Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Toronto based graphic novelist and writer; I’ve written and illustrated 5 graphic novels (Nil: A Land Beyond Belief, Rex Libris (two volumes), Warlord of Io and Rebel Angels. I’ve also done a joke collection called Max Zing, which is based on characters from Warlord of Io. Theo Paxstone and the Dragon of Adyron is my first prose novel, although I did some little sketches up for it. I’m working towards just words slowly.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Theo Paxstone and the Dragon of Adyron is my latest book. It was inspired by an image in my head of a suit of armor that was mechanized, facing off against a dragon. And I wanted to try and write something my nephew might read.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I will often sit at a cafe and write and drink tons of coffee; I like the ambient noise. The weird thing is that I get more distracted by conversation and talking in the office. In a cafe, for some reason, it doesn’t bother me as much.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been influenced by lots of authors over the years. Ray Bradbury is one I love; his writing has a poetic, wistful aspect to it I really love. William Golding also struck me as being particularly good at crafting evocative scenes. He even made up words when there was nothing existing in the English language that suited his purposes. He took care to have the word sound just the way he wanted. And Stephen King is amazing at character and evoking nostalgia. David Brin is fabulous for big idea science fiction, and not to sound like an English teacher, but Shakespeare is really good for character motivation. Some writers have a great handle on motivation. And of course, I love J.R.R. Tolkien, especially for his fabulous world building. I read Lord of the Rings in Grade Six, and I remember making a big map in pencil crayon based on the book.
What are you working on now?
I am working on getting Theo Paxstone out into the world. Trying to launch a book is a lot of work. But I am also looking at my next project, which is still in flux in my head. I was writing adult characters, but I’m now thinking of making them college students. And I want to do another short film. I did a short with Andrew Foerster and Devin Polaski called Nil: No Blood for Coffee which did very well on the film circuit this year, and we want to do a follow up.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This one, of course! It’s still early in the day for me in this regard. I am trying to find my way.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I think structure is very important, at least for me. Some people can wing it, and I used to, but I’ve found myself plotting things out more and more in advance. Tire’s a delicate balance between planning and discovery, between letting yourself play and be surprised by the characters, and having a definite destination. If you plot too tightly, you can wind up killing spontaneity. I’m not sure where to strike the balance yet. I have read numerous books on writing (Story by Robert McKee, Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker), and I think these can be helpful. But you have to take it all with a grain of salt and not let it kill your creativity. Some writers, and some advice, won’t work for you. It may even kill your spark to work in a way that’s alien to your personal sensibilities. So there’s that. I found Save the Cat by Blake Snyder great fun and very good in terms of setting out story structure. He’s primarily talking about writing screenplays.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I was told by a screenwriter in LA to ‘write what resonates with you’. If you are authentic, that will come across, and it will strike others deeply as well. Write what is meaningful. This is, surprisingly, much more difficult than it sounds.
What are you reading now?
I am reading The Creative Spark by Agustin Fuentes, who I met at DragonCon this year. I went down for the film festival (we won Best Animation – Comedy for the Nil film), and met him there; he’s a primatologist and anthropologist who’s written about human evolution and we had a fun discussion about Stephen Pinker’s Angels of Our Better Nature. Both are fascinating books.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a novella I’m thinking of working on. And another film. Have to decide which, as the day job sucks up a lot of time. I have to be careful in my decisions. Books are a long term investment of time and energy.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh, that’s difficult question! Does a series count as one? Would Lord of the Rings be one book, or three? If I can get it under one, definitely that. Then… I’d have to say, perhaps, The Blind Watchmaker, and then a few tomes on the history of civilization. Something meaty. Bertrand Russell’s history of Philosophy is so big I’ve never actually finished it. If I was on a desert island, I might finally have the time. Which reminds me of A Brief History of Time. I could tackle that and spend a week contemplating each paragraph. That’s the only way I could comprehend it.
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