Interview with author G.L. Francis
Welcome Readers to another installment ofour author interview series. Today we have the pleasure of chatting with G.L.Francis, author of historical fantasy.
JMR-Welcome to the Books Delight, G.L.Tell our readers where you live, what you do for fun and what does the perfectday look like?
GLF- After a lot of moving when younger, Isettled in Missouri, my family’s home State. Aside from writing & reading(as much passion as fun for me), I enjoy many hobbies/interests, among themdrawing, watercolors, occasionally book illustration, metalwork, fiber arts,gardening, carving, working annoying & playing with our pets…
For me, a perfect day is spending time on one creative pursuit after another,alone or with my hubby (some of our interests coincide). Preferably withoutshopping or major/minor catastrophes.
JMR-What’s your favorite historical timeperiod? Why?
GLF- To look at my personal library’shistory section, it’d be hard to discern a favorite time period, but there’s aslight predominance ranging from ~1830 to 1950. The 1st& 2ndIndustrial Revolutions heralded so many rapid changes—both good and bad--thatimpact our lives to this day.
Part of my interest is also because I’mold enough to have known people—relatives, family friends &acquaintances—who lived in the late 1800s. I loved listening to them relatefirsts they encountered (e.g. telephone, motorcar, biplane, etc.), their personaltragedies & triumphs before/through/after two World Wars.
JMR-Who is your favorite historicalfigure? Why? If you could ask them one question, what would it be?
GLF- I don’t really have a favorite,though the one question I’d ask any historical figure I might consider is “Whatwere you thinking ‽ ‽”
But that’s a hindsight question, spokenfrom the luxury of seeing how one event or one person’s actions/decisions/etc.played out over time. Removing modern lenses (& cultural filters) isdifficult but important to better grasp things of an era decades or centuriespast.
JMR- How did you come to be a writer ofhistorical fantasy?
GLF- Because sometimes I’m the writerequivalent of a mad scientist. 😊
But I enjoy experimenting with genres,forms, voices—pushing boundaries of what story can be & boundaries of whatI can write. Blending history & fantasy started with a short storyexperiment that challenged, exhilarated, & occasionally terrified me. Iloved it!
JMR- How would describe historical fantasyto a reader new to the genre?
GLF- Short versions: alternative history,mashup, blend, hybrid of history & fantasy genres.
Longer description: a genre in whichhistory & fantasy underpin each other though not equally balanced.Depending on the story, however heavy the history side may be, the scale tipsslightly or greatly more on the fantasy side.
JMR- G. L., tell us about your book, SuntosunCircus.
GLF- At the simplest, Suntosun Circusbegins with the birth of an international 5-ring troupe (with sideshows) in theearly 1900s. Amid trials & triumphs, travels & performances, theycovertly hunt demonic doppelgängers breaching the borders of reality.
Less simply, there are 5 MCs (5 rings),& the story is constructed as a circus: audition calls, rehearsals, debut,on through to finale. Despite their inner & interpersonal struggles, theyunite to defend humanity from the destruction & death the demon doubles ofworld leaders & influencers-to-be can do. In Suntosun Circus, one ofthese doppelgängers is a young Grigori Rasputin; another is King Leopold II ofBelgium.
They travel in an airship fleet powered by an elemental dragon Whipping theStorm. The airships convert to the circus tents (Aside: Remember the hobbiesmentioned? Someday I’d love to blueprint & build a half-hull airship model,maybe Tuscan Red or Mind the Trees. Alas, it is not this day!)
Because most of the troupe isn’t human (one MC is a werecrocodile) & haveextreme longevity, the sideshows are brief backstories (decades or centuries inthe past) affecting the main storyline.
And because they’re international as wellas (mostly) nonhuman, some MC voices have signature qualities of their nativegrammar in POV prose as well as dialog, not always correct English. Ditto forthe dragon’s conlang.
Early during my research for SuntosunCircus, I wrote Tools of the Trade, a prequel novelette introducingsome of the troupe’s cast in 1899 before the circus forms. AdeCiroPublications, the indie press that published Suntosun Circus, reedited& released Tools of the Trade a year ahead of my circus novel.
JMR-What projects do you have in thepipeline?
GLF- As a multi-WIP writer, right now I’mjuggling 7 (8?) projects.
Under Every Moon(fantasy poetry), Leyfarers and Wayfarers (short story collection), and Lairof Beasts (novel, portal fantasy) are simply re-edits & tweaks onpreviously published books (the publishers closed) so I can re-release them.
Historical-fantasy Suntosun Seasonsmoves into 1904 but is in first draft stage. I debate with myself whether tomake it 2 books; the circus splits to perform/hunt on 2 continents. Becausethey’re concurrent, I’m considering Suntosun Seasons: Africa & SuntosunSeasons: Europe. Decision pending.
Sunrise on the Delta (novelette) closes a cycle of short stories aboutharp-ships, a compass-lute navigator, & a giant sentient spider.
Triptych: Fate’s Door(novella) closes a science-fantasy cycle about the cybernetic navigators ofevacuation spaceships.
“Rock Paper Scissors” is a creativenonfiction essay.
These last 3 are for separate collections(as yet untitled), & each includes affiliated short works previouslypublished in magazines, journals, or anthologies.
JMR- Tell our readers how to find you onsocial media and the web.
GLF- Find me at the following:
Twitter (or “X”) https://twitter.com/merelecroix
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/glynda.francis
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/glynda-fr...
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/glyndafrancis/
Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
My (too frequently neglected) blog isJourneys of the Clayfoot https://clayfoot2.wordpress.com/
My online & social media presence,however, is somewhat limited, & I’m still a working person, now part timeat a veterinary hospital.
JMR- What question were you hoping I’d askbut didn’t?
GLF- I was a bit surprised there wasn’t aquestion about research, either for historical fantasy in general or for SuntosunCircus in particular. Depending on the story itself, the depth of researchvaries tremendously for historical fantasy in general. In my experience,fantasy in historical settings needs a different kind of research from fantasyusing actual historical events &/or people for the sake of verisimilitude.
Research for Suntosun Circus took~5 yrs before I did more than scene notes & rough sketches. What I didn’trealize until well into the 1st draft was that my intended arc for thecircus wasn’t going to fit in one book. So, 90% of background work for thesequels is done.
(Life Lesson Metaphor: Don’t buy a whole bolt of fabric to make ahandkerchief.)
JMR- Thank you, G. L. , for stopping by.Your books look really interesting! Readers, I’ve included a link to G. L.’s booksbelow. Please be sure to check them out.
