Introducing Chris Bastin

Author of Busy this Evening

I consider myself blessed to have a wonderful, supportive family - wife, daughter and three sons - who are my strength and anchor.   

Employment-wise, I would probably describe my career as patchwork, having held a range of positions in construction, social care and theatre, among others.  My psychology degree certainly comes in handy in my current job as a London minicab driver, where it is not uncommon for me to assume the role of therapist to my passengers, which is well documented in the book.

I have a number of interests, including playing guitar in my local Church band, but would have to say that my main passion is comedy.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed making people laugh, and over the years have organised and taken part in several amateur comedy events. 

Wherever possible, I try to bring a light-hearted and witty perspective to life, and, of course, am fully aware of the power of humour to melt a young lady’s heart.  To this day I still don’t know what it was that won my wife over – my Mr D’Arcy charm and dashing good looks or the revolving bow tie!

What made you become a writer?

To be honest, I had always considered my English and literary skills to be decent, but would certainly never have conceived of writing a book. 

Then a few years back I attended a work recruitment training course, in which one of the exercises was to write an application from a job description and present it to the group for analysis.  Unsurprisingly, I decided to do a humorous take, and was very encouraged by the positive reaction and guffaws that it elicited.  So much so, that I entered it into the London Borough of Havering Short Story Competition, and was astonished to be shortlisted as a finalist and invited along to the awards ceremony at the local theatre. 

It was slightly embarrassing on the evening, I must confess.  I guess everyone thinks that their work is the most original and amazing thing that has ever been written and will completely blow the socks of the judges. 

So, the countdown begins.  “In third place, for his story, Bla Bla Bla, Anthony Bla Bla Bla.”  Big round of applause.  Anthony goes up and receives his prize.  Well done Anthony. 

“And in second place, for her story, Bla Bla Bla, Valerie Bla Bla Bla.”  Big round of applause. Valerie goes up and receives her prize.  Well done Valerie. 

“And in first place (my heart pounding – I can’t believe this, my first story, my first competition, wow!) for his book (before they even had time to announce the title I’m up and halfway down the row heading straight for the stage) Bla Bla Bla, Stephen Bla, Bla Bla.”  Awkward!

I did the only thing I could do in the circumstances – “Excuse me please, sorry, just a bit desperate for the toilet, too much coffee, yeah, thank you.”  

As disappointing as I was at not lifting that first prize (or any of the prizes for that matter!) I strongly felt that in this short story I had the essence of a comedy novel about a quirky character from Romford, Essex, who made a New Year’s resolution to go out and make a positive difference in the world. 

Despite my writing skill reservations, I felt compelled to give it a go.  It probably took me a couple of years or so to write in my spare time, but with the aid of a dictionary and thesaurus and a lot of dedication, I was astonished at the quality of what I was producing, as the content, concept and structure all gradually began to take shape. 

When I eventually finished it, and was ready to start emailing it out to agents and publishers, I hesitated for days, doubting myself and feeling almost too embarrassed to set it before professional eyes.  Finally, I sat at my computer screen, had a little chat with myself (What’s the worst that can happen?), took a deep breath (It’s now or never son) and hit the send button.  To my amazement. within a week I received a phone call from a top literary agent who said he was interested, and for the next eighteen months we worked together honing the manuscript. 

Sadly, however, at the last minute the agency decided not to proceed, and I wasn’t able to secure another agent or publisher.  I happened to know a television comedian and asked him to cast his eye over it.  He was very impressed and said he wanted to make it into a sitcom with another tv comedian friend of his. 

Needless to say, this never materialised.  I won’t deny, I felt completely deflated, I was going to be the next John Sullivan! 

It did, however, give me confidence in my writing ability as well as a little insight into the book publishing industry.  It was never going to be that easy!  At the very least, I just had to see this as part of the process of learning my craft. 

Fortunately, several years later, it paid off with this new book, Busy this Evening? which was published on 28th July 2023 by the Book Guild.

Where did the idea for Busy this Evening?: Yarns of a London Minicab Driver come from?

Over the years, several of my passengers have said to me things along the lines of ‘With the things you must see in the course of your work, and all the interesting people you must meet, you really should write a book about your experiences as a London minicab driver.’ 

One lady, in particular, a retired author herself, whom I refer to in the book as Mary – her actual name, quite coincidentally, is also Mary – was quite insistent and even kindly offered to do the illustrations for me if needed. 

The more I thought about it, with a subject matter that so many people could relate to, I believed this may well be something people will want to read and could even have commercial potential.  So, after a few months of deliberation, I opened up a new file on my computer and put my initial few items of content down.  I was on my way.  Now, how was I going to make my book stand out in the very competitive publishing marketplace?   Obvious! I have a passion for comedy, so let’s write a comedy version.   

The full title of the book is actually ‘Busy this Evening?: Yarns of a London Minicab Driver’.  Initially I was just going to call it ‘Yarns of a London Minicab Driver’, but my eldest son said the title needs to be punchier and came up with Busy this Evening?

As anyone who has ever used a minicab will tell you, if they are up for a chat with the driver, there are a few questions that they have to ask.  They do not have a choice in the matter, these questions are wired into the human DNA and flow automatically straight off the tongue without thinking – ‘What time did you start?’, ‘What time do you finish?’ and some variation of ‘Have you been busy?’/’Had a busy day?’/’Busy this Evening?’ 

I know this will embarrass and horrify many people reading this interview who think they are being really friendly and original with these questions, but please do not become self-conscious and try to stop yourself from asking them (it is futile to resist!), as the drivers are pleased that you are making an effort to initiate conversation.   

I must say, the title, Busy this Evening? does seem to resonate with people and I have received a lot of positive feedback on it.  There is just one “issue” with it that I didn’t realise at the time.  There have been a few occasions when I’ve mentioned to my lady passengers that I’ve published a book.  When they’ve asked what it’s called, and I’ve said – Busy this Evening? – I’ve very nearly ended up on a couple of dates!

What is Busy this Evening?: Yarns of a London Minicab Driver about? 

Essentially, the book is about the life of a London minicab driver and is largely inspired by my own personal experiences – things I observe on the road, passenger conservations I overhear or engage in, interesting people I meet, handling difficult situations, and so on. 

Being a comedy piece, I have obviously emphasised and embellished the humorous aspects to varying degrees (you’d be surprised at which ones are closest to actuality!). 

The book is written through the eyes of a fictional character, Thomas Buckley who also shows his innermost thoughts and amusing insights into situations, people and relationships as he goes about his daily business, complete with a smattering of his favourite jokes along the way.  

At various junctures Buck diverts off into a range of everyday little side comments and storylines, which I hope keeps the book fresh and interesting as the reader doesn’t know quite what direction it will take. 

For this reason, I would say that Busy this Evening? is as much an account of the twists and turns of daily life as it is of minicabbing itself, with content that most people can easily relate to.

Tell us about your main characters are they based on anyone you know? 

The main character is obviously Thomas Buckley.  I would like to think that Buck comes across as an open, sincere and endearing person as he reflects upon his daily experiences and his personal life, including his long-standing marriage to Helen and their three children, Toby, Charlotte and Mathias.

In terms of who the characters are based on, when discussing this with my family, my older son asserted, “Dad, Buck is you!”  No big revelations there, I guess!  Equally, I’ve taken elements of my own family’s characteristics and experiences and interwoven them into the Buckley family storylines, which they may or may not recognise, or indeed admit to!

What tips would you give a new writer? 

They say that everyone’s got a book in them!  This may well be true, but not everyone is prepared to sit down and write it.  And one of the biggest barriers to writing a book is getting started. 

A journey of a thousand miles…!  

So, my main advice to a new writer is to open up that computer and put down whatever you’ve got so far, however simple and basic that may be.  Once you take that first step, you’ll find that you can then start working on and developing those rudimentary ideas in a way that you weren’t able when they were just swirling round in a loop in your head. 

You’ll probably think that you won’t have enough material for a whole book. 

Obviously, you’ll have to put the legwork in, but what you’ll also find is that when you make that start, your mind automatically starts listening and looking out for little gems and nuggets that might fit into the storyline – something you see on your way to work, a couple of people chatting on the bus, a magazine article you read, and so on. 

Before you know it, your book is beginning to crystalise.  That has been my experience anyway.  So, get cracking!

What are your favourite books? 

I like reading comedy, as you would expect.  I think Bill Bryson is superb and am currently reading ‘Notes from a Small Island’, which is highly entertaining.  I also like a good Thriller and have read much of the works by Dan Brown, Harlen Coben and Andy McNab.

Where can we find you?

You can find my book in all good retailers.