few
short stories on a variety of subjects and gave serious thought to either
turning them into short plays, or a collection of short stories. Not knowing
where to turn, it was just sheer luck that I saw a post on Facebook for an
informal monthly author meet up at a Calgary coffee house. That changed
everything. From that first meeting, the stories literally fell out of me. My
process is very much like watching a movie in my mind and simply recording what
I see and hear. Even when I edit, it becomes more of a movie making exercise as
I rewind, re-state, add or delete a character, etc. With a great deal of help
from other more experienced writers and editors, I published ‘Two Summers’,
first to eBook and then eventually to print. ‘Touch’ followed close behind and
I am currently writing the sequel, ‘The Two’, which I hope to publish in the
first half of 2024.
I describe myself as an “Outlaw” writer because I write
children’s stories, YA, thrillers, dark tales, spiritual and even religious
fiction. I won’t stick to a particular genre and I have no interest in seeking
a literary agent or traditional publisher.
Website: www.checkwithczech.com
Buy links are also on my website, but here they are FYI:
Amazon/KDP paperback books: https://www.amazon.ca/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AC.B.+Czech&s=relevancerank&text=C.B.+Czech&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
Rakuten/Kobo ebooks: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/search?query=C.B.%20Czech&ac=1&acp=c.b.%20czech&ac.author=C.B.%20Czech
Q & A With C.B Czech
My main characters form as I watch the movie in my mind,
preceding much of the plot. This occurs during the idea rumination. As the
story develops, I bring secondary characters in as I need them to reveal
certain facts to the reader. This is especially true in novels. The characters
in short stories are mostly fully visualized before pen hits paper.
Choosing a villain has become easy; I concentrate on what
their essence is, what motivates them, why are they ‘bad’, etc and it becomes
easy to use arrogance, for example, as the prime mover to describe the
character. I try to find their weakness and use it to inform who they are.
My reading choices do reflect in my writing. Many of the
authors I have loved to read are those who are able to project the visual
aspects of their stories in my mind, and I try to do likewise.
My favorite characters to write are innocent souls. I’ve
written a few children’s stories that feature animals as the characters and
that really appeals to me. The protagonists in both of my published works are
innocent souls.
I’m about ¾ finished the manuscript for ‘The Two’, which is
the sequel to my novel, ‘Touch’. On my back burner are a Steampunk Romantic
Fantasy and a Dark Western about a wicked man on a supernatural path to
redemption. I’m really anxious to complete these, publish a compilation of
short stories and start on a possible novel that takes place in the silent film
era.
Research involves collecting a lot of pictures, watching
documentaries, using Google Earth to visit faraway lands and reading everything
I can on the subject at hand.
TWO SUMMERS
A coming of age
story about a thirteen year old Canadian boy who, without parental consent,
takes off with his older American cousin on a motorcycle trip to California in
1975. The story resumes in 1977 when a family that he met in California comes
to Calgary for their summer vacation. Two Summers is rife with music and
experiences of the times and brings the boy guidance right at the time in his
life when he needs it.
TOUCH
A man who suffers incredible tragedy and loss, awakens from a coma with a supernatural ability, and embarks on a journey that repurposes his life. He must defy critics, skeptics and new found enemies, drawn ever forward by dreams and visions, along with a little help from old and new friends.
