Ask the Author: R.A. McCandless
Answered Questions (13)
R.A. McCandless
I case of the missing time! I feel like Nancy Drew would be best suited, although maybe a crossover with the Hardy Boys and the Winchesters from "Supernatural". I'm sure there's some kind of time-stealing demon who drains away a few minutes from each half-hour for his own evil purposes. Nancy, Frank and Joe would probably be visiting their aunt next door when they stumble on the first of many clues. Then in would bust Sam and Dean, hot on the trail of something "weird" that happened, but that local police had written off. Comedy hijinks would ensue!
R.A. McCandless
I'm reading and reviewing a bunch of books for some up-an-coming authors. "Progenie" urban fantasy by Mack Little, "Black Lillies" magic/mystery by Jodi Perkins, "Dragon Dazzle" YA magic by Molly Dean, and "Moonflowers" by David Gray.
For myself, I'm reading Ian Banks "Consider Phlebas," dipping my toe into The Culture. Hugh Howey's "Shift" Omnibus, the sequel to "Wool" and "Teek" the upcoming urban fantasy by S. Andrew Swann.
For myself, I'm reading Ian Banks "Consider Phlebas," dipping my toe into The Culture. Hugh Howey's "Shift" Omnibus, the sequel to "Wool" and "Teek" the upcoming urban fantasy by S. Andrew Swann.
R.A. McCandless
"Who turned out the lights in here?" The voice said inside my bedroom where I sleep alone.
R.A. McCandless
Most fictional worlds are best viewed through the safety and security of a book. They are wild, dangerous places filled with adventure that, as Bilbo Baggins noted, are nasty disturbing uncomfortable things that make you late for dinner. But a few would be interesting to visit, and even settle down in. Patrick’s Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicles shows a world where the arcane is practically scientific, and so the use of such items could make for a very comfortable life. I would also greatly enjoy travelling to Elizabeth Lynn’s science fiction universe where “A Different Light” was set—the near-Utopia, where adventures have to be tracked down and sought out, but almost all medical maladies are manageable or eliminated is quite appealing.
R.A. McCandless
There isn’t just one fictional couple that can satisfy all things for a reader. There are so many, that it’s really hard to even nail it down to a handful. Faramir and Eowyn (Lord of the Rings) was one of the first I encountered and enjoyed. Their story is somewhat tacked on, and later readings suggested that Faramir was a consolation prize for Eowyn—but I still liked the idea of a strong female protagonist who was happily-ever-after with a scholar/nerd type. I’m sure there is no projection there. Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice) offered a nuanced look at a couple working through the particulars of a manufactured social structure—with love still winning out. As foolish as it may be, I love when love conquers in the end. Artist Jimson Alleca’s two relationships (A Different Light) were eye-opening, and enjoyable, partially as this was the first bi-sexual character I had ever read, and partially from the complete normalcy of both pairings within that world. The first time I read that Alleca’s true love was a man, I had to re-read it several times to be certain it wasn’t a typo. That’s wholly on me, and my own biases, and it really woke me up about love and relationships. Kvothe and Denna (Name of the Wind) is a gritty and realistic portrayal of a fantasy-genre relationship that isn’t based on a relationship that is “destined to be”. It’s possible that the two are meant by the Fates for each other, but being able to see their growth as individuals and how that feeds into each new interaction—stumbles and all—is mesmerizing. Most of the couples in “Avatar: The Last Airbender” were well wrought and enjoyable. I didn’t find the more dramatic/melodramatic “The Legend of Korra” to be as well constructed. Any time issues can be resolved by requiring ten more seconds of discussion, then clearly the writers are forcing the drama for drama’s sake. Finally, Perrin and Faile (The Wheel of Time) might be one of my favorite fictional couples, at least through “The Shadow Rising” (Book Four).
R.A. McCandless
Fans are great, and some of them double as friends—or vice-versa. The stories of writers and their fans are all probably similar. I’ve had a couple of fans be angry with me over the outcome of certain characters—who or how they ended up. The best though was a fan who wrote, “We should write something together!” and then proceeded to critique everything from book covers, to character quirks, to my marketing. It took a lot of effort to analyze and provide feedback on all those aspects, so I appreciated that!
R.A. McCandless
Absolutely a third book is in the works right now. It's my main focus. It took me nine years to write the first book. Two years to write the second book, so I'd say we're on track for the third book in the next year or so!
R.A. McCandless
Absolutely! Aubrey Hartmann is one of those characters that you didn't know was there until she stepped forward. She and her world are a lot of fun to write. She's featured in "Grenadiers and Dragon's Fire" available now in "Tinkered Tales Volume One: Gears, Gadgets & Steam". You'll get a glimpse into Aubrey Hartmann's exciting, steampunk time when she served in the Cimarron battlefields. A novel is in the works now to showcase Aubrey's first mystery in Aqualinne and more books are planned. I can promise at least passing mention of a dirigible in every one.
R.A. McCandless
I can write a world where dragons can make an appearance. They don’t have to show up, but the idea that they can? Please and thank you. I also like any world where a woman is as strong or stronger that most of the men around. Personally, I prefer a woman who can go toe-to-toe and sword-to-sword with anyone else. That probably means my preferred genre is heroic fantasy, but I’ll take urban fantasy, science fiction and even historic fiction off the shelves.
R.A. McCandless
Build a time machine. Travel forward in time to where your book has become an international best-seller. Buy a copy and return. Sell that book.
I understand not everyone can afford a Mr. Fusion and a DeLorean these days, so barring that, write. Write, write, and write some more. Pick up Mr. King's book "On Writing" and read it. Then write again. Keep writing until you have a draft completed.
I understand not everyone can afford a Mr. Fusion and a DeLorean these days, so barring that, write. Write, write, and write some more. Pick up Mr. King's book "On Writing" and read it. Then write again. Keep writing until you have a draft completed.
R.A. McCandless
I’m trying to sell myself to the Dark Side. I’ll make bad look smooth, smart and sexy. Day One: Laser Eyes.
Also, more. More short stories and move novels and more blog posts. I have a couple of shorts lined up through Harren Press slated for this year. A steampunk short “Grenadiers and Dragon’s Fire” and a horror/steampunk “Into A Watery Grave”. I’ve a completed historical samurai fiction novel “The Second Cut” about Tomoe Gozen right now. I’m working on a new Del book “Hell Becomes Her”. I have a fantasy series that I’m building, with the first novel completed, “The Blood of Heroes”. Also, I hope to have a semi-functional sprinkler system sometime in the near future.
Also, more. More short stories and move novels and more blog posts. I have a couple of shorts lined up through Harren Press slated for this year. A steampunk short “Grenadiers and Dragon’s Fire” and a horror/steampunk “Into A Watery Grave”. I’ve a completed historical samurai fiction novel “The Second Cut” about Tomoe Gozen right now. I’m working on a new Del book “Hell Becomes Her”. I have a fantasy series that I’m building, with the first novel completed, “The Blood of Heroes”. Also, I hope to have a semi-functional sprinkler system sometime in the near future.
R.A. McCandless
Everything you read, watch, hear or experience becomes food for the story. If it’s going to seem real then some of it has to be real, and authors know this intimately. Their best stuff is that which they draw from personal experience, either their own or someone else’s. I do love research and reading first-hand accounts of history. They’re almost always biased, but they provide a definite sense of time and place, of a normality that is vastly removed from our own. Capturing that sense of real.
R.A. McCandless
I like my historical fiction and fantasy to have dirt on the pages, with relateable heroes who have legitimate flaws of time and place. I just finished a short story called “Grenadiers and Dragon’s Fire” which Harren Press will be publishing in their steampunk anthology "Gears, Gadgets and Steam", and in researching for it, I discovered that some of the military innovations during the American Civil War and the Crimean War were misused because tactics hadn’t caught up to the technology. Despite the advent of repeating rifles and increased range of ammunition, most of the strategy was still based on putting soldiers in a line and marching them toward the enemy position, then slugging it out. They were caught up in their own experience and training, and, as with all humans, had a tough time moving past and innovating. That's where the bulk of my stories come from—life is advancing, and sometimes we aren't ready for it.
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