Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the epitome of a nerd except that I’m at the age where I no longer care about that. I grew up playing AD&D and reading fantasy books like “The Lord of the Rings” and “Dragonlance.” I studied philosophy and mathematics on my first run through college, and computer science on my second. I have a cat named “Confucius” and I have a black belt in the martial arts. I’ve written five books so far: one, a non-fiction account of mental illness; two, a collection of short stories; and the remaining three, the first three books in my series, “From the Ashes of Ruin.” Of those books, both “Drasmyr” and “The Children of Lubrochius” have been released and the third, “The Sceptre of Morgulan,” is due out November 10th.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is entitled “The Sceptre of Morgulan.” It continues the story that began in “Drasmyr,” continues through “The Children of Lubrochius,” and is projected to continue for two more books. Yes, I’m writing a series. It was inspired largely by my love of fantasy. As I said above, I’ve been reading fantasy novels and playing fantasy role-playing games (mostly pen and paper, but occasionally computer, as well) for most of my life. I think I started when I was about ten and just got sucked in. In fact, looking back, I think I was literally addicted to that particular outlet; as an adult I can say that it really did interfere with other aspects of my life–oh, well. You live and learn. I had great fun growing up.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, unless wading through clutter counts. You should see the desk that I write at. It has basically three and a half tiers and its overflowing with papers, notes, checkbooks, bookmarks, business cards, pins, paperclips … you name the office item–it’s probably on my desk somewhere. Other than that, I think my writing habits are pretty normal. Sometimes I write in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon, and sometimes at night. When I’m really rocking, I write at all three times. Yesterday, for example, I wrote in the morning, the afternoon, and the evening. By the end I was really in the flow state and pumped out somewhere around two thousand words or so.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hands down, probably the most influential author was J.R.R. Tolkien. But that’s probably true of every fantasy writer out there. I mean, “The Lord of the Rings” is a monolith in the fantasy genre. It changed everything. Everything that followed it was influenced by it in some fashion or other. Even if the authors in question aren’t even aware of the influence. Tolkien’s reach went just that far. I mean, what alternate world really compares to Middle Earth? It was the work of his entire lifetime. I loved the way he used language; all the places and creatures had these almost ‘old English’ sounding names: Dale, Laketown, Smaug … there’s just something really special about them. I grew up trying to echo that in the worlds I made … sometimes successfully; sometimes not so much.
Author authors I like include Brandon Sanderson (he’s my current favorite), Robert Jordan, Mark Lawrence, and Tad Williams. There are others, of course, but I think a full litany would be overdoing it.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on a novella entitled “Prism.” I’m not going to share the details of the story, because that would give it all away. Anyway, in addition to writing that story, I’m in the middle of releasing the second (or third, if you count “Drasmyr,” the prequel) novel in my series. It’s due out November 10th. I’m self-publishing so that means I have to do all the leg-work. It keeps me busy, but it is fun.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not sure I want to say. Maybe Twitter. It’s just that marketing is not my cup of tea. I’m not that good at it. I would prefer to spend my time writing and editing, but that’s not a realistic wish. I have to learn marketing, if I want to be successful. And to that end, I am making slow but steady progress.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write about those things that interest you. Keep writing. Keep editing. Keep trying. Persistence pays off. And, my most valuable piece of advice to you is: Be prepared to “Murder your darlings.” That is, we all write really good single lines of prose that are graceful and elegant and true gems of English expression. The problem is that sometimes the needs of the story demand the removal of such gems. You must be prepared to do this. No matter how much you might like a certain line. The needs of the story come first.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I just gave it above: “Murder your darlings.” I have used that mantra on many occasion and I believe my work has benefitted from that.
What are you reading now?
Actually, I’m kind of in between fantasy books. I am reading John Henry Newman’s “Apologia Pro Vita Sua” and I’m also trying to get in the habit of reading the Bible. Just a little bit each night. I’m waiting for the next Brandon Sanderson book … which reminds me; I have to check Amazon or B&N to see when his next book is due.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m planning to complete my series, “From the Ashes of Ruin.” I also intend to write a few standalone novellas. Might even collect them in a small book of their own. I’m about twelve pages into the first such novella, that I mentioned above (Prism).
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?
“The Eye of the World,” by Robert Jordan, “The Way of Kings” and “Words of Radiance” by Brandon Sanderson, and “War and Peace.” I’m stranded, right? I picked the longest books I could think of to kill as much time as possible. I’ve never even read “War and Peace,” but I’d give it a serious go if I was stranded on a desert island with nothing to do. Errrr.
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