A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 155

Author Interview 107 – Dean Mayes – Paranormal/Thriller

Welcome to Dean Mayes.

Where are you from and where do you live now? I was born and raised in country Victoria, Australia. In the mid 90’s, after I completed my degree in Nursing, I moved to Adelaide in South Australia and I’ve been living there ever since.

Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. My writing has crossed genres since I was first published back in 2010. My debut, “The Hambledown Dream” (2010, Central Avenue Publishing) was a romantic fiction novel with a paranormal undercurrent that explored reincarnation. My follow up novel “Gifts of the Peramangk” (2012, Central Avenue Publishing) was a more literary fiction/coming of age story about an Aboriginal child prodigy living here in Adelaide. For my upcoming novel “The Recipient” (2016, Central Avenue Publishing), I have gone in the direction of an action oriented psychological thriller but I have reintroduced a paranormal theme relating to organ donors and their recipients.

Where do you find inspiration? Inspiration comes from many places and it is usually unexpected. I find that if I go looking for inspiration, it is rare that I find it. “The Recipient” was actually inspired by a very intense and vivid nightmare where I was witnessing a violent assault and then, at one point, I couldn’t discern between whether I was witnessing it or whether I was actually experiencing it myself. When I woke from the nightmare, I madly began scribbling as much as I could remember down in a notebook I keep beside my bed. Before too long, I had the rudimentary beginnings of what has become “The Recipient”.

Do you have a favourite character? If so why? I think that all my characters have been favorite – especially when I have been in the thick of writing them. Casey Schillinge, my protagonist in “The Recipient” has definitely been the most interesting character to write because there are several facets to her persona that make her complex. She is highly intelligent and technically savvy and she is also stubborn and dogged. When she latches onto something – a suspicion or a gut feeling – she will follow it through to the end, despite encouragement from others to slow down. She is also pragmatic and empirical which makes the nightmares she experiences at the beginning of the novel so frightening for her. She cannot quantify them so they knock her off balance.

Do you have a character you dislike? If so why? I actually don’t. All of my characters are created in service to whatever story I am telling and their roles are important. If I infuse my characters with a certain level of evil or “badness”, there is a context to that which I value.

Are your characters based on real people? Some of them are. Over time, I have infused some of my characters with the qualities and mannerisms of people who have been and are important in my life. I like to be able to do that because I think it gives them more gravitas, it makes them more real to life and tactile.

Have you ever used a person you don’t/didn’t like as a character then killed them off?Maybe peripheral characters but, in the main, all of the characters I have created have remained integral to my works.

Research can be important in world-building, how much do you need to do for your books? Do you enjoy this aspect of creating a novel and what are your favourite resources? I do! Even with the more fantastical story writing I have done, the importance of creating a real world feel cannot be understated.

“The Hambledown Dream” featured the dual settings of Chicago in the United States and the South Coast of New South Wales here in Australia. I’m familiar with the South Coast because I spent a lot of time there growing up so it wasn’t a stretch to recreate that in the novel. For Chicago, I did a lot of visual research into things like the architecture and the socio-economics of the inner northern suburbs which is where a lot of the early part of that novel takes place. I also have friends living in that part of the city so I had eyes and ears on the ground there and they were great in helping to visualize the feel of the city. And then there were subjects like cancer which required me to refresh my knowledge about disease process and treatment modalities. I have been an Intensive Care Nurse for over a decade now so I was able to tap into a lot of resources in order to bring that to life in the novel.

For “Gifts of the Peramangk”, I spent about a year on pure research into the White Australia policy and the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal Australians. These remain sensitive subjects in our national conversation and I didn’t want illustrate anything in the novel that would disrepect the gravity of those issues. Additionally, I spent a lot of time researching the Peramangk people. This is a nation state in our Aboriginal nation for which not a lot is known, so I needed to ensure that I could present them in such a way that was respectful and authentic.

In “The Recipient” I have returned to a more medically oriented story so here I tapped into a number of resources in the field of transplant surgery and after care. Getting that aspect of the story right was important because it allowed me to introduce the paranormal elements seamlessly. Some of the early feedback I’ve had from medical professionals has been really positive in that they were totally convinced of the possibilities of what I was throwing up. Police procedure also featured heavily in the novel and so here I talked to a number of law enforcement agencies here in Australia and they were really grand in helping me to portray procedures accurately.

Is there a message conveyed within your writing?  Do you feel this is important in a book? I don’t set out to convey a message in my writing. I am more compelled to create a really good and satisfying story. If I were to consider it though, “Gifts of the Peramangk” probably contains the most powerful message that says no matter who you are, if you apply yourself and you work hard, you can achieve anything. It’s not a conscious message on my part though. I think it depends on the topic and the motivation of the writer as to whether a message is important to impart in a work of fiction.

Sort these into order of importance: Great characters; great world-building; solid plot; technically perfect. Can you explain why you chose this order? (Yes I know they all are important…) For me, great characters are the kernel of great story writing. If I can believe in the characters then I can believe in the story. How they see the world influences the world building aspect so I guess world building is the next most important aspect. The plot has to be solid of course. For me, the plot of my stories is set out in a rudimentary fashion when I begin and I allow my characters and their motivations – to an extent – to drive the story forward. Technical perfection comes afterwards but it is no less important for me than any of the others. It is just that this is how I write and how I edit so I guess I am setting out my process in the steps that I follow. I won’t release a product until I know that it is technically perfect.

In what formats are your books available? (E-books, print, large print audio) Are you intending to expand these and if not, what is the reason? Presently – print and digital. My publisher and I have focused on these two branches of the market primarily because of production costs and the obvious reach of those branches. Audio is attractive to me but the production costs are prohibitive right now. If I were to attain significant success that would allow me to invest in audio production, I would definitely consider it.

Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? I do! It’s one of my OCD quirks! I have gotten better at focusing on pure writing, getting the words and the ideas onto the page but I still go back often and review and refine. I really enjoy the editing process and regard it as one of the most important aspects of writing. Professional editing is essential to a good end product and I do believe a book that has not been professionally edited suffers in the long run. That is a lesson I have learned through experience.

Do you think indie/self-published authors are viewed differently to traditionally published authors? Why do you think this might be? I think they are. It comes down to the sad fact that, with the explosion in self publishing, we’ve seen all manner of people producing works featuring varying levels of quality. It is a sad fact that many of those works have come from self published authors who have not invested the time and the money in having their work professionally edited and proofed before proceeding to publication and they do themselves a disservice because of it. That said, poor editing and proofing is not confined to self published authors. I was reading a book just last month (January, 2016) from one of the major publishing houses and I came across several instances of grammatical errors, poor sentence construction and confusing paragraphs. So poor editing is not confined to self published authors by any stretch.

Do you read work by self-published authors? I have. There are several self published authors whose work I really admire and have returned to subsequently. It is clear to me that they have invested in their work to ensure they have produced the best product possible.

What are your opinions about authors commenting on reviews? How important are reviews? When I started out, I did read and comment on reviews but I don’t anymore. I think an author runs the risk of being misinterpreted in their responses to reviews and I have seen cases where and author has responded in a respectful manner to a review and it has been totally taken out of context. I keep myself at arms length from reviews now.

When buying a book do you read the reviews? No. I usually pick up a book based on a recommendation or if something about the title or the liner notes strikes me as interesting. I’ll avoid reviews because many of them will contain spoilers and that it definitely a killer for me.

What are your views on authors reviewing other authors? I’m really not sure about that one so I’ll just say that I don’t have a view.

What experiences can a book provide that a movie or video game cannot? Books work on a subconscious level and they fire our imagination in ways that a video game or movie can’t. I requires effort and engagement to ‘see’ the world an author has created whereas a game or movie presents it to you in all its technicolour glory. That said – I am a casual gamer and I love movies  soooo…does that cancel my answer out?

What three pieces of advice would you give to new writers? Keep a notebook with you to jot down ideas and notes as they come to you – and only write in pencil. Forget about social media, word counts, group discussions and marketing advice and just write.

Have a basic story structure but don’t be dictated by it. The is more than one way to get from Point A to Point B.

What are your best marketing/networking tips? What are your worst? Marketing should be all about the Pull. In the first instance, you should a have product that is professionally edited and proofed. You should have a website that is simple but engaging. It should reflect a little bit about you and the information there should be concise and easy to find. Pick three social networking platforms and stick to those. Don’t allow yourself to be overrun by the false notion that you have to be everywhere and across everything. It will not make you happy and you’ll end up resenting it.

Don’t Push! Don’t Facebook or Tweet or G+ incessantly with “BUY MY BOOKS” You will find yourself muted or blocked or even reported. Social Networking/Marketing should be all about building relationships and, in the first instance, you shouldn’t even mention your works. If you’ve structured you platform correctly, you’ll have relevant links that are easy to see and find. If your connection wants to discover more about you, they will.

Most authors like to read, what have you recently finished reading? Did you enjoy it? I just finished a gorgeous romance novel set here in Australia called “Summer Harvest” by Georgina Penney. It was just a joy to read.

Can you name your favourite traditionally published author? And your favourite indie/self-published author? I keep returning to the works of John Jackson Miller who has writted a lot in the Star Wars universe. He is a really great author. I don’t have a favorite indie but I do read a lot of them.

What are your views on authors offering free books? I think it is an essential part of an author’s marketing strategy and I will often do giveaways. This should be dictated by cost/benefit considerations as each author will have flexibility in what they can offer as to what they can’t.

Do you have a favourite movie? Two words = Star Wars.

Do you have any pets? My writing partner is a spaniel named Sam.

Can you name your worst job? Do you think you learned anything from the position that you now use in your writing? I’m not sure if I should answer that question. I will say that I did learn a lot from it and I did use it in my writing.

Can you give us a silly fact about yourself? I love romance novels.

Links to Dean Mayes:

 

Official Website: http://www.deanfromaustralia.com

Publisher’s Website: http://centralavenuepublishing.com

Facbook: https://www.facebook.com/Dean-Mayes-The-Hambledown-Dreamer-263088081779/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hambledown_Road

 

The Guardian Child’s Return (Book 2) by @FeyronTales #bookreview #YA #fantasy

POTL: All Things Books, Reading and Publishing

Title: THE GUARDIAN CHILD’S RETURN: THE AGE OF AWAKENINGS – BOOK 2

Author: Diana Wicker

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Book Blurb:

The Guardians have awakened after the Time of Sleep and returned to renew the magic with the clans of Faie.  At the request of the Guardian, Lord Grypos, Keeper of Knowledge, the Master Scholar travels through the Outer Gateway with craftsmen and apprentices to coordinate the repairs of the once great oasis that houses the ancient archives of knowledge known as the Island in the Sands.

As the summer wanes and the oasis begins to return to its former glory, the Guardian calls the Master Scholar to the meditation room in the wee hours of the night to discuss a journey.  In the fire an image flickers of the red desert sands speeding past, a land of grey beyond the desert, and a cavern of twilight behind an obsidian…

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The Dreamweaver’s Journey by @FeyronTales #YALit #fantasy #books

A great post for my friend’s book – this is a wonderful YA fantasy series and a good way to discover the magical genre

POTL: All Things Books, Reading and Publishing

Synopsis

The Realm of Feyron has always been. It is the origin of all things magical, the axis point where all the worlds meet. Once, in days gone by, there were many gateways within the Temple of Pyli connecting the Worlds Beyond seeded with magic to their home. Now many gateways have flickered out, and Feyron weakens as the magic fades and the Guardians are lost.

For the first time in over three hundred years a Dreamweaver has come of age and is tasked with contacting the Guardians. When she awakens in the night after a vision of her best friend lost and alone, injured in the snows at the top of the Crystal Mountains, she seeks out the Sacred Fire in the Temple in an attempt to call forth more information. A voice calls out from the fire, “Dreamweaver, you are summoned.” An image appears of an ancient path…

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Friday Book Round-Up Delves into the #Macabre! You’ve Been Warned #amreading #books

Interesting round up of horror books here.

POTL: All Things Books, Reading and Publishing

Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Book Round Up! We just read and reviewed a fantastic collection of macabre short stories by B. P. Smythe and I started thinking about macabre stories I have read. Some are creepy while others are downright terrifying. You be the judge.  Here’s my top five:

1-Tales of the Macabre by Edgar Poe (Author), Benjamin Lacombe (Illustrator)

A unique luxury edition of some of Edgar Allan Poe’s famous short stories, Tales of the Macabre takes the reader into the heart of a dozen stories, including The Fall of The House of Usher, Berenice, and The Black Cat…all beautifully illustrated by Benjamin Lacombe. Includes Charles Baudelaire’s essay on Poe’s life and works.

2-The Best of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre by H. P. Lovecraft

Howard Phillips “H. P.” Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy and…

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Back Catalogue 3 Marden and Th’alia

This interview first appears here – in 2014 https://kyrahalland.wordpress.com/201...

How did you meet?

Marden: *Looks awkward.* Th’alia was my captive. I was an escort on a mission for the Order of Witch-Hunters. Those days seem long ago now, foolish, blind days.

What was the first thing you noticed about the other person?

Th’alia: I tried not to like him. I did not confess I liked him but I suppose he was different to the elven men I knew. He was actually quite handsome for a human.

Marden: Th’alia is clever, and there was something I found fascinating, her defiance probably.

3. Did you know when you met that you would end up together?

Marden: No, you must understand I was a Witch-Hunter, she was just an elf. The chance of us both surviving what we had to do was small. So much changed.

Th’alia: Of course not. I knew what he was. What I did I did to save my sister and my town.

4. What do you like best about the other person?

Marden: She is clever. She does not pretend to be someone she is not. She is proud of her heritage.

Th’alia: Marden is brave. He gave up a great deal to be with me. I suppose I do not appreciate that often enough, to have to change one’s beliefs and one’s life cannot be easy.

5. What is something you enjoy doing together? (Besides the obvious!)

Marden: We do not actually have much in common, save a shared history and our son. I suppose we like to assist the people in Tremellic, our new home.

Th’alia: Reading. I like to read and keep the records of my people. Marden is still learning.

6. How has the other person changed you?

Marden: In my old life I was cruel, foolish and unquestioning. I know that now. Th’alia and the other elves and mages have shown me the law is wrong, the beliefs of the Witch-Hunters are wrong. I never thought I could care for an elf, but elves are also people – they love, they hate, they cherish in the same way humans do.

Th’alia: I have a son now, and perhaps my views on humans is more flattering now.

What are the biggest differences between you? How important are these differences?

Marden: There are many differences, I think the biggest is what now should be done to free the elves, Th’alia is unrealistic and she wants to simply tell all the elves what we have found, about the Citadel and Dii but I know this would be very dangerous.

Th’alia: He doesn’t listen to me, he thinks he is right when he isn’t.

8. What do the two of you have in common?

Marden: Our son, our shared secrets.

What does your family think of your partner, and what do you think of your partner’s family?

Marden: My family would disown me for settling with an elf. My father is very prejudiced and would not see Th’alia for the intelligent woman she is.  He would simply see an elf, a slave. He would undoubtedly ask me to choose.

Th’alia: My twin sister does not exactly approve but if I am happy she is happy. The rest of my family are dead.

10. What role does magic play in your relationship?

Marden: I am not magical, and until recently I believed magic is the cause of all which is ill in society but I now know that is a lie. I am learning about magic – Th’alia I believe is what is known as a scholar adept. She can remember what she has read far better than most, and she has an uncanny knack at languages.

Th’alia. Marden is learning, I am more familiar with magic as my sister is a mage.

11. What are your plans for the future?

Marden: To raise our son with the best of human and elven characteristics. To protect Tremellic. To protect what we have learned.

Th’alia: To let the elves gain their freedom. To be avenged for Ilthendra.

12. “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts” How is this true for the two of you?

Marden: Well together we are stronger, that is obvious. I do not know much about elves, or elven lore, Th’alia does.

Th’alia: Marden is a good warrior, he will fight when we need him too.

Marden and Th’alia appear in The Shining Citadel

http://www.amazon.com/The-Shining-Citadel-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00D4CF6W8

Review – Victor Frankenstein movie

So the most recent adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic, and one of the first and greatest science fiction books was, I have to say, a let down.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Frankenstein_(film)

Spoiler alert***

The casting is pretty hot – Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy but the plot was weak. Yes, it’s Frankenstein in that genius and obsessed doctor creates monster which promptly goes on the rampage. No it’s not Frankenstein in that there is not really any of the tragedy, the vision, the emotion, the sheer awesomeness of the original story. It’s a story of life, death and everything in between; of hope and despair; and of obsession and the descent into madness.

One feels a lot of sympathy with both Frankenstein and Adam (the creature), in the original tale, and many of the screen adaptations (Boris Karloff, Kenneth Brannagh/RobertDe Niro).  Both are misunderstood, rejected and feared but both, in essence are good men turned bad through circumstance, and seeking the answer of what is life, and the soul.

This particular movie seems to be a ‘who is the biggest crazy head?’ competition. We have crazy doctors, crazy policemen, crazy friends, crazy circus people….

To start with we see Daniel Radcliffe as the hunchback clown with no name. He’s also the circus doctor (obviously…) So this is someone whose basically been raised in the circus, is bottom of the pecking order and has quite a severe disability. Remember this is the 18th Century when many people were illiterate. Apparently he steals the books but it’s not clear where from. So this nameless clown/freak teaches himself to read and write, is a talented anatomist (in a time when such things were, if not illegal, then certainly pretty taboo.

The love interest (a trapeze artist) goes splat (bad health and safety from the circus) and guess who comes to her aid? Yep you guessed it. Oh and Victor Frankenstein (medical student) who happens to be in the circus trying to buy bits of dead animals from his ‘research’.

OK, so pretty girl is rescued from death and a life in the circus and hunchback becomes Igor.  That’s another thing. So we see Radcliffe at the start with a serious deformity, difficulty walking, and running, breathlessness etc., which he’s had for 18 years. Now I’m not a doctor but I know a bit and you can’t just fix a condition like that overnight. Muscles and tendons would be misaligned, the spinal column is bent, there may be nerve damage. The bow legs the character has and the strange way of walking would likely take months of physio to fix…

He is ‘rescued’ by Dr F, they leg it from the angry circus folk and trash the circus. Apparently someone is killed in the escape but that only comes to light after.

Anyway as it happens Igor is not a ‘real hunchback’. The hunch is a cyst, not a true curvature and so with a syringe, a bucket of goo and a home-made backbrace our sidekick is cured…

Igor is not his real name – that’s actually the alcoholic opium fiend who sometimes shares the bloody massive apartment Frankenstein lives in – we never met the real Igor except as a frozen eye-less corpse. But all of his clothes just happen to fit our cured hunchback/clown/would-be doctor. Convenient. So Mr Was-Hunchback is now Igor if someone comes asking awkward questions.

Religious obsessed widower policeman Roderick Turpin (Andrew Scott) who wavers between the carnies are all mean and picked on said hunchback and locked him in a cage (how does he know? It’s pure guesswork) to everyone is working for Satan.  The copper puts two and two together and works out the weirdo whose buying/stealing animal body parts is the same person who ‘attacked’ the circus. He then embarks on a crusade against the atheist Frankenstein.

The monster when we first see him is a chimp/lion/homunculous which stinks of death and on resurrections goes nuts and savages everyone. Good start….

We then meet Finnegan – a ‘friend’ of Victor’s who is rather one dimensional. He’s the unpleasant aristocrat who wants all the glory and none of the gory. He’s obnoxious, but I assume is meant to be.

Mr Policeman gets too close, raiding Frankenstein’s lodging and asking awkward questions – mostly about God. F and Igor leg it, Policeman gets caught in one of the machines and his hand gets crushed. Dismissed from the force for entering the premises of the rich and threatening the powerful (including Finnegan), suffering the loss of a hand and eye, mental illness and religious obsession. Of course this doesn’t stop him pestering the doctor and Igor.

Finnegan smuggles the duo out to somewhere really obvious and now insane copper, plus assorted minions take on Victor, Igor, Finnegan and assorted minions. Big monster wakes up, might pissed off. Bad guys (whichever they are) beat up good guys and some people get squished, throttled, or roasted.  Hero escapes, monster we have seen for maybe 2 minutes, gets whacked, evil/insane policemen is roasted, evil friend is gone. Igor goes off with the acro – who somehow managed to find a rich patron, and Dr F is free and working on his next project.

Problems:

Too many plot holes/conveniences

Terrible adaptation

Misses the point – the monster is supposed to be a character who evokes sympathy not a mindless killer. Frankenstein is supposed to be genius/troubled but overall tragic. He’s not.

Weak characterisations. I found it hard to care about the characters – perhaps Igor a bit as he’s just a pawn in a much bigger game, but not anyone else. The characters are rather flat. There’s little emotion (except obsession and self pity).

There’s very little suspense and it’s not a horror by any definition. It’s not sci-fi, it’s not fantasy, it’s not historical, it’s not a costume drama.

Good Things:

Erm… special effects are OK

McAvoy and Radcliffe are easy on the eye.

Sorry they are all I can think of…

Rating One Star. Would I watch it again – nope.

There are much better adaptations, and much cleverer ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dreamweaver’s Journey by @FeyronTales is a #Fantasy Jewel #Giveaway #BookPromo

A great YA Fantasy series!

POTL: All Things Books, Reading and Publishing

Title: The Dreamweaver’s Journey

Author: Diana L. Wicker

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Book Blurb:

The Realm of Feyron has always been.  It is the origin of all things magical, the axis point where all the worlds meet. Once, in days gone by, there were many gateways within the Temple of Pyli connecting the Worlds Beyond seeded with magic to their home. Now many gateways have flickered out, and Feyron weakens as the magic fades and the Guardians are lost.

For the first time in over three hundred years a Dreamweaver has come of age and is tasked with contacting the Guardians. When she awakens in the night after a vision of her best friend lost and alone, injured in the snows at the top of the Crystal Mountains, she seeks out the Sacred Fire in the Temple in an attempt to call forth more information. A voice calls out from…

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Back Catalogue 2 – Dii and Archos

Originally posted on https://kyrahalland.wordpress.com/201... for Valentine’s Day 2014.

How did you meet?

Archos: Dii’s magic called to me across the Realms of Magic. She had touched and helped a magic Mirror, one of the old elven artefacts even though Mirror magic is rare. That old Mirror called to mine, I had to see who had activated it. As for actually meeting… I only wish it had been in better circumstances, Dii was imprisoned in an Order fort and was very badly hurt. She almost died.

Dii: He saved my life. I cannot remember first meeting as I was unconscious but I recall our first meeting after I awoke. Archos is a powerful man, and I was very daunted. I had been a slave and I assumed I would be his Kept – his bound concubine. He was very kind, he did not treat me like the others had.

What was the first thing you noticed about the other person?

Archos: By the gods she was beautiful and her magic was like nothing I had seen before. So wild yet so much Power.

Dii: Archos was very kind to me. He is very handsome too.

3. Did you know when you met that you would end up together?

Archos: I wanted her from the moment her magic called to mine. I risked my life and my freedom to find her. We are bound in blood and magic, there is no stranger bond.

Dii: As I explained I had lived as a slave before. If Archos had taken me as a Kept I would have stayed until he tired of me. Elves have no rights, and sorceresses are forbidden. I am so lucky Archos loves me for myself. He does not treat me like a slave. At least here in Tremellic we are equals. It took me a while to realise it.

4. What do you like best about the other person?

Archos: Despite everything which has been done to her Dii retains her kindness. She is also an unbelievable lover.

Dii: He treats me like an equal.

What is something you enjoy doing together? (Besides the obvious!)

Archos: We do a lot of research together. Magic is very fickle and there is always so much to learn and tame it. Dii is very clever but she looks at it in a different way. I can be over confident and she will ask questions.

Dii: Research, sex and sometimes we will go up to the hills and simply enjoy the open air. Sometimes we will do all three at once.

Archos: Laughs.

How has the other person changed you?

Archos: I have never loved anyone as deeply as I love Dii’Athella. She has brought me so much, and assuaged my loneliness.

Dii: I think I am more confident.

7. What are the biggest differences between you? How important are these differences?

Archos: Dii rarely loses her temper. She can calm me down like no one else can. I am known for my stormy temperament.  She is very much younger than I, so she has much to learn. Her life before I found her was very sheltered, but not to keep her safe. Elves are slaves and cannot move freely so her decision to leave the house of her Keeper must have been difficult, although knowing what he put her through I am not surprised she did, no one should endure it. Consequently she is like an enquiring child in many ways, with an appetite to learn you rarely find.

 

Dii: Archos is much clever than I am. He knows so much. Of course he is a human, well he looks human so he can move about far more freely. It means he can go to the city, or to our little….trading port without me. I cannot leave Tremellic alone. Although now things are more difficult, even a human can be arrested if there are suspicions he is a mage. Vague suspicious are enough and there are more than vague suspicions these days.

What do the two of you have in common?

Archos: Magic of course, research, lore. Getting freedom for the elves and mages is very important to us.

Dii: I would agree, although I am not sure we are ready to fight for elven freedom just yet.  The Witch-Hunters will have other ideas. There are many plans to make.

9. What does your family think of your partner, and what do you think of your partner’s family?

Archos: my family are here. Everyone adores Dii.

Dii: I have no family but those around me.

10. What role does magic play in your relationship?

Archos: Magic is who we are. Our very being is magical, especially mine. Magic tends to demand much, but it also brings a lot of passion. There is nothing to match sex spiced with magic.

Dii: giggles knowingly.

11. What are your plans for the future?

Archos: That remains to be seen. There is much to do, much to learn and many risks to run.

Dii: I would like to live to see the elves free but who knows. As Archos says there are many risks.

Perhaps we will travel again.

“The whole is greater than the sum of the parts” How is this true for the two of you?

Archos: Magic combined is stronger than magic separated. Dii is skilled in light magic and she is a wonderful healer. My skills are more combat magic, elemental magic.  Working with another who understands what can and cannot be done, and what must be done first is important. Having the woman I love beside me means there is nothing I will not face.

Dii: Archos has many skills I do not, but he sees things in a different way. He is charming but he does not see matters from a woman’s way. Sometimes a woman needs to deal with other women. Many of the women, especially the elven women, have endured terrible treatment at the hands of slavers and they would not confide in a man, especially a human man. My friend Ozena talks to them a lot, but there are some matters which can only be discussed with someone who has themselves experienced it.

Dii and Archos appear in The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles and The Shining Citadel.

http://www.amazon.com/Light-Beyond-Storm-Chronicles–ebook/dp/B0088DQO9C

http://www.amazon.com/The-Shining-Citadel-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00D4CF6W8

Character Interview Number Thirty Seven – Sir Edric

Tell Us About Yourself

 

Name(s) Sir Edric Greenlock, the Hero of Hornska

 

Age Forty-one

 

Describe your appearance in 10 words or less. Bearded magnificence.

 

Do you have a moral code? If so what is it? Morality’s just a self-righteous way of rationalising one’s whims. I aspire to reach the end of each day wealthier, happier and, most importantly, alive.

 

Would you kill for those you love? That is quite a short list, to be honest. But, yes, of course. If I had to save someone whose life I cherished (mine, for example) then I’d definitely kill someone who was threatening that important individual.

 

Would you die for those you love? One suspects not. There’s a vast yawning chasm between love and stupidity.

 

What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses? My strengths? Well… I did save the entire world from Ursk at the Battle of Hornska. So, heroism, leadership, modesty, cunning, martial prowess and being saviour of the world. My prime weakness would be that I was forced into marriage with a wicked witch. It’s damned inconvenient having to run away whenever the wife’s within a hundred mile radius.

 

Do you have any relationships you prize above others? Why? Yes, with Temper, and my other horses. They’re magnificent animals, far more reliable than men, and more trustworthy than women. A horse will never tell your secrets to someone else. I suppose Dog’s an acceptable manservant, and I quite like Corkwell (though I’d like her more if she weren’t so fond of manacles).

 

Do you like animals? Do you have any pets/animal companions? Absolutely. Pigs, sheep, deer, cows, they’re all delicious. In terms of companions, there’s Temper, Twenty-Six, Hamilton’s Trousers, Winterfilth, Moloch, Churl, Humpy and many other horses. A man cannot have too many trusty steeds.

 

Do you have any phobias? Not many. Uxoriphobia (fear of the wife) would be one. Also, manual labour. And poverty (though, fortunately, I am immensely rich).

 

Please give us an interesting and unusual fact about yourself. I’m currently having an affair with the Queen of Awyndel.

 

Tell Us About Your World

Do you travel in the course of your adventures? If so where? Yes, to many places. I’ve visited the Tower of Uz-Talrak in Ursk territory, Greymond’s rather scruffy lands, the Forest of Bones and the abandoned ruins of Nyctipos. They’re crammed with marvellous treasures and assorted monsters (magical pygmies, undead, poor people etc).

 

Name and describe a food from your world. Andelic brandy. Splendid fiery stuff with a real kick. Damned expensive, but that’s what smugglers are for.

 

Does your world have magic? If so how is it viewed in your world? Sadly, yes. The pretentious pointy-ears and a few circles of jerks practice the arcane arts. Well, so they say. Most of their time is spent reading, mincing about in robes and fondling their wands.

 

Does your world have different races of people? If so do they get on with one another?Yes, we have the Ursk. Some of them are quite nice. Orff No-Balsac is a friend of mine (he does kill and eat people, but most of them are only peasants). Unfortunately, the world is infested with a plague of elves (they breed like rats and live forever). There are gnomes too, though they live quite far away.

 

What is the technology level for your world/place of residence? What item would you not be able to live without? We’re very advanced. Most towns now have a reasonably accurate clock, and water mills are increasingly popular.

I’d be dead without my crossbow. The fixation some knights have on their swords baffles me. You can kill someone far away with a crossbow, or shoot birds for dinner. That’s far superior to a sharpened piece of metal. Do you have any idea how close you have to get to poke someone with your sword?

 

Within your civilisation what do you think is the most important discovery/invention?Wine, I should think. Without it, we’d be chained to Soberon, God of Tedium, and imagine how boring life would be. Wine dulls the pain and invigorates the joy.

 

 

Author notes:

Book(s) in which this character appears plus links

The Adventures of Sir Edric

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Edric-Hero-Hornska-Book-ebook/dp/B01DOSP9ZK/

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Edric-Hero-Hornska-Book-ebook/dp/B01DOSP9ZK/

Author name

Thaddeus White

Website/Blog/Author pages etc.

Website: http://thaddeuswhite.weebly.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorrisF1

Sir Edric’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeroOfHornska

Blog: http://thaddeusthesixth.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

 

 

Sunday Surprise

Here’s a great interview with Dii and Ulric – from the Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles

creative barbwire (or the many lives of a creator)

Hi guys,

I’m Samantha and I come from another world – the original, old Silvery Earth, where people are immortal and never grow up. When I’m not switching bodies at will, I travel to other universes, especially books or movies. That’s how I met Rajveer the vampire, for example!

So, I’m taking over the interviews on this blog! And here I am, meeting people from other books/universes/whatever!

Soo! Tell me a little about yourself.

My name is Dii – Dii’Athella is the longer version. It’s elven. I’m told it means Flower of the Dawn. I’m about twenty-five summers – although I don’t know my exact age. I was taken from my true mother as an infant and given to a human family. They did not take me to raise me as their own, I was a Kept – a slave. I’m an elf – elves have no rights, no liberty…

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