Indie Author Advent Day 25: Tyler Whittaker
Welcome to day 25 of the 2025 Indie Author Advent! This fun series will help us to get hyped for 2026 by celebrating some of the wonderful indie releases of 2025! Today I am interviewing Tyler Whittaker. Be sure to check out my Instagram for even more excitement with this event!
Tyler's 2025 Releases
The Interview
1. What is your favorite thing about your 2025 releases?
"There are so many things that I adore about Sorry, We're Closed, especially with it being my first ever experience with the entire self-publishing process, but my favourite thing about this release in particular is the entire story which Sawyer and Avory tell. Not only were Sawyer and Avory a massive outlet for me to express experiences and emotions which I, as a gay man, had experienced and struggled to voice to anyone, but knowing that there is at least one person out there who has read their story and then messaged me to say how much it helped, is all I ever wanted with this book. The laughs and tears which they have created is really just the cherry on top for me, and it inspires me to keep going at the keyboard."
2. What are your inspirations for your books?
"Queer, indie authors will forever and always be an inspiration for me to keep writing and to keep telling our stories because we do exist, we are writing, and we are still fighting around the globe just for our existence to be accepted without thought and hesitation. If there are people out there who can read any one of our books and find solace and safety in these characters and stories, then we have to keep writing.
When it came to Sorry, We're Closed, not only was I inspired to create a story based around experiences and emotions which I had previously experienced due to people's opinions on my sexuality and being out and proud, but I also found inspiration in so much around me which fueled the location, the characters, the situations which happen throughout. I took these inspirations and built on them with mood boards, writing about them, combining them with other things I found inspiration in and I would continue this process until I could fully picture what I wanted."
3. Why do you think representation is so important in books?
"Representation is so, so important in all forms of media because we are still having to ask this question. Every person deserves to see representation of themselves, and with asking this question, it shows that we do not have enough of it. Not seeing representation of myself at a younger age made it so much harder for me to believe that being myself was an option, but if I had the positive media representation that we are slowly beginning to see today, then maybe I could have felt okay about being who I am today so much sooner."
4. Any advice for people who want to publish in 2026?
"Oh boy, there are so many comical answers which I would love to give for the question, but one thing I would like to say which not only I wish I knew sooner, but it is something which I am still learning to accept: Don't write to please others, don't write because you feel you have to, don't write to keep up with others; write for you, and write what you want because you want to. Your books are coming to you for a reason, whether it's an idea, a character, an entire storyline, or absolutely anything else! So, don't rush it, don't force something else because you think it'll do better, and give yourself time. You are a human, and this process can be draining, painful and hard to let go of, but there is on other feeling that compares to releasing your work into the world."
5. What are you most looking forward to in 2026? Any more releases on the horizon?
"Ohhh, 2026! I am really excited for what I have planned so far! Recently, I have been focusing more on myself and my mental health as I have voiced online, so many of my original 2026 plans have actually been delayed but I hope people will see this and see that this is not me wanting to disappoint those who are excited, but wanting to create something amazing and something powerful rather than rushed and not cared for just to meet deadlines! Currently, I am working on the third installment in the Sweet and Savory Series which follows our boys Xander and Oli from the prequel to Sorry, We're Closed and my most recent release Ready, Set, Not Yet! And this has been hurting my heart! I hope people are ready!
Another project I am working on which I have only spoken about with a few close author friends of mine is actually a complete genre shift and will be entirely new territory for me, but this has been developing in the background slowly, all the way back to when I had only started writing Sorry, We're Closed, so I am very excited to eventually speak more on this!"
6. Is there anything else you would like to add?
"Whether you have already read my boys or are now considering it, thank you for the support and I hope they offer or have offered a ray of hope or a smile to your face when it was needed."
Outro
Thank you to Tyler for getting involved in this advent! I am excited to see what they come out with in 2026. Stay tuned tomorrow for another amazing indie author and their releases!
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