Ten Books in Ten Years: A Conversation with Indie Author Tank Gunner

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

Writing and publishing a single book is no small feat, let alone ten. In this exclusive interview, BookBaby sits down with Tank Gunner, a prolific indie author whose decade-long journey in self-publishing has resulted in a remarkable ten-book catalog. With stories that blend grit, wit, and real-world experience, Tank has built a loyal readership and carved out his own lane in the indie publishing world. We talked to him about his creative process, lessons learned, and what keeps him coming back to the keyboard year after year. Whether you’re an aspiring author or a seasoned self-publisher, Tank’s story is packed with insights and inspiration.

Let’s start at the beginning — why did you choose “Tank Gunner” as your pen name, and what does it represent to you and your readers?

Tank Gunner evolved from my weekly military newspaper column of satire, “Direct Hit,” with a byline of T. Gunner.

My branch of service was Armor (tanks). I am the real deal: I qualified as a tank crewman during tank gunnery and tactics. I drove the M60A-1 tank, loaded 105mm ammunition into the gun’s breach, hit down-range targets with both the cannon and the machine gun, and commanded the tank.

Fort Knox, Kentucky, was home to the United States Army Armor Center and school. Armor soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers were trained there. As an inspector general at Fort Knox, 1974-76, I conducted inspections, investigations, and helped resolve complaints by service members and civilians.

You’ve written and published ten books in ten years, starting at age 76. What inspired you to begin this journey at that stage in life, and what keeps you going?

As Troop Commander, Delta Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam in 1969, I wrote daily entries each month to record our activities and combat operations.

Forty years later, in 2009, my son found 4 of my monthly reports on the Texas Tech University Vietnam Center and Archive website. Daily entries were usually a few sentences, rarely a half-dozen to a dozen sentences. I knew the who, what, where, when, why, and how, so I began elaborating, clarifying, and correcting daily entries.

I had a small reel-to-reel tape that had been recorded using a jerry-rigged tape deck in the console of an AH-1 Cobra gunship. The tape, front and back, has a total of about 45 minutes of radio transmissions between me, a platoon leader, our battalion and brigade commanders, the Cobra pilot, and an Air Force pilot flying an OV-10 Bronco during a 4-hour fight with a reinforced NVA unit. TTU agreed to transfer the recording onto a CD if I surrendered the tape to the Center and participated in their Oral History Project. They agreed and received their 108 questions to prepare for interviews. Permission was denied for me to publish their questions with my answers. Respected their decision, but the answers belonged to me. With my answers and with daily entries’ elaborations, clarifications, and corrections I essentially wrote non-fiction short stories.

These were my war stories, of course, but I didn’t know what to do with them, so I enrolled in a community college creative writing class, brought seven stories, and handed them out. I asked classmates if they knew much about the Vietnam War, one said they knew quite a bit because they watched MASH.

My instructor, Captain Lee Sneath, former managing editor of two newspapers, advertising executive, and award-winning publicist, suggested a blog for my stories. I had no clue what a blog was. I jumped in. I took a year creating War Stories of an Armed Savage with 200 war stories and 350 pictures, images, and graphics.

In my second year of creative writing class, Captain Lee suggested using my war stories and his classroom prompts to take a shot at fiction. I loved the challenge. It is a treasure to work with storyteller classmates. The craft and process of learning and writing is inspiring and fun.

Many of your stories are set against the backdrop of major historical events. What draws you to historical fiction, and how do you go about balancing fact with storytelling?

All of my war stories in Prompts and Prompts Too are based on real events, real people, and actual locations where I served in Vietnam, Germany, France, or the U.S. The facts are true, as written in War Stories of an Armed Savage, however, I changed names in the books, so in that sense the stories become historical fiction.

All the locations in Cookie Johnson are real; many of my fans love to use Google Earth to see the roads, river, creek, bridges, fire support base, and Nui Ba Ra, the mountain, as my characters are in action.

Cookie was my third book. It came about from Captain Lee’s creative writing prompt to write a novel about duty in Vietnam.

The novel Palomino came from Captain Lee’s prompt and began as the short story in Prompts Too titled Palomino. Arnold Krammer’s Nazi Prisoners of War in America and When the Afrika Korps Came to Texas influenced my novel about three German POWs at Camp Maxey being screened and selected to live and work in my town of Palmino in the summer of 1943.

No prisoner-of-war ever lived in a town. They left camp mornings as laborers to pick cotton, harvest crops of fruits and vegetables, build and paint churches and other structures, worked with horses and cattle, etc. and returned to camp at the end of the workday. POWs were paid a token wage which they could use to buy goods in camp stores.

Palomino, Texas is based on the town of my childhood — Deport, Texas — and events and characters there during World War II.

You’ve created an entire universe around the town of Palomino. What is it about this place and these characters that made you want to return again and again?

Palomino was first, then came Porky Baycann, followed by The Redeemer, Lucinda Jones, and Palomino Dénouement.

The town’s characters tell the story; I try to keep up with them. Palomino’s characters are based on real people I knew, loved, and feared as a kid in Deport. Pinky and Patsy were teenage sweethearts in Palomino and mirrored my first teenage love. They appear in Paying the Price in Prompts Too. Porky came later and found himself in predicaments and shenanigans based on my, and a couple of friends, goings-on. The Redeemer is based on a real doctor working in a small town after release from prison.

It felt appropriate to close the loop with Lucinda. She was about 14 when her dad, Colonel Jones, Camp Administrator, selected the three German POWs to live and work in Palomino.

Lucinda comes to work at the Palomino Press for two weeks before going to the University of Texas in Austin to finish her journalism degree. Lucinda challenges all kinds of “isms” — chauvinism, racism, sexism, stupidism, segregation — and finds love.

Your books range in theme from war stories to coming-of-age tales, and even include humor and redemption arcs. How do you decide what story to tell next?

I never know what story to tell next. I’m waiting for a nudge from my muse. My novels are historical fiction, but love stories are embedded in my novels. It was never intentional to write love stories — as opposed to the romance genre — but that is how my characters told me about their lives.

I never know what to write next. It just happens. I am not a plotter, defined as one who writes detailed outlines of characters, scenes, chapters — or even the entire book — before writing the book. I don’t overthink it, and I never think about the whole story, beginning to end, as plotters do. I just start writing and see where it goes. Hanging on is a thrill, never knowing how my story will end is an awesome experience.

From Cookie Johnson’s Vietnam saga to Reverend Ripple$’ adventures in 1950s Texas, your characters feel vivid and fully alive. Are they based on real people you’ve encountered, or purely fictional?

Mostly real people, but names and features were altered or applied differently. Personalities, mannerisms, speech patterns, characteristics, attire, habits, movements, height, weight, eyes, hair, brand of cigarette, and brand of cigarette lighter all come from the good and not-so-good folks I know, worked with, worked for, or saw.

You’ve led an extraordinary life as a decorated combat veteran, jumpmaster, and public speaker. How has your military experience shaped your storytelling voice?

I try to be true to truth. Military service members’ lives depend on telling the truth, no matter how harsh or bad our truth may be at any moment. If we do good, it will be recognized; if we screw up, we must own up to it and correct what we can or get help to fix it.

Whether military or civilian, reputation is our currency. Reputation is our most valuable asset. If our reputation is tarnished, it shall never shine brightly again. My storytelling reflects that belief in truth. My stories are not about actions or activities, rather, I believe, I try to be true to the truth about my characters, who live, love, lie, and die in my tales.

You’re a master of the book signing circuit, doing dozens of events a year. What’s your advice for indie authors trying to connect with readers in person?

I am fortunate that 16 Half Price Books stores, a Barnes and Noble, a couple of libraries, a couple of schools, two book clubs, several associations, and two dozen senior living communities have hosted my book signing events since 2016.

Smile, wave, and say a sincere hello to every customer entering the store. Be personable, relax, and enjoy the people. Show your appreciation to the host/hostess and staff by writing a thank you note or email. If you sign a book, that’s a plus.

Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen to everyone. You’ll learn about characters. Some who come into a bookstore live alone. You can be a friend they can talk to for a few minutes. You may discover your next character, and you’ll probably sign a book for them.

Engage. They come to the table to see and talk to a real-life author who wrote a book. You are special to them; show that they are special to you. Readers love to hear about you, your book, your process, where your ideas come from, why you wrote the book, and who you really are.

Talk with and listen to children. You’ll be surprised how smart children are when you pierce their shyness. Have a card? A bookmark? Give one to the children, too.

Never ever be aggressive to push your book. Be remembered for empathy, sincerity, kindness.

Be prepared to handle the business end. Do you have change for a hundred-dollar bill? Will you accept a check? Do you have a simple card reader? I use PayPal.

Use small book stands to set your display books on. Put a price label (I use adhesive address labels) on your display book/books so customers don’t have to ask. Don’t sign your display books; sign a clean, fresh copy out of your box of many.

What role has BookBaby played in your publishing success, and what would you say to someone skeptical about self-publishing?

In 2014, nine classmates and Captain Lee suggested I publish my stories in a book. I resisted. Knowing nothing about publishing, I was skeptical of how to start. A classmate took up the assignment, found several indie publishers, did research, and submitted his report to our class. Self-publishing became an interesting alternative. It was an on-and-off-and on-again discussion for more than a year.

Our classmate leading the researching effort spoke directly with a Publishing Specialist at BookBaby, who offered to print one book so we could test the process and get our feet wet. It was an attractive and genuine offer.

The entire class went to BookBaby website and saw how open and transparent the process was. The free guides were great research for how-tos. The pricing was an easy, straightforward, step by step approach and made it easy for us to understand exactly what we were getting for our money. The phone number is prominent for sales, questions, and help.

Finally, in 2015, I was ready to publish and contacted BookBaby. I then reaped the process for the next eight books over the last 10 years. My 10 books have been trusted to the great team at BookBaby, and I testify here I highly recommend BookBaby over any other indie publishing house.

BookBaby handles everything. They know what to do, know how it is supposed to be done, do it professionally, guarantee their work, and ensure their clients are happy with the results. That does not mean we will be famous authors. That depends if we are talented writers who write stories readers enjoy. But, BookBaby does offer analyses, editing, book cover production, promotion, and other services to help authors put their best footprint in the sand.

I like to use my Bookshop link to spread the world that my books are available and ready to purchase. I earn the most money through those sales as opposed to Amazon. Over the years, I have probably talked on the phone with every BookBaby staff member. Even the President and I correspond via mail. All are responsive and helpful. I once sent a letter of thanks to Jim Foley at their book manufacturing facility in Pennsauken, NJ and that letter is posted on the wall in the main entrance.

Looking back, what’s been the most rewarding moment across your ten-book journey? And what’s one challenge that surprised you along the way?

The most rewarding moment was knowing Captain Lee and my writing group were in my corner and supported my passion and work. Writing is a lonely endeavor, but a group of writers together is a formidable force to achieve success in completing a project: the book!

Writing is tedious; a perfect book is nonexistent. It ain’t possible; even AI screws up. The author will see, cringe, and live with the oversight. Our readers, though, will smile at a glaring misspelling but still enjoy most of the other 87,000 words and love the story.

Elderly or younger, start now. Write the first sentence. Write the second sentence. Then continue until you have a paragraph. Now, write the next paragraph. See how easy that is to get started?

You’re on a roll with three paragraphs, now let it loose and let’s rumble.