TA Frost interview

Today I’m interviewing TA Frost about his forthcoming dark fantasy novel Up To The Throne, which came out on the 18^th December.

Q: First things first: is it a stand-alone novel, or the first part in a series?

A: Up To The Throne is a stand-alone novel, but there will be two sequels, which will involve the same characters in further adventures. They'll also introduce the setting: I've got plans for a much longer set of related novels, but that's a very long-term objective at the moment.

Q: What’s the premise of Up To The Throne?

A: Several years ago, a petty criminal was left to die when a crime lord wiped out the stable of thieves of which she was a part. She was little more than a witness to be silenced - but she survived, and has returned to her home city to take her revenge. However, things have changed since she fled, and the man who ordered her death is now a respected member of society, whose killing will leave the city vulnerable to some very bad people indeed. Giulia, our heroine, must decide whether to take her revenge, even if doing so may bring the city down.

Q: Up To The Throne’s protagonist is Giulia Degarno. What can you tell us about her? What’s her background and aspirations?

A: Giulia is something of a renegade: once a pickpocket, she now fits into that grey area between enforcing the law and breaking it - and has considerable experience concerning theft. She's bitter and vengeful, but also intelligent, loyal and very skilled - not the best person in her world, but not the worst by a very long way. A useful person to know, and a bad one to cross!

Q: The blurb describes the story as taking place in a Renaissance city. Is it historical fiction, or a Renaissance-style city in a mythical world?

A: The setting of Up To The Throne is to the Renaissance what a lot of classic fantasy is to Medieval Europe: a magical, slightly condensed version of the present. Giulia's world has a lot of parallels with our own, but with one main difference: magic. Magic not just in terms of wizardry, but in enchantments that enable all sorts of bizarre contraptions to work, and in the magical creatures who occupy a perilous but important position in society.

Q: Again going by the blurb, it sounds strongly Italian (and perhaps Roman) influenced: what sort of technology is used? Do we have gunpowder, or are crossbows de rigueur? Is magic present in this world and, if so, how does it work?

A: We do have gunpowder, although (as with the real world back then) it's imperfect, expensive and not very reliable. There is magic, but this is a fairly low-magic setting, in that there are not many wizards who can throw fireballs around (probably fortunately, what with the gunpowder!). Magic is more often encountered in subtle forms, such as alchemy and enchantments. Timber soaked in the right alchemical reagents, for instance, is ideal for making flying machines...

Q: Recent years have seen some cracking grimdark books released, although the squeamish find them a bit much. How much sex and violence can we expect to enjoy in your new dark fantasy book?

A: The sex and violence is really hard to answer. It's not actually incredibly graphic, but there definitely is some violence. More interesting to me is a sense of murkiness and danger, like a film noir. One of my big non-SFF influences is Raymond Chandler, and while his books aren't wall-to-wall gore, there's a real feeling of corruption, intrigue and menace. So I don't mind if people want to describe Up To The Throne as grimdark, but I don't think it revels in carnage. Maybe a 15 rather than 18 rating?

Q: What sources, whether historical or fictional, helped inspire the setting and/or characters? Are there hints of Machiavelli and Borgia?

A: There were loads of inspirations! Definitely history, and the Borgias, Medicis and so on would certainly feature highly. You can find some fascinating bits and pieces in history that help you go beyond the stereotypes. Also, I looked at a lot of paintings from that time, which help to focus my mind on the setting. But I was also influenced by crime novels and other fantasy: the inspiration for Giulia came from a picture in an old D&D manual!

Q: Obviously, people know you (as Toby Frost) from writing the adventures of Space Captain Smith. Although you’ve written several entries in that sci-fi comedy series, this is your first foray into both ‘serious’ fantasy and self-publishing. What different challenges have those two things presented?

A: Writing fantasy and books without jokes doesn't feel like that much of a worry - in a way, it's quite nice not to have to be funny. There's the same sense of building a world that I've had with the Smith books, and populating it with interesting stories and strange people. Self-publishing is a bit scary, though: there's this real fear that, after all the hard work, your book just vanishes into the ether. And, of course, you've not got the support network that you usually have. So it's quite daunting, to be honest! In a way I'm seeing it as an experiment, but Up To The Throne is a story I've wanted to tell for a long time, and it's good to be able to tell it.

Q: After Up To The Throne is released, what are you immediate plans for writing and publishing? More dark fantasy, a return to comedy, or a bit of both?

A: As for what happens next, there's loads of ways it could go. I'd like to return to Space Captain Smith's world, perhaps to write something at a bit of a tangent. But I've also got plans for more fantasy, and I'm working on a sequel to Up To The Throne right now. So there's a lot of potential - the difficult bit is in making it work!

Thanks to TA Frost for the interview, and if you want to buy the book or learn more, check out these links:

Buy on Amazon

Author site

Book mini-site

Thaddeus

An Interview with Terry Mancour

Pleased to say that today I’ve been joined by Terry Mancour, author of the Spellmonger series (10 parts currently and still going strong). There are some spoilers in the interview below.

What's the premise of Necromancer, the tenth and most recent instalment in the Spellmonger series?

Necromancer is a climactic book, in a couple of different ways. First, it’s the tenth book in the series, and hitting double digits deserves some celebration, plot-wise. There are elements that I brought up in Spellmonger, Book 1, that I didn’t revisit until Book 10. Secondly, it’s also the conclusion of a trilogy (quadrology?), of sorts. Books 8 (Court Wizard) and 9 (Shadowmage) take place partially concurrent with Book 7, Enchanter, but from different character perspectives. In Necromancer I had to unite those three disparate character and plot perspectives and put Minalan back into the picture, character-wise. All of those deeply personal questions that arose at the end of Enchanter had to be answered.

Plot-wise, Minalan the Spellmonger is in rough shape . . . but he has hope. It involves an impossible quest and a tricky set of moves in which he manipulates everyone he needs to, from his own vassals to the very gods, to get what he wants. Thematically, it’s a quasi-Orphic quest in which he goes into both a figurative and a literal Land of the Dead in order to bring his wife, Alya, back from a persistent vegetative state. It’s a fight between Min’s ego and intellect and the dark forces around him – not all of which are readily apparent. He emerges from a dark place, by the end of the book, but only at great cost.

The early books focused very much on the goblin threat, but more recently it’s on the backburner. Can you tell us whether the Dead God and his goblin hordes will be coming back soon, or even at all?

The role of the gurvani (goblins) has changed, since Spellmonger, but they are still very important to the over-all plot, as is their fossilized Dark Lord. As truths about Callidore’s past get revealed, Sheruel’s simple desire for genocide will seem quaint and wholesome compared to Korbal – or, at least, the reader might feel a little more sympathetic to the gurvani. They have been kicked around by a lot of different peoples over the years, and they feel sidelined by the Nemovorti. They were finally on top, with an undead Dark Lord of their very own, and now this! They very aren’t happy about it. We will see Sheruel again, and the rise of the Goblin King as rebels against Korbal’s betrayal. Gurkarl will decidedly play a role, because yes, I enjoy drawing out plotlines that far for the pure hedonistic joy of it.

There are many parts already in the series, and many planned ahead. How much detail have you charted out the course of future books, or do you make a vague outline for each planned instalment and only develop it when you arrive at that book?

In some cases, quite a bit. I know how it ends, more or less. I know what has to happen for the end to happen. I know the cool scenes I want to write. But there is much undiscovered country along the way, and part of the joy for me, as the writer, is having unexpected stuff fall out of my brain and onto the page. I know we can expect to see some familiar fantasy tropes tackled in a slightly new or different way.

Min will go on the road, during his exile, and there will be a lot of adventures before the end. But I’ve learned not to over-plot my books before I’ve started them. That’s boring for the reader and for me. And its too much work. It’s easier to hitch my subconscious to the plow of my keyboard, or somesuch other analogy, and let it do the heavy work. That opens my writing up to spontaneous inclusions of interesting bits of stuff I pick up in my research.

Writing a series offers both writer and readers the ease of a consistent world and characters, as well as enabling for more character depth and development than a single volume, but keeping consistency without making things repetitive or ‘samey’ can be tricky. What’s the greatest challenge you’ve found writing a series which is now up to part 10?

Thankfully, while the piano only has 88 keys they still keep getting new songs out of it. Fantasy is much the same. Both J. R. R. Tolkien and George R. R. Martin use the medieval European fantasy setting, dragons, swords, magic, etc., but they are two entirely different stories. Hopefully, Terry R. R. Mancour will be able keep playing across those tropes in an entertaining way.

The episodic format of series fantasy fiction is helpful. But it’s also important for the writer to not abuse that. I make a point that each of my novels is a complete novel, in itself, not merely a section of a larger work. That means they need a beginning, a middle, an end, a plot, character development, and the rest.

Part of that can rest on the natural progression of events and character development. If you do it right, and understand human nature sufficiently, then figuring out how your character is going to change and develop in response to the course of events isn’t as hard as most writers seem to make it. In Enchanter, Minalan underwent stages of psychological response to a major personal trauma. That’s a pretty clear course of development to follow, and it gave the story greater depth without a lot of psychobabble. Or not much.

Part of that has to be supplied by the author applying a different approach or perspective on the same old medieval fantasy tropes. I find I take a lot of inspiration from significant events of the Middle Ages. Journeymage, for instance, was inspired by the Children’s Crusade.

Thankfully, the Middle Ages had a lot of fascinating stories that Fantasy literature has endlessly reinterpreted. While knight vs. dragon, elf vs. dwarf, etc. has had a lot of play, there are plenty of great tropes I haven’t used yet. In the future, expect some stories and plots revolving around the plague, voyages of exploration, peasant’s revolts, pirates, a succession crisis, and perhaps even the Inquisition. I’ll also be doing some more-familiar Fantasy tropes, such as the Dragon’s Lair, the Secret Cult, the Lost Civilization, the Ancient Evil, etc. Any of these is enough to hang an entire novel on, if you do it right. Mixing and matching them in the Spellmonger universe is a joy, and I have a long way to go before I start running short of material.

The series is focused entirely on Minalan to start with, but more recent instalments have seen other perspectives become increasingly important. Was this always planned, or did you feel that either telling the story or offering a new point of view was necessary to keep things fresh?

At a certain point, I think you have to vary the perspective in order to keep the reader’s attention. Consider that an awful lot more happened in the Civil War than what Rhett Butler saw and experienced. Offering those different perspectives allows you to give true depth to your world-building. It also allows the author to inject differences of perspective that can be jarring.

A case in point is how I handled the character of Dara in Necromancer. Dara has been the lead in the Young Adult/Cadet spin-off series I’ve done chronicling the events of the Spellmonger Series from her perspective. An adolescent girl and a middle-aged man see things very differently, and their perceptions of each other are as flawed and biased as anyone’s. I caught some flak from fans about how Dara, after being a strong and resilient character in one series, seems to be a whiny and self-absorbed girl in the main series.

Here’s the thing: to Minalan’s perspective, she is a whiny and self-absorbed girl. But Min’s perspective is informed by only a few brief scenes, not the introspection that Dara is undertaking as she moves from childhood to adulthood. To her, Min is a wise and powerful wizard who always knows what to do, not a self-doubting and sometimes self-loathing mage who frequently feels he’s in waaaay over his head. Which perspective is the “true” one? Neither. Each is just as valid, and by shifting viewpoints and characters to review the same events I hope to build up a tension that eventually erupts into conflict between the two.

A similar thing occurred with Pentandra. Responding in part to the popular ideas that a) there were no good female leading characters in Fantasy (which I dispute) and b) that men could not write good or convincing female characters, I wrote Court Wizard from Pentandra’s perspective. Within the novel she sees quite a bit of Callidore’s society that Minalan doesn’t, thanks to both her class and her gender. More, I had to change not only the nominal gender of the main character, but had to work to understand her perspective myself. Regardless of the politics of the moment, men and women generally tend to approach the same situations from slightly different directions. While there are notable exceptions, writing a female lead convincingly had to encompass some of these basic differences or Pentandra would have just sounded like Min in drag. No one wants that.

The further excursions into perspective, specifically Book 4, Knights Magi, and its more-or-less sequel Book 9, Shadowmage, explore the relationship with Tyndal and Rondal, Min’s senior apprentices. They’re undergoing an entirely different journey than Dara. They have different motivations and seek different risks and rewards. And they all see Callidore differently.

It’s not just a matter of keeping things fresh. Changing characters and perspective can serve the greater story when the reader knows things that the main character doesn’t. In fact, keeping track of who knows what, when, and how that advances the plot is something I spend a lot of time on.

Your books are selling nicely and well-reviewed, but do you ever want a break from the Spellmonger world? Are you working on anything else/have other plans, or are you just enjoying writing the series?

I’m so glad you asked! I am absolutely devoted to the Spellmonger series – it’s like a rich mug of ale.  But I have two sci-fi series underway, at the moment.

The first is my Tanith series, a continuation of H. Beam Piper’s classic space opera novel, Space Viking. After the original author tragically committed suicide with no heirs, his work became public domain. I’ve written two short sequels to the original already, Prince of Tanith and Princess Valerie’s War, and I’m working on a capstone finale to the work now, called Trask’s Odyssey.

And I will be totally honest: one reason it’s taking so long to produce the final book is that I’m enjoying it too much. If Spellmonger is like a rich mug of ale, then the Tanith Series is like a dirty double martini with three olives.

Secondly, I have a second sci-fi trilogy I’ve begun publishing. I won’t get into the background of the work here, but it’s an original time-travel piece that’s also (wait for it) openly pornographic. Sexually explicit. With all the best dirty words. It’s called the Casanova’s Butterfly trilogy, and the first book, Bad Penny, was released last summer to generally good reviews. I’ll be releasing the other two parts this summer and next, respectively. It’s already written, I just want to space it out because I’m like that.

It’s a trashy beach read and a lot of fun for any student of history or erotica or both. The main character is an anti-hero Pick-Up-Artist who goes pro by joining an elite government-sponsored time-travel program which goes back in time to insert certain genetic corrections into the human genomes to avoid a future catastrophe. The Old Fashioned Way: by seducing your grandmother. Most of the MC’s work is in the mid 20th century, the 1940s-1970s, one of my favorite historical periods. Along the way, the character’s hubris and arrogance screws up the time stream but good. If Spellmonger is a rich cup of ale, Casanova’s Butterfly is like a classic Manhattan with a roofie in it. I like to think of it as the Thinking Man’s porn novel.

The Spellmonger series is classic high fantasy. What were your inspirations, whether fictional or (for the political side, probably) real life?

It goes without saying that Tolkien is my bedrock inspiration, and my appreciation of the Professor grows every time I start another book. I also credit George R. R. Martin for some inspiration, because I began reading him before Game of Thrones and enjoy his approach to prose.

Other influences may be more obscure or subtle, even when I try to make them blatant, but here it goes: First and foremost would be Steven Brust’s Adrilankha series. My approach to Min’s character is closest to how Steve handles Vlad, his main character. Careful readers of both series will recognize me blatantly ripping off Steve’s character for a kind of cross-platform cameo in Shadowmage. But Steve’s wit and humor informed Min, and his approach to a well-drawn character is something I am proud to have stolen from him. Brust is the spiritual heir of Roger Zelazny’s amazing style, and I can’t recommend his stuff highly enough. Zelazny, himself, is a huge influence as well, particularly the Chronicles of Amber and the Lord of Light, but I even tracked down his “hard boiled detective novel” from the 1960s, and it rocked.

Another powerful influence was Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series. Even though it has dragons and castles, it isn’t Fantasy. Not a lick of magic in it. It’s high-concept Sci-Fi with really good characters. Much of my cadet novels were cribbed from her Harper Hall YA trilogy. Another was Andrew Offut, who might be a little obscure for some folks but who did some great work back in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly for the Thieves’ World shared-universe series (for which Brust contributed a story, last volume). If you aren’t familiar, Thieves’ World was a wonderful collection of fantasy stories that really demonstrated the chops of some of the better fantasy writers of its time. Offut’s stories always impressed me the most. His original novels were likewise superior, though he didn’t get the acclaim that he deserved for their quality. Andy Offut knew how to get the most out of his characters, especially the minor ones, and when I need inspiration I frequently turn to his stories in the anthologies.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Fritz Lieber and Robert Howard, whose magnificent bodies of work informed the adventurous imagination of my childhood and occasionally leak all over Spellmonger. They made the world safe for brawny-thewed barbarians everywhere.

Non-literary influences should be included. Count the Boy Scouts and Dungeons & Dragons (which I was, incidentally, introduced to in Boy Scouts by Chris Evans – thanks, Chris!) as among my strongest. The BSA led, of course, to the Kasari culture in Spellmonger, and D&D has been a constant source of both inspiration and research.

Looking back at the 10 parts to date, which character (whether major or minor) have you found most enjoyable to write, and why?

I have a few favorites, and I’ll take the various main characters off the table for the sake of this question. Writing Crazy Alya was fun, largely because she’s usually so level-headed. I love writing the various Wizards of Sevendor, especially Olmeg the Green and Banamor. Both are based on people I know. Gatina the Kitten was a delicious delight to write, because she combines utter commitment with youthful enthusiasm. Onranion is a blast because he just doesn’t give a crap, and so is the Sorceress of Sorsha Wood, Lilastien the Rebel, M.D., the last remaining member of the Callidore Colonial Medical Service.

I love Sire Cei. I love writing Azar. There are characters that I absolutely love and who I haven’t even gotten to, yet. And yes, sadly, some won’t make it. But I have plenty to work with, and as long as I can keep them all sounding different and exciting, we’ll keep seeing them. Some will even get their own books. Banamor, Olmeg, Sire Cei and Zagor the Hedgemage will all get separate stories focusing on their perspectives, hopefully this year. Others will be explored in the future.

When can we expect the 11th instalment, and can you reveal anything about the premise?

I thought I might tell this one from the vampire’s point of view.

Seriously, Book 11 begins the second major arc of the series. The first ten books (decalogy) is The Spellmonger Ascendant. The second ten will be The Spellmonger’s Exile. In the first series, we see the rise of Min from lowly village spellmonger to senior noble of a unified kingdom. We saw how he built Sevendor from scratch and changed the feudal society he found himself in for the better: Magic in the Service of Man.

The second series will go a little darker. Now that Min has been exiled from Sevendor for at least three years, and then put unexpectedly in charge of the Magelaw, he has an even greater task ahead: building Vanador, a city designed to challenge the might of the various Dark Lords directly, without messing around too much with the rest of the Five Duchies. He has recovered his family, somewhat, and finds himself threatened in ways he never suspected once he becomes Count of the Magelaw.

In one way, the pressure has never been higher. At the end of Necromancer we saw our understanding of the war, so far, challenged by events and revelations from the past. Humanity has finally caught the attention of the Sea Folk, and now Min has to figure out what to do with it . . . as well as solving the complicated thaumaturgic puzzle of how to re-create the freak Snowstone spell. His wife is only beginning to recover her sanity and her fragmented memories. He faces a dauntless foe with very few resources or advantages, and no allies nearby to speak of. His political situation has never been more dire, and the future looks grim.

Yet in another way, Min has never been happier. The accomplishment he feels after retrieving the Handmaiden in Necromancer gives him great power, and he doesn’t see the various threats to Vanador as serious, compared to Korbal and Sheruel. The goblins are fighting each other, for a change, and the thousands of former slaves he helped free are struggling to rebuild their shattered lives in a shattered and depopulated land. Min has learned how to develop a country, thanks to Sevendor, and he has a lot more help this time. He’s living where he originally wanted to (more or less) with the girl of his dreams and their children. His enemies are far away and think he’s been bound by his exile, when nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Min sees his exile as a means of catching up on some important work while allowing Sevendor to grow naturally, without his direct guidance for a while. In a way, he’s off the game board of Kingdom-level politics. In a way, he’s at the center of it.

It’s a time of restful watchfulness and preparing for future battles. A time of repose, reflection, rebuilding and consideration of the future. So, nothing of consequence happens. I anticipate that it will be a really long and boring book on peasant market economics and the fascinating study of crop rotation’s effects on overall productivity and peasant farmers’ risk management schemes. I foresee some fascinating discussions on comparative thatching techniques. Perhaps some titillating debate about the differences between canon and secular law. Livestock will be discussed in depth and detail. There might even be some authentic pottage recipes, if you’re good.

There will be a mix of old characters and new. To the fore will be Tyndal, Gareth, Ruderal, Carmella, Azar, Wenek, Sandoval, Terleman, Landrik, Caswallon, Thinradel, Cormoran, the Dradrien, and others. On the back burner (in the “Meanwhile, Back In Sevendor . . . .” sense) will be Rondal, Gatina, Pentandra, Anguin, Sire Cei, Banamor, Olmeg, and Dara. Ithalia and Onranion will be present. Varen, Fallawen, and Lilastien will have cameos, at best.

We’ll also see some new folk in the woods of the Wilderlands: Rumel’s people, commonly known as Wood Dwarves. Durin’s Folk, they ain’t. Some new critters we haven’t seen before, including powderhorns and shapeshifting predators. We’ll see how someone other than Dara commands a wing of Sky Riders. We’ll start to get to know Min’s kids as more than names. Including the children of Greenflower. We’ll see what light an ancient AI from humanity’s past can shed on the current colony’s precarious position. We’ll find out more about the Forsaken. And we’ll see just who among his many manly minions Korbal considers powerful enough to challenge the Spellmonger.

As to when it will be out, that’s difficult to say. It takes a while to craft a book like that, a lot of research and a lot of writing. I took much of this year off of Spellmonger to prepare for the next series and finish up the audiobooks for the first one. I’ve committed to publishing three other novels and some stories before I even get there. I’m also feverishly working on additional texts, like the Atlas of the Five Duchies and a FRP module and sourcebook, in conjunction with superfan and recognized Mage Knight of Sevendor, Aaron Schwartz. I need to continue my marketing efforts and my development efforts. I’d really like to see some elements of Spellmonger in an AV format, someday, and have been working in that direction. I’d also be interested in exploring a comic adaptation, if I could find the right artist. I’ve been looking for a few years, now, but haven’t found someone who can do it, yet.

All of that being said, I can make this simple guarantee: YOU WILL SEE BOOK 11, THAUMATURGE, BEFORE YOU SEE WINDS OF WINTER. Likely sometime in early 2019.

So, suck it, George R. R. Martin.

Links:

Kindle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Terry-Mancour/e/B004QTNFOO/

https://www.amazon.com/Terry-Mancour/e/B004QTNFOO/

Audible: https://www.audible.co.uk/search?searchAuthor=Terry+Mancour

Thaddeus

Interview with Anna Dickinson

It’s one day until Journeys comes out, and I’ve been joined by Anna Dickinson, one of the fantasy anthology’s contributors (alongside myself).

1. Could you tell us the title and a one or two sentence premise of your story in Journeys?

"Tomas and the Virgin"

A boy and his father set out to capture the vanishingly rare Golden Roc. The hunt ought to be routine-- Tomas and his father are professionals, after all -- but the virgin they're using as bait just won't do what she's told.

2. When writing short stories for anthologies, do you prefer to have them be stand-alone or tied into your other works’ worlds?

Stand-alone. Then I can go wherever I like with them.

3. Over the time you’ve been writing, have you changed the way you do things, whether streamlining the process or moving from spontaneity to planning, or vice versa?

My first foray into writing was totally unplanned, and took me forever to finish (actually, it still might not be completely finished -- I keep meaning to go back to it). Since then, I've tried to have a general idea of where I'm going, although that's not always where I end up.

I can't plan things out in detail because it sucks all the joy out of the writing process for me. If I get stuck, I'll use planning to work out what I'm doing, especially the conflict diagrams from Storyteller Tools by Harold Page.

4. Besides fantasy, the genre of Journeys, do you write in other genres or in differing styles (grimdark, high fantasy etc)?

I mainly write YA contemporary fantasy, with mobile phones and buses and supermarkets, so Journeys was a bit of a detour from my comfort zone. I really enjoyed it, and now I'm working on a Regency romance (with magic!) to see what it's like to write about another historical period. Unfortunately, although I intended the romance to be about muslin and ringlets, it's turning quite dark.

5. What are your inspirations? Are they mostly historical/literary, and how much do other modern writers influence you?

I find this a really hard question to answer. There are authors I love and would give an unspecified number of fingers (or toes) to write like: Diana Wynne Jones. Holly Black, Patricia McKillip, for example, but inspiration is a slippery thing, and ideas tend to just appear.

6. If readers enjoy Tomas and the Virgin which of your other works would you recommend they try?

I don't have much else published yet, but if people like Tomas, they'd perhaps also like Lara, the heroine of THE BOY BY THE LAKE in Woodbridge Press's THE HAUNTING OF LAKE MANOR HOTEL. That story's full of bone-filled lakes and man-eating trees. There's kissing, too. [Excellent recommendation, as the authors of that anthology are renowned for their talent and attractiveness. Also, check my story in it too – TW].

7. Beyond your own work, what do you like to read?

All sorts of things. The authors I mentioned above, fantasy, YA, classics (especially Austen and Dickens). I'm currently reading THE GODDESS PROJECT by Bryan Wigmore and chewing my nails off in envy; I just finished THE CALL by Peadar O Guilin (I'm still a bit traumatised). I loved Melina Marchetta's fantasy series, I have a secret enthusiasm for Tessa Dare's comic Regency Romance, and when Nathan sent us the prompt, I started re-reading The Belgariad (I remembered the series as being mostly journey, which it is).

8. In between answering inane questions and writing, how do you like to unwind?

Unwind, you say? When I'm not writing or reading or faffing around on social media pretending to have opinions on things I don't know about I'm responding to the cries of "Muuuuuuum!" when my kids can't find their socks/ a glass of water/ a school book.

Thanks, Anna. You can find out more about Anna and her writing here:

http://annawrites.net/

Thaddeus

Interview with Juliana Spink Mills

I’m delighted to say I’ve been joined by Juliana Spink Mills, one of the authors (alongside myself) who contributed to forthcoming fantasy anthology Journeys (available for pre-order now, publishes 15 February).

1. Could you tell us the title and a one or two sentence premise of your story in Journeys?

My story for Journeys is called Fool’s Quest, and it follows a trio of mercenaries who have been hired by the king to track down the raiders who kidnapped his daughter.

2. When writing short stories for anthologies, do you prefer to have them be stand-alone or tied into your other works’ worlds?

I prefer writing stand-alone pieces, because they give me a break from the worlds I’m writing about in my longer works. Stand-alone short stories also give me a chance to play with something new without committing to an entire novel.

3. Over the time you’ve been writing, have you changed the way you do things, whether streamlining the process or moving from spontaneity to planning, or vice versa?

I used to be a rigid outliner when I first started out. It was the only way I could get to the end of a novel – I had to know from the start exactly where I was going each step of the way. I’ve loosened up a little now, and I find I work better with a rough general outline, more of a ‘connect the dots’ manner of writing. Though I still do detailed outlines for specific segments, like action or fight scenes that need careful choreographing.

4. Besides fantasy, the genre of Journeys, do you write in other genres or in differing styles (grimdark, high fantasy etc)?

I also write ‘light’ science fiction, like my story In Plain Sight in the Aliens – The Truth Is Coming anthology (Tickety Boo Press, 2016). And my Blade Hunt Chronicles series (Woodbridge Press) is a YA urban fantasy.

5. What are your inspirations? Are they mostly historical/literary, and how much do other modern writers influence you?

When starting a new story, I often begin with a setting or a specific feel I want to capture. History can play into it; one of my current projects is inspired by the 1980s gold rush in the Brazilian Amazon. As for other writers, I think if you read a lot, like I do, it’s hard not to be influenced to some extent. Though I think that having been an 80s teen may explain my fondness for car chases, fireballs, and narrow escapes – I blame movies like Die Hard, Indiana Jones, and The Goonies for that! [TW: +2 cool points for Die Hard/Indiana Jones references].

6. If readers enjoy Fool’s Quest which of your other works would you recommend they try?

Because of the fast pace of my short story, and the teen main characters, I’d definitely recommend my brand new YA novel Heart Blade, the first in a 4-book series.

7. Beyond your own work, what do you like to read?

Nowadays, I read mostly fantasy, though I’m pretty eclectic as to what I pick up within the genre – epic, urban fantasy, steampunk... Anything goes, really. I also enjoy science fiction. I’ve always loved kidlit, and since I focus mainly on YA and middle grade as a writer, I tend to mix up reading ‘adult books’ with books aimed at younger readers.

8. In between answering inane questions and writing, how do you like to unwind?

Reading, watching way too many SF/F TV shows, walking the dog. My Friday night longsword class is also a great way to end the week and unwind!

Thanks, Juliana. If you enjoyed hearing about Journeys and Heart Blade you can find out more about Juliana's writing here:

Website: www.jspinkmills.com

Twitter: @JSpinkMills

Thaddeus

Interview with Brian Turner

Today I’m joined for interview by Brian Turner, who is author of the recently released fantasy Gathering (Chronicles of Empire book 1), as well as lord of the SFF Chrons manor (an excellent forum where people into fantasy and science fiction can discuss writing, reading, books, film and so forth).

There’s an ensemble cast rather than a single (or a couple) stand-out POV characters. Why did you choose to go down the route of many POVs, and what did you feel the advantages were?

As some people have noticed, the inspiration for the Chronicles of Empire series came from role-playing games. One huge difficulty was taking that experience and giving it life outside of those limitations.

But if I were plotting and writing from scratch, I would definitely have focused on no more than 3-4 max. The more main characters there are, the more difficult it becomes to pull off successfully.

I found it horribly, horribly, challenging. I was lucky in that I had a great developmental editor in Teresa Edgerton, who wasn’t afraid to tell me when I was going wrong.

The sole advantage of an ensemble cast, though, is that you can tell a more complex yet complete story. That’s why they’re so common in film and TV. But with novels, it requires a disproportionate amount of effort to try and make it work. There’s a clear reason why most books are focused on one main character, even in the presence of a strong supporting cast.


Seven main characters travelling together is the hallmark of a writing genius* but it also somewhat limits the scope of action. Presumably in later books (a bit like the Fellowship of the Ring) the group gets split up for separate adventures?
(*I may have used a very similar approach in Journey to Altmortis).

That already happens to a degree in Gathering, and it will do so to a degree in other books. Ultimately, the story is about how these characters work for and against one another in the longer telling of it.

At no point do I ever think about sending people off on journeys to make the writing easier - such events must make the writing harder because it has to make the story more complex and self-referencing.

A story about an ensemble cast must remain a story about an ensemble cast, and not a collection of individual adventures.

It’s clear from reading the book that you’ve done plenty of research when it comes to historical influences. What particular sources did you find useful for world-building a (mostly) medieval fantasy?

I’ve read a huge amount of history over the past 20 years as research for the Chronicles of Empire series. The aim has always been to use that to make the world of the story seem more real, even if I’m limited with how much world-building I can share.

The big challenge has been to move away from political history and into social history, and focus on the details of daily life that make the everyday experience both extraordinary yet ordinary.

Any good history book will do that, whether it’s second-hand commentators such as Edward Gibbon, John Julius Norwich, Terry Jones, Ian Mortimer, Francis and Joseph Gies; or first-hand sources, such as Thucydides, Polybius, Tacitus, Suetonius; and outstanding historical fiction and fantasy fiction writers such as Colleen McCollough, Ken Follet, Bernard Cornwell, Robert Fabbri, George R R Martin, Joe Abercrombie, David Gemmell ... and so on and so on.


Pedantic classical question: you made the chariot teams yellow, blue, green and red, like Rome. Except Rome had a white team rather than a yellow. Any reason for the difference?

Simply because it made all the colours primary ones. And while I’ve used history as a great source for inspiration, it made no sense to simply repeat everything if I found it better to personalise it.

A good example is that I abandoned the Theory of the Humours from ancient and mediaeval medicine, and replaced it with a colour-based theory of philosophy. This is why prime colours became all the more important, and why changing the whites to the yellows was more consistent with the worldview I’d created.


Although largely fantastical, there’s also a sci-fi element. Why did you opt for this, as opposed to going for a fantasy-only approach?

Simply because I hate the way that thousands of years of ritual folk magic has become abused by the modern fantasy genre. It’s no longer treated with any respect, and instead largely appropriated for simple power fantasies. Ironically, it’s RPGs that have driven this development.

So my first act with writing about my own RPG adventures was to invoke Clarke’s law about suitably futuristic technology being indistinguishable from magic. That way, any element relating to RPG magic could be swapped out for future technology.

I wrote a science fiction novel based on the same world, set 2,500 years in its future, then connected their stories. That forms the core plot arc in the Chronicles of Empire series.

Then, in the character development process, I gave each of the seven main characters their own individual belief system and developed it accordingly. There is magic in Gathering - but it’s based on real-world ritual magic, with the personal and social meaning it’s meant to have.


The Gathering is the first book of the Chronicles of Empire series. Do you know how many entries there will be, or have an approximate schedule of releases in mind?

I’ve posted something about that here: About the Chronicles of Empire series. There are 6 books in the core Chronicles of Empire series, with potentially as many as two trilogies that will support and complete this.

However, the writing needs time to grow properly. With only one character, an author just has to get a character from A to B. With seven characters, everyone is transecting each other’s scenes and development arcs. It requires time to consider and account for the effects of this on each one, as well as plot and continuity.

I suspect it’s going to take about 2 years to write each book, but I won’t rush to release anything I’m not happy with. Conversely, I won’t allow the story to stray and meander either. I have a very clear sense of focus, but not everything comes into view immediately.


Being vague, the ending is a natural break point in the story. Will the sequel continue immediately afterwards or (my guess) will there be a few months/years interval?

The story does continue shortly after, but the structure for the second Chronicles of Empirebook, Awakening, is going to be very different. Gathering takes place over just 6 days, but Awakening must cover around 3-4 years. That’s going to be a tough sell for a character-driven story, even with its far more pronounced emotional highs and lows.


Away from writing, how do you like to relax?

My social outlet has been the chronicles forums SFF Chronicles - science fiction and fantasy forums, and it’s also been a great place for critical feedback, as well as meeting some truly wonderful people.

I also read a ton of books, about 2:1 fiction to non-fiction. I’ve been making a big point to read different genres, and outside of my preferred topic areas. I figure anyone who wants to be a good writer needs to do that.

I’m especially enjoying the thriller genre at the moment, and the way the writers there focus on being concise while driving pace. When I’m burned out from reading I always pick up a Lee Child novel.

I’ve also discovered some amazing hybrid authors - those with normal publishing deals, but also self-publish - who write exceptional and polished cross-genre novels, such as Jo Zebedee and Ralph Kern.

There's also a book called Kingdom Asunder by a writer named Thaddeus White I need to read as well. [Sounds like the sort of splendid book everyone should buy – TW].


Beyond the next books in the Chronicles of Empire, what are your writing plans for the future?

Chronicles of Empire is going to keep me very busy for a long time. There’s so much I could cover outside of the main story. If I’m lucky, the Universe will grant me time enough to write a WWII thriller series after all that.

http://www.chroniclesofempire.com/
https://www.sffchronicles.com

Thank you for having me.

Brian G Turner


The pleasure was all mine,

Thaddeus

Interview with Teresa Edgerton

Today I’m joined by Teresa Edgerton, author of Goblin Moon (which I’ve read) and Hobgoblin Night (which I have not).

I really liked the world of Goblin Moon, it felt distinctive and intriguing, almost like an extra character. What was your inspiration? And, assuming the location changes, how similar/different is Hobgoblin Night?

Yes, I wanted it to feel like an extra character. I put a lot of effort into making it that way — although it was the kind of effort that was fun, too.

My inspirations were eighteenth century Europe, old movies, and the classic historical adventure novels I had loved reading when I was growing up. The location does change for Hobgoblin Night ... or rather I should say the locations change, because events are unfolding in different parts of that world.

Some of the characters have moved across the sea to a setting which is more reminscent of Colonial America — so not so very different. It did allow me to work with American folk magic, which I enjoyed doing. That’s the main setting, but other characters are visiting more exotic places, like the country of the Trolls in the far, frozen north, or moving south to a city that is slowly drowning in its own lagoons, like Venice. Meanwhile, there are characters busily at work constructing a powerful engine they hope will draw on the “magnetic” properties of the moon in order to raise a sunken island, where they expect to discover the secrets of ancient magicians.

The secrecy, conspiracy and subterfuge reminded me of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Was Baroness Orczy an inspiration?

Oh most definitely an influence, but one of many. Rafael Sabatini’s novels were probably a bigger influence: Scaramouche, Venetian Masque, Captain Blood. There were a couple of Georgette Heyer’s books, more adventurous than her usual fare: The Black Moth, The Masqueraders. Although I love many, many of her other books, too, and they may have had a more subtle influence. Then there was the Reverend Doctor Syn (the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh), hero of a series of novels by Russell Thorndike.

One of my characters — having read Goblin Moon you’ll know which one I mean —adopts a number of aliases as the story progresses, and most of those names reference the heroes of those books I’ve just mentioned. Rather like Easter eggs hidden in the story for readers who love classic swashbucklers. I won’t give away any of those here.

On a related note: do you read history as well, and how much research did you do for the setting (or was it based on your pre-existing knowledge)?

Yes, I read a lot of history but not so much about things like politics and battles, more about all the odd and unexpected things that set each era apart, and also the ways that magic was practiced historically. Just a lot of things that relate to writing and editing speculative fiction, not just these books. In fact, I was able to find a lot more sources on the 18^th century, including some fabulous primary sources, when I was researching The Queen’s Necklace which is set in a different world but one that is similar in many ways to Goblin Moon and Hobgoblin Night. I think I searched every public library within a thirty mile radius, although now, of course, there are online bookstores, like Amazon and AbeBooks, which are great for finding the kind of out-of-print history books I would have killed for when I was writing Goblin Moon. I already knew a fair amount about the period, but what I was surprised to learn was just how much more interest there was in magic during the 17^th and 18^th centuries than most people imagine, certainly a lot more than I imagined, and it was all mixed up with natural sciences, philosophy, and medicine. 18^th century medicine is a marvelously fertile field for digging up fantastic details about that period, and the most bizarre things in Goblin Moon are based on things that really happened.

I've read Goblin Moon, but not Hobgoblin Night. How much time passes between the two books?

It’s never said explicitly. Several months at least, maybe as much as a year.

Although not a horror, Goblin Moon does have something of a creepy undertone. Does Hobgoblin Night develop in a similar vein?

There are parts of the book where I would say that is true, but there are also places where the supernatural is treated in a more light-hearted way. There is one particular ghost, Uncle Izrael Barebones.

The three protagonists, as I recall, have overlapping plot strands but mostly plough their own furrows, each a distinct character facing very different problems. How difficult was it making these strands separate but complementary?

All the different storylines were developing organically at the same time, with each one influencing all the others as I wrote, so there no problems I can remember in that way. I always knew how they all fit together, although sometimes there were developments that surprised me very much when they suddenly turned up. There was one scene where my swashbuckling hero did something I did not expect at all, and I sat up and thought, “So that’s the kind of person he is; I had no idea.”

The two books form a duology, but do you think you'll return to the world and characters at some point?

In Hobgoblin Night there are three short stories – one originally written for a magazine and the others for anthologies — which I’ve included along with the novel in the TBP reprint. They were written at different times, and one is a folktale of that world, and another features a main character from the duology but at a time earlier in his life. I don’t think I am giving anything away by saying that, even though he’s not immediately identified and he’s using an alias, because it’s one that he’s used before. That one’s a story about highwaymen and smugglers. The third story is unrelated, except that the idea behind it — the Celestial Bed, which was a real invention — was brought to me by a friend who said, “I just read Goblin Moon. You’ll be interested in this.”

So I’ve already done it to some extent. For a while I did toy with the idea of a sequel taking place about twenty years later, involving the children of some of the main characters in a sort of steampunkish setting. And I started and abandoned a prequel telling how our hero ended up in the revenge business. Of the two, I’m more likely to go back to the prequel, because I did write a rough outline and a few chapters for that one. It begins very much like a horror story.

When you aren't writing/editing, what do you like to read? Outside of writing, how do you like to relax?

To answer those questions in reverse order: outside of writing, my favorite way of relaxing is reading. I used to be involved in a lot of different creative things — I was very crafty — but right now my life pretty much revolves around books.

For fiction: fantasy, science fiction, 19^th novels (Dickens and Austen in particular), the occasional mystery novel. I’m reading a lot of romance novels on days when I am writing or editing, because I find them more relaxing. On days when I’m not writing or editing I catch up on my SFF reading.

For nonfiction: anything that catches my fancy at the time. Aside from research, my interests seem to flit from one thing to another.

What are you currently working on, and is there any ETA for release?

I’m still trying to finish The Rune of Unmaking series, but right now there is no ETA for release of the next book. I’ve realized that, with everything that still has to happen to bring all the story lines together, it’s going to be a four book series rather than a trilogy, and I’m about halfway through the third book. When I thought I was going to have to fit it all into just one more book there was a point where it was so overwhelming and daunting I found it hard to get up much enthusiasm about writing it. Once I realized that it didn’t have to be that way my enthusiasm revived amazingly. But I’ve a lot of obligations for my business as a freelance editor that will take me through the end of the year. With luck I can return to my own writing in January.

Amazon US - Goblin Moon - Hobgoblin Night

Amazon UK - Goblin Moon - Hobgoblin Night

Thaddeus

Interview with Nathan Hystad

I’m joined today by Nathan Hystad, known on the Chrons forums as Ratsy, and a new entrant to the publishing game. [Disclosure: being a writer, I have submitted short stories for consideration in anthologies, and have a short story in The Haunting of Lake Manor Hotel].

Thaddeus White: You’ve recently set up a small press, Woodbridge Press. Given how challenging things can be for small publishers, what drove you to establish your own firm?

Nathan: That is a very good question. I’ve been a reader my whole life, and always had aspirations of being an author growing up. While other kids wanted to be hockey players, firefighters, and astronauts, I wanted to tell stories. Then the reality of it hit and I became an adult. Fast forward to a few years ago when I decided to give my passion a try. I have worked hard at the craft, and have been blessed enough to see my short stories being published in some books, online, and in magazines. I learned a bit about the business from being on the other side of the anthologies, and for the most part, it was a hard one as a writer. For most of them, you get a rough theme, a word limit, and a deadline. Then you send a story in, try to fight your way to the top of the 500 submissions, and months later get a form rejection email. It can be disheartening but it also motivated me. I had an idea of doing some shared world collections, through invite only, and wanted communication to be key. I was going to be totally transparent to the authors about how many copies were selling, where, and all marketing details. I started Woodbridge Press, even while hearing about other niche genre presses going under, with high hopes and faith that if I put the work in, it will be successful. So far I have nothing telling me this won’t be a thriving business.

TW: As you’ll be aware, there are a hell of a lot of writers and would-be writers, so you must be swamped with submissions when anthology slots appear. How do you go about whittling down the number of submissions to a final list of stories to publish?

Nathan: I am only one man, and without hiring outside help I could not have the time to read through slush piles of submissions, so I have not, and may not, have an open submission call. For the two Woodbridge collections, I did open submissions to the SFF Chrons only, because that is the one place I want to give something back to. For Explorations I was so happy to have Ralph Kern on my team to help me read the submissions and make decisions on those last couple spots (which turned out to be four spots because the quality was just so high) Even the rejected stories were done with a heavy heart and some serious deliberation.

TW: I’ve seen the lineup of authors (selected rather than picked from general submissions) for the forthcoming sci-fi and fantasy anthologies. How many goats did you have to sacrifice to Apollo to get the likes of Julia Knight, Douglas Hulick, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Ralph Kern, Stephen Palmer and Jo Zebedee on board?

Nathan: With Lake Manor, I invited authors. Some I knew from the Chrons, others I knew from the horror world, and I was so happy with the results. For Explorations, I first approached Ralph about it, since he is an active Chronner, and I love his books. I’ve been lucky enough to beta read his last two novels, and it was easy to ask him if he would be interested in taking part in a shared universe collection. He was immediately on board, and with his support, I canvassed a group of awesome indie and small press published Sci-fi authors. It really was like a snowball, and before I knew it, I had an amazing list of authors who wanted to take part. The same thing happened with the third collection. It is a fantasy themed anthology with the journey or quest as the central focus. I asked Teresa Edgerton, an editor and writer whom I truly adore and respect, to edit and contribute to the collection, and as I started to reach out to authors, I was getting people saying yes, who I have bookshelves full of their material. It was surreal, and it really just drove me to make the end product even better than I ever thought possible.

I didn’t have to sacrifice goats, so far, just my time!

TW: What advice, in general terms, would you give to authors who are thinking of submitting to anthologies (whether yours or another publisher’s)?

Nathan: I think it is to follow the guidelines. Make sure you type the proper thing into the subject line, follow the manuscript format they are looking for. Each anthology seems to have different rules and they can be tricky to get just right. And don’t take rejection as a failure. I have been rejected so many times. It is entirely subjective. The story may be amazing, but just not fit in the collection because it is slightly off theme, or they already accepted one with a similar shtick. Keep your head up, keep subbing it, and eventually you may find a home, but while you’re doing that, move on to writing the next piece. I couldn’t tell you how many shorts I have just sitting in a folder at home. All were not lost causes, because I learned from each and every one of them.

TW: Early days, so this may be tricky, but what’s been the best moment so far from a publishing perspective?

Nathan: I would have to say I’ve had a couple. The first getting unread, unpublished material from authors I have read for years. I remember getting the email from Julia Knight with her short story for the fantasy collection. I was like a kid in a candy store, and that was when I knew Woodbridge was going to be something special. I devoured the story and just sat there looking at the screen. I’ve repeated this feeling a few times since, and I don’t think it will ever get old.

The second was getting the final printed Lake Manor in my hands. I had put so much of myself into it, and obsessed over getting it done for the previous few months, and when all the hard work and dust settled, it was done, and I could share Woodbridge’s first book with the world.

TW: Self-publishing has never been easier. Given that, what are the advantages offered by being traditionally published, and are there any downsides for a writer?

Nathan: This is a great question and one that I really don’t have a definitive answer for. Yes. Self-publishing is easy. It’s the rest of it that is hard. Anyone can write a book and self pub, but then they need to get people to read it. Most get dropped on to Amazon and sit there, gathering virtual dust, never getting visibility, and that is key. If they don’t get an eye-catching cover, professional formatting, and editing, let alone a story people want to read, they will have a hard time selling it. That is what a good publisher will bring to the table. That being said, there are many awesome indie authors who make a great business from writing and do all of these steps, and invest the money to bring the world a good product. There is a lot of bad rap to indie publishers but like anything, there are many levels to them. Just like there are good small presses and bad ones. I think an author needs to weigh their options before making a decision, but at the end of the day, many end up self-publishing because they couldn’t get that agent, or Big 5, then small press to pick up the book. And they can have success that way too.

All of these things are very time consuming too, so there are some authors who would rather just write than worry about the ins and outs of the business side.

TW: One thing I struggle with when self-publishing is deciding on a price tag (there are arguments for and against just about every number). How do you decide on this, and do you vary prices with early/intermittent discounts, or just keep the price fixed?

Nathan: Well I am a sponge. I am new to this, but am a quick learner, and I keep an eye on what the big guys are doing, what the middle and small presses are doing, and what the indie guys are doing. I do know that it will vary with genre to an extent too. There are a few indie SF authors I keep a close eye on to see how they price, and what their marketing strategies are. You do need to think outside the box, and I have some stuff up my sleeves, but I also don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel. The good news is, I am coming up in what I call a change of guard out there for book publishing. The big guys, who deep discount their paperbacks in grocery stores, while indie and small press are taking market share in ebooks. Adapt and be reactive is what I think. Keep your finger on the pulse of what the market is doing. There is a lot of data out there saying that 3.99 US for an ebook is the sweet spot. I will let you know better in a year’s time 

TW: How difficult is it to decide how many books to release? Obviously you can take more care with fewer, but releasing more may help to build up a readership more quickly.

Nathan: I am taking it slow, and the reason for that is because I want each book to have my undivided attention. I have to commission cover artists, hire editors, format, and that is after the stories come in! There is a lot to putting a book together and then I have to promote, get reviewers, and work the social media angle. I do have a full-time job, which is my livelihood, so this is all done at 6am, after work or on weekends. So this year I have published Lake Manor, Explorations should be out late summer, and the fantasy collection will either be out in time for Christmas or early 2017. My goal is three books a year moving forward, but this may change as we go.

TW: Heart Blade by Juliana Spink Mills is Woodbridge Press’ first novel signing. What’s the premise of the story, and is it a stand-alone or part of a series?

Nathan: I am so excited about this book. Heart Blade is the first volume of The Blade Hunt Chronicles. I first beta read it over a year ago, and loved it instantly. When I started Woodbridge, I wanted to do some collections, and move into novels quickly. This is the book I thought of. When I asked Juliana what had become of it, we started talking and after another read, I had to make an offer on it. She is such a great person and author and I honestly feel so happy that she was willing to work with Woodbridge. Teresa Edgerton has been hired as editor, and this is going to be something special. Here is the summary:

The Heart Blade is the cornerstone of the myth-shrouded Blade Hunt prophecies. Once summoned, the sword will lead the way to light, or push everyone to the edge of a new Dark Age. Not many believe the stories, but those who do know the countdown has begun.

Two years ago, Del was gifted a demon’s blood on her deathbed. Now, pressured to sever the last ties with her lost humanity by making her first kill, the teenage half-demon escapes from her pack, the infamous East Coast Hunt.

Vanquisher Jimmy finds Del alone and penniless and gives her Sanctuary, despite having every reason in the world not to trust a demon. To complicate matters, Jimmy and Del are falling for each other. Soon Del is on the run again, except this time Jimmy is at her side and the demons and Vanquishers are on their trail.

But the pack has more than one quarry. For seventeen years the Brotherhood has done its best to hide orphan Lila from the demons. The centuries-old Heart Blade prophecy is supposed to take place any time now, and Lila is the key player.

The hunt for both Del and the Heart Blade is on, and when the threads tangle and demons, Vanquishers, and the Brotherhood converge, Del finds herself unwittingly in the center of things.

Heart Blade currently is scheduled for publication Late 2016/Early 2017.

To see more about Juliana, follow along her great blog at https://jspinkmills.com/ or twitter @JspinkMills

TW: The Haunting of Lake Manor Hotel is out now and I mentioned Heart Blade above, but what else can we expect from Woodbridge Press in the next 12-18 months?

Nathan: Well as I said, Explorations: Through the Wormhole, is out this summer, then the still untitled fantasy journey collection, and Heart Blade on Valentine’s Day 2017. We plan on releasing the second Blade Hunt book later next year, and I have some ideas on other collections, depending on the success of these ones.

Thaddeus, thank you so much for having me on your blog, and if the world doesn’t know yet, your story Dead Weight will be in Explorations, making you the only author to appear in Woodbridge’s first two books! Pretty cool. I look forward to working with you more, and it’s been a pleasure so far. [TW: Very kind, although I do find your lack of goat sacrifice disturbing].

Bio:

Nathan Hystad is an author from Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada. He is the founder of Woodbridge Press, an avid reader, and a writer of words. He has stories in the upcoming Aliens, and Space: Houston we Have a Problem from Tickety Boo Press, and A Walk in the Park, is in the new Nine Tales, out June 22. https://www.amazon.com/9Tales-Told-Dark-14-ebook/dp/B01F2IJUU0

Please follow along with his news at www.nathanhystad.com and at www.woodbridgepress.ca and read his monthly serial at Kraxon Magazine http://www.kraxon.com/writers/nathan-hystad/ Start with Arrival and work your way through them!

If you feel like trying Woodbridge’s first book, with Thaddeus’ awesome story, Forget Me Not, please click the link! [TW: at the time of writing Lake Manor is a #1 bestseller in 3 categories on Amazon UK]

https://www.amazon.com/Haunting-Lake-Manor-Hotel-ebook/dp/B01DQEDAEE

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunting-Lake-Manor-Hotel-ebook/dp/B01DQEDAEE

Many thanks to Nathan Hystad for the interview, and keep tuned for Explorations and Heart Blade.

Thaddeus