Ask the Author: Kurt D. Springs
Answered Questions (14)
Kurt D. Springs
Sorry. I just saw your question. I'd say I'm a little heavier on the science-fiction end. Some might call some of what I do science fantasy, but I heavily feature esp powers, such as telepathy.
Kurt D. Springs
The megalithic monuments go from the Early Neolithic into the Late Bronze Age, though the uses changed after the Early Bronze Age. I focused on megalithic tombs, which are believed to be communal burials. Court Tombs, Portal Tombs, and Passage Tombs tended to be used from 4000 BC to around 2700 to 2500 BC. Wedge Tombs, which I did most of my research on, went from 2500 to 1800 BC. They were used from the Late Neolithic into the Early Bronze Age. Court Tombs and Passage Tombs were oriented on the rising sun. Wedge Tombs and later Bronze Age monuments tended to orient on the setting sun. Keep in mind that whole books have been written on the topic. If you are interested in Irish Prehistory. I recommend John Waddell's The Prehistoric Archaeology of Ireland. You might also like Carleton Jones's Temples of Stone: Exploring the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland.
Kurt D. Springs
My relationship with the now-defunct Tate started off well. I noticed a lot of people who helped with my first book weren't there for my second. Support started to drop off towards the end.
I've not heard of Koos Verkaik. I'll have to check him out.
Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I missed the notification and just saw your question.
I've not heard of Koos Verkaik. I'll have to check him out.
Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I missed the notification and just saw your question.
Kurt D. Springs
Beren & Lúthien from JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Beren is a mortal warrior and Lúthien is half elf and half Maiar. While overcoming the prejudices of Lúthien's father come into the tale, I was struck by the fact Lúthien was no damsel in distress. While not a warrior, she had a skill set that complements Berne's. She had the powers of elves and Maiar which made her a force to be reckoned with in her own right.
Kurt D. Springs
I have answered this question with a direct message. Please refer to my review sight in the future.
Kurt D. Springs
I'm not entirely sure. I finished the draft Price of Vengeance in 2011, and spent quite a bit of time going over it with my editor. I finally sent it in November 2012 After my first two rejections, I went over it again. When take accepted it, I had to edit it a few more times. It finally was released in 2014.
When I started editing Promise of Mercy, the initial editing still took about a year. The editing with Tate Publishing was a little smother and a little faster.
When I started editing Promise of Mercy, the initial editing still took about a year. The editing with Tate Publishing was a little smother and a little faster.
Kurt D. Springs
That's a hard one. It's usually a question I ask readers, but since I created them, I never thought about it.
There is Azurius, the antagonist. He is a tyrant, but with a sense of honor. He enjoys Shakespearian plays, so he isn't all bad. He's probably a little insane. In short, he is a very complex villain.
There is High Priestess Celinia. She provides the moral compass as well as the love interest.
Randolf, a leader and big brother.
I guess, and this isn't a surprise, if I have to pick, it would be Liam. He is shy and introverted, but a leader in his own right, with a strong sense of duty, even to a people who are not really his own. As the protagonist in Price of Vengeance, and a lead pivotal character in other stories in the series, I find there is always more to discover about him.
There is Azurius, the antagonist. He is a tyrant, but with a sense of honor. He enjoys Shakespearian plays, so he isn't all bad. He's probably a little insane. In short, he is a very complex villain.
There is High Priestess Celinia. She provides the moral compass as well as the love interest.
Randolf, a leader and big brother.
I guess, and this isn't a surprise, if I have to pick, it would be Liam. He is shy and introverted, but a leader in his own right, with a strong sense of duty, even to a people who are not really his own. As the protagonist in Price of Vengeance, and a lead pivotal character in other stories in the series, I find there is always more to discover about him.
Kurt D. Springs
Hi Mindy,
Thanks for the message. Sorry that I didn't answer sooner, but I never realized that "pending questions" was here. Then I noticed the Question Digest Emails was set to None. Situation rectified.
It sounds like an interesting novel. I can never give guarantees as to when I get to it. I have big TBR list.
I'm hoping to get the final corrections for Promise of Mercy back from the publisher. Once I have a release date, I'll put it up on Goodreads.
Looking forward to reading Return to Sender.
Cheers.
Kurt D. Springs
www.kurtsprings.com
kurtsfrontier.wordpress.com
Thanks for the message. Sorry that I didn't answer sooner, but I never realized that "pending questions" was here. Then I noticed the Question Digest Emails was set to None. Situation rectified.
It sounds like an interesting novel. I can never give guarantees as to when I get to it. I have big TBR list.
I'm hoping to get the final corrections for Promise of Mercy back from the publisher. Once I have a release date, I'll put it up on Goodreads.
Looking forward to reading Return to Sender.
Cheers.
Kurt D. Springs
www.kurtsprings.com
kurtsfrontier.wordpress.com
Kurt D. Springs
The inspiration for Price of Vengeance and the novels that fall in the same universe where inspired by many of the stories of Andre Norton, though she really wasn't into Military Science fiction.
The idea for Price of Vengeance came to me as I was walking to my apartment in Galway in 2003. I was living in Ireland, working on my Master of Literature in Archaeology. I envisioned a warrior who had been betrayed and cut off from his city. I also envisioned a love interest who was powerful in her own right. I didn't start working on it until after I graduate with my PhD from SUNY at Buffalo.
The idea for Price of Vengeance came to me as I was walking to my apartment in Galway in 2003. I was living in Ireland, working on my Master of Literature in Archaeology. I envisioned a warrior who had been betrayed and cut off from his city. I also envisioned a love interest who was powerful in her own right. I didn't start working on it until after I graduate with my PhD from SUNY at Buffalo.
Kurt D. Springs
There are all kinds of places that have inspiration. I often watch various shows from history channel or science channel to get ideas. Current events have many opportunities for inspiration. For all writers, your most useful tool is the question "What if . . .?"
Kurt D. Springs
This goes back to what I said about having several projects. The sequel to Price of Vengeance is getting a final editorial polish before going to the publisher. I have another draft that is waiting to begin the polishing process. I am work on a novel that takes place before the events of Price of Vengeance, and a novel that goes between Price of Vengeance and (what was) book 2.
Kurt D. Springs
Make sure you know where you are going. While some people feel they can just sit and write, you need a map of what is going to happen when. Far from constraining you, it is actually very liberating. Outlines can be changed as you get new ideas.
Also, make sure you have a good editor. As a reviewer, I've seen many wonderful stories ruined by a lack of good editing. Spelling errors, typos, and grammatical mistakes are very distracting. The problem is, a person should never trust their own editing. I know I miss things until someone points it out to me. You may never catch all of the errors but the few you have, the better.
Also, make sure you have a good editor. As a reviewer, I've seen many wonderful stories ruined by a lack of good editing. Spelling errors, typos, and grammatical mistakes are very distracting. The problem is, a person should never trust their own editing. I know I miss things until someone points it out to me. You may never catch all of the errors but the few you have, the better.
Kurt D. Springs
For a science fiction writers, it's creating new things. New beings, new creatures, new adventures, etc. As an anthropologist by training, creating new cultures is a great deal of fun.
Kurt D. Springs
Writer's block is a catch phrase for reasons writers stop writing. Some of these things are lack of inspiration, lack of motivation, even boredom. One of the best tools for the lack of inspiration is a change of scenery. There is a local coffee shop I sometime go to with my iPad. It get's you away from the normal distractions.
Motivation is a little trickier since other things can feed into it. For those with a "normal day job" it may be a series of stressful days at work. Another thing that could contribute is family members thinking that your writing time is time for you to help with their projects. After all it isn't a "real" job. Change of scenery can help there as well. There can be other distractions, like social networking sites. It can help to get away from your home office in those circumstances as well.
For boredom, i.e. you are bored with what you're writing. Most authors do have several projects going. It may be time to switch to a different project.
Motivation is a little trickier since other things can feed into it. For those with a "normal day job" it may be a series of stressful days at work. Another thing that could contribute is family members thinking that your writing time is time for you to help with their projects. After all it isn't a "real" job. Change of scenery can help there as well. There can be other distractions, like social networking sites. It can help to get away from your home office in those circumstances as well.
For boredom, i.e. you are bored with what you're writing. Most authors do have several projects going. It may be time to switch to a different project.
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