Hey Everyone! :-)
Author and radio star, Tory Gates, is joining us here today! Tory, can you tell me about yourself and how many books you've written?
Tory: I am a broadcaster with more than three decades’ experience. Currently I am the Morning Desk Anchor for the Radio Pennsylvania Network, based in Harrisburg. We provide news, public service and sports programming to more than sixty stations statewide. I’m also known as DJ`Riff, host of The Music Club, on Wednesdays for the London-based Radio-Airwaves Station. The program is mostly blues, new music and stuff that makes sense.
Me: Wow! A real, live star here on my blog! :-) What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Tory: Live from the Cafe is my latest book. It is my third, and the second with Sunbury Press Books. Like a lot of my stories, they are comprised of a bunch of threads that somehow braid themselves together. It’s about a small town, Harlandsville, Quebec, where all the life seems to revolve around this odd coffee shop, the people who work and hang out there, plus the mysterious (and famous?) folks who show up for good coffee and to play music.
Me: Sounds like a fun read. :-) What are you working on now?
Tory: My future release for Sunbury is expected to be the first of a Young Adult/Crossover Fiction series, to be known as the Sweet Dreams Series. The first book, Sweet Dreams: Searching for Roy Buchanan introduces us to Aki Sato, a Japanese girl gifted (or cursed) with the ability to time travel. A chance meeting with a retired blues musician opens Aki and her brothers to time, the music, and especially the latter’s power to heal. I’ve been working on this series for more than a decade, and Aki’s travels are not just through time and space, but real life.
Me: That's awesome! It always feels great when a long-term project bears fruit. What authors, or books, have influenced you?
Tory: There are so many...if I had to list a few, I’d start with J.R.R. Tolkien; I was infused with The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings while quite young, and that showed me there were no limits to storytelling or the imagination. Authors that have inspired me over the years include Haruki Murakami, whose work was reference in my 2016 book, A Moment in the Sun. Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, like Murakami has an incredible ability to paint pictures with words and put you right in the spot you’re supposed to be. Douglas Reeman wrote a long string of war novels, including The Destroyers, The Pride and the Anguish, and Torpedo Run, which told the tales of average sailors who fought on clapped out boats, but who were heroes in their own right. Others who have told stories, both entertaining and thoughtful that have stayed with me include Moyoco Anno, Zora Neale Hurston, P.G. Wodehouse, Oscar Wilde...the list goes on, and I like to think I can find something good from any author.
Me: Sounds like you have a wide-ranging taste in literature. :-) What are you reading now?
Tory: I have a stack of books on my night table right now! The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson, My Experience with Lesbian Loneliness by Kabi Nagata, Bloom into You, Vol. 2 by Nakatani Nio, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino and Edificio Sayonara by John Yau.
Me: So many books; so little time. ;-) For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?
Tory: Expect to be taken back home, perhaps to your hometown. I drew on my growing up in northern Vermont, near the Quebec border for this story. I saw my little hometown, remembered what it was like to be a kid, but also realized some of my youth is still missing. I think the reader will see a reflection of small-town life, how people deal with changing times, those around them, and how no matter what, people still retain that sense of who they are, and where they came from. “What did you dream today?” is the question a mysterious (famous?) stranger asks when he drops into the cafe, which is the focal point, heart, and soul of this town. Those who pass through to play music or just hang out for good coffee are there to offer life lessons, and a reminder of what your home is about.
Me: Gotta love the nostalgic reads! :-) What is your favorite part of being an author?
Tory: Knowing that I’ve come through years of hard work to finally craft something I’m proud of, and happy with is accepted as good work. Even better, to see others be entertained, even inspired by what I do.
Me: I agree. Seeing others enjoy your work is epic. Do you have a day job as well?
Tory: Job? I often say being in broadcasting, “Beats working.” And it does. I’ve been fortunate, at times lucky to have spent most of my life in fields that I’ve wanted to work in. You cannot beat knowing that each day you get a different challenge, but you know you can handle it, and make a difference, even in a small way.
Me: That is lucky! :-) What are the hardest and easiest parts about being a writer?
Tory: Easiest: the ideas! They come fast! Hardest: being able to focus when you don’t really want to, overcoming your own fear that what you’re working on will amount to nothing (it does, just don’t gauge it by sales), and also this: A pet peeve I have is when someone tells me, “Oh, I have this great idea for a book...” They’ll tell you about it, then two years later, they’re still just talking about it. A good friend, artist and photographer Sung-Hee Chung told me years ago when I had doubt: “Do it!” She was right.
Me: Yes, she was. Writing is a labor of love, but emphasis on the labor. ;-) What genre do you place your book in?
Tory: Live from the Cafe would be Young Adult/Crossover Fiction. The characters are of varied ages, with the leads Luc and Emily in their mid-twenties. There is a lean toward younger characters, but there is something in this story that folks of any age will get, and there will be someone they identify with.
Me: Cool! Is there anything else you'd like to tell your readers?
Tory: I hope they find that my books at least entertain them. I also hope that what I do gives them a chance to think about what they are capable of. They may find a character they recognize, see themselves in. I put my people through a lot! When you see that, and view how they handle life, perhaps they find there is more they can accomplish.
Me: Awesome! And so these fine folks can find your work, are there any links you'd like me to post?
Me: Perfect! Thank you so much for stopping by, today, Tory. And thank you everyone else for joining us. Don't forget to check out Tory's latest book, Live From The Cafe, at the link below. Happy reading! :-)
