Crazy Things Authors Have Done

A little over a year ago, I was driving to work when I noticed smoke coming out of my car's hood. At this point, the logical thing to do would have been to pull over and call a tow truck. However, I'm not the most logical person in the world. There's a scene in Artificial Absolutes where the protagonist has to pilot a starship that's falling to pieces. I wasn't particularly happy with the scene, and the misfortune suddenly turned into an opportunity. How often do I get the chance to find out what it's really like to drive a vehicle that's breaking to pieces? What kinds of things could go wrong? What would go through a person's head?


Well, I found out all right. The smoking, the rattling, the wondering if I was going to catch fire and explode... Not sure how much of that actually helped the book, but at least I could say with confidence, if ever questioned about the scene, that I had some idea what I was talking about. Worth the risk? Probably not, but as I'm sure you know, authors do crazy things for their books. Here are some others:


"When I was writing Making Angels I did have my husband push me along the carpet with my hands crossed on my chest to see which was best head first or feet first for ease of introducing a body into an old altar grave (head first pushing on the feet won out)."
- Diane Dickson (http://dianemdickson.wordpress.com/)

"For Reflections, I did every crazy diet the character tried: cabbage soup, three day hot dog diet, master cleanse and an apple diet. I gained about 20 pounds, was tired, moody and basically miserable."
-Jennifer Bogart (http://jenniferbogart-author.blogspot.ca) 

"When I still wrote 'sword & sorcery' fantasy, I learned how to use a sword. I tried one maneuver, which involved making an overhead sweep, then ducking. I overbalanced and nearly fell on my sword. Fortunately it was made of wood." -Katrina Jack (https://www.facebook.com/katrina.jack1)

"I had my husband sew a BananaBoy costume in support of my children's book Sending You Sammy and I played basketball in it with a lot of kids in a public park!"
-Sarah Butland (http://sarahbutland.com/blog/)

"My whole family and I took tiny flashlights inside a non-commercial cave and explored so I could see what it would be like for my mystery series set in a town full of caves. I'm the shortest in the family, and I bumped my head on the ceiling of the cave in a really low section. It hurt like crazy. One of my characters does that on two occasions in the first book, now."
-Susan Finlay (http://susansbooks37.wordpress.com)

Girl Books vs. Guy Books

Everyone knows that there are certain genres geared more toward one sex than the other. Fluffy Harlequin romances are clearly geared toward women, for instance. But I've noticed that there are distinctions within the co-ed genres as well. Not in terms of plot or the gender of the protagonist, but in how the book is written.

Men and women write differently. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but generally, I've noticed that men writers tend to up the physical stakes more and focus on the external. Action scenes. Political maneuvering. Plottiness in general. Women writers are just as plotty, but, more often than their male counterparts, they up the emotional stakes as well, taking more time to focus on the internal.

For instance, in the world of children's books, take Alex Rider and Harry Potter. Both are plot-driven adventures starring schoolboys thrown into dangerous scenarios they're unprepared for. Both have suffered familial tragedies. But whereas J.K. Rowling uses scenes like Harry's discovery of the Mirror of Erised to show the reader how heavily his parents' deaths still weigh on him, Alex barely seems to care that his uncle, the only parental figure he's ever known, was murdered. There are a handful of mentions of the uncle throughout Alex's James Bond-like spy adventure, but only in that they're important to the plot.

Of course, I'm speaking very broadly here, and only with regard to contemporary commercial fiction. Maybe things are different for lit fic. I just find it interesting that there is that distinction - guy writers focusing on increasing dangers and gal writers wanting the reader to truly care about their characters.

An Author's Perspective on Her Book Cover

Guest post from Carol Moreira, author of YA fantasy, Membrane (Fierce Ink Press) about Membrane’s cover art

Hi, thanks for having me on your site. I thought I’d talk about Membrane’s cover because I love it and think Nova Scotia-based designer Anne Verge did an amazing job. I should point out that I haven’t had an in-depth discussion with Anne about the Membrane cover, so this post is mostly my interpretation of Anne’s interpretation of my book!

I was thrilled when I first saw the potential covers from Anne (www.avcreative.ca). Anne created six possible covers and they were all excellent, but I and the editors at Fierce Ink Press all felt that some version of her girls-in-a-globe design would work best for Membrane.  

We felt that way because Membrane opens with Tanya, a 16-year-old from Nova Scotia, breaking through the membrane that separates our world from a parallel universe where she meets her genetic double, who is far more confident and together than she is. The two doppelgangers don’t get on at first, but become friends as they battle threats posed by beings from other universes.

For the cover, Anne used an image of a globe, split into two halves, that floats against a dark background. Each half contains a mirror image of the same girl as well as a looming background tree and a night-time moon. The globe and identical girls represent the parallel universes and parallel girls in the story. Some physicists theorize that parallel universes lie within giant cosmic soap bubbles, so the globe is a good fit for that theory.

The globe also creates a sense of claustrophobia. The head and neck of each girl rise from the centre of the globe; one looking up, the other down. The girls seem to be emerging from water, but in this case the liquid represents the membrane through they travel to parallel worlds.  The girls look confined in their respective halves of the globe, and at various points in the story each does become trapped in another world so that is very effective.

The upper half of the globe is coloured a night-time blue, the lower half is an earthy brown. Both colours leach slightly into the darkness of the surrounding cover, suggesting that they are separate universes within the multiverse.

Anne’s choice of colours is evocative and mysterious. As well as the black background and earthy brown and moody blue of the globe, she has used a pretty, pale blue for the title and author name. Outside the globe, she has incorporated scattered blue symbols, representing DNA, stars and space. The symbols look great against the dark background and refer to the book’s genetic and multiverse themes. 

The book’s title is written in lower case with a drop of something liquid spilling from the first ‘e’ in ‘membrane’ to suggest the membrane’s stickiness. Anne has put the author name close to the title, presumably in order to maximize the impact of the dark background. She’s also kept the prominence of the title by making the author name upper case as well as smaller and paler than the word ‘membrane’.

When laying out the text, Fierce Ink editor Kimberly Walsh also used DNA and star images on the inside pages, which make the book look even more beautiful and compelling.

It’s amazing how talented designers are able to combine their own ideas and concepts with those of the writer and publishing team to create artwork that represents the book and – hopefully – attracts readers to it.    

You can’t outrun the membrane ...

For Tanya turning sixteen sucks. Her former friend Rachel is bullying her, the love of her life doesn’t know she exists and her self-esteem isn’t exactly sky-high. Things go from bad to worse when she gets slimed at a bus stop and finds herself in an alternate universe and faced with another version of herself.

Her alternate universe double is cool and confident, if a bit bossy. P — short for Princess because in Tanya’s eyes she is one — is part of an organization called Resist. Trained in tactical defense, Resist is preparing for an invasion by the Others. But are the Others really mobilizing to take over P’s universe or has there been some kind of galactic miscommunication?

On the other side of the membrane, who can Tanya trust to make it back to her universe alive?

MEMBRANE is available at Storenvy, Amazon, Kobo, iTunes and other retailers.

REVIEW: Squabbit Farm / J. Owen

TITLE: Squabbit Farm

AUTHOR: J. Owen

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

APPROXIMATE LENGTH: 70 pages

AVAILABILITY: Amazon

GENRE 

Comedy - Satire/Dark Comedy

PACE
Squabbit Farm is a quick read, being short and to-the-point.

PERSPECTIVE
Third person omniscient. This book is written with a satirical lilt, so the narrator himself (and you'll see by the end that it is a "him") is one of the characters.

CONTENT REVIEW
Squabbit Farm is the satirical tale of a fictional race of sentient, bunny-like critters living in an idyllic world of green fields and blue skies. Although the everyman Robert Fluffenstein is ostensibly the main character, the real star of the story is the narrator himself. J. Owen writes with a distinctive voice that brings his dark comedy to life. I just happened to be listening to Good Omens, the Neil Gaiman/Terry Prachett satire about the end of the world, on audiobook around the same time as I was reading Squabbit Farm on my Kindle. While the subject matter is pretty different (although they're both about the end of the world), the two books share a similar dry sense of humor. I could practically hear the narrator for the Good Omens audiobook in my head while reading Squabbit Farm.

Squabbit Farm brings to mind another critter-centric satire: George Orwell's classic Animal Farm. In fact, just as Animal Farm is a thinly veiled allegory for the Russian Revolution and the communist rule under Stalin that followed, Squabbit Farm is a thinly veiled - if more exaggerated and bizarre - allegory for twenty-first century politics. It's almost a protest novel, depicting how technological advances and warmongering turn the picturesque Squabbit Farm into a totalitarian dystopia. While stand-ins for familiar sights such as social media, bureaucracy, and jingoism are instantly recognizable, Owen keeps the allegory from getting too heavy-handed through his wry wit. Even Squabbit Farm's darkest moments are told in an offhand, incongruently cheerful tone. It reads like a children's book gone wrong.

The key difference between Squabbit Farm and its comparable predecessor is that while Animal Farm is clearly about one particular place and time, Squabbit Farm is broader. It could apply to any country, really. Its faux lightheartedness also takes away any perception of judgment; this isn't a "shame on you" book. More of a "I see what's happening, and I'm just going to laugh about it because there's nothing else I can do" book. The happenings are more outlandish and exaggerated - for instance, the Squabbit version of the Internet is invented and implemented in a matter of days. Other than the thinly veiled allegories, the limits of reality are completely ignored.

While reminiscient of Animal Farm in subject and Good Omens in tone, Squabbit Farm is original in its warped sense of humor. Funny, engaging, and daringly unique, Squabbit Farm is a thoroughly entertaining read. Best of all, behind all the weirdness is an intelligent and well-produced dystopian satire.

THE NITPICKY STUFF 

This book is very well edited. I didn't find any errors.

This book contains references to sex, drugs, and violence, but everything is depicted in an offhand, satirical manner. There's nothing graphic or gruesome.

AUTHOR INFO

Squabbit Farm is J. Owen's first published book.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Deb E. Howell

Deb E. Howell, author of the Wild West fantasy Healer's Touch, talks about her novel's development and inspirations.

 

Book Blurb:

For Llew to heal, something must die.

For Llew, a young pickpocket who lives as a boy on the streets of a Wild-West mining town, the real problems begin when she survives the gallows. Forced to run, she persuades a group of fighters escorting a young girl to her wedding to let her travel with them across the badlands. On the journey Llew faces hostile tribesmen, desperate bandits and, the enmity of her own companions should they find out who and what she is: a girl, a fugitive, and a feared Healer. One of the fighters, Jonas, possesses superhuman prowess as a warrior, and carries the knife able to ‘kill the unkillable’; the knife that can kill Llew. Despite being of races at war for centuries, they are drawn to one another.

During the journey, they encounter Braph the magician, Jonas’ half-brother and potential nemesis. He pursues them as they journey across the sea to the continent of Phyos and at the moment Llew finally feels safe, he abducts her. He begins to take what is most precious to him: her blood.

Healer’s Touch is a mesmerising mix of fantasy, steampunk and Wild West adventure – and even a dash of romance! 

Hi Deb! Welcome to Zigzag Timeline. Can you tell us a bit about your book, "Healer's Touch"? What inspired the story?

Healer's Touch is about a girl with the ability to transfer life-energy, giving her the power to heal, but in order to do so she much hurt something/someone in the process. Usually she just uses plants to heal small nicks and cuts, but when she dies for the first time, things get real. It's also about a girl (the same one) whose experiences regarding men have left her distrustful... queue romantic sub-plot. The ultimate inspiration for this healing ability, I can't recall. Back in high school I created a (male) character with this power. I used to share his stories with some of my friends. I would have been influenced by many things at the time, no doubt. I think there were a few "super hero" type cartoons on in the after school time slot...

Why did you choose to set your novel in the Wild West?

Ultimately? I love horses; simple as that. I also love the grittiness that comes with the Wild West. It was wild, dusty, dirty, rough... but ultimately, it was where people's dreams were realised (or lost). There's a certain romance to that that I can't get enough of. I'm also from New Zealand, and our history of colonisation is still brief and I think shares many similarities with the pioneers of the USA's West. And then there's the fact that I've loved almost anything Wild West since I was a kid: Bonanza, The Young Riders, Brisco County Jr, Deadwood... I've watched them all. Some many, many times. Main reason? Horses. Then I got older and thought the men riding them were quite nice, too...

How did you go about developing the magic system in "Healer's Touch"?

Bit by bit. I was originally going to write a Fantasy novel without magic in it... Yeah, I know... but, now I've read Joe Abercrombie's stuff so I know it can, in fact, be done. Anyway, after a bit of pottering, I decided I needed something, so I stole the power from my old character and slapped Llew with it (and she will never, ever forgive me for that). Then I figured Jonas should have something (and as it turns out, Llew would have been stuffed if Jonas hadn't been magic, too). I went simple with him: he's super strong and fast. Basic, but essential to helping someone who has a ton of enemies. Over time, I realised what I'd done (actually, a friend pointed it out): Jonas' power, being about strength, is internally derived; while Llew's power, which basically turns her into a conduit, is externally driven. It's made for interesting thinking exercises into how these two powers can interact and what the outcomes might be.

Who was your favorite character to write? Can you tell us a bit about him/her?

Braph was quite fun. He looks down on everybody, which is not something we make a habit of in polite society... It had its uses, too - he spots weaknesses in my main characters that I may have missed originally.

Anya was also great, and she's become even more fun as I've been writing the sequel.

What's your favorite scene in "Healer's Touch"? Can you please describe it?

Really hard to pick one. The whole story was really written around the scene in which Llew asks Jonas about his knife and learns that it is the one thing in all the world with the power to kill her for good. Being one of my first scenes, I have a soft spot for that one. Jonas and Llew get a little bit tipsy, letting them get a little closer than they might have if they'd remained sober. But we also learn that Jonas is an incredibly dangerous person for Llew to be around, and that he's lost everyone he's ever loved. I guess that scene sets the tone for the rest of the story.

What was the most challenging part of writing "Healer's Touch"?

Decisions. That's the hardest thing about fiction in general. Writing non-fiction, you have to do your research, but how things are is, well, how things are. With Fiction, you can do as much or as little research as you like, but then you still have to decide what to show, how to show it and in what order... I played around with the timeline of the first half of this book so many times, and the map evolved (Rakun was originally on Aghacia... then I decided to move it across the sea onto Phyos). I still find it hard to know if I've started a book in the right place, if I'm following the right course for the first half or so of the book. Once you're past a certain point and you've set a few things in "stone", the writing gets easier: character decisions and reactions can only be influenced by what's gone before, not by all the other possibilities that were still open to them in those early chapters.

Can you tell us a bit about what the publishing process has been like for you?

On the whole, it's been good. I got lucky and found a publisher that was a good fit on my first attempt at submitting. It was a right time, right place kind of situation. Sammy's (of Kristell Ink) early enthusiasm for the book really spurred me on through those final edits. I think what I like best about being with a small publisher (and particularly KI) is that it's not a big push for release day and then nothing... I mean, here I am doing another push for the book and it was released back in January. Sure, maybe I'd have got huge sales in that first month, but as a debut author, that's unlikely. It's great to know KI are there to help keep a light on my book even after release day. I had also been tempted to self-publish, but I'm finding it hard enough to carve out the time needed to write my next book (between childcare and work and life), if I was all alone with the publishing too... phew! No, I definitely like having a partner in crime.

Are any of your characters borrowed from real life, or are they entirely fictitious?

I'd be lying if I tried to say I'd come up with my characters all by myself. I borrowed certain characteristics that I liked in my own favourite characters and put them to work for me. At this stage, I haven't put real people in the mix... that might come as I get more experience, i.e. brave. The only real "person" I have plans to base a character on in the future is my first dog, Griffin. People who were lucky enough to meet him will understand how that could work (I'm not meaning a dog character, either... I'm meaning a person with a shared attitude).

Are you an outliner, or do you write by the seat of your pants? Can you share a bit about your writing process?

I'm a loose-outliner. I tend to start writing by the seat of my pants to get a feel for the story/characters. Then at some stage I'll sit back and brainstorm and that usually leads to a few story "beats" and a few scenes to aim for. Then I get back to "just writing" until I hit trouble. The main thing that can slow me down is trying to keep on top of ALL the motivations in the story - some are obvious right the way through, while others are more subtle and I need to be careful not to ignore those ones, since often they can become relevant later in the story. My best writing tends to be handwritten, or at least comes from a writing session in which I started out handwriting (and then the floodgates opened and I had to ype the rest 'cause the words were flowing too fast), so I have notebooks full of scenes and general story notes. And if I'm trying to work through a problem I've struck, again handwriting is the best way for me to get my brain focused on the problem at hand and tease it out into something coherent. It can be quite entertaining going back over old notes and seeing how my story ideas have evolved over time... even things I thought I was pretty well settled on can change (sometimes dramatically) if the story needs it.

What got you into writing?

Well, I think I always have. I wrote diaries right through, particularly in my adolescence. I used to love creative writing in school. I can remember struggling to write "short stories" at Intermediate (middle school)... I always wanted to keep going. Then there were those stories I shared with my friends in high school... After school, my writing energies went into scientific reports for my university study. It was boredom that brought me back to fiction. I was temping between permanent jobs (or so I thought) and I happened to pick up this role that had me answering the phone, putting the caller through to who they really wanted to talk to, hanging up and twiddling my thumbs. And so, I wrote to entertain myself. Then I fell in love with it, so I stuck with temping because it left me more time to write. Now, I can't imagine not writing. So, if I could get it to pay for itself one day, that'ds be fab!


Links:
Website/Blog: http://deberelene.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deberelene
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/deberelene
and many more... 



PURCHASE LINKS

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/323265
Amazon US (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DJE8NSK/
Amazon UK (Kindle): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Healers-Touch-ebook/dp/B00DJE8NSK/

Audiobooks Rule!

Audiobooks are the best things ever. I've had times where I just lie back in bed and listen because I don't want to do anything else. This may sound like blasphemy, but sometimes, I think they can even be better than the print book. Put down your pitchforks and hear me out!

The first audiobook I listened to was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I remember getting into it from the first minute of narration and being puzzled at the popular opinion, "It's good if you get past the first hundred pages." What was wrong with the first hundred pages? I liked the opening! I was also surprised by the criticism people had of the writing. People said it was stilted and clipped, but listening to the narrator, I thought it sounded plenty lively. Also, I tend to speed through sections when I read with my eyes, since I get impatient and want to know what happens next. Listening to an audiobook forced me to be patient, but I didn't feel forced. I was enjoying the reader's words.

Since I liked the first book so much, I bought the sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire. I felt like returning to paper, so I got a paperback at a newsstand. Reading that book was among the more painful experiences of my life. I was so bored, I didn't know what to do with myself. I only powered through to the end out of sheer stubbornness, and I skipped entire passages I didn't give a damn about. The clipped writing got under my skin, and the pointless scenes (like Lisbeth going grocery shopping) made me raise my eyes to the skies and ask, "Why is this here?!"

I think, if I'd listened to the second book on audio, I may have enjoyed it more. Something about a talented actor can bring even a dull sentence to life. The nuances in one's voice, the expressive lilts... things that appear dull somehow develop color.

Also, when it comes to dialect, audio definitely wins. Another book I listed to on audio was The Help. I loved it. First person narration often bugs me for some reason, especially if the person has an accent. But listening to the four talented actresses who narrated different sections of The Help, I felt like I was in a room, listening to these ladies tell me a story one-on-one. Again, I was surprised by the criticism. People evidently didn't like the women's accents in the written book. When I cracked open a paper copy, I saw why. Having to read all those apostrophes and "Law" as "Lord" was pretty painful.

As a medium, I'm sure audiobooks are here to stay. The fact is, people don't have that much time to read anymore, and audiobooks present a nice solution. Instead of having to block out a chunk of time to just sit down and read, people can listen to audiobooks while at the gym, racing down the street, or driving. I have an hour and a half commute (each way), and audiobooks have been my saviors. They make me want to drive around the neighborhood for no reason so I can keep listening!

Lately, I've been listening to the audio version of my own book, Artificial Absolutes, which was just released this past weekend. I've never heard it before, and I figured I should listen to it at least once so I know my own product. It's so weird, hearing my own words read back to me. Most of the time, I forget I wrote it!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: R. Janvier del Valle

R. Janvier del Valle, author of the swords-and-sorcery epic Sword from the Sky, talks about his background and inspirations.

 

Hi, Rey! Welcome to Zigzag Timeline. Can you tell us a bit about your background as a writer? What got you into writing?

Hello Mary, thanks for having me! Well, I’ve always been a creative person. I used to draw a lot when I was a kid and had a vivid imagination, but I was never really into writing until I got into my mid twenties. I was always a film lover, and to this day film is still my primary passion. During my high school days, I wrote a few action screenplays for a few of my friends' films, but when I went to college, I put the creative part of me aside so I could concentrate on my studies until many years later when the creative bug came back in full force. Initially, I was strictly a screenwriter, spending my time writing romance films (yes, romance), but they were more of what I call romance noir, that is, dark and moody romantic thrillers (which I hope to one day revisit in the novel form). After that, there was a weird period (that I’m sure most authors have) of writing poetry for a year or two, and finally, when I entered my master’s studies, I discovered Tolkien and Lewis. It was then that I decided to become a novelist.

I've noticed that you've written a number of epic, swords-and-sorcery type fantasy novels. What is it about the genre that appeals to you as a writer? 

Good question. Like I said, I first wrote romance for a few years, and from there I went into writing spec scripts for tv anime, more specifically, space operas. So, it wasn’t until I actually started writing novels that I broke into the fantasy genre. I guess because I was so involved in my studies in philosophy and theology and in the works of Lewis and Tolkien that I believed fantasy to be one of the highest forms of literature (though to a lot of people is known as the lowest), being that it used fantastical elements to inform the reader of the metaphysical realities not readily seen or understood in our natural world, and that’s what first drew me to the genre. Plus, growing up in the eighties, I was heavily influenced by movies like Conan the Barbarian, The Beastmaster, Willow, Legend, Flash Gordon, Star Wars, Dragonslayer, and Japanese mecha anime/live-action kaiju series like Ultraman, Ultraseven, Robotech, Mazinger Z and Voltron. All of these works were very epic in scale, very fantastical, and I completely fell in love with them. And I also think that with epic and heroic fantasy, I had the opportunity to really delve into what Tolkien called sub-creating, and that is creating a world from scratch, full of dynamic individuals and creatures living among certain physical and natural laws that the author brings to life, effectively mirroring not only our natural world but what is greater than our empirical world, and that to me is the world of spirit and of universal and eternal truths.

"Sword from the Sky" is the story of a 12-year-old boy with a wooden leg aspiring to be a master swordsman. What inspired his character? Why did you choose to give him a wooden leg? 

The evolution of Luca has been a long metamorphosis. For instance, Luca’s character started as a powerful adult woman. Many years later, he is what he is today, a humble boy with an artificial leg. To make a long story short, I’ll tell you of a dream I once had. I saw Santa Claus walking through a cold and snowy forest one day, and suddenly, a sword landed on the ground behind him, seemingly falling from the sky. As expected, I woke up confused. Was I supposed to write about Santa Claus and a sword falling from the sky? At the time I had the dream, I was taking a class on Christianity and Jungian Psychology, and we were discussing dream analysis (coincidence?). And so through careful analysis I came to the conclusion that Mr. Claus represented childhood or something to do with children and myth, and the sword from the sky had something to do with a more powerful and unseen reality. So, a few days later my sci-fi novel I was working on at that moment suddenly gained a young boy as its hero and a change of genre--epic fantasy. And as to why I made him have a wooden leg, well it wasn't all my idea. I first created Luca without it, that is, with both legs intact. And after some time with Luca running around in my imagination, I discovered that his leg had been lost for some reason. Now, as an author, I could have either accepted that new revelation or intervened and made him whole again, but I decided to leave his crippled leg as it was because I knew that he would face more hardships that way and it would build a certain strength and character that would ultimately create a great hero. I also wanted to make his journey with him and understand his sufferings and faults. So I left his leg as it was and I think it has made him a better character because of it.

What stuck out to me about "Sword from the Sky" was the mythology and history woven into the story. Can you tell us a bit about your world-building process? 

Wow. Where do I start? In all sincerity, it did take a number of years to research and build my world before I even started on the manuscript. Did it have to take a couple of years? Probably not. At that time, I was working in advertising so I was using writing as a hobby of mine and I felt quite content just writing about different characters and creating various lands and having mock-interviews with Luca and everyone else. I also wrote short stories and folk tales involving some of my characters and other characters that weren't even mentioned in the main manuscript. It was sort of a geek cathartic thing, I guess. It wasn't until I decided to become a true novelist that I actually started working on the manuscript. But I guess the point is that, yes, creating a fantasy world does involve a long period of developing characters, worlds, cultures and mythical elements. I first start with creating the land and geography (I go from macro to micro), and then I go and construct the cities and the economic, political, and religious systems, and I do this by researching the great cities and civilizations of old and applying what is relative to my world. Next, I move on to the characters, and once that is done, I create the plot’s shell, a sort of cage if you will (i.e.: outlines, story arcs, etc.). I proceed to throw my characters into that plot cage and I let them run around inside the plot structure for a few weeks or so until the characters start taking a life of their own. And then I just observe. I’m like a journalist trapped in my imagination. I watch and write down everything they do. 

How has your background in theology affected your novels? 

I would safely guess that my background in theology and philosophy greatly influences my writing, especially when it deals with epic fantasy. Because of my education, I believe I’m able to understand the bigger eschatological picture of the war between good and evil, that is, what it is to understand the idea of the last days or of the end of the world which is very prevalent in fantasy literature. Also, my grounding in classical Aristotelian metaphysics and scholastic philosophy helps me understand my story’s narrative through the lens of an objective morality, of a world full of black, white, and gray, of universal concepts like truth, beauty, and goodness, and of the meaning of pure evil. Theology also helps me when dealing with spiritual things, especially with concepts like that of the supernatural, of immaterial spirits, of angels and demons, of sin and suffering, and of faith and hope. All of this helps me to build a world that’s not nihilistic but very meaningful, that is not relative and subjective but operating under absolutes and an objective natural law, and that is rooted in the belief that there is something greater than ourselves beyond what we can see, touch, taste, hear, and smell.

Can you share one of your favorite passages from "Sword from the Sky" with us? 

One passage that stands out to me consists of a small group of paragraphs describing Luca’s temperament during the aftermath of his pronouncement of exile. The contrast between the immaculate bridge and Luca’s somewhat soiled self was very symbolic, representing the coexistence of the earthly and heavenly. Even though, from a theological standpoint, we live in a fallen world, we are cradled and nurtured by a higher, maximally perfect spiritual realm, and because of this, Luca felt as if his temporary suffering was nothing compared to the abundance of eternal joy he would one day experience.  

 
"After he had bowed his head to the officials, he took a few steps backward, turned and headed out of the hall. He entered the school’s main passageway, and after the doors closed behind him, he quickly changed into his exile clothes. As he changed into his new clothes, despair entered him, and he suddenly felt the urge to break loose and run with all his might. Once done, he took off running down the school, breaking out into the courtyard and sprinting down that length of the bridge known to all Davinians as One’s Path.
Sweat poured down all the lengths of his cheeks as he ran faster than he had ever run before, but he soon found himself stopping, for he felt the need to walk and contemplate the things around him. Luca had traveled half the length of the bridge when he came upon this sense of peace.

The sun reflected off the gorge’s expansive cliffs, and he could feel a breeze leap up from the bottom of the river to the top of the bridge, gently lifting his clothes up and invading the dead air space caught between his skin and the surface of his cold mask. He experienced relief and felt the need to keep himself free of emotion, at least for the time spent crossing the latter half of the bridge.

The boy looked out of place. He was a dirty old thing, sporting many levels of stains on his garments. The wooden blades he wore were dull in comparison to the marbled floor of the great bridge, and it seemed from far away as if Luca was a spec of dirt cleaving onto something beautiful and immaculate. As he crossed One’s Path, not one bird sung nature’s hymn. One could not even hear the running of the river’s hum but only a desperate sound, that of a solitary wooden leg smacking the bridge’s unblemished floors. How could sorrow be surrounded by so much beauty, he thought? Yet, unexpectedly, he smiled."

What's your favorite part of writing? Plotting? Characterizations? Back stories? Descriptions? Dialogue? Something else entirely? 

Editing. And I don’t mean copyediting or developmental editing, but editing as in revising and rewriting. That’s the true nature of the craft. That’s where I find the pearl inside the oyster. My first drafts always come out something akin to a high school essay project; it’s filled with cliches, throw-away dialogue, continuity issues, repetitive word usage, and so on. That’s when you start revising, making it tighter and tighter until you can read a chapter without having any highlights except for every five to ten pages or so. I liken the process to molding clay or sculpting a work of art. You start out with a big mess and you chip away at it, finally making it something recognizable, and lastly adding in all the sharp details. That’s the fun part. That’s when you can turn something really banal into something unique and crisp. There’s great satisfaction in digging your hand inside that oyster and finding that rare pearl.

Are there any themes or messages in "Sword from the Sky"? 

I didn't set out to create a story full of themes, but I have no control over my subconscious, and certain themes always tend to seep their way into my narratives via my influences, beliefs, and philosophical convictions. So, I would say that SFTS does contain a number of messages. Some are readily identifiable and some aren’t. Some are put in there with me being aware of them and some themes only readers tend to find. First and foremost, I tried my best to make my narrative as universal as possible, that is, make it relatable enough where people can not only pick out certain themes for themselves but also insert their own themes into the narrative as well. But off the top of my head, I can only think of a few. One is the age-old concept of good versus evil, which I tend to shy away from the literal interpretation of good versus evil since to me that suggests a sort of dualism that I don’t particular subscribe to. I see it more as a universal goodness that is corrupted by the immorality of mankind, thus evil then is a deprivation of goodness, so what is good in Esterra is suddenly becoming deprived of its goodness and therefore turning evil. That’s why darkness begins to slowly overtake the sun. The setting of the sun represents to me the extinction of mankind’s inherent goodness. Another theme, a more philosophically abstract one, would be the imagery of the fog endarkening the bright and sunny Esterran lands. That to me represents the destructive modern philosophies that tend to fog people’s hearts and numb their spiritual awareness (and I’ve been known to refer to the Enlightenment of the 17^th century as the Endarkenment). A third theme deals with the realities of spiritual beings that are pure intellect and will, for instance, angels. Those higher angelic beings are alluded to in the novel through the use of the cosmic guardain star-beings that sort of act as a symbol of a spirit’s superiority over mankind. There’s also the theme (or concept) of eucatasrophe, which is a term coined by Tolkien referring to the sudden turn of events at the end of a story which ensures that the good guys of the story eventually triumph over evil, and not just because of chance, bravery, or hard work alone, but also supported by providential means, as if Luca’s journey is ultimately a part of some divine cosmic plan.

The book world is changing day by day. Amazon is on the rise, Barnes & Noble might be in trouble, and the Big Six is now the Big Five. As a writer, how are you navigating this ever-changing landscape? What's your experience with self-publishing been like? 

It’s tough, really tough. I’ve never done anything as tough. Only a few self-published writers have been able to really break through and become successful in a relatively short period of time, but for the rest, it’s a slow and painful process, but still quite rewarding in its own way. You just have to write, write, write, and keep building up your list of true fans, that is, fans that will buy anything you write. You definitely need to have a mailing list. There has to be someway you can keep in contact with your true fans. That’s one of the most important things. As a self published author, you really have to take it day by day. Everything changes daily. Your Amazon ranks change, your reviews, your fan base. You could have four and a half star consensus one day and the next it’s down to less than four, which might lessen your appeal to some readers. You can be in the best sellers list one day and then three days later, you’re out, and no one knows your book exists. You constantly have to manage your book as if it were a product regardless of what other authors or experts say. First, you write, then you manage, making sure you get as much exposure as possible. It’s exposure that sells your book (considering that you already have a great cover, a great description, a well-formatted and edited novel, and of course, an entertaining read). If you go in with the mindset that it’ll be a long journey to fulfilling your dreams, you’ll do well in the business. If you go in looking for instant success, you’re going to face a harsh reality.

Are you working on anything new? 

Right now I’m working on finishing up Book II of Sword from the Sky which should be out in a couple of months. It’ll introduce quite a number of colorful characters and it’ll be more epic in scale. I’m also working on series number five of the Deaf Swordsman novellas which a lot of my fans are patiently waiting for. Additionally in the works are two books that are not in the epic fantasy genre. One is a cyberpunk fantasy that deals with the topic of cloning and demonic possession and I have a bit over forty thousand words written on that one. The other is a Victorian mystery crime thriller set in Boston in 1885, featuring a young protagonist with a mysterious past who investigates a series of murders that deal with a serial killer who takes pleasure in assaulting pregnant teenage girls and murdering their unborn babies. I have just over forty thousand words written on that one as well.

Sword from the Sky is available at: Amazon (Kindle), Amazon (paperback)