Running Interference (Queen Titania’s Court)

Today I’m featuring a forthcoming novella. New Zealand author Sam Schenk is bringing out their witchy urban fantasy, Running Interference. It’s the sequel to A Gap in the Veil (pictured at right) and the character is Aiden Latimer.

Aiden pauses, uncomfortable in a slick suit, blue with black suede shoes. This is what one wears to a ball, but he’s never worn anything like this in his life. It’s a little too big, and the soles of the shoes are slick so he’s walking carefully. He’s a sneaker guy. With any luck, all eyes will be on his twin sister, Aya, whose smile lights up the room. She’s wearing light natural makeup and absolutely nails a fitted, peach coloured full length gown with a trail, despite having never worn something like this before.

Together, they find their seats. Aiden makes sure he knows where everything is — where the band will be playing, the best place to observe all the dancers, and he takes a look at the name cards on the surrounding seats to see if there’s anyone he knows. Next, he’ll check out the food and pile up a plate for both he and Aya to nibble while he gets used to his surroundings.

Character Questions

How does magic work for you? Is it different from the usual? Most people think about magic as like, brewing potions and working with herbs, or even working with the dead. But I think it’s time for a new kind of witch. My powers revolve around technology. I can sense the people behind the screen, and I can make sure a wifi cloud follows me. It’d be super useful if mom let me have an updated phone.

Who is your best friend? Stephen has been my mate since we were toddlers. I used to visit his place and go on his Minecraft server to help out. I guess that’s when he started ordering me around (laughs). Now that we’re getting older, it’s more serious. He’s great at finding things for us to do to make a brand online – including a task to embarrass a high profile hacker. That’s going to be dangerous, but I’m excited to try (and the money will get me enough for a new phone)!

Author Questions

How do you handle multiple points of view in a story? For me, multiple viewpoints have to compliment and foil each other. I love choosing contrasting point of views to help to world build without infodumping. While Running Interference and A Gap in the Veil don’t have multiple POVs, what I love to do is have one ‘weird’ pov character that sees the world in a very different way, and one that’s closer to what the audience would perceive.

Is the landscape important in telling your stories? How do you use it? Landscape builds culture. It’s important to have an understanding of the difference between a people who live underground, in trees, on mountains, on the ocean. It provides resource constraints — a people living on the ocean will need to solve for fresh water, and vegetable nutrients, land based construction materials etc. A people living in a mine may have good material wealth, and may be good at trade, but may be hopeless with animal husbandry. By contrast, I love transient or immigrant characters, because you can explore characteristics that might be inherent, or developed without roots.

About Sam Schenk

I was born in Canada, raised in Texas, and matured in New Zealand, where I’ve lived for the past 20 years. I’m a business analyst by day, a mum, writer, and gamer by night.

I love speculative fiction, particularly dystopia, transhumanism, and anything that normalises the rainbow and outside the normal curve of humanity. I’m a sci-fi and fantasy nerd, and love anything that explores life outside of the modern-day.

My first publication came out in 2021, A Gap in the Veil, in association with Contemporary Witchy Fiction. It’s been amazing to be part of the New Zealand speculative fiction gang, and meeting some amazing writers. I’m looking at producing another part to the collection in the same universe, which will be middle grade.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

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