Interview with Steven A. McKay
Today I’m delighted to welcome Steven A. McKay, author of the Forest Lord series. He was kind enough to grant me an interview, which I now have the privilege of being able to share with you all. The Forest Lord series, beginning with Wolf’s Head (released 2013) and continuing with The wolf and the Raven, Rise of the Wolf, and concluding with Blood of the Wolf (released 2016) is a vivid portrayal of life during the reign of Edward II. The series intertwines actual historical events and characters with the well known legend of Robin Hood, and is one of the most realistic interpretations I’ve ever been fortunate enough to read. The series also includes two novellas, and is available on amazon and Audible.
Q:
When did you first discover the legend of Robin Hood?
A:
Well it’s something that has always been around – I think everyone in the UK must know about Robin Hood. I’d seen some of the old films and a couple of Robin of Sherwood episodes but I was never really drawn into it, unlike say King Arthur. But when I decided to write a novel about Robin and started to research the character I realised how interesting it all was.
Q:
How much of the Forest Lord Series did you plan in advance?
A:
Not much really. I had an idea that I wanted to follow the original ballads and legends as closely as possible. Graham Phillips and Martin Keatman’s book about the legend really gave me a lot of pointers on that but I tend to use only a loose plan when I start a book. I have a beginning, some things that might happen and a probable ending to work towards but it is very dynamic and changes constantly depending on the characters.
Q:
You clearly put a lot of effort into your research. How important is historical accuracy to you?
A:
It depends. I want to get the period as accurate as possible, so, for example, no potato soup as they didn’t have potatoes in medieval England. That kind of thing can really throw a reader off and ruin their immersion in the story so I always strive to get those details right. Well known events like wars or kings being removed from power should also be adhered to closely. But for the most part readers want to be entertained, not given a dry history lesson. As an example, Sir Henry de Faucumberg might not have been Sheriff of Nottingham and Yorkshire from 1321 – 1328 in reality, but it made for a better tale to have the same character in place for all my books so I kept him there. Accurate? No. Better story? Yes.
Q:
Are there any versions of the legend that influenced your writing?
A:
As I say, the ideas in Phillips & Keatman’s book really gave me a lot of things to work with, such as the fact Robin was really Robert, lived around 1320, was married to Matilda and went from the wrong side of the law to being employed by the government.
I also bought all the Robin of Sherwood DVDs to get an idea of what they did with the legend and ended up absolutely loving it! I was very influenced by the camaraderie between the characters in that so it was quite amazing for me when Phil Rose – who played Friar Tuck – wrote a foreword for my Friar Tuck and the Christmas Devil novella! He thought my book would have made a good episode in the show which was really nice to hear.
Q:
Were there any scenes that had a profound effect on you as you wrote them?
A:
Not particularly when I’m writing them, more when I plan things. I did well up a few times when thinking about what I was going to do with the characters – particularly Will Scarlet for some reason. I always seemed to be doing bad things to him, poor guy! I also felt like Tuck was guiding me some of the time – it was his idea for Robin to go to London in the third book, not mine. That probably sounds like I’m insane, but some characters do seem to take on a life of their own.
But no, I understand lots of writers get emotional when they’re working on a book, and I am quite a soppy person, but I don’t really feel anything when I’m writing, I’m pretty detached from my own work.
Q:
In the Forest Lord books, you paint a vivid portrayal of medieval life, where your characters sometimes have to kill to survive. Was that difficult to write?
A:
No, not really, as I say, I’m don’t feel that wrapped up in the books as I’m working on them so violence isn’t that hard for me to write. I’m more interested in making sure the choreography in a fight scene is entertaining than anything else. I don’t like watching overly graphic, violent movies or reading about it in the news but I don’t have a problem with it in novels unless it’s over-the-top and cartoonish.
Q:
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
A:
Make it fun. Don’t force yourself to write when you really don’t want to because if it’s not enjoyable then you won’t stick at it. Creating a book is a pleasure, so treat it as one, rather than as a chore.
Also, plan each scene in advance or you’ll end up just sitting staring at the screen wondering where to start. I normally go through ideas in my head the day before I write a scene and have it mostly worked out so when I get the chance to sit down it just flows out with no head scratching or writer’s block.
Q:
The question of whether or not Robin Hood existed is still hotly debated. What is your view?
A:
Well, that’s part of the charm of the legend isn’t it? The mystery keeps it fresh and allows people like us to strip it back and make something new from it.
Personally, I’m sure there wasn’t just one man that all these stories were based on. The Robin Hood character is an amalgamation of a variety of people and their exploits, both real and imagined.
Q:
What can we expect from you in the future?
A:
I will be publishing one final Forest Lord novella starring Will Scarlet, called The Abbey of Death in the spring. But my main focus in 2017 is a brand new series, the first book of which I’ve already started on. After the constraints of a writing about a well-known cast like Robin, Scarlet, Tuck etc I now get the chance to create my own characters and I’m loving it! The Druid is the working title for my new book and it’s about a warrior druid in the north of Britain, just after the Romans have left the island. He will have a quest to go on and it will be really interesting to explore a character like that who is a spiritual leader but also a hard-as-nails fighter.
Hopefully readers will enjoy it as much as they seemed to enjoy the Forest Lord series!
Thanks for having me today, it’s been great! Your readers can find me at the links below, check them out.
If you sign up for my mailing list you get a FREE Forest Lord short story that’s only available to my subscribers here – https://stevenamckay.com/mailing-list/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/RobinHoodNovel/
Amazon – viewAuthor.at/SA-McKay
Twitter – @SA_McKay
I’m sure all my readers will join me in saying thank you for such a great interview. If you haven’t purchased the Forest Lord novels yet, do so now. You won’t be disappointed.
