Indie Author Spotlight

Charles Harned
May 15
8 min read

Summer is almost here. There isn't much news to report, so I'm sharing an Indie Author Q&A I did a couple weeks ago (I'll link the official article when it comes out).

There are some exciting things going on behind the scenes, but nothing to announce just yet. For now, if you feel like learning a bit more about me and my writing journey (that's cringe but I don't know what else to call it) enjoy this Q&A I did for Indie Book Spotlight.

***A Day in Fall is still available everywhere books are sold: Amazon / Direct from my website / Barnes & Noble

Introduce yourself!

Hi! I’m Charlie Harned and I’ve been writing mysteries and thrillers for eleven years. I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was 15 and came up with the idea for a supernatural mystery series (maybe one day) that I couldn’t kick. After college, I went about turning my obsession with writing into something resembling a career and published my first thriller in 2022. Now, I live in Charlotte, North Carolina and work as a professional ghostwriter while writing my own books on the side. It’s a chaotic but incredible life.

What’s the first book you remember reading?

There was one of those Eyewitness Books full of images and blurbs (remember those?). I owned several, but I vaguely remember looking at one about pirates when the ability to read sort of kicked into place. It was like solving a puzzle where the words on the page started to make sense.

Tell us what you’re currently reading!

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian. But I just finished Those Rosy Hours at Mazandaran by Marion Grace Woolley and that book is worth a shout out as well.

Are there any books you’re looking forward to in 2025?

The new Dan Brown book. I know, judge me, but his books are like the paper and ink version of a binge-worthy TV show to me. And it’s been too long. Also anything by Daniel Silva or David McCloskey.

Tell us your favorite way to consume books: Paperback, hardback, audiobook or ebook? Why?

I live in a condo overflowing with hard covers and paperbacks, and I’m somewhat ashamed to say that I don’t read them much these days. Ebook is my medium of choice because of the sheer convenience, not requiring a light source, and ease with which I can rent ebooks from the Charlotte library system.

Pick a genre, any genre!

Spy thriller.

Does the genre you read most differ from what you most write?

I do write espionage thrillers, including my first published novel, A Day in Fall. But most of what I write are conspiracy mysteries and more traditional thrillers. There is still some overlap, but it takes a certain frame of mind to write the spy books.

What book shaped your childhood the most? Do you still love it as much now as you did then?

I mean, I’m a millennial so the Harry Potter series was pretty life changing. It cemented my love of reading, and I reread the series at least a dozen times well into high school. I don’t read them anymore, but my wife just started listening to the series on audiobook so it’s like I get to experience the magic all over again.

What quote from a book really inspires you?

“Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.” –Carlos Ruiz Zafon in The Shadow of the Wind.

When did you first start writing?

I tried to write a book in fifth grade and was in way over my head. I tried again when I was sixteen and consider that my unofficial start. It was slow going, and I didn’t finish writing a book until I was twenty-three (a different book than the one I started in high school).

Have you ever written fanfiction?

I took a stab at some Harry Potter fanfiction in middle school (we were pretty bored between new HP books coming out). I have a few interesting ideas for books set in the Harry Potter universe if I can ever get J.K. Rowling’s blessing. Is anyone friends with her?

What made you want to write? Does it still hold true?

For years, I’ve told people that I couldn’t quite find the books I wanted to read so I had no choice but to write them. I think that still holds true, although my “why” has grown over time. Now it’s more about seeing things through and doing justice to the ideas I’ve come up with than looking for a book that doesn’t exist. There are millions of good books out there.

What book/poem/story are you most proud of creating?

I wrote a book called The Greenville Club that is sort of a The Rum Diary or Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil style nod to being a young adult in Greenville, South Carolina. It’s melancholy and insightful (I hope) and it’s something that kind of snuck up on me and then stayed with me. I hope it will be available for readers everywhere one day.

Did you publish your first book or is it for your eyes only?

The first book I ever wrote will probably be for my eyes only. Who knows, maybe one day it will get a thorough makeover and be suitable for public consumption. It’s a mystery about an evil fraternity and was fun to write or else I never would’ve finished.

How many books have you published so far?

Just one, A Day in Fall. This is the first of a four-part spy thriller series and I’m optimistic that the sequel, A Day in Winter, will release in 2025.

Is there a genre you struggle to write? Why?

Horror. There is something about writing scary scenes that I struggle with, the kind where you read a sentence and your stomach drops out.

Do you do research for your writing or make it up as you go?

Both. I like to keep things realistic when it comes to settings, so quite a bit of research usually goes into that, especially if I’ve never traveled there before. I find the research enjoyable, but it's easy to get sidetracked and forget about the whole writing part.

To plan, or not to plan, your plot?

I have to plan or else I get stuck waiting for a bolt of inspiration that only gets more stubborn the more I need it. Sometimes I deviate from the plan, or add to it, but the plan is pretty important to my process. I have a hard time marshaling my thoughts without it.

What route of publishing have you chosen (indie, trad, hybrid)? Do you plan to stick with it?

For A Day in Fall, I went the route of a small publisher located in Austin, Texas. I think any route can be great with the right support (which means having a like-minded vision and being on the same page with the people you’ll be working with) and expectations. Traditional publishing, and acquiring a lit agent, is the goal for some of my books. For others, like the Echelon spy thriller series, indie publishing is the route I’m eyeing. The industry is constantly changing, so I try to stay open to new opportunities.

If you could live inside another author’s universe, which one would you pick? (Ex: Middle-earth, Narnia, Ravka, etc.)

Part of me still wonders if my Hogwarts letter didn’t get lost in the mail or something. I was a big Narnia fan as well, but there was always something about finding a hidden world where magic existed and falling into that enchanting dream. I get my fix by visiting Harry Potter world at Universal Studios.

Do you currently have a WIP? Tell us about it!

Yes! The working title is Won’t Back Down and it’s a thriller about a judge in the Pacific Northwest who confronts a pretty big conspiracy, and plenty of shocking secrets of his own, after his neighbor turns up dead with both feet missing in the Puget Sound. It’s nearly finished, and I can’t wait for people to read it.

Tell us about the character you’ve created who is dearest to your heart.

There is a character named Samit Bathari in my spy thriller, A Day in Fall, that is altruistic and has this grand vision for global cooperation and a world that works together to survive climate change and other challenges we face. He ends up making some pretty bad choices, and is definitely a cautionary tale, but he’s integral to the series and, in my opinion, what sets it apart from other spy thrillers. He’s very wise and interesting, but you’re never sure what he’s planning.

What do you consider your current magnum opus, or is it a work in progress and yet to be revealed?

That's really tough. I have a two-part work in progress titled The Last of the Romans and Scattered to the Four Winds that are intended to be more literary fiction. I don’t think I’ve created my best work yet, and I’m hoping these two books are the peak, or close to it. Who knows, they may never get written, but I hope they do.

Do you have a favorite romance in your books? Or, if yours features no romance, tell us about your favorite character friendship!

The will they, won’t they between protagonist Michael Larson and another important character named Elena Stregor in A Day in Fall is the closest thing I have to an outright romance in my books. They are more than friends, but there’s no telling where things will go as the series progresses. All I can say is that they care about each other and have saved each other’s life.

Do you listen to music as you write? Recommend a favorite writing song or share a writing playlist!

I used to a decent amount. Now, not so much. The soundtrack from the movie The Imitation Game is good writing music. I just re-watched Gone Girl and think that soundtrack would be great for writing as well.

Do you listen to writing podcasts? Rec one!

I don’t, but I probably should.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring author, what would it be?

Keep at it, but make sure you are reading and refining your craft. There are no shortcuts. I was the naïve writer who thought my first book would be a huge success and couldn’t fathom why agents didn’t want it. Even just a couple years later I went back and was blown away by how bad it was. The successful writers are going to keep pushing until they get to a place where their work is actually good, and then they’re so persistent that they get published. This is a speculative business, and there has to be that intrinsic reward you get from writing that sustains you. If no one publishes a book you wrote, write another one.

Have you entered any writer contests? Tell us about your experience!

I entered a few flash fiction contests and a handful of novel contests and never won anything (probably because much better work was submitted). Then I entered a contest for free entrance to the Southeastern Writers Club’s summer conference and actually won. It was great going down to the conference and meeting everyone, and I learned a ton. That was a huge honor.

Who are your top 5-10 favorite writers?

This is tough! Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Daniel Silva, Sidney Sheldon, Seth Grahame-Smith, Stieg Larsson, Erik Larson, Harlan Coben, Anne Rice, Nnedi Okorafor, and Pat Conroy.

Do you have a moodboard for your book(s)? Let’s see!

I do! It’s not the greatest, but here it is: