Writing Without Limits, with Christian Toms-Arbel

“If you want to be a writer for money, you’re in the wrong place. The authors who last are the ones who truly love the craft.” — Christian Toms-Arbel Christian Toms-Arbel has been telling stories since childhood. Born with a disability that required multiple surgeries, he spent long stretches in hospital wards immersed in books—and eventually began writing his own stories. Years later, after earning a degree and master’s in creative writing, he published his debut psychological thriller The Mannequins. In this episode of Uncorking a Story, Christian shares the personal experiences that shaped his writing, how trauma can fuel storytelling, and the unconventional path that led him to publish his first novel. Key Takeaways: Early hardship sparked a love of storytelling. Spending time in hospitals as a child introduced Christian to books and ultimately inspired him to begin writing horror stories at just eight years old. A teacher’s encouragement can change everything. One supportive teacher’s feedback convinced him he had real potential as a writer—helping set him on the path to studying creative writing. Trauma can become creative fuel. Christian believes writing dark fiction is partly a way of processing personal trauma and exploring difficult emotions in a safe creative space. The Mannequins takes a different approach to crime fiction. Rather than focusing only on the investigation, the novel explores how a killer is made, weaving the murderer’s upbringing into the narrative. Indie publishing requires entrepreneurial thinking. Christian built an ARC reader team, generated early reviews, and treated publishing like running a small business. Writing outside your identity can build empathy. His novel features a mixed-heritage female detective—a perspective he carefully developed with help from his wife as editor and advisor. Persistence matters more than perfection. Even after being caught in a publishing scam, Christian continued forward and successfully launched his book independently. Buy The Mannequins Amazon: https://amzn.to/46QmsE4 Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781919216201 Connect with Christian Website: https://www.ctomsarbel.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.tomsarbel/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@c.tomsarbel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580209287042 Connect with Mike Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@uncorkingastory Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/ #WritingCommunity #IndieAuthor #CrimeThriller #PsychologicalThriller #AmWriting #AuthorInterview #UncorkingAStory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices