Christopher is the type of person who needs imaginative fantasy scenarios to get to sleep. Therefore, he emerged from Cornell, not only with his degrees in music, but with the full event structure for his classic epic fantasy series Tales Of The Ocean City in his mind.
He began writing the story down in the early 2000’s, but it did not really come to life until he developed his home music ‘laboratory’ and started creating the music and text at the same time. Thus books one and two of TOC came about simultaneously as both graphically illustrated pages and effulgent audio albums filled with cinematic epic symphonic music.
They exist now as physical books and audio albums (that go together) and the new Video Book version. He performs live tours with the music pouring through speakers, live narration and the colorful pages streaming on screen – a true immersive multi-media experience.
He also maintains his career as a composer for the concert stage with a full body of work, from solo works thru orchestral. He specializes as well in ‘environmental works’ which feature soundscapes crafted from hundreds of natural sounds, live musicians (from soloists, chamber groups and to full orchestra), videos filled with both natural and artistic images and readings from the works of John Muir and others.
Kaufman’s books feature full-page graphic illustration and go-with audio albums filled with epic cinematic music, narration and sound design. All available, with generous discount packages, at kaufmantales.com (epubs and the new Video Book version available there!).
His author page is talesoftheoceancity.com.
His you-tube channel is SOUNDARTUS.
Visit him at Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/talesoftheoceancity.
Christopher believes in the transformative power of imagination.
“Live with imagination!”
Before you started writing your book, what kind of research did you do to prepare yourself to write it?
I spent years developing myself as a creative artist. Although they exist fine on their own, most of my books include effulgent audio albums filled with cinematic/symphonic music, narration and sound design. So, one may consider the years attaining my Doctorate in Music Composition (Cornell) as part of the prep work for creating Tales Of The Ocean City.
My storytelling, however, pre-dates my life as a composer - as I started writing stories when I was five…and with colorful illustrations when I was nine…and during all of those years in music conservatories my stories never left me. I am the type of person who requires adventurous imaginative scenarios to get to sleep. Therefore, I emerged from my schooling phase with my degrees in music and the vast event structure for Tales Of The Ocean City…through book eight, which I am completing even now.
I can also share that I started putting TOC into words in the early 2000’s, but it wasn’t until I developed my home studio for music and began creating the text, narration and music simultaneously, that I truly found my voice as a storyteller.
Did you pursue publishers or did you opt to self-pub?
I began self-publishing from the outset. It is part of process - to see and hold the book, see how the illustrations have come out and then make adjustments.
If self-published, did you hire someone to format the ebook version for you or did you do it yourself? Can you tell us what that was like?
I have a program called Book Creator where I make my ePub versions.
They are fixed-layout because the pages of my books are individual works
of illustrative art - falling somewhere between graphic novels and
regular books. I use vellum for kindle versions.
If self-published, how did you determine the price?
I have tried various price-points and believe I have landed on the correct ones. On my store-site kaufmantales.com - I am able to offer significant discounts and combinations of audio albums and epubs and the like.
How did you choose your cover?
I originally created my own covers, but later found a brilliant young artist who hails from Australia to do my covers for me. My early ones were intriguing and well wrought, but they didn’t scream ‘Fantasy Stories’ at first sight. Now they do.
What’s your opinion on giving your book away to sell other copies of your book?
I have yet to form an opinion on this.
What are some of the most important things you believe an author should do before their book is released?
Have as advanced an event structure as possible, then be free with new ideas as you write. Develop your back stories, etc. My process is different than most, as part of it included years of life as a composer and presenter…and growing different branches of my storytelling before taking Tales Of The Ocean City to the place it is now.
What are some of the most important things you believe an author should do after their book is released?
Tales Of The Ocean City is an ongoing series, so, for me, it is to continue writing and developing the story and letting it grow and take take new paths. Then, of course, it is to promote in every way you can - whether via live reading performances or blog tours and podcasts.
What would you like to say to your readers and fans about your book?
Tales Of The Ocean City tells the tale of a young civilization turning the corner into the future. The city as a whole must do this by facing a terrible enemy from the deepest past, The Vorm - with whom they co-evolved in ages past on their ancestral isle. The main characters are young Harl’ut and his lifelong companion, Vispushin - who is a perianth (a kind of telepathic pegasus). They are very close, like family. They speak to each other mind-to-mind. Harl’ut too must face the past. At the end of book two he undergoes an initiation adventure where he descends into the volcanic mountain, Pla’than’taa - from the belly of which The Ocean City was delved. There, he interacts with personifications of past god-like figures and battles a terrific monster. He then leads a cadre of young warriors into the Vorm Hive on a vital mission.
My work as a composer has informed my storytelling. In musical harmony you have chords with great tension that resolve (cadence) into more consonant ones. In TOC there are situations of conflict that resolve, such as the visceral battle scene of book one that ends with a heightened and inspiring resolution. Music has given me a strong sense of pacing. I know when to write short, direct sentences to move the action (of which there are tons) at a terrific pace, and when to take time and paint a glorious picture.
I believe in the transforming power of imagination. This is a theme that runs throughout all of my creative projects. I hope that the experience of my stories helps people see, hear and live with imagination more fully - this is the cure for all that ails us.
I would like to acknowledge the writers that have informed my work and imaginative life and to whom I am eternally grateful; Tolkien, Lovecraft, McCaffrey, Dunsany, Lewis and my favorite, Lloyd Alexander - who spoke about writing for adults for many years and enjoying it, yet, when he started writing for young people, the emotions became deeper and more powerful, not less so.
This may be why my Tales Of The Ocean City appeals, not only to YA audiences, but to Adult Fantasy Lovers as well.
Thanks for tagging along! Live with Imagination!
See you in the places Beyond The Fields We Know, to paraphrase Dunsany.
Inside the Book
Title: Tales of the Ocean City: Battle in the Sky (Book 1)
Tales of the Ocean City: Descent Into the Abyss (Book 2)
Author: Christopher Kaufman
Publisher: Three Dashes Publications
Genre: Classic Epic Fantasy
A young civilization is turning the corner into the future, but first they must face a terrible enemy from their deepest past – THE VORM.
The main characters are a young man named Harl’ut and his lifelong companion Vispushin – who is a perIanth, a kind of telepathic pegasus. Join them on this epic adventure as they lead a group of young warriors into the heart of the Vorm Hive.
Book One: Battle In The Sky is the first of five books which comprise the opening series of this epic tale. Here, Harl’ut and Vispushin and The Princess Bryn’lynn, engage in desperate battle over the southern plain with savage Vorm warriors. You will be uplifted by the passionate and thrilling conclusion of the first installment of this fantasy adventure.
In Book Two: Descent Into The Abyss, Harl’ut recovers from his harrowing adventure from Book One: Battle In The Sky. He walks through the streets of The Ocean City, visits the Sculpture Garden and his friend, Elá, the bard, and engages in exciting training games with warrior/mentor, Calanctus. Then the story takes you down the throat of the vast volcano, Pla’than’taa, once worshipped as a god, where Harl’ut enacts a deadly initiation ritual, confronts the barbaric past of his people and battles a terrifying monster.
Pick up your copies at https://kaufmantales.com/
