Free Author Interview: Kim Montgomery

Author Name: Kim Montgomery. Englishman, living in Scotland since 1990. Semi-retired, after a career in IT.

Book Title: Curly and Tubs and the Galloping Rot

Where can we find your book?  AuthorHouse, Amazon, WH Smith, Barnes and Noble for printed copy, Smashwords, Kindle, Kobo for eBook

Tell us a little about your book:  Two young brothers, Curly and Tubs, own a set of encyclopaedias called 'The World of Knowledge'. An accident, involving spilt tea, threatens to damage volume 5, Nature. The Council, guardians of The World of Knowledge, decide that the damage would be too great if they wait until the boys realise what has happened, and transport Curly and Tubs from Reader World into The Land of Nature, to do battle with The Galloping Rot. The boys are standing on a foot bridge waiting for a steam train to pass underneath, and envelop them in smoke.

An unexpected train approaches, which they recognise as a full size version of one of their toy trains. When the smoke clears Curly and Tubs appear to be in The Land of Nature. They are, in fact, in Essence World, which is where The Council live, and which sits over the lands of The World of Knowledge like a two-way mirror. The magic train carries the boys across the land to meet The Council, and then on to The Cover Desert, where The Galloping Rot is making rapid progress. The boys have to find a way of defeating the rot, helped by unexpected new powers.

How did you create your characters?  I first met Curly on the day I was born, and Tubs some three years later. The story is unashamedly semi-autobiographical, and based around the childhood my younger brother and I enjoyed in England in the 1950's and 60's. We really did get into trouble for standing on a footbridge when a steam train passed underneath, and Upside-down Aunty was a real person, albeit slightly exaggerated in the book.

How do you plan to promote your book?  It would be nice to have some help in that direction. Promotion and marketing is not something that comes easily to me.  Writing the book was a doddle in comparison.

Why did you choose to self publish?  We all know how difficult it is to be published conventionally.  Self publishing was a reasonably inexpensive way of putting my work in the public domain, and, if all else fails, at least I have a copy of my book on my coffee table.

Do you have any upcoming projects?  I have a sequel 75% completed. I also have another book finished, called 'More than a hutch', which is the autobiography of a pet rabbit. Not much of a story there you might think, but you have not met Robbie Bobtail yet. As to whether I will self publish either of these books, I would first look for encouragement from success from the current book.

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