Lace and Blade 4 Author Interview: Adam Stemple

From lands distant or nearby, familiar or utterly strange, historical or imaginary, from ancient times to the Belle Époque comes a treasury of luscious, elegant, romantic fantasy. Come with us on a journey through time and across boundaries, inspired by the longings of the heart and the courage residing in even the meekest person.

The release date is Valentine's Day 2019, but you can pre-order it now:
Kindle: https://amzn.to/2PBzyj6
ePub: https://www.books2read.com/u/bwYJwP
Adam Stemple sent me a wonderful and complex Japanese fantasy, "The Ghost of Lady Rei," for "Lace and Blade 3" but because of a change in publisher (and name) I wasn't able to include it. When I began work on this present volume, #5, I wrote to him inquiring whether the story was still available. It was, and I'm thrilled to be able to present it to our readers.



Deborah J. Ross: Tell us a little about yourself.  How did you come to be a writer?Adam Stemple: Writing is the family business. My mother and my siblings are all writers, and most of my friends, as well. 
DJR: What inspired your story in Lace and Blade 5?AS: The characters in The Ghost of Lady Rei were existing characters from two stories I had written for the now defunct speculative and historical fiction magazine, Paradox. I had always wanted them to take a trip to Edo, and was just waiting for a reason for them to go. 
DJR: What authors have most influenced your writing? AS: I have co-written eight novels with my mother, Jane Yolen, so I have certainly been influenced a great deal by her. I also like to steal...er...borrow techniques from crime writers like Elmore Leonard and Lawrence Block. I try to learn something from everything I read. 
DJR: What’s the most memorable fan mail you’ve ever received?AS: My first solo novel, Singer of Souls, featured a main character who was a heroin junkie. I received a call from a young man who had read my novel while on a jobs program for recovering addicts and he said that my novel helped him beat his heroin addiction.
DJR: How does your writing process work?AS: Haphazardly.
DJR: What have you written recently? What lies ahead?AS: My latest project was Fly with Me, A Celebration of Birds through Pictures, Poems, and Stories for National Geographic that came out in October. It's a big, beautiful book written by myself, my mother, and both of my siblings. The Last Tsar's Dragons, a novella I wrote with my mother, Jane Yolen, comes out from Tachyon 6/19/19. And I have just sold a poem to Reckoning 3, a combo digital/print collection of creative writing on environmental justice.
DJR: What advice would you give an aspiring writer?AS: Join a writers group. Have a thick skin. Write, even when you don't want to. Have at least five pieces on submission at all times. Don't take rejections personally. Write some more. Get a copy of Elements of Style. Read it. Read it again. One more time. Yeah, now you've got it. Write a lot more. Don't be afraid to give up on a story, but never give up on yourself.
Adam Stemple (adamstemple.com) is a Minneapolis writer, musician, web designer, and poker player. He has written eight novels and one poker book. Ken'ichi and Master Shichiro appeared in two stories previous to this one in the now sadly defunct Paradox Magazine.https://images.macmillan.com/folio-as...