Michael R. Baker's Blog, page 11
September 11, 2019
SPFBO Author Interview: R.M. Callahan
Back with a new interview! Sorry it’s been a while, I’ve been feeling sick lately. Today I’m with R.M. Callahan with her SPFBO entry. Go check it out, and enjoy the talk!
Check out some examples of my SPFBO interviews by clicking on the book covers down below!
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First of all, tell me about yourself! What do you write?
Hello! My name’s Rebecca, and I publish under the name R.M. Callahan. I’m a 31-year old mother, fantasy author, and game narrative designer and scriptwriter. My family and I are currently living in the “Land of Blue Dragon” (Vietnam).
I write contemporary fantasy, usually with cosmic horror and paranormal overtones. I love fantasy that’s truly plausible, that can be imagined as actually happening here and now, and that’s what all my books focus on.
How do you develop your plots and characters?
This original idea for my current series—combining cats with the Cthulhu mythos—was my husband’s. I liked the idea, and I also liked my friends’ contributions—they helped design the main cat characters—so I just took the concept and ran with it. With everyone’s permission of course!
It’s not usually such a group effort, though. Normally I base plots and characters around things I’m considering in my own life—challenges I’m facing, or existential questions I’m attempting to tackle. Then I work out the answers through story.
Tell us about your current project.
I’ve partnered with my husband to develop the Tales of New Kingsport, an extended universe featuring many different storylines and characters.
I just finished writing Book 3 of the Pumpkin Spice series, which is named for the heroine, a Maine Coon who’s a witch’s familiar. (Book 3 will be launched very soon!) Like all cats, Spice knows a bit of magic, can See That Which Cannot Be Seen, and has a good working memory of her last several incarnations—all of which gives her a distinct advantage over humans. However, both she and her witch are unprepared to encounter people who have used the blackest sorcery to transcend their bodies, time, and space—thereby putting, not only Kingsport, but the entire material plane at risk.
My husband is starting on an accompanying series, which is set during the same momentous events, but follows a different set of characters. The heroes of his series are Titan, a mastiff mix, and his new owner Thomas, a boy slowly discovering that he, too, can See That Which Cannot Be Seen.
Although the two series can be read independently, Titan and Thomas will play a critical role in Spice’s story, especially towards the end. We also intend to supplement these full series with short stories and one-offs, one of which, “The Specimen,” is already available on Kindle Unlimited.
If you like girl geniuses, mysterious cats, and rogue tentacles, you should check it out: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q88RT1N#customerReviews
Is this your first entry into SPFBO? If not, how many times have you entered?
First time! The book I’ve entered is The Dark Yule, the first of the Pumpkin Spice Tales. It’s currently available on Amazon and Kobo if you want to judge for yourself.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+dark+yule&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-dark-yule
Wish me luck!
Who would you say is the main character of your novels? And tell me a little bit about them!
Pumpkin Spice (she prefers just “Spice”) is the narrator and primary protagonist. A 6-year old brown tabby Maine Coon, she’s got a strong maternal instinct and a nagging sense of responsibility—both qualities rather unusual in a cat, but exactly what Kingsport needs in this crisis.
It’s Spice’s feline curiosity that leads her to investigate the events of the Dark Yule, but in the end it’s her fierce determination that inspires her allies—cats, human, and otherwise—to rally against Kingsport’s most sinister citizens.
What advice would you give new writers on how to delve into creative fiction?
Write regularly—every weekday if possible—and keep at it! If your progression is anything like mine, your first books will be truly awful. My first novel was a compilation of literally every stereotype I hate now, from specially-colored eyes for the protagonist, to a mysterious prophecy about the Chosen One. Ugh. My point is, don’t be discouraged if your early work isn’t up to snuff, just keep writing.
The other thing you should do is read. Find authors you love, and then figure out what you love about them. I’m a little suspicious of creative writing books or classes because I think they can result in formulaic writing. I think working backwards is better—discover what clicks for you, then figure out how to do it in your own work.
What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the worldbuilding within your book?
Quite a few! This series is set—albeit quite loosely—in the Cthulhu mythos. I’ve based Kingsport on the real town of Marblehead, Massachusetts, just as Lovecraft did.
The cosmology of my books is also heavily inspired by Buddhist teachings. There’s a strong emphasis on multiple realms, reincarnation, and, ultimately, the salvation of self. I’ve also done extensive research on the occult, so that’s reflected in the magic system.
Finally, the cats’ behavior—their gestures, relationships, and culture—is the result of observing my own cats over time. Not that I’ve ever had a cat as cool as Pumpkin Spice.
What inspires you to write?
Writing is truly my ikigai. If I’m not writing something, I feel dead inside. It’s pretty good motivation.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
I’ve just finished writing The Damned King, Book #3 in the Pumpkin Spice Tales. The hard part was deciding what to do with Morwen, Pumpkin Spice’s somewhat naïve witch. Should she and her children be victims throughout the book, thereby providing more motivation for Spice to battle the bad guys? Or should Morwen pull her head out of her ass (‘scuse my French) and finally become an active participant in the fight? In the end I decided on the latter, because I wanted Morwen and Spice’s character arcs to reflect one another, and Spice definitely hits her stride in Book 3.
What is your routine when writing, if any? If you don’t follow a routine, why not?
I’m a freelance game writer, and I’ve found that if I don’t work on my own books first thing, before any other writing, they don’t get done. So I typically aim for 1200-2000 words on my books in the morning, take a little break for lunch and exercise, then tackle my freelance projects and try to finish before my son comes home from school.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
My favorite part of The Damned King is when Spice finally embraces all the things that make her a “different” cat—her fierce dedication, her undying stubbornness, and her profound loyalty to her humans. Instead of being vaguely embarrassed by those un-feline qualities, she decides that she is exactly the cat Kingsport needs right now, and takes action accordingly.
I can’t tell you more than that because it would spoil a major plot development that I’ve been working towards since the first book in the series, The Dark Yule.
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
I learned that my own writing has to come first, before the freelance projects that support me and my family. I have to occasionally remind myself that my books can take me places, career-wise, that game writing just can’t.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? A gardener or an architect?
I’m a gardening plotter. That is to say, I used to be a total pantser—in fact, if I outlined a story, I then lost all interest in actually writing it. Getting serious about my novels and becoming a professional writer made me realize that a good plot requires planning, so now I outline almost everything.
However, I’ve found that a story will take its own shape as it grows, and I definitely don’t try to fight it. My favorite part of the writing process is when the story comes together in ways I hadn’t even planned. There will be times when I include some odd detail at the beginning, not even quite knowing why, only to discover that said odd detail offers the perfect solution to an issue I introduce many chapters later. It’s glorious when the pieces fit together like that, and makes me feel that the story is writing itself.
It’s sometimes difficult to get into understanding the characters we write. How do you go about it?
I usually don’t have difficulty understanding the characters I write. What I do struggle with is keeping them in line.
For example, Cyrus, the king of the Kingsport ghouls, is in danger of becoming far too adorable simply because I like him. That’s not true to the character, however, so periodically I have to remind myself—and the readers—that as much as we love his little gold spectacles and tweedy vest, he is a corpse-eating, dog-faced monstrosity. Also, he smells.
What are your future project(s)?
The Pumpkin Spice series is supposed to be five books, but I’m flexible about that; we’ll see how, and if, the fifth book wraps things up. The Tales of New Kingsport universe, as a whole, will occupy my husband and I for some time.
I’ve also got a few other projects in mind. I’d love to write a book I’ve already entitled A Slave in Lantern City, based on an Otherworld version of the Vietnamese town I’m living in. I’ve got ideas for a sci-fi based on Earth being a literal third-world tourist trap, and some plans for a cute, sexy series starring lesbian teachers at an all-girl witches’ school. They solve murder mysteries together because, these days, who doesn’t?
What is your favorite book ever written? Who are your favorite authors?
My favorite authors are Alice Hoffman and Terry Pratchett, because they are both so incredibly wise about human nature.
But my favorite book ever written is Watership Down. It’s one of those books that proves that craft is what really makes a book great. The plot of Watership Down is such a simple idea—rabbits go on a journey to find a new home—so simple that it sounds stupid when you try to explain it to someone (or when they try to make a movie out of it!). The joy of the book is not in the story, though, it’s in how the story is told. Richard Adams weaves incredibly beautiful prose and deep, striking insights around what was originally a bedtime story for his daughters, and lifts it to a whole new level. It’s actually enjoyable on many levels: it’s a brilliant animal story, it’s an epic quest, it’s a treatise on religion’s role in society, it’s intensely critical of human failings…my point is, if you haven’t read Watership Down, you should.
What makes a good villain?
An understandable motive. All of us possess an unacknowledged darkness. Most of us aren’t saints: under the right circumstances, we could be (and often are) the villain in someone else’s story. So I love writing villains with motives that you can’t really fault, like deep maternal love, or fear of mortality. Ideally, I’d like readers to come away questioning their own desires and behaviors.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I have a bit of a shopping bug—it’s genetic—so I really enjoy going to downtown Hoi An (one of the most beautiful places in an extraordinarily beautiful town), and looking at all the things I can’t afford. Mostly I’m going for the walk.
If you couldn’t be an author, what ideal job would you like to do?
I can’t imagine not choosing to be a writer of some sort—writing is fairly critical for my sanity. However, I sure wouldn’t mind writing in the evenings after a hard day’s work training award-winning sheep dogs on my Irish farmstead. I have completely romanticized that lifestyle, by the way: on my dream farm, sheep don’t smell, I’m allowed to sleep in every morning, and I never step in dog crap.
You can travel to any planet or moon in the Solar System. Where would you go, why and what would you do there?
I would go to Titan, to discover if there is actually life. It’s considered one of the most likely places for biological life to exist in our solar system.
Pick any three characters from a fiction novel. These are now your roadtrip crew. Where do you go and what do you do?
I pick Granny, Nanny, and Magrat from the Terry Pratchett witches books. We fly around Discworld on our broomsticks and wreak magical havoc. Any unfortunate incidents (which make up the majority of the trip) are followed by Nanny drinking me under the table, Granny making snotty remarks, and Magrat dying of embarrassment. Perfect road-trip (broom-trip?).
Finally, what is your preferred method to have readers get in touch with or follow you (i.e., website, personal blog, Facebook page, here on Goodreads, etc.) and link(s)?
Subscribe on our site and become a member of the Flock, with access to free exclusive content, special deals, and more! www.flockhall.com/contact
I also have a Facebook group, R.M. Callahan Readers, in which I post daily. https://www.facebook.com/groups/457294898150727/
The first book in the Pumpkin Spice series, The Dark Yule
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+dark+yule&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-dark-yule
“The Specimen”—a short, Kindle Unlimited story featuring the aforementioned girl genius, mysterious cat, and rogue tentacle. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q88RT1N#customerReviews
September 4, 2019
SPFBO Author Interview – Aaron Hodges
It’s been a good few days, and welcome to September! It is a new day, and a new interview. Today I bring you an interview with Aaron Hodges. He’s a pretty cool guy, from the part of the world where we associate with the hobbit houses. Good old New Zealand!
Check out some examples of my SPFBO interviews by clicking on the book covers down below!
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First of all, tell me about yourself! What do you write?
Well my name is Aaron Hodges and I’m from all the way down in New Zealand! I’ve been writing fantasy and scifi novels for just over three years now (wow it goes fast!) and I am currently living in Buenos Aires!
How do you develop your plots and characters?
Hmm, well they generally just come to me if I’m honest! Well, no that’s not quite true. I get a lot of inspiration from the places I visit and hearing the history and stories about different countries and cities around the world. I travel A LOT, so there’s a lot of history to choose from!
Tell us about your current project.
I’m currently working on the sequel to my SPFBO novel – Daughter of Fate – and I’m still enjoying exploring the humanity of my characters in this series. In the first book Pela’s mother is taken by religions knights, which more or less sets off the whole chain of events for the entire trilogy!
Is this your first entry into SPFBO? If not, how many times have you entered?
This is my second time I THINK! I may have also entered a novel in my first year publishing when I didn’t know up from down XD
Who would you say is the main character of your novels? And tell me a little bit about them!
In Daughter of Fate, Pela is probably the main character – I write from multiple POVs. As I mentioned, she’s on a quest to free her mother, but this is her first time really venturing outside her village, she’s never picked up a sword, and she generally hates interacting with other people. It’s going to be quite a mission for her to put her family back together!
What advice would you give new writers on how to delve into creative fiction?
There’s the old saying – follow what you know. And while that’s not necessarily all of it, it’s a good place to start! One thing I enjoy in my books is thinking about how a landscape would have been created, since that was a large part of my studies as an Environmental Scientist. But the key is not to stop there. Go out and do research, travel, read. Each new place you explore is another layer of wealth for your stories.
What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the worldbuilding within your book?
Well a lot of my cities are actually based off places I have visited around the world, especially in my fantasy novels. For instance, the town of Skystead in my latest book is based off the tiny town of Kotor, Montenegro, which I visited in the Spring of 2018!
What inspires you to write?
I love using my imagination. My best characters come alive in my mind and then all I have to do is follow where they lead me. That is really what inspires me, to create this person who is almost real to me (and hopefully to my readers) and see what happens.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
In this book, a ne religion has been created in the void left by the departure of the Gods and magic. That was hard, especially being able to balance the struggles of the people as well as showing how that religion is also being used and manipulated for people’s own gain.
What is your routine when writing, if any? If you don’t follow a routine, why not?
I try to write every weekday, usually from about 12pm to 4 or 5. I take spanish classes in the morning, so the two keep me fairly busy throughout the week!
It’s sometimes difficult to get into understanding the characters we write. How do you go about it?
I find I get to know my characters as I go along, and by the end of my first draft I have a pretty good idea about who they are. Sometimes they take me by surprise along the way, but I’m always trying to think what would be logical for this person to do? One of the reasons I only write one series at a time is so I can really get into each characters mind.
What are your future project(s)?
Finishing off this series is the only plans so far. I have a few other ideas in mind, but we’ll see how this one goes first!
What is your favorite book ever written? Who are your favorite authors?
David Gemmell’s Druss the Legend are my favourite book and author. It tells the story of a young man who sets out to save his wife from bandits, and becomes a hero along the way.
What makes a good villain?
Someone with some kind of logical motivation, even if its only logical in their twisted minds. Thanos and his plan to wipe out half the life on earth is the perfect example – why not just double the resources right 
August 28, 2019
SPFBO Author Interview: I. W. Ferguson
Thought I would get this up before I go on holiday to Keswick. Latest interview is with I. W. Ferguson, here with his rather pimping cover. Go check him out!
As always, I have a list of my current interviews for SPFBO(5) down below. Check out whichever you like!
SPFBO Author Interview: Angela Boord
SPFBO Author Interview: Huw Steer
SPFBO Author Interview: E.L. Drayton
SPFBO Author Interview: Steve Turnbull
SPFBO Author Interview: Nicholas Hoy
SPFBO Author Interview: Phil Williams
SPFBO Author Interview: Luke Tarzian
SPFBO Author Intrview: L. L. Thomsen
SPFBO Author Interview: Clayton Snyder
SPFBO Author Interview: M. H. Thaung
SPFBO Author Interview: Keith Blenman
SPFBO Author Interview: David Reiss
SPFBO Author Interview: Assaph Mehr
First of all, tell me about yourself! What do you write?
I’m a night owl who is most comfortable in the company of cats, fire, strong coffee, dark chocolate, and interesting weather. I write noblebright epic fantasy for adults, although younger folks who don’t need fast paced constant peril have enjoyed my book also.
How do you develop your plots and characters?
Maybe someday I’ll have an actual process for this, but for now, it’s quite haphazard.
For Belief’s Horizon, I started with a few ideas: I wanted a character who had something different about them from their mainstream culture. I wanted to see if I could avoid killing the parents. My partner wanted a mentor character without a gray beard. I had a dream about the setting, enough to write page one. It took about 3 months for me to throw that page out, but the setting stuck.
The characters took it from there. Some appeared because an existing character needed a relative/accomplice/etc. Some, like Nora, just showed up with a knife and said, “You’ll just have to make room for me.”
Tell us about your current project.
I’m writing book two. It has a dragon, a drunk, and magical drugs.
Is this your first entry into SPFBO? If not, how many times have you entered?
Yes
Who would you say is the main character of your novels? And tell me a little bit about them!
Happen Fell has lived in the Irelian forest all of his young life. Not by choice. Whether a broken wheel, a sick cousin, an injured hoof: something always keeps him from leaving. He tries to expand his world in other ways: making friends with creatures of the forest, and reading stories. It’s getting to be time for his coming-of-age ritual, which begins with a task, a journey to the big city, a walk of six days. What could go wrong?
What advice would you give new writers on how to delve into creative fiction?
When you’re writing your first draft, don’t worry about making it perfect or even good. That’s what revisions are for. Sometimes I’d get stuck because I wasn’t sure where to go, and it helped to switch to a different document I called “could be”. It could be that our MC has horns, and feels self-conscious about them. Or, could be she doesn’t, but at least I’m writing.
What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the worldbuilding within your book?
The Olympic Peninsula is a wild and magical place, with a national park in the middle and national forests all around that. I once hiked through an old-growth temperate rain forest up to the foot of a glacier. It feels like a likely home for mythical magical creatures.
What inspires you to write?
My children need good books to read. In addition to all the books written to market (which have a different sort of value), they need books written with a passion to teach, books borne from years of struggle and revision, books with characters who swim upstream against the cultural tides to find the sources of meaning so they can lead an honest life.
Saying such a thing, one risks sounding like a pompous buffoon, so it’s best to show it with a story, preferably one with dragons.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Living life as an unpublished author for three and a half years. Felt like living in limbo.
What is your routine when writing, if any? If you don’t follow a routine, why not?
Between the constant change of my children’s lives and my own intractable health challenges, I have not been able to follow a routine.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
Chapter Fifteen: The Amazing Esmerlia. More than any other part of the book, this one was written by the characters. They simply pushed me aside and took over. It’s a wonderful feeling.
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
I can do this!
Are you a plotter or a pantser? A gardener or an architect?
I don’t follow an outline when I’m writing, but once I have a draft, then I outline it to help me fix the structural problems. For Belief’s Horizon, I used multiple spreadsheets to make sure the character movements made sense in the timeline.
Pantsing is so much fun, because I’m as eager to find out what happens next as anyone. But it leaves a mess. Plotting is very satisfying because the end result feels like something good. I have a built-in urge to tidy up after myself, even though it’s not nearly as much fun as early drafting.
It’s sometimes difficult to get into understanding the characters we write. How do you go about it?
I do have some characters who didn’t come to life and write themselves. With them I try to imagine what they want from life, and what they want for the current scene, and see if there’s any conflict there. Sometimes that process kicks them into gear, and sometimes not.
One thing I may have learned (it’s a small sample size, so this might not be a thing), The characters whose names I changed had a lower chance of writing themselves. For book two I’m not naming until I’m sure. Till then it’s ‘the captain’ and ‘the professor’ etc.
What are your future project(s)?
I’m working to finish the Lightfeeder Menace series. After that I’d like to write a prequel that explores the origin of the Gracarrai religion and life on pre-Eruption Grith. (Note: this is not a spoiler. The Eruption is in the past by the time we meet our MC.)
What is your favorite book ever written? Who are your favorite authors?
The first ones that come to mind are Lord of the Rings, Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey, and Dr. Suess’s Sleep Book.
I’ve enjoyed Naomi Novik’s work; also, Mark Twain. And some of the folks in my local writing group have written some amazing stuff, but it’s not published yet.
What makes a good villain?
Eye of newt, too much sugar, a dash of jealousy maybe, if you’re feeling sassy. Pour in one jar of live spiders, mix and grind in a mortar and pestle, season to taste, throw it in the oven turned up as high as it will go. Enjoy (er, I mean, run like hell).
What do you like to do in your spare time?
What is this spare-ness you speak of? I am old and time grows precious. As a parent and a writer, there is always more work to do. When I am trying to get to sleep, I enjoy fantasy-genre ASMR videos. When I run out of those: baseball analysis podcasts. It’s rare that I’m awake to hear the end of either, but they engage enough of my brain I guess so it doesn’t wander into that abandoned house where the ghosts live.
If you couldn’t be an author, what ideal job would you like to do?
I would like to build unique houses. It pains me to know how many houses are built every year without including secret passageways or dumbwaiters or rooftop observatories.
You can travel to any planet or moon in the Solar System. Where would you go, why and what would you do there?
I would travel to Pluto. Because it’s feeling sad and left out now. I would plant a flag that says, “Size matters not”. Then I’d scurry on home because Pluto’s atmosphere sucks rocks.
Pick any three characters from a fiction novel. These are now your roadtrip crew. Where do you go and what do you do?
That’s a tough one. Don’t want to limit myself by going one way with one sort of character, but also don’t want discord in the vehicle. I’ll take Agnieszka (from Uprooted) and Temeraire (the dragon from Novik’s series of the same name), and we’d go about Earth protecting a reasonable balance between humans and nature. For example, allowing forest management, but not old-growth clear-cutting. Temeraire could roast some heavy polluters for fun.
Finally, what is your preferred method to have readers get in touch with or follow you (i.e., website, personal blog, Facebook page, here on Goodreads, etc.) and link(s)?
Facebook is easiest for me to respond to at this point: http://www.facebook.com/iwferguson
I also post pictures on Instagram sometimes: https://www.instagram.com/i.w.ferguson/
My website is http://www.happen.net
I expect to break out of KU at some point, but haven’t had the time lately. Until then my book can found here:
The paperback can be ordered there, too, or better yet through your favorite indie bookstore via IngramSpark, or my favorite indie bookstore, here:
https://www.browsersolympia.com/book/9781732664517
August 22, 2019
SPFBO Author Interview: Assaph Mehr
It’s been a few days! Things have been very busy on my end, trying to get The Thousand Scars ready. No ETA yet on the relaunch yet, but editing has been going very well. Stay tuned!
Today I bring you an interview with Assaph Mehr, who is also owner of The Protagonist Speaks. Tyir had a roadtrip over there once. It was very pleasant.
As always, I have a list of my current interviews for SPFBO(5) down below. Check out whichever you like!
SPFBO Author Interview: Angela Boord
SPFBO Author Interview: Huw Steer
SPFBO Author Interview: E.L. Drayton
SPFBO Author Interview: Steve Turnbull
SPFBO Author Interview: Nicholas Hoy
SPFBO Author Interview: Phil Williams
SPFBO Author Interview: Luke Tarzian
SPFBO Author Intrview: L. L. Thomsen
SPFBO Author Interview: Clayton Snyder
SPFBO Author Interview: M. H. Thaung
SPFBO Author Interview: Keith Blenman
SPFBO Author Interview: David Reiss
First of all, tell me about yourself! What do you write?
G’day Michael! I write what I like to read: Stories of Togas, Daggers, and Magic – for lovers of Dark Urban Fantasy, Hardboiled Detectives, and Ancient Rome. I love reading across all those genres, and since there was no paranormal investigator set on an Ancient Roman background, I set out to rectify that.
How do you develop your plots and characters?
Together. Each novel I wrote was a bit of a different experience. In terms of plot, since they are mysteries I know where we start (my protagonist gets offered a bag of coins to deal with what looks like a supernatural cause) and I know where it ends (what the mystery is about). In between I usually have some aspects of Roman culture and fantasy that I want to hit (the historical-fantasy speculative “what if” bit). Then I write to discover the story in between for myself.
The characters grow organically. They usually come to me and present themselves. If it’s a major character, I might interview them or let them ramble on for a bit, so I get to know them better. Usually as I write they emerge with the story. For example, in the WIP I was writing a scene I called “road trip” because they were supposed to, err, perform a tactical repositioning to another location (strategically running away). They presented it to the person in charge, and she absolutely refused. She even came up with reasons why it’s not a good idea, and a better solution. I had to rename the scene to “Not a road-trip”, and do some fancy re-plotting…
Tell us about your current project.
My current WIP is the third full-length volume in the series, titled In Victrix. It is a story of gladiator games and chariot races, of secret societies and womanly mysteries (or more succinctly, “races, curses, and women’s places”). My protagonist is out of his depth, which is fun to see.
I enjoy researching different aspects for each novel, and I love how each has a slightly different tone, despite what on the surface might appear just similar detective cases. The first novel, Murder In Absentia, was a “howdunit” – a crime that couldn’t have happened; the second novel, In Numia, had an important courtroom drama, trying to nail the bastard. This third one is a “whydunit” – the reasons behind the crime being the most important.
There’s also an over-arching arc for the characters that goes throughout the series and their lives, which I love exploring as well.
Who would you say is the main character of your novels? And tell me a little bit about them!
In a classic hard-boiled detective style, the stories are narrated in first-person by the detective, Felix. His full name is Spurius Volpius Felix, but everyone calls him Felix the Fox (because it’s nicer than Weasel). It’s pig-Latin for “Lucky Foxy Bastard” (not historically accurate, but fun nonetheless).
He’s got a bit of a checkered past. He started to study magic formally but got booted out when the family fortunes were lost and he couldn’t pay tuition. A brief stint in the legions taught him quickly that career soldiers do mostly marching and digging, interrupted by bouts of terrifying violence. He managed to get himself invalidated out in an incident involving loaded dice and a live hedgehog, and somehow found himself working for a couple of notorious private investigators. When the Fates brought them a case with paranormal aspects they didn’t want to touch, Felix jumped on the opportunity and built up his own niche.
He’s been doing nickel and dime stuff (one should say, semis and quadrans), like cursed rings or chasing monsters in the sewers. Since he was desperate for income, he’d take any job and do anything for a bonus (or a free meal). Morals are fluid when you’re hungry. His reputation grew, and the books tell of his major cases, the ones that built up his career.
Is this your first entry into SPFBO? If not, how many times have you entered?
My entry to SPFBO this year is my second novel, In Numina. It is the second major case for Felix (since the cases are independent – there’s just some continuity in his personal life –it’s not a series as such by the contest definition). It’s a tale of haunted houses and court houses, of depraved curses and inspired legal maneuvering, one that will leave readers breathless.
My first entry some three years back was Murder In Absentia, the first book I’ve written. It got a “Very good, but not quite” review from the blog that judged it – and I agree. I’ve learned a lot since and improve with each work I write (and readers agree, as they keep coming back for more and leaving glowing reviews).
I often compare the series to “Harry Dresden in a Toga”. There are significant differences (Felix isn’t a powerhouse magician, but a failed one – the focus is the mysteries), but I do think that it will appeal to the same readership. It also pertains to what I said before – go read Storm Front (the first Dresden book) again; I hope to improve with each subsequent book in the same way Butcher had
August 16, 2019
SPFBO Author Interview: David Reiss
It is David Reiss’s turn to take the road into my little hideout for his lobotomy. I mean interview.
I’ve just given the game away!
I also think his book cover is really pimping.
I need coffee.
I’m always on the lookout for more people to interview. Just drop me a message!
As always, I have a list of my current interviews for SPFBO(5) down below. Check out whichever you like!
SPFBO Author Interview: Angela Boord
SPFBO Author Interview: Huw Steer
SPFBO Author Interview: E.L. Drayton
SPFBO Author Interview: Steve Turnbull
SPFBO Author Interview: Nicholas Hoy
SPFBO Author Interview: Phil Williams
SPFBO Author Interview: Luke Tarzian
SPFBO Author Intrview: L. L. Thomsen
SPFBO Author Interview: Clayton Snyder
SPFBO Author Interview: M. H. Thaung
SPFBO Author Interview: Keith Blenman
First of all, tell me about yourself! What do you write?
Greetings! My name is David Reiss: software quality-assurance engineer by trade and sci-fi / fantasy geek by passion. When I was young, I was that weird kid with my nose in a book and my head in the clouds. I was the table-top role-playing-game geek, the comic book nerd, the storyteller and dreamer.
Fortunately, I haven’t changed too much.
The majority of my far-too-many hobbies have all been inspired by the crafts and skills seen speculative fiction genres; I’ve forged medieval armor and build replica lightsabers, programmed autonomous drones and brewed my own mead, learned to start fires with sticks, and accidentally set things on fire with lasers. Also, I’ve become equally mediocre at multiple martial arts, archery, swordsmanship, paintball and laser tag.
I’ve been writing and telling stories for all of my life but only relatively recently made the transition to completing novel-length projects. My first published trilogy, the Chronicles of Fid, lay within the difficult-to-categorize sub-genre of superheroic prose, but I fully intend to explore the entire gamut from stone-age low-fantasy to space opera.
How do you develop your plots and characters?
It varies from project to project.
Some works (such as the Chronicles of Fid) are very character oriented; I’ll start with simple emotions or interactions that I want to portray, and then expand outwards to determine both motivation and growth arcs. Often, I’ll write a vignette that covers a significant moment in that character’s life, and spend time thinking about the circumstances that led up to that moment or about how that moment will affect future events. I diagram interactions with other characters and detail traits that support or oppose each other. Exploring WHY characters act the way they do is as important as detailing WHAT the characters do. The overarching plots evolve from the characters’ interconnecting wants and needs.
Other times, a brainstorming session might result in an interesting battle sequence, or I’ll think of an intriguing theme, or a philosophical argument that I want to explore…in those cases, the main plot is often developed first. Objectives are defined and mapped out, as well as a somewhat loose plan for how the characters will attempt to overcome the obstacles in their path. Characters are created and evolved to match the plotline’s requirements rather than the other way around.
One thing is certain: No matter what methodology I follow to develop my plots and characters…I will probably change my mind and try another approach at least twice before I’m done.
Tell us about your current project.
The project that I entered into the SPFBO is Fid’s Crusade, a contemporary-fantasy / sci-fi superheroic action-thriller. Narrated from the perspective of a supervillain, it is a tale of grief, rage, guilt and violence. Also, of humanity rediscovered.
The novel explores the mindset and motivations of a long-time supervillain, and follows the villain’s adventures as he is drawn into battle against heroes, other criminals, aliens…and his own conscience.
In the end, it may take a villain to save the world from those entrusted with the world’s protection.
Is this your first entry into SPFBO? If not, how many times have you entered?
This is my first time entering a book into the Self-Publishing Fantasy Blog-Off. It has definitely been an interesting experience thus far! I’m looking forward to seeing how the competition progresses.
Who would you say is the main character of your novels? And tell me a little bit about them!
The main character is a powered-armor-wearing supervillain by the name of Doctor Fid. Much of the novel revolves around exploring the tragic events that re-shaped him from being a brilliant but awkward academic, and instead turned him into a monster. He is clever, intensely competent, and—in his own peculiar way—kind, but he is also changed and chained by his own past.
Doctor Fid is not an evil character…he is human, and he’s been broken by circumstance. The novel is as much about his own emotional recovery as it is about his battles.
What advice would you give new writers on how to delve into creative fiction?
First…Read a lot! That’s how you learn. Also, make sure to try reading books outside of your preferred genre(s). Your own narrative voice will be improved by exposure to many forms of literary expression.
Second: Raw imagination is important for creative fiction, but your prose will have greater impact when imagination is supplemented by personal experience. You don’t need to fight a dragon in real-life in order to write a fantasy novel…but there are thousands of things you’ve experienced that will add color and vibrancy to every scene. Perhaps you’ve sat near a roaring campfire…remember the way wet-wood crackled explosively, and the sting of smoke in your eyes whenever the breeze shifted, the way the flames shifted and flickered, or how the heat pressed against your skin like a physical force. When you describe dragonfire, use your own sensory memories to build a more authentic experience for your readers.
Pay attention to the world around you and use the real world to inform your fictional worlds.
What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the worldbuilding within your book?
The story itself takes place in a modern world that is largely analogous to our own. Significant portions of the story take place in Boston and Manhattan, for example. I visited both cities, studied maps, and sought out additional information about the cities’ histories and character. Several places mentioned in the books are real places. Others were invented (or significantly altered) for plot purposes.
As for the people who inhabit the world…there were no characters that were based upon real people, but many characters were in some way flavored by my own experiences or the experiences of people I know.
The question is difficult to answer exhaustively because so much of real-life is inspirational.
What inspires you to write?
I’ve been telling stories for so long that I honestly cannot remember when (or why) I started, but here is my hypothesis: I read a lot when I was a kid and the people who wrote those books, who inspired me and entertained me so very much, were my heroes. I always felt as though those authors had, within those pages, opened up a part of themselves to share something deeply personal.
The reason I write is. I think, to reach out across the void and connect with readers I’ll never meet. To be part of that cycle of inspiration and entertainment, in the hopes that someday some other author will remember me fondly when they themselves are asked this question.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Fid’s Crusade was my first novel-length project, and the Chronicles of Fid was my first trilogy. Prior to this, all of my experience was in writing short stories.
Writing longer works of fiction meant acquiring a great many new skills, but I think that the most difficult was learning how to edit for content. In early drafts, I’d penned scenes that I absolutely adored…but I eventually realized that those scenes didn’t serve the plot, or that others needed to be removed for story pacing purposes. Forcing myself to hit the ‘delete’ button was probably the hardest part of writing this book.
What is your routine when writing, if any? If you don’t follow a routine, why not?
Unfortunately, my answer is that I once had a routine that worked for me very well, but that changes to my health and living environment have left my writing life in flux. I’ve yet to establish a new ‘normal’.
I’m sure that I will, eventually!
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
Chapter four marks a turning point in the protagonist’s life, on multiple levels. It also includes several of the scenes that I most enjoyed writing.
I always enjoyed writing the interactions between Doctor Fid and his scrupulously non-violent hacker/social-activist friend Starnyx, and this chapter begins with a phone call between the two characters. This chapter occurs during a time period in which Doctor Fid is learning what it means to have a good friend…and also what it means to be a good friend. That emotional evolution, the willingness to reach out and make a real connection, is stretched further when the character of Whisper is introduced.
The first three chapters illustrate who Doctor Fid is. The fourth chapter begins to offer a glimpse of the man Doctor Fid might become.
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
I learned quite a bit. Unfortunately, I feel that the most important element was something that I didn’t truly develop an understanding of until after the novel had been published.
Pacing.
I’m intensely proud of this novel, but I have—in retrospect—become aware that it starts on a slow burn. I learned from this and made a greater effort to plan story pacing for the subsequent novels in the series.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? A gardener or an architect?
I’ve used both approaches but am currently favoring the ‘plotter’ methodology. Even with a detailed plotline developed, however, I still find that stories and characters both have a tendency to evolve as I write. I come up with new ideas or am inspired to try a new direction…and thus need to revisit the detailed outline.
It’s sometimes difficult to get into understanding the characters we write. How do you go about it?
There are many ‘character questionnaires’ available that are intended to help authors develop an understanding of their characters, and I have occasionally perused them to find inspiration. For the most part, though, I think that my answer is misleadingly simple: I spend more time thinking about my characters than I do writing them.
By the time I start typing, I’ve already spent weeks—sometimes months—developing the characters in my mind.
What are your future project(s)?
I’m currently in the process of writing a fantasy novel about a world near-overrun by demonic predators, and about a hapless wardsmith who uncovers a deadly secret that threatens to undermine the fragile peace between the few kingdoms that remain.
Alas, I’ve yet to determine what the novel’s title will be.
My progress was slowed by health issues, but physical therapy is going quite well and I’m hoping to make more meaningful progress over the next few months.
What is your favorite book ever written? Who are your favorite authors?
My favorite authors in speculative fiction include (but are not limited to) Isaac Asimov, David Brin, Steven Brust, Lois McMaster Bujold, Jim Butcher, C.J. Cherryh, Arthur C. Clarke, Glenn Cook, Neil Gaiman, L.E. Modesitt, China Mieville, Larry Niven, Spider Robinson, Brandon Sanderson, Neil Stephenson, and Charles Stross. There are probably dozens of others who belong on that list…my shelves are filled with authors whose work I adore.
As for my favorite book ever written…that is a close call, but I think that I must choose The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold. That book is the first that features the Miles Vorkosigan and that character has always been both tremendously inspiring and incredibly entertaining to me.
What makes a good villain?
First, a good villain must have understandable motivations. Those motivations don’t need to be rational, and they certainly don’t need to be sympathetic…but the audience must understand what the villain intends to accomplish and why the villain intends to do it.
Second, a good villain must challenge the protagonist on a personal level. In opposing the villain, for example, the protagonist might be forced to re-evaluate their own motivations. The villain might push the protagonist to grow or change, or to make a dramatic sacrifice.
A good villain forces the protagonist to battle him- (or her-) self, first. Only when that battle is won can the hero be ready to defeat the villain.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Spare time…? What’s that?
Being a bit more serious: I enjoy learning new skills or taking up new craft hobbies and often attempt to learn skills that are demonstrated by fictional characters. I learned to pick locks after reading Harry Harrison’s Stainless-Steel Rat series, for example, and learned to knap flint after reading Neal Stephenson’s Snowcrash.
I switch hobbies too fast to build any real level of competence. But that’s all right…I’m having lots of fun.
If you couldn’t be an author, what ideal job would you like to do?
Lottery winner.
(I’m not sure if I’ll ever be a professional writer, but no matter what job I have…I will always be an author.)
You can travel to any planet or moon in the Solar System. Where would you go, why and what would you do there?
I’d go to the Moon just so that I could look up and see the Earth. The view would be life-changing, I’m sure.
(Oh, hey, as long as I’m heading out that way…I’d probably ask if NASA has any errands that they need run. Might as well get something useful accomplished while I’m sightseeing.)
Pick any three characters from a fiction novel. These are now your roadtrip crew. Where do you go and what do you do?
I’d choose Harry Dresden from The Dresden Files, Walter Slovotsky from Joel Rosenberg’s The Guardians of the Flame, and Xander Harris from any number of Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels.
Because all three are clever, snarky individuals who are known to play Dungeons and Dragons. If I’m going to be stuck with any strangers on a road trip, they’d damned well better be willing to GM for part of the journey!
As for where we’d go…Worldcon 77 in Dublin! Sure, the road trip would be starting from California but I’m fairly certain that Xander, Walter and I could convince Harry to open up a way through the Nevernever so we could drive to Ireland.
What could possibly go wrong?
Finally, what is your preferred method to have readers get in touch with or follow you (i.e., website, personal blog, Facebook page, here on Goodreads, etc.) and link(s)?
I think that the best way to reach me would be via my personal web page at:
There’s a contact form on that page if any of my readers ever want to reach out to me directly, as well as a form to join my mailing list.
Oh, I also have a few barely-ever-updated social media accounts:
https://www.facebook.com/davidhreiss
https://www.twitter.com/davidhreiss
August 13, 2019
SPFBO Author Interview: Keith Blenman
Back from my trip to Edinburgh, it is time to bring you guys another SPFBO author interview. Today I invite Keith Blenman into the interviewee’s chair for the latest grilling.
Mmm. . .grilling. Now I’m hungry.
Please check out my ongoing SPFBO5 Interviews down below!
SPFBO Author Interview: Angela Boord
SPFBO Author Interview: Huw Steer
SPFBO Author Interview: E.L. Drayton
SPFBO Author Interview: Steve Turnbull
SPFBO Author Interview: Nicholas Hoy
SPFBO Author Interview: Phil Williams
SPFBO Author Interview: Luke Tarzian
SPFBO Author Intrview: L. L. Thomsen
SPFBO Author Interview: Clayton Snyder
SPFBO Author Interview: M. H. Thaung
Enjoy the interview, and it’s a long one 
August 8, 2019
SPFBO Author Interview: M. H. Thaung
It’s that time of the week again! Today I bring you an interview with Caroline Thaung, who has brought her novel A Quiet Rebellion: Guilt to this year’s SPFBO. Here is a link to her book down below:
Please check out my ongoing SPFBO5 Interviews down below!
SPFBO Author Interview: Angela Boord
SPFBO Author Interview: Huw Steer
SPFBO Author Interview: E.L. Drayton
SPFBO Author Interview: Steve Turnbull
SPFBO Author Interview: Nicholas Hoy
SPFBO Author Interview: Phil Williams
SPFBO Author Interview: Luke Tarzian
SPFBO Author Intrview: L. L. Thomsen
SPFBO Author Interview: Clayton Snyder
First of all, tell me about yourself! What do you write?
So far, I’ve written a novel trilogy (of which my SPFBO entry is the first one), a pile of Tweet-sized stories, and very little fiction in between those sizes. The novels are light steampunk/mannerpunk, with an emphasis on social tensions and interpersonal relationships rather than gadgets or magical powers. Looking forward to expanding my repertoire!
How do you develop your plots and characters?
As with a lot of writers, I suspect, I start off with a “What if…?” question and see if that might give rise to an interesting situation or conflict. I then find characters with strong beliefs about some aspect of my hypothetical world and explore how they might be challenged: both by the world and by each other.
Tell us about your current project.
Right now, I’m working on a science fiction murder mystery. It’s set in a near future world where people’s stem cells can reliably be grown into organs to replace the original ones. I’m lucky enough to work in a biomedical research institute which is strong on regenerative medicine research, so I have lots of experts to approach for advice.
Is this your first entry into SPFBO? If not, how many times have you entered?
Yes, this is my first entry. I released my first book just a year ago, so it’s my first chance to enter. Hopefully not the last!
Who would you say is the main character of your novels? And tell me a little bit about them!
The main character in my A Quiet Rebellion trilogy is Jonathan, a world-weary convoy captain. He’s expected to implement the governing Council’s (not terribly sensible) plans for the rural settlements, but without proper support. Additionally, he’s responsible to a fault, making life more difficult for himself than it need be.
What advice would you give new writers on how to delve into creative fiction?
Don’t be afraid to experiment, and don’t expect faultless prose to flow on to the page. You can always edit, and hopefully you’ll see improvements each time (but don’t overwrite previous drafts, just in case you realise you preferred the older version). Have fun! Mess around!
What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the worldbuilding within your book?
I don’t remember specific examples, but I read a lot of scientific papers as part of my day job. Sometimes a detail mentioned in passing will spark off a worldbuilding idea. I do have to thank my partner as well—he has a degree in politics and economics (about which I know embarrassingly little), and we thrashed out a plausible society based on my hypothetical “What if”s.
What inspires you to write?
I can’t say I go round looking for inspiration, but my mind will often go off on “What if?” or “I wonder what’s going on there” tracks, some of which I follow up on. In terms of motivation, I like the satisfaction of creating something uniquely mine. And in a more negative sense, it’s an activity that I can afford to “get wrong” without it mattering too much. (Note: my day job is in a pathology lab. If I get something wrong, people could potentially die.)
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Trying not to spoil the plot too much, there’s a scene I dubbed “the torture scene”. It wasn’t graphic or anything, but it took me six weeks of excuses and avoidance before I felt mentally able to tackle it.
What is your routine when writing, if any? If you don’t follow a routine, why not?
Although I haven’t yet settled into one, I’d certainly like to have a routine! I started writing fiction in 2015, and writing bursts have been fitted around day job priorities. I’m trying to come up with a system for plot outlining etc that doesn’t require multiple starts and rehashes. Maybe one day it’ll click.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
In A Quiet Rebellion: Guilt, my second major character is a herbalist named Annetta. Her huge flaw is that she’s conflict-averse, to the extent of not challenging other people when they’re seriously wrong. She gets off to a rocky start with the town mayor who proceeds to impugn her competence. In the latter part of the book, she… still doesn’t confront him, but manages to get back at him in her own quiet way. It’s a very small scene, and a very small achievement, but I was so satisfied when she stopped behaving like a complete doormat. To my relief, she develops further in the later books, to the extent that her “act of bravery” in Book 2 still makes me cackle.
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
Bearing in mind I hadn’t written any fiction before (apart from essays while at school *ahem* decades ago), I learned a huge amount about writing in general. The sorts of things that work plot-wise, structure, characterisation, description, prose and everything else. Not that I’ve become an expert at all, but I feel like I’ve had an intensive writing course. And I’m hugely grateful to all the folks at Scribophile who provided input into my work, especially those who tolerated my truly awful first attempts.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? A gardener or an architect?
My natural inclination is to want to plot in a lot of detail, but the one time I tried that (for my final book), it killed my desire to actually write the first draft. I think my brain thought I’d written it already. So I probably fall in between. Have a birds-eye view of where and when things ought to happen, and then allow the characters and their situations to get them through in the most plausible way.
It’s sometimes difficult to get into understanding the characters we write. How do you go about it?
I’d like to think I have strongly depicted characters, but they certainly didn’t start off that way. As I revised AQR: Guilt, they became more fleshed out and distinct. Poor Annetta needed several character makeovers before I stopped wanting to lecture her on standing up for herself. Of course, the second and third books in the trilogy were easier since I had mainly the same characters.
For my new project, the characters are still vaguely formed, but I hope they’ll come to life as I revise. I’ve already had one character refuse to pay another money owed, which under the circumstances is a good sign.
What are your future project(s)?
On the back burner, I have another steampunk project featuring the kidnap of a prominent inventor. I’m also trying to get more into short-form fiction, maybe by giving my Tweet-sized stories a little more room to breathe.
What is your favorite book ever written? Who are your favorite authors?
Phew, it’s difficult to pick a single favourite book since what I want to read really depends on my mood—do I want to contemplate life, be cheered up, read something exciting or enjoy poetic prose? Today I’m dipping into Homer’s The Odyssey (Lattimore translation), but tomorrow it might be Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash. My go-to favourite authors are Terry Pratchett and Roger Zelazny.
What makes a good villain?
Same as with any other character, I’d like to see what drives them to do what they do. I think they need some reason to believe they’re doing the right thing—at least, right for them even if not morally right.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
What is this “spare time” of which you speak? Writing has rather overtaken everything else, but I enjoy dressmaking. Well, “enjoy” might not be the right word, but I like having clothes that fit…
If you couldn’t be an author, what ideal job would you like to do?
Writing is my secondary occupation. I have the great fortune to be in my ideal job already, in a very niche specialty (eye pathology). I’m accounted an international expert in my field of practice, I meet interesting people at scientific conferences, I keep up with the latest developments and I get to teach up-and-coming specialists from all over the world. What’s not to like? Though I wouldn’t mind a bit more time to sleep! If you’re curious about my actual day job, you can see some of my material at https://eyepathlondon.com/
You can travel to any planet or moon in the Solar System. Where would you go, why and what would you do there?
I’d prefer not to, really. Conferences aside, I don’t enjoy travelling at all.
Pick any three characters from a fiction novel. These are now your roadtrip crew. Where do you go and what do you do?
Given my above-stated aversion to actual travel, I’d pick characters with whom I could go out locally. Let’s see… I live in London… So that would be Holmes and Watson. And for the third, no doubt Moriarty would save us from wondering what to do.
Finally, what is your preferred method to have readers get in touch with or follow you (i.e., website, personal blog, Facebook page, here on Goodreads, etc.) and link(s)?
I’m most active on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mhthaung and my blog is at https://mhthaung.com/
Thanks for the opportunity to chat!
August 6, 2019
SPFBO Author Interview: Clayton Snyder
Back to another interview 
August 2, 2019
SPFBO Author Interview: A. F. Stewart
I return with another interview, and the first of August!
*Fanfares*
Today I bring Anita Stewart into the hotseat to talk about her life, and her budding author career. She has a wonderful habit of killing her characters, just the quality in an author I respect!
https://books2read.com/u/ml5GvM
Please check out my ongoing SPFBO5 Interviews down below!
SPFBO Author Interview: Angela Boord
SPFBO Author Interview: Huw Steer
SPFBO Author Interview: E.L. Drayton
SPFBO Author Interview: Steve Turnbull
SPFBO Author Interview: Nicholas Hoy
SPFBO Author Interview: Phil Williams
SPFBO Author Interview: Luke Tarzian
SPFBO Author Intrview: L. L. Thomsen
First of all, tell me about yourself! What do you write?
Hello, I’m Anita Stewart, and I write under the name A. F. Stewart. Not too much to tell about me, I’m just an ordinary woman from Nova Scotia, Canada who likes things dark and deadly. I pen dark fantasy and horror and enjoy killing off my characters (often in gruesome ways). I generally weave myth or folklore into my stories and quite a bit of dysfunction. Plus I write shadowy and dismal poetry for fun and collect swords.
How do you develop your plots and characters?
For plots I usually begin with a “what if” idea, things like what if vampires moved in next door and you became friends, what if magic made you immortal, what if a god was a sea captain and rescued ghosts. Then I start with a beginning line or paragraph, and settle on a main character and an antagonist, deciding whether they will be male or female, human or non-human. Once I have the basic premise I figure out the ending in rough terms, so I know where I’m going to aim the book.
That’s when I start character building, making lists of who’s who and what their role will be, sometimes with little notes of appearance or personality. At this point I also do basic worldbuilding and research with more notes. After that comes the rough plot outlines; for previous books I’ve done chapter outlines, but recently I’ve switched to outlining scenes.
Then I write, and of course everything shifts. The world gets more stuff, more research detail is needed, minor characters start hogging more story, other characters pop up out of the blue (and sometimes get diabolically killed off) and the outlines get rearranged.
As for character development, I tend to progress organically with that, feeling out the character’s reactions as the story happens and letting their personality form in my head. And then wishing halfway through the novel that they shut up and stop bothering me at odd hours.
Tell us about your current project.
I’ve moved away from my recent Saga of the Outer Islands series (book one of that trilogy is my SPFBO entry) with another project. The new book is the first in a planned historical fantasy series, The Obsidian Blade, and is set in 15th century Venice. The main character, Cristiano da Ravenna, is an assassin with dark secrets working for the Council of Ten to keep the city safe from paranormal threats. In book one, Masks and Shadows, he is tasked with finding a sorcerer planning to murder members of the elite classes. There’s political intrigue, fights, spies, betrayal, a little magic, and a struggle for control of the city.
Is this your first entry into SPFBO? If not, how many times have you entered?
Yes, this is my first time entered in SPFBO. It’s been great fun so far, meeting new authors and checking out the blogs. My book, Ghosts of the Sea Moon, is up against some stiff competition with such a great selection of books this year, but they are a fantastic bunch and I’m honoured to be included. And I will say my TBR list has definitely grown.
Who would you say is the main character of your novels? And tell me a little bit about them!
The main character in Ghosts of the Sea Moon and the other books in the Saga of the Outer Islands trilogy is Captain Rafe Morrow. He is a swashbuckler and captain of the sailing ship, Celestial Jewel, who also happens to be the God of Souls. He is far more comfortable being a sailor than a god or dealing with his highly dysfunctional family. Yet, he feels an obligation to do his duty and protect the Outer Islands from the monsters and other threats.
What advice would you give new writers on how to delve into creative fiction?
Don’t fuss over the first draft, trying to get every sentence perfect. Write the story. Get the bare bones down. The beauty comes in the revisions and editing.
What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the worldbuilding within your book?
Ghosts of the Sea Moon, and indeed the series, was inspired by Greek, Norse, and Celtic myth and stories of ghost ships. A lot of the world is drawn from the 18th and 19th century sailing ships and the coastal life of that period. Much of the basis of the book came from Nova Scotian history and our long tradition of fishermen, sailors, and our folklore.
What inspires you to write?
Heck if I know. Weird stuff just pops into my head, often at inconvenient times. I write it down and persistent characters start talking to me until I write their stories.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Getting the ending done in Ghosts was the most challenging because it was this god vs. god showdown, the culmination of the sibling animosity that had been building in the book. I wanted to let both of their powers loose, equally matched, in this big fight scene, but at the same time I had to keep it restrained and not devastate the surrounding world. It took me about a month and a half to figure out the details and they ended up duking it out in the sky on a… whoops, spoilers. I was also a bit ambivalent writing the final conclusion as well, as it was low key. I knew it worked, but I took my time to make sure it flowed and came off in a believable manner.
What is your routine when writing, if any? If you don’t follow a routine, why not?
I try to follow a routine, I do, but life and distractions and my bad habit of procrastination get in the way far too often. But I make an effort to write most every day, at least something, even if it’s a small amount.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
My favourite part of the book to write was when Hugh and the Goddess of the Moon have their chats. It’s two people who should be on opposite sides suddenly understanding each other. And you get to see more sympathetic sides to characters which up to that point were antagonistic and somewhat self-centered.
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
I learned quite a lot on how a tall ship is built and how such vessels were sailed and maneuvered, which was fun. I also discovered far too much on calculating distance and speed and other not fun, math related things (luckily I found an online distance calculator that saved my sanity). Plus I found out the speed of an octopus and that epic god battles are a pain and a half to write.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? A gardener or an architect?
I’m a bit of both. I like to outline and worldbuild before I begin writing, but inevitably things morph and adapt during the writing. In the Saga of the Outer Islands trilogy, my antagonist changed his motivation halfway through book two (and revealed a major shocker) which caused a new plot point to be added to Souls of the Dark Sea and a rewrite to the series ending.
It’s sometimes difficult to get into understanding the characters we write. How do you go about it?
That is the least difficult thing for me. The character voices are in my head, and part of my process is visualizing who they are. I know what they’ll say, how they’ll react, if they are outgoing, introverted, nice, mean, aloof, etc.; I generally know their backstory and their emotional baggage before I start to write.
What are your future project(s)?
I have several projects on the go at the moment. My current WIP and the rest of the Obsidian Blade series, my contemporary Arthurian fantasy series, The Camelot Immortals, a steampunk horror/fantasy series, Vampires of the British Empire, and a duology, Realm of the Fallen. Plus I have another steampunk series on the back burner, Hellfire Shadows.
What is your favorite book ever written? Who are your favorite authors?
My favourite book is Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay. It is a beautiful, lyrical novel of history, fantasy, and extraordinary characters. Guy Gavriel Kay is also one of my favourite authors in a perpetual tie with Neil Gaiman for the top spot. I also love Morgan Llywelyn, Jennifer Roberson, Ray Bradbury and Andy Peloquin.
What makes a good villain?
A good villain needs to be a person with a full emotional range. They need reasons for their actions, be it greed, madness, ideology, self-obsession or something else, they need to reflect some familiar characteristics that will connect with a reader. If they just cackle maniacally while twirling their moustaches and uttering evil proclamations they aren’t a character but a caricature. A good villain thinks he’s the one that’s right, that his way of thinking is superior, but he still reacts, feels and suffers like anyone else.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to read, of course, and I watch TV and go to the movies. I also do some art and graphic design.
If you couldn’t be an author, what ideal job would you like to do?
I’d be an artist. I love painting and working with Photoshop on graphics and other art.
You can travel to any planet or moon in the Solar System. Where would you go, why and what would you do there?
Poor Pluto seems to be the odd man out these days with it being a planet and not being a planet. So I’d go there and put a satellite in orbit that broadcasts a message, saying “I am too a planet. So there.”
Pick any three characters from a fiction novel. These are now your roadtrip crew. Where do you go and what do you do?
I’d take F’lar, Lessa, and Jaxom (from Dragonriders of Pern) and get them to take me on a dragon flight around Pern. And then we’d have a picnic.
Finally, what is your preferred method to have readers get in touch with or follow you (i.e., website, personal blog, Facebook page, here on Goodreads, etc.) and link(s)?
I’m quite a few places online, but the easiest place to find me is either my Facebook page or my Facebook group, A. F. Stewart’s Minions. You can find the links to all my sites listed here: https://linktr.ee/afstewart
July 31, 2019
SPFBO Author Intrview: L. L. Thomsen
Back with another interview! Today’s interview is with L. L. Thomsen, first-time entrant to SPFBO. Here is a link to her book down below.
SPFBO5 Interviews:
SPFBO Author Interview: Angela Boord
SPFBO Author Interview: Huw Steer
SPFBO Author Interview: E.L. Drayton
SPFBO Author Interview: Steve Turnbull
SPFBO Author Interview: Nicholas Hoy
SPFBO Author Interview: Phil Williams
SPFBO Author Interview: Luke Tarzian
First of all, tell me about yourself! What do you write?
Hi my name is Linda. I am originally from Denmark but now live in the UK with my husband, two kids, two cats & one dog. We live in the North of England not far from Sherwood Forest. I have a rather peculiar fascination with swords, and I go all geeky in the knees when there’s jousting to be enjoyed.
I write high fantasy, but with an epic twist that brings in lots of world building, deep characters, darkness, magic, mystery, monsters, friendship, etc. My books are a little unique, quite wordy as I like to vax lyrical, lol. I like to tell it how it is so my writing will always carry a hint reality as I like to explore my characters and that which makes them tick.
How do you develop your plots and characters?
I’m not actually sure I have a method as such. It kinda just comes to me. Occasionally I will get inspired by a name or a snippet of conversation or a headline or a sight. Other times it can be something less tangible – like the feeling that leaps from song, or the sensation of a thunderstorm in the atmosphere. I mostly just sit down and write. And it usually works a lot like peeling an onion in reverse: adding layers and complexity. I am fond of daydreaming – it almost like meditation when you just let your mind float, but this is often where the more detailed aspects of my plots will emerge.
Tell us about your current project.
I am writing The Missing Shield. It was originally one epic tome of a book – sort of in the spirit of the GoT volumes or LoTR, for example. But I got to a point where people kept asking if I was ever going to publish anything. Then I was advised to split the book into smaller sections to suit the market better – and since that made sense at the time I came up with the slightly ‘concept’ idea of releasing the book in ‘episodes’. This means that you can read each book and treat it almost like an episode of a TV series. That actually means The Missing Shield is the equivalent to a ‘season’, with each book/episode also carrying a title to hint of the contents of that specific part. The first episode is titled, ‘A Change of Rules’ and it very much begins at the beginning, where there’s a lot of world building and setting of the scene going on, but there’s also the individual dilemma of the main Character Solancei, who is dealing with some personal issues, whilst also trying to win an illegal duel. Each episode rounds off a specific set of events and it also introduces a cliff-hanger to lead you on to the next book where intrigue, plots and deeper issues then continue to weave together.
Is this your first entry into SPFBO? If not, how many times have you entered?
Yes, this is my first entry. (read: what the heck was I thinking, lol).
Who would you say is the main character of your novels? And tell me a little bit about them!
I like epic, and so the whole thing is EPIC, which means that I have got quite an array of characters. However, my main ‘cast’ consists of:
Solancei (Cousin, friend & secret body guard to Princess Iambre). She is sharp-tongued, feisty and unapologetic, but also fiercely loyal. She is haunted by her past and has a real issue with the idea of letting herself grow close to anyone because those somehow have a tendency to die.
Princess Iambre (Cousin of Solancei & the sole heiress to the Realm of Ostravah). Diplomat, accomplished, well-loved, but also naïve and bad tempered. She is painfully at odds with her need to ‘do the right thing’ versus her lack of enthusiasm to become the next ruler. The latter has somewhat to do with her unfortunate fascination with would-be beau and lover, Bilan. She and Solancei have currently fallen out over this much contested issue.
Bilan (Former knife-fighter and thief, risen to better times. He is now Captain of the King’s Lancers and currently also on loan to Iambre as commanding officer of her travelling retinue). Struggles with his attraction to Iambre and the duty owed the King.
Malandar (Spell-Weaver of the highest Tier & also reborn Commanding Guardian of the 9 Realms). Fueled by the promise of Vengeance, but jaded from a war that never ends, he fights to uphold the oaths made to the creator, but a recent betrayal has left him and his fellow Guardians at a sore disadvantage. This is forcing him to rethink everything.
Simaro (Knights Commander of Zanzier and 2nd Sword of Iambre’s father, King Kaimar). Egocentric, celebrated noble who plots to set right an ancient wrong. Of a province that adheres to strict archaic protocols and laws, he believes himself utterly justified in everything he does and he will not be turned from his righteous path even though it means bringing war and chaos to the realm of Ostravah.
What advice would you give new writers on how to delve into creative fiction?
Please do not ask other people to write it for you.
You want to write, but don’t yet know what? That’s cool – you’re on the right track – but only you can decide what you fancy doing so take a moment to find out. If you lack any ideas at this point you might not be quite ready to write. Or (sorry) it could also just be that you are more in love with the idea of writing than the idea of actually sitting down and physically doing it.
To get inspired you do need input, though, so ask questions of other writers, get advice, research. Basically, read lots. And write lots. Study the language, the sentences, the prose, the flows, the plots of other writers. Brainstorm a lot too. Write down everything on a sheet of paper or better still – keep a notebook or a file, for just thoughts and ideas. Look at photos or images on places like Google or Pinterest. What story inspires you to write? What genre? Do not copy the work of others but use it to spin your own ideas into life. I am unfortunately not keen on writing to market – it’s great if you can do it – but imho it often drains a book of originality. For this reason, please try to find your own voice and put that into your WIP. It might take more work but it will also be so much better for it. It takes time. Just be patient and never give up.
What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the worldbuilding within your book?
I am a bit fascinated with the political world of deals and negotiations. I like the idea that things may look very glossy on the surface but then something happens and the seedy crap suddenly hits the proverbial fan. Former heroes are suddenly villains – but who do we believe? The victors tell the story – but what of the other side? Can things change? Is peace an illusion?
Sometimes what we see is not the truth – think glossy magazines and news – and I’ve use that to turn things a bit upside-down sometimes. Power is gained and lost, just like in life. I have roughly based the Realm of Ostravah on the Roman Empire: it’s decadent, rich, luxurious, enlightened – but with cracks growing underneath.
What inspires you to write?
The muse in my head that will not be ignored. I have these weird and wonderful ideas: characters, stories, events, scenes, lines… all begging me to get written and until I clear my head they can be very distractive. I will often watch something on telly as well and think… ‘hey wouldn’t it be awesome if instead of this, that had happened’.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
The need to perfect the art and my own lack of compromise. Writing the first draft is fun, the second is exciting as things begin to come together, the third you think you can see the end and then… nope.
At the end of the entire process, I almost hate my own stories as much as I love them. Persevering is the hardest. Followed closely by a good dose of self-doubt.
What is your routine when writing, if any? If you don’t follow a routine, why not?
My routine is actually almost as much about what I do before and in-between as it is about what happens once I sit down in front of my computer. I am a slow starter in the morning so once I get going I am hard pushed to let up. Essentially, however, I need to write in the same space and without anyone trying to work next to me. I try to simply pick up from where I left it the day before, but occasionally I forget where I was (i.e. if I’m swopping between POVs or events) so if needed I also like to have a quick skim through older chapters as well. I usually also need to have a full mug of coffee next to me before I’m ready to crack on.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
I really like the first draft of anything. It’s fresh and the idea is seeing light for the first time. For that reason I really enjoyed one of the very first scenes I wrote for The Missing Shield where Solancei is facing her opponant in the illegal duel she’d been roped into attending. When I first wrote that, I had no idea that this was a duel, let alone what her name was going to be. It was just a kick-a** woman, sword fighting with a guy in the pouring rain. I figured perhaps they were both soldiers and that it was some kind of friendly training, but the story didn’t want to stay confined within those narrow perimeters. Suddenly they were not so friendly; it was about more than the fight. Furthermore, they were sparring in a narrow backyard in the poor quarter of a foreign city, with spectators heckling and Solancei being in a bad mood. Other than that, I also rather enjoyed writing the destruction of an entire city and how Malandar uses a clever, but unsanctioned trick, to steal magic to protect those he must – but all that doesn’t happen until episode 11.
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
I learnt to persevere and trust my gut feeling. I also learnt to look at a manuscript in a completely different way so that I was eventually able to treat feedback objectively and take what I needed from it. I realized that it’s important to understand that you cannot please every reader in this world and that’s perfectly okay. Writing a book is such a lengthy process, and yet this is only half of it. I knew this already but I don’t think I really appreciated it until I was in the middle of it. You don’t do this unless you’re really hooked.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? A gardener or an architect?
In my heart I’m a pantser and I garden here and there, but looking in the rear view mirror, I have tried to become more of a plotter with a proper plan and a scaffold in place. I have never worried too much about the word count, but if you do, I think you need to be an architect. For me, the beauty about pantsing, however, is that I often just write some random stuff that’s heading in the general direction of where I want to be – and in doing so this is then often the thing that actually fires up my inspiration to lock the finer points in place.
It’s sometimes difficult to get into understanding the characters we write. How do you go about it?
I just try to think about where they’ve been, what they’ve experienced, and what drives them (fears/hopes/aspirations/etc). Then I imagine how they would be/act if taking these things into consideration, and this is how I get to know them and develop the small things.
What are your future project(s)?
I would really like to write Malandar’s story in a Bernard Cornwell kind-of style similar to how The Last Kingdom is written. It’s a very different style from my current writing, but I’d like to do something simpler and it would suit Malandar voice, I think. However, though I’ve written some of it I cannot really pursue it for now as it would give away crucial plot lines that are yet to happen to him in this story. We’ll see…
What is your favorite book ever written? Who are your favorite authors?
I like too many books to pick a favorite. I do stand in awe of the Malazan Books by Steven Erikson – it’s like a fireworks of talent. I also really love the old school stuff by Janny Wurts and Raymond E. Feist. I enjoy discovering new authors though, and I mostly only read indie stuff these days. I really like C. N. Lesley, Yvette Bostic, Beth Hodgson & Alexzander Christion.
What makes a good villain?
The villain that does things for the wrong-right reasons. The type of person who you can understand and perhaps even agree with though you ultimately condemn his/her actions. Or the person who starts out with the best intentions, but then gets led astray by circumstances and life.
Here are a few links
https://www.amazon.com/L.-L.-Thomsen/e/B07B8K4J6S (books 1, 2 & 3 are currently reduced to 99c each)
https://www.facebook.com/themissingshield/
https://mailchi.mp/486a3a8674b0/themissingshield
https://twitter.com/LLThomsen1
