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A visit from Helen Henderson's Lady Broch...

10/22/2014

Plan your escape route! It’s villain month here on my blog. I’ll be interviewing two antagonists each week. Today Lady Broch of Ky'Port, the villain of Helen Henderson’s novel, Dragon Destiny is my guest.

Tell us, Lady Broch...

What is your ultimate goal?
To wed Lord Branin Llewlyn of Cloud Eyrie and have him on his knees before me.

What makes you so driven to accomplish this goal?
As the daughter of a holder, I am used to wealth, power, and if not respect, at least obedience from others. I lost all that when my husband, Hicca, was passed over as leader of his clan and hold. Now I sit huddled in a cold cave. Instead of servants, a measly handful of raiders are at my beck and call. I want what I had before, the starlton gowns, warm bed, and enough coins to buy whatever or whoever I want. The dragshi have the money and the power. And I will get them--by any means necessary. As to why I selected his mightiness Branin Llewlyn to help accomplish my goal. He spurned the offer of my bed. Now he will pay. No one rejects me.

If you could choose anyone from the literary world as your partner in crime, who would you choose and why?
Barbara Hambly. She is knowledgeable in the ways of magic and travelling between worlds. Both items that I can use to confuse my enemies, enrich my fortunes and get my revenge on the dragshi.

Describe yourself in three words or less.
Regal, distinguished, magnanimous

Here's more about Lady Broch and the fantasy novel, Dragon Destiny, Book One of the Dragshi Chronicles:
The awakening of his dragon soul twin, Llewlyn, brought Dragshi Lord Branin near-eternal life, but not happiness. As a dragshi, he can take on dragon form and know the freedom of flight, however, both are the last of their kind and have waited millennia for their mates. The firebrand raider, Lady Broch is more than willing to fulfill that position -- with or without Branin's willing cooperation.

When a faint thought impinged on Branin's mind, hope for an ending to eons of loneliness soared. Plagued by doubts because no signs of a dragon shifter's birth have been seen, Branin searches the world for the mysterious girl he only knows by the name, Anastasia.All that stands between happiness and a lifetime alone is destiny—and Broch.

Buy Links: Amazon Barnes and Noble iTunes

Here's more about Helen Henderson - A former feature-story writer and correspondent, Henderson has also written fiction as long as she could remember. Her heritage reflects the contrasts of her Gemini sign. She is a descendent of a coal-miner's daughter and an aviation flight engineer. This dichotomy shows in her writing which crosses genres from historical adventures and westerns to science fiction and fantasy. In the world of romantic fantasy, she is the author of two series: the Dragshi Chronicles and the Windmaster novels. Find her on the web at Helen Henderson, Author.

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Interview with Olga Godim

10/20/2013

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Break out the garlic and crucifixes, the paranormal writers are visiting my blog this month! Today I’m interviewing Olga Godim, author of sword and sorcery fantasy Almost Adept (due out January 2014). Thanks for being here, Olga!

Thank you, Audra, for inviting me here.

From where did you draw inspiration for Almost Adept?

A writer’s imagination works in a mysterious way. This particular novel started for me, when I read Mercedes Lackey’s Magic’s Price – the final book of her trilogy about Vanyel, the last herald-mage of Valdemar. In the book, the hero dies in the end. I dislike such endings, so I started fantasizing: what if he didn’t die? What if… One thing led to another,
until Vaniel transformed into someone else entirely, relocated to my imaginary country of Varelia, had a wife and a daughter. Considering that in Lackey’s book he was gay, such a transformation was really drastic. He changed name, and his daughter became Eriale.

Strangely, when I started thinking about Eriale’s adventures, they came to me backwards. First, I wrote a story about her, when she was about 30 years old. This story exists on my computer as the first draft of a novel. I’m going to revise it soon. Then I wanted to see how she started on her magic path – and Almost Adept got written.

Tell us about Almost Adept in 25 words or less.

For Eriale, magic is a source of joy, until she is faced with a terrifying task: to hunt and destroy a power-hungry blood
mage.

Did Eriale ever pull any pranks as a kid?

Of course. She had her magical power since she was about three, and like any kid, she tested her abilities and her limits. She played with magic. Once she flooded the cellars of her parents’ manor. It was a mistake, of course, a slight miscalculation of applied magic, but she got grounded for a month. Another time, she made her mother’s ball gowns dance by themselves, and she danced with them. Her mother was frightened when she came home and found all
her gowns frolicking independently downstairs, partnering her nine-year-old daughter. Eriale’s father and mentor had to punish her repeatedly, until she finally learned the hard lesson: she couldn’t use her magic for pranks or
practical jokes – ABSOLUTELY NEVER!

But magic was her life, and she used it to solve problems. Sometimes, such solutions got out of hand. Her latest escapade with magic was why she had to leave home in a hurry in the beginning of the novel. A young nobleman she fancied herself in love with insulted and almost raped her, and in retaliation, she turned him into a muttonhead, literary. She transformed his head into a sheep’s head. She knew she misused her magic almost as soon as the spell took. She should’ve broken his nose instead, but magic was her instinctive response, and she lashed out in her pain and frustration. It was only for one week, but the aristocratic parent of the young man didn’t understand. They
screamed revenge. She had no choice but to flee.

What was Eriale’s most embarrassing moment?

She fell in love with a guy, but he didn’t seem to care for her. When she tailed him to see where he was going, after he’d spurned her advances, she ended up in front of a brothel. Despairing of ever having anyone to love her, she decided to follow him in. Maybe she could learn something useful from the whores, if the only man she ever loved preferred them to her? Her experience inside the brothel was rather embarrassing but extremely enlightening.

This or That – questions to the character, Eriale

What animal would you prefer as a familiar: a cat or a bat?

Neither. I’m not a pet person, besides I don’t have time to care for a pet. But I had a familiar once – a pony. It was an
accident.

Who is scarier for you: a vampire or a dragon?

I’m not afraid of any creature. With my power of an Adept, not much can hurt me. Besides, I don’t think vampires exist. I’ve never read about them in any magic research books. Dragons do exist, even though I’ve never seen one. They live on another continent and can’t cross the ocean, but sailors sometimes bring their scales or claws. Once they brought a mummified head of a dragon – it was disgusting. I’d like to see a living dragon at least once. They’re creatures of magic. I wonder what I can do with their magic.

What would you transform you worst enemy into: a frog or a swine?

I wouldn’t do that at all. I did something similar once, and it was the worst mistake of my life. Never again! I would embarrass him instead: make him speak exclusively the truth at a social gathering or make him oink like
a pig for several days whenever he tries to talk or something similar. Or drop him into a huge clump of nettles naked and let him find his way out.

You can transform one living being into another, it’s possible, but it’s a very complicated spell and a brutal one. It takes lots of power and lots of knowledge. You have to learn every detail of the anatomy of your original creature and the target creature. Otherwise, you’ll create a monster. And the overall masses of both creatures should be the same. You can’t turn a man into a frog. Where would the extra mass go? Unless you want a frog the size of a man. But there is another solution, if I wanted to be flashy. I could use a transportation spell. You know, find a frog in a nearby pond, transport the man there and the frog here: kind of a switcheroo. Done properly, it only takes a moment. For a bystander, it would look like a transformation, but it’s a trick, really.

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Interview with D.L. Tabor

10/10/2013

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My interviews with authors of all things paranormal continue on my blog this month. Today D.L. Tabor, author of God of Burden: Epic’s Story and the soon to be released Amnesty Day, is my guest star. Thanks for being here, D.L.!

Did you ever tell ghost stories around the campfire growing up? Which scary story gave you the worst nightmares?

My father, without knowing, taught me the art of delivering a scary tale:
pausing at just the right spot; increasing the volume of the voice in just the right part; and making the listener feel just comfortable enough right before driving them to the brink of insanity.

The story that gave me the worst nightmares and made the hair on my neck stand up like the quills on a porcupine was Thump, Drag. Even though I have seen and heard multiple variations of the story, I have always felt that the version told to me, and the version I now tell my kids, has always been the most frightening.

The story begins with a group of boys scouts camping in the remote wilderness (I enjoy the isolation factor). The scout master mentions that he heard on the radio that the area, in which they are currently camping, was the site of the disappearance of a child not too long before they had arrived. Everyone that night sleeps lightly, sensitive to every sound pushing its way through the lining of the tents. A few hours after the boys had settled down and fallen asleep, several awaken to the slow and sluggish sound—thump…drag, thump…drag. The horrible noise makes its way around the tent and then gradually back into the woods. The next day they discover their scout master missing from his tent. The same horrible sound occurs for the next two nights in a row and two more scouts come up missing from their tents. The remaining boys decide the following day to form a search party, and they find an abandoned saw mill filled with numerous chopped up corpses. They hear the distinct sound of thump…drag, thump…drag and scream in horror to discover that it is the long lost child from the news: he has only one arm and has to drag himself to move forward. The boys run out of the saw mill and pick their way through the forest to the nearest town in order to alert the authorities. When arriving at
the saw mill, the police find a Nazi scientist who was completing his unfinished experiments from WWII. He admitted that he would let loose the one-armed boy at night around the campgrounds in order to distract the frightened campers and allow him to drug and kidnap another victim for his experiments.

Anyway, that is the summarized story and it always scared the living hell out of me and made it a little bit harder to sleep while camping.

How do you get inspired to write those intense, scary scenes?

I am truly inspired by the thought of someone’s reaction to a scary scene. I know it is unrealistic to expect someone to scream out loud while reading one of the scary short stories that I have written, but all I desire is that when they
place their book down on their dresser and shut the light off, they at least have to open their eyes once when they hear a noise and their heart beats just a little bit faster than normal. That, my fellow book enthusiasts, is inspiration
enough and would give me the greatest joy.

What type of parameters did you set for the magic elements in your book?

I normally don’t set any parameters, but sometimes I want the reader to have the thought that the magic they are reading about could possibly happen in real life. I really try to strive for a type of blurred lines between fiction and
nonfiction. An example of this in movies would be Phenomenon starring John Travolta. Throughout the movie he can move and control things with his mind. The dim-witted townsfolk are scared by him and believe that he had been
abducted by aliens. Eventually it is discovered that he has a tumor on his brain that makes him ultra-focused. I left that movie questioning the reality of it. It made me think that maybe that could happen in real life. And, that is what I try to achieve in my own writing.

Tell us about your book in 25 words or less.

Title: Amnesty Day (Coming Soon)

The year is 2022. United States population has reached one billion. Desperate for solutions, the Government legalizes murder during a one day period: Amnesty Day.

THIS or THAT

Angels or demons?

Demons

Historical setting or Modern setting?

Historical can really enhance a scary setting.

Tricks or treats?

Tricks

Bram Stoker or Stephanie Meyer?

Of course, Bram Stoker

Where can we find out more about your books?

You can visit our website at www.shedead.com
Come join me on Twitter @shedeadpress
God of Burden: Epic’s Story
http://www.amazon.com/God-Burden-Epics-Story-ebook/dp/B00CHQPJEM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380044553&sr=8-1&keywords=god+of+burden

Amnesty Day coming soon

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Interview & Giveaway with Susan Stec

5/26/2013

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Magic May is drawing to a close here on my blog. Thanks so much to all of the authors who have stopped by! This week I’ve invited Susan Stec, author of The Other F Word, Dead Girls Never Shut Up, and the Grateful Undead series, to be my guest star. Thanks for stopping by, Susan!

What’s your favorite fairy tale, and why? 　

Beauty and the Beast, because a young girl learns that true love is not all about what a person looks like, and falling in love with an image is far less rewarding than falling in love with what lies beneath the skin, in the heart, of another individual.

Where did you come up with the idea for your fairy world? 　

I wanted to write a young adult book about some heavy issues, yet keep it light, interesting, and even amusing. So I thought why not fairies? Give them real human, teen issues—connect reality and fantasy, with a humorous undertone. I chose fairies because myth and folklore always portray them as dark and scary while I have always imagined some of them, enchanting, mysterious, amusing and friendly. This inspired me to create a lighter side to the fairy world by giving them amusing slang words, names that set the stage for individuality and generate some major attitude and amusing personalities. I wanted issues that human teens deal with: relationships, friendships, intolerance, betrayal, alcohol abuse (honey in their world), unsupervised partying, parental standards and rebellion. I thought it would be amusing if they had human-like items: transportation vehicles (insects that don't always behave), itty-bitty smartphones and computers, and the protagonist's mother even has an easy bake oven. From these thoughts Wandermere was born, a fairy realm with a threat of distinction—the human world may hold the answer.

Which of your characters do you relate to most? Why? 　

Layol, because she's attitude with a capitol A. Her bright clothes, platform shoes, computer savvy, and overaggressive loyalty make me laugh. She never thinks before she opens her mouth—creates more issues than she fixes—and her actions are spontaneous, swift and always produce an inverse reaction.

What’s your fantasy novel about, in 25 words or less? 　

A fairy girl deals with intolerance, friendships, physical attraction, betrayal, and her race's expectations.

THIS or THAT
Minecraft or Legend of Zelda?
Definitely, Legend of Zelda

Merlin or Gandolf?
Merlin

Demons or dragons?
Oh, hard one! Ummm, demons

Wands or swords?
Wands

Pixie dust or magic potions?
Pixie dust 　

Where can we find out more about your books?

http://www.amazon.com/Susan-Stec/e/B004H6YF7M

http://thegratefulundead.blogspot.com/
Chicks Writing Rocking YA

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Grateful-Undead-Theyre-So-Vein/113043665460273

The Other F Word is coming soon, but today we'll giveaway an ebook - Susan's edgy & fun book, Deadgirls Never Shut Up - to one lucky commenter!

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Interview with Judy Goodwin

5/22/2013

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The magic continues with my May interviews with fantasy writers. I'm down to the last couple interviews - don’t miss out
on the fun!

This week I’ve invited Judy Goodwin, author of Heart of the Witch to be my guest star. Thanks for being here, Judy!

If you had to do battle with a mythical monster, which one would you choose and how would you defeat it?

I'd choose a dragon because if I'm going to battle a monster, I might as well choose one that tends to sleep on a big pile of gold. And then I'd use a sniper rifle from about 20 yards away. You didn't say it had to be up close and personal!!!

What do you take into consideration when setting parameters for the magic in your books?

It's the big line in this season's "Once Upon a Time" series, and it holds true for every fantasy novel. Magic comes with a price. In order for readers to be able to suspend their disbelief and accept your world as real, the magic needs to have rules and regulations just as firm as any law of gravity or physical science. There should be a cost to use it, and it shouldn't be limitless. Limitless power equals a boring novel.

In my book "Heart of the Witch" there are actually several costs to using magic. The first is that magic is an energy that permeated the world from its creation and joined with nature. This means that magic users--witches--must pull
that energy directly from something living, like a plant or a tree. The second cost is that certain societies have decided that magic is evil. Zerrick's people burn witches at the stake. So there is a danger in being discovered using magic.

Tell us a little about the magical world in your latest book, and what went into creating it.
　
I had an interest in the Salem witch trials. I've been reading fantasy for many years, but I'd grown a little tired
of the medieval setting, and I wanted something different. I thought that a colonial period setting with the background of Puritanism and witch burnings would make a perfect world. What would happen if magic in such a society was
actually real? And what if there really were gods for and against its use?

To make my world different from colonial America, however, I placed the continent in the southern hemisphere, so
instead of forests you have jungles and rainforests. The land is actually based on Australia, and the native people are based on Aborigines. I even used some of their words in the Put-na language in my book.

What’s your fantasy novel about, in 25 words or less?

To learn if his soul is damned, Zerrick must find the heart of magic, buried deep within the land of Argessa.

Where can we learn more about your books?

http://www.amazon.com/Heart-of-the-Witch-ebook/dp/B00AR5HMZO/

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Interview with Rita Bay

5/19/2013

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Magic May is underway here on my blog. There will be two interviews with fantasy authors each week, so don’t miss out!

This week I’ve invited Rita Bay, author of Into the Lyons’ Den (a feline shapeshifter novella) and The Aegis (a Light Warrior vs. vampire novella) from Champagne Books, to visit with me again. Thanks for coming back, Rita!

Thank you for inviting me, Audra. It’s always a pleasure to visit with
folks who enjoy reading as much as I do. There’s an e-book copy of The
Aegis for one commenter who answers the question at the end of our visit.

If you could pick any fantasy world to live in, which would it be,
and why?

My favorite fantasy/scifi world is McCaffrey’s Pern. I would
LOVE to be a dragonrider there. Imagine the attachment to another entity from the bonding, instantaneous travel, and the back-to-basics life style.

What drew you to create the Light Warriors for The Aegis? What type of research did you do for your fantasy novel?

The research came before the idea for the book. Every day I write about European/American history and culture on Rita Bay’s Blog at ritabay.com. When I was preparing a paranormal series for October, I researched vampires. Vampires didn’t exist in literature until the nineteenth century, but stories abound for thousands of years. Centuries-old burials reveal bodies with stakes or sharpened stones, evidently to keep bodies from wandering.

The origins of vampires, however, are not explained. More recent stories either show vampires in a positive light or feature slayers of mysterious origins. Good? Really? Vampires suck blood! Some of the slayers are almost as
bad. Without spoiling the story, The Aegis offers a cohesive story for the origins of vampires and those who hunt and slay them.

What’s your fantasy novel about, in 25 words or less?

While seeking revenge against vampires who destroyed her life, Melinda Kildare finds an ally and more in Light Warrior Damian Sinclair who battles the Dark.

THIS or THAT?

Series or stand-alone?

Stand-alones. I feel cheated by cliffhangers.

Medieval or modern setting?

Love medieval but prefer modern for paranormals

CS Lewis or JRR Tolkien?

McCaffrey

Gandolf or Dumbledore?

Dumbledore

Witches or wizards?

Wizards, usually.

Where can we learn more about your books?

Read blurbs and excerpts for all of my books at http://ritabay.com or check out my Amazon page
at http://www.amazon.com/Rita-Bay/e/B0083WWI7U/ .

I enjoyed our visit, Audra. I liked your question about worlds, so let’s go with it for an e-book of The Aegis to one commenter who answers the following: If you could pick any fantasy world to live in, which would it
be, and why?

Rita Bay
"Celebrating Romance Across the Ages"
ritabay.com with Rita Bay's Blog

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Interview with Linda Ulleseit

5/15/2013

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Break out the wands and pixie dust… it’s Magic May on my blog this month. I will be interviewing two fantasy authors each week, so be sure to catch them all!

This week I’m interviewing Linda Ulleseit, author of On a Wing and a Dare and In the Winds of Danger. Thanks for being here, Linda!

If you could have any magical power, what would it be, and why?

Oh, flying, definitely. Other powers like speed and strength seem so normal,
and it's already something normal humans can do better than I can. Flight is
absolutely not within the realm of a normal human, so it is magical. Flight also
has the power to transcend reality. If you're having a bad day, the beauty and
escape of flight would be perfect!

　

What drew you to write about flying horses?

I have always loved horses, and one of my favorite book series is Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders. I jumbled beautiful horses with the flying dragons and came up with flying horses. In addition, one of my favorite scenes in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books is when Gandalf sees Shadowfax on the plains of Rohan. The idea of those magnificent horses free and wild still takes my breath away. I remember thinking that the only way the horses of Rohan could be better would be if they could fly.

What kind of research did you do to create the medieval setting in your novel?

I wanted to keep my story separate from the actual politics of the time but still give the flavor of medieval times. The Internet is an amazing tool for this. I found myself constantly stopping to check food and clothing details as well as
details of a medieval village. I had to take liberties with attitudes toward women at the time, since the women in my novel are much too spunky for medieval men, but I tried to keep the setting accurate. Some people questioned my use of
helmets and split riding skirts for the women. I know helmets existed in medieval times. Besides, if they were riding flying horses I'm sure they would have invented them, the same for split skirts.

Tell us what your fantasy novel is about, in 25 words or less.

On a Wing and a Dare: Flying horses are threatened with extinction in medieval Wales unless three teenagers break the boundaries of tradition, claiming their destinies. In the Winds of Danger: Owen and Nia must overcome secrets, some threatening and some not theirs, to gain the confidence needed to shape their futures.
　

THIS or THAT

Orcs or cauldron born?

Ewwww you have to START with this one? ummm orcs.

Fantasy Island or Lost?

Fantasy Island

Series or stand-alone?

Series, especially books!

Fairy tales or Greek myths?

Ooooo hard, Greek myths

Wands or swords?

Wands!

Where can we learn more about your books?

Friend Flying Horse Books on Facebook, or visit my website: http://flyinghorsebooks.wordpress.com

To buy your own copy, visit Amazon:
On a Wing and a Dare: http://www.amazon.com/Wing-Flying-Horse-Books-Volume/dp/0615749208/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365191775&sr=8-1&keywords=on+a+wing+and+a+dare

In the Winds of Danger: http://www.amazon.com/Winds-Danger-Flying-Horse-Books/dp/1482302489/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365191809&sr=1-1&keywords=in+the+winds+of+danger

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Interview with Graeme Brown

5/12/2013

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Magic May continues here on my blog. There will be two interviews with fantasy authors each week, so stay tuned!

This week I’ve invited Graeme Brown, author of The Pact to stop by. Thanks for being here, Graeme!

Thank-you, Audra, for having me. it's a pleasure to stop by and chat about fantasy writing.

How did your love of fantasy begin?

I would have to say with J.R.R. Tolkien, though in truth it was
another author by the name of Dennis L. McKiernan who got me into fantasy to begin with. I had seen The Hobbit sitting on my grandma's book shelf all my childhood and always enjoyed looking at the map, but I hated reading. When I was in eighth grade, my teacher asked what kind of books I liked, and I told her, "Something where they go on an adventure." It happens that she was a fantasy reader, and offered me McKiernan's Dark Tide trilogy, which I gobbled up. The Hobbit followed soon after, and the rest is history.

Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to the fantasy genre?

There are a few. Mainly, I have a problem when authors move too quickly and don't let me get rooted in the richness of their world. Fantasy involves creating not just a rich story, but a rich world in which it is set, which, in
my opinion, means much more work when it comes to writing the story. In good fantasy, this world-building is like the lower part of an iceberg, but I can tell when the tip we see above the water is all that exists, and it's jarring.

Other than that, I'd say magic use that conjures deus ex machina is another major problem for me. Having magic is great, but we still need elements to limit possibility, a sense of laws and restrictions that raises our concern when
characters are in jeopardy.
　
If they were to make a movie of your book, which actors would you pick to play your main
characters?

I'm terrible with actor names. When I create characters, I don't have specific people in mind. However, I have a very strong picture of the characters in my mind and would be able to describe them and their mannerisms to a caster, and I
hope this would give any prospective director some guidance.

What’s your fantasy novella about, in 25 words or less?

A cowardly boy who must find courage when he discovers the real reason his castle has been immune for the last two hundred years.

THIS or THAT

Gurgi or Gollum?

Say what?

Witches or wizards?

Wizards

Magic carpet or flying horse?

Hmm...Flying horse

Dungeons & Dragons or Warcraft?

Dungeons and Dragons!

Mead or mulled wine?

Mead
　
Where can we learn more about your books?

Go and visit http://www.graemebrownart.com/the_pact.html
and there is now a map of my world here: http://worldsoftheimagination.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/talespin-tuesday-exercise-6-the-story-of-a-map-from-the-world-of-the-pact/

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Interview with C. Lee Brown

5/8/2013

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The magic continues with my May interviews with fantasy
writers. I've got two interviews each week, so be sure to catch them all! This week I’ve invited C. Lee Brown to be my guest star. He is the author of “Cable Hornman: The Bard Begins” (Book 1 in the Tales of the Bard, with Illustrations by his daughter Traci Throgmorten) and “A Visitor to Sandahl” (A compendium of short stories set in the same world.) Thanks for coming by, Lee!

I’m glad to be invited here, Audra.

Who is your favorite fantasy character of all time and
why?

There are so many fantastic people in the fantasy genre it’s hard to choose, but if I have to go with just one, it has to be Gandalf. To me, he personifies the fantasy hero who struggles against incredible odds to combat evil. Plus he is portrayed by Tolkien as a demi-god with wondrous magical powers. In addition to his magical skills, Gandalf is the wise sage who successfully manipulates people and events for a desired outcome. I loved his presence in the books and felt validated when he was portrayed in the movies by Ian McKellen.

What was the role of the bard in medieval times?

In actual medieval times, the Bard was a musician that brought secular music to the common folk. Most music of
that time was composed mainly for the Catholic churches, but the traveling Bard played ballads, recited poems and even acted out short plays or skits for the people. They were an integral part of society and often invited to perform at
court. Most Bards played some musical instrument. The lute was the most preferred because it was easily carried and provided a wide range of chords.

Did you alter that role for your bard character in your books?

Absolutely, the main character in my stories is Cable Hornman, and he is modeled after the Bard character one
would find in a role-playing game. In addition to playing music, reciting poems or tall tales, and passing on the news from the next town over, Cable has a complete set of other skills. He is a master swordsman and trained fighter.
Before leaving the City Guard in Smeln, he was knighted as a Cavalier and promoted to the rank of Captain. He spent time with the Thieves Guild to learn all their secrets about picking locks, hiding in shadows, climbing walls and
detecting traps. He is also (in the new book) seeking a mentor to learn how to use magic. Cable is descended from a special group of humans called the Paragon, who possess a “Power” that works much like magic, but can actually be used to “Create.” His long term goal will be to master this ability and eventually confront the people who killed his family when he was just a toddler. In the mean time, Cable is developing a reputation as something of a medieval crime
solver. (I spent seven years as a Police Captain and it just comes out in the story.)

Your fantasy world is very detailed, down to the interior layout and food specialties of each tavern. How do you keep it all straight?

My world consists of the planet Pearl which has four major continents. The story takes place on Methanasia. I
have one huge map of this continent and several smaller maps and sketches of specific realms. I keep a list based on
Etymology for names of people, places and things. These names are drawn from all languages, including Esperanto, and even a couple dead ones. I know what the name means and from which language it was derived. Another list contains two hundred names I generated for Inns and Taverns. When I use a name it goes on a
list for that story or novel and it is changed to bold on both lists. I also have documents that describe characters, places, races, how magic works, the local nobility and other noteworthy information. I’m always adding more data
to my world building. All this started in 3-ring binders with document protectors about 1984. I even cut out photos from articles for inspiration. In the past decade, I’ve moved most of it over to computer files. More recently, I
researched crows, their Etymology and all their variations because, like here on Earth, they are prolific all over the planet of Pearl, and play a key role in the story. I knew in my mind the way of magic in Methanasia, but also
had to document that recently. A lot of this is generated answering questions for other writers who are working on short stories for the Sandahl anthologies. Most of it is in my head, but I try to document anything new just
to be consistent. I worked in Military Intelligence for 21 years and I guess that molded me into something of a perfectionist with a lot of attention to details. I sometimes wonder how I ever allowed the first book to go to the
publishers; I wanted to keep getting the bugs out. But we have to learn to let go at some point.

What’s your latest fantasy novel about, in 25 words or less?

“Secret of the Druids” starts out with a drunken wizard, a blue dragon, an Elf wedding invitation, Druids, thieves, a witch, a big pink guy and a talking ferret.

THIS or THAT

Fairy tales or Greek myths?

I like both, but Greek mythology rules.

Witches or wizards?

I use both in my novels and stories. OK, Wizards!

CS Lewis or JRR Tolkien?

Tolkien is the master of fantasy.

Magic carpet or flying horse?

Give me Pegasus every time…..

Lyres or mandolins?

Mandolin or lute. (Lyres and harps are for sissies)

Where can we learn more about your books?

I don’t have a webpage (yet) so the best place is to look up Cable Hornman on Amazon or Createspace. Here’s a
link to the Amazon page:

http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Hornman-The-Bard-Begins/dp/1439227675/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_t_1_5B92

Both of my books are available in soft cover and Kindle on Amazon.

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Interview with Dani Collins

5/5/2013

1 Comment

Magic May continues here on my blog with two interviews with fantasy authors each week. Don’t miss out on the fun!

This week I’ve invited Dani Collins, author of The Healer, a medieval fantasy that crosses a Highlander romance with a political thriller, to be my guest star. Thanks for joining me,
Dani!

Hi Audra, thanks for inviting me!

Who is your favorite fantasy villain of all time, and why?

Am I allowed to make it a fairly recent one? I loved Seneca Crane of the
Hunger Games. I also love Snape, even though he’s not the real villain of the HPS. (Shan’t name the one who is!)

I think I just love seeing really refined, sarcastic, flawed men being subtly
cruel in a very disciplined way. I don’t like truly crazy, or those who
physically bind and torture, and I don’t like the odds to be stacked too high.

I like it to be a real contest for the protagonist, preferring when the villain is the embodiment of what the hero/heroine could have become and they overcome that dark reflection of themselves.

If Peter Jackson were to make a movie out of your novel, what would you hate to see him change about it?

If he added some small CGI humanoid, I’d lose my mind. The sweeping landscapes and the stunning alpha males fresh from the fight I will take, in spades please.

When you write, are you more of a planner or a pantser?

I’m a planner. I’ve learned this is a more productive process for me, less backtracking to fix bad decisions. (Which isn’t to say I don’t explore sometimes, when genius arrives to carry me away, but I always second-guess that
and try to see how it changes my plan and whether it will really work.)

Tell us what your fantasy novel is about, in 25 words or less.

Vaun frees a slave he thinks is Kerf, like him, but Athadia is Alvian, one of the dying race of healers his people fear—and she senses he is one too. 31, sorry!
　
THIS or THAT

Elves or dwarves?

LOTR Elves? SUCH a crush on Legolas. Dobby type elves? See above. Don’t care for them.

Mead or mulled wine?

Gonna go with wine, since I don’t like really syrupy drinks and mead always struck me as such, but I’m willing to be proved wrong.

Medieval or modern setting?

Medieval. It’s so much simpler to write conflict and narrative if people are unable to pick up the cellphone and solve an issue in three lines of conversation.

Xanth or Middle-earth?

LOVE Xanth. I still laugh whenever I think of A Spell for Chameleon, imagining Mr. Anthony getting to know his wife in their first year of marriage and going, “You know…” That must have been his inspiration, don’t you think?

Rowling or Riordan?

Rowling, because when the first Harry Potter books were gaining traction, I was a skeptic and thought it was just The Next Fad that people were getting behind without any real substance to back it up. Then I happened to be on the
beach and a mom next to us began reading the first book aloud to her kids. I was hooked before Harry got out of the cupboard and wound up reading it to my own kids.
　
Where can we learn more about your books?

You can visit my website to read more about The Healer. It’s available through Champagne Books,
Amazon , US, Amazon CA, Kobo, or ARe.

Or contact me through Facebook or Twitter. I love hearing from readers.

Thanks Audra!

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A visit from Helen Henderson's Lady Broch...

Interview with Olga Godim

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Interview with Judy Goodwin

Interview with Rita Bay

Interview with Linda Ulleseit

Interview with Graeme Brown

Interview with C. Lee Brown

Interview with Dani Collins

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