Walter Rhein: 9 Heroes: Interview 3

Walter Rhein: Author-Editor
Nine Heroes: 9 Questions(Exploring Heroic Fantasy's 9 Heroes)    Buy   Anyone who has read Walter Rhein knows he is a gifted author.  His Heroic Fantasy page on Facebook is a great place for those who love Heroic fiction.  In Nine Heroes, Walter not only provides his story "The act of sleepless nights," he served as the compiler and editor for the anthology.  He did a fantastic job.  That paperback (seen above in my pet skull Yoric's  toothy maw) is one of the finest collections of short stories (by various authors) I have read.  Here is an excerpt from my Amazon Review of Nine Heroes:  "The Act of Sleepless Nights by Walter Rhein"

"Kinter is an unlikely hero. This story delves into the moralities of violence, and the responsibilities of leadership. It is a good read, with an unexpected twist near the ending. The tale left me thinking, which is good, about the framework of violence. When is violent action of use, and when is it not?"

 Describe your hero, or heroes.  My hero is a very flawed individual of which he is fully aware.  In my writing, I like to play with the “diamond in the rough” nature of heroism.  Mainly this is a cynical reaction to a world that presents us with unrealistic expectations about virtually everything.  I don’t know about everyone else, but in my experience just about everyone I know is flawed.  Maybe it’s just our current political climate that leads people to tear everyone down over the slightest misstep.  Honestly, the people I don’t trust are those that have a clean record – those are the people who are just clever enough to get others to do the dirty work for them. BuyMy heroes aren’t the type of characters that can run for political office.  They have opinions, and they actually have knowledge of what is right and wrong.  When the time comes for them to make a choice, they make the correct one, regardless of the negative effect it will have on their careers or lives in general.I wish I knew more heroes like that in real life.  What type of setting did you place your story in?  It’s a feudalistic, medieval setting.  I don’t go into too much detail, but there is a widespread conflict going on.  Groups of men are marauding around certain that they are champions of the greater good.  A lot of evil deeds go unpunished in times like that.  What inspired your story?  I came up with the idea of an opening scene in which a warrior awakens next to a woman he does not remember.  I think moments like that are not hugely represented in fantasy.  It sounds something like a frat party.  I figured a moment like that would be something a modern audience could easily identify with...plus it makes you kind of wonder how it all played out.   Is your story a part of a broader work or series?  No, this is completely a stand-alone story.  However, I haven’t ruled out the possibility of returning to that world.  “The Reader of Acheron” started as a short story I placed with Abandoned Towers Magazine (not sure if they’re still in business).  Short stories are seeds that sometimes sprout.  In four lines, tell us about your story.  A captain stumbles back to his troop after a drunken night, only to find that his superiors have arrived to check up on him.  They berate him for his disheveled appearance and tell him what a disgrace he is.  The superiors then march the troop out to a conflict. Upon arrival at the new battle zone, the captain is given the opportunity to regain his honor.  Which, besides your own is your favorite story?  That’s like asking me to choose between children.  There are a lot of great stories in this compilation and I like them all for different reasons.  The best work in the group is probably “Black Sword” by Chris and Janet Morris.  They’re the two most established writers in the book, and I understand their story is the first chapter in an upcoming book.  I ended the compilation with “Through the Sting of Fairy Smoke” by R.A. McCandless which added the twist of drug addiction (which you don’t see much in fantasy).  I was also really impressed with A.L. Butcher’s “Just One Mistake” was also a different take on heroism.  The other stories are all great as well – more in line with the standard hero concept.  I think my attention was drawn to the exotic exceptions, but all the stories in the book are good or I wouldn’t have accepted them.  How many of the other authors in Nine Heroes have you read?  I’ve read a lot of books by Chris and Janet Morris.  I’ve worked with Jesse Duckworth on a couple projects and read his book. Douglas Brown and I go back to the Rhemalda days, and I’ve read three of his books. I’ve read Tom Barczak’s excellent book. I’ve worked with Shane Porteous on two shared world novels. I’ve read A.L. Butcher’s novel. Teel James Glenn and I go back to the epress-online days, but I’ve never read one of his books – I need to. I’ve read R.A. MCCandless’s novel.  Would you make another anthology with Heroic Fantasy?    It was a lot of work putting this compilation together.  I’ve since been a little bit overwhelmed with projects, but I wouldn’t mind doing another anthology.  Shane Porteous suggested we do one with a central theme of the Hero’s journey – which isn’t a bad idea at all.  We’ll see. I have a lot of projects to complete, but there are also a lot of great writers out there. who need some publicity.  Perhaps it will happen.  
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