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/
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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