Fridays 5 with Thaddeus White

Thaddeus White is a writer of speculative fiction (mostly fantasy), and an avid reader of fantasy and classical history. He also likes watching and betting on F1 (with mixed results).

He's released two fantasy novels (Bane of Souls, and Journey to Altmortis) and his new comedy, The Adventures of Sir Edric [Volume One], will be published shortly.

UK Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thaddeus-White/e/B008C6RU98/
US Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thaddeus-White/e/B008C6RU98/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorrisF1
Website: thaddeuswhite.weebly.com
Blog: thaddeusthesixth.blogspot.co.uk
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6566678.Thaddeus_White

 1.) When did you first get serious about writing?

A.)  Several years ago I wrote a story and hawked it around various agents. It wasn't in a fit state to be seen, but the process was taking so long I started writing a new book just to keep my eye in. A few months into that, I started taking the new book seriously, and became more active on the Chrons (a sci-fi/fantasy forum, which includes lots of good writing advice). I took my time with it, and redrafted it a lot.

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?

A.) Knowing when to stop. No book's ever perfect, so you can redraft until the cow's come home, but at some point you've got to fling it into the open and hope people don't hate it. A related problem in comedy is that when you read your own jokes so many times they lose almost all the humour, so the final check makes it seem like you've written a comedy with no good jokes... [I write both 'serious' and comedy fantasy].

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis:
When Sir Edric Greenlock, the Hero of Hornska, is summoned to attend the King in the dead of night he fears imminent execution. The King, however, has something else in mind. Priceless royal seals have been stolen, and the King dispatches Sir Edric to retrieve them in a mission that could optimistically be described as suicidal.

Along the way he'll battle rockheaded golems, terrible sorcery and the Ursk: a race of brutal slavers who consider humans to be edible currency.

Accompanied by his pathologically loyal manservant Dog, the prudish elf Lysandra, and a man called Colin, he must travel to the Unholy Temple to retrieve the royal seals from a mysterious thief.

Sir Edric’s Treasure:

It isn't always nice to be wanted, as Sir Edric discovers when an enormous bounty on his head attracts bounty hunters to him like dung attracts flies. To escape near certain capture, he embarks on a daring quest to pay off his bounty by winning the inheritance of the dying, and obscenely wealthy, Archibald Thrift.

Accompanied by his trusty manservant Dog, Raella the librarian and Belinda, a ten foot nun, he must find the Eye of Wisdom to win Archie's wealth. But he'll need all his cunning to best his rivals for Archie's legacy, and the bounty hunters won't give up their prey easily...

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

A.) In terms of a traditionally published work, I'll tell you in a month or two (The Adventures of Sir Edric [Volume One] hopefully out at the end of March). For self-publishing, I'd worked on Bane of Souls for so long I was glad to finally get it out there. So, there was relief, and when the (mostly) positive reviews came in I was encouraged, and took on board the points that were made for the next book (lots of people said they liked the magic, but felt the start was a bit slow, so I improved that for the following book).

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?

A.) Character. Obviously, both matter, but it's possible to make the mundane magical if you've got a witty or intriguing character. I also think people identify with characters and care about them. It's the people in a book that readers want to see succeed or fail, live or die.

5.) What is a typical day like in your world?

A.) A mix of writing a first draft, which I really like, and redrafting (which feels a little more like work). I don't just work on one project at once any more, it's both more enjoyable and more effective to keep a few plates spinning at the same time. Enough to keep me on my toes without decorating the floor with broken crockery.

Thaddeus also has an anthology coming out February 15 of this year.

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis:
SOMETIMES THE JOURNEY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE DESTINATION.

A stone from the starts rips a royal family apart, in a new tale from the banished lands. Weary hero Cam rides to the aid of his dying king, bearing the elixir that may save him. A party of reluctant adventurers pursues a troll across a snowy mountainside – or is it the troll who is hunting them?

Fourteen tales of daring, death, and glory, by fourteen talented writers.

Grab your map, sword, and magical amulet; your journey awaits.

With stories from:

John Gwynne, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Gail Z. Martin, Juliet E McKenna, Julia Knight, Juliana Spink Mills, Jacob Cooper, Samanda R Primeau, Steven Poore, Davis Ashura, Dan Jones, Charlie Pulsipher, Anna Dickinson, and Thaddeus White

Fridays 5 with E. P. Clark

E.P. Clark recently released her debut novel, "The Midnight Land (Parts 1& 2)," an epic fantasy set in a Russian-inspired world.  When she isn't writing fiction, she teaches Russian at Wake Forest University.  You can grab a copy of "The Midnight Land" on Amazon and find out more about her and her work on her website, and also by following her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.



1.) When did you first get serious about writing?

A.) I'd been thinking about it since I first learned to read and write, but I got serious about it in the sense of sitting down on a regular basis and completing a full-length work when I was 18.

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?

A.) NOT QUITTING.  Doing it regularly even when I don't feel like it is hard for me but essential.  I like to think of it as a practice, like with yoga.  And like with yoga, I find I just have to get out my props and do it and then most of the time it's okay.  After that, I think the hardest thing for me is probably keeping track of everything.  I tend to write really long, complicated novels, and it can be difficult for me to remember what's already happened or even what characters are called, especially if it's been 6 months or a year or more since I've last encountered them.  I find spreadsheets and lots of editing are helpful in that regard.

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis:

As younger sister to the Empress of all of Zem’ and the only one possessing her foremothers’ gifts of clairvoyance, Slava is both one of the most powerful and powerless people in the Known World. Desperate to escape the intrigue and hostility of her sister’s kremlin, Slava takes off on an expedition to the Midnight Land, the uninhabited, unmapped tundra on the Northern edge of Zem’. But as she travels North, Slava discovers that it is more than just the world of women that covets her gifts, and that fate is pushing her to become a most unlikely hero…

Combining motifs from classical Russian literature with the genre of high fantasy, this book is both a gripping coming-of-age tale and a subversive exploration of gender, morality, and subjectivity.

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

A.) Exhausted, drained, disbelieving.  Also elated, giddy, and apprehensive.

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?

A.) Definitely character.  I recently read an article by Gary Saul Morson about how literature is the only discipline that causes us to actively practice empathy, which clarified what for me is the most important thing about reading: understanding and empathizing with another person.  All the action sequences in the world are meaningless if we don't care about what happens to the people experiencing them.

5.) What is a typical day like in your world?

A.)  I'm a university instructor, so it varies by whether it's during the semester or during break, what my teaching schedule is, whether it's a teaching day or a writing day, and what part of the semester it is.  I'm also trying to shift gears from writing to marketing now that I've released my first book, so that changes things too.   But most of the time it's something like: Phase 1) Get up, check email, meditate, breakfast, walk dogs.  Phase 2) If I have a morning class, go to campus, teach, plan lessons, answer work emails, attend any meetings that need attending, teach more classes, etc.  If I don't have class, then I generally spend the mornings answering email and/or writing (sometimes my fiction, sometimes my academic writing or translation work) and doing outreach and promotion, either for my own writing or for my department.  Phase 3) Come home, rest (I have health issues that require an annoying amount of rest), walk dogs, yoga, tackle more emails (dealing with email is a huge theme in my life and takes up hours of my day), do some writing and/or promotional activities, walk dogs, supper (possibly combined with more writing, although I'm trying not to do that), and then--and this is very important--PUT EVERYTHING AWAY AND REST BEFORE I HURT MYSELF.  I'll often read during the evening and I'm trying to read more indie authors and post reviews of their work.

Author Links

Website: http://epclarkauthor.net/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1025652.E_P_Clark

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/epclarkauthor/

Twitter: @Andreyev7

Fridays 5 with A.L. Butcher

A. L. Butcher is the British author of the Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles fantasy series, and several short stories in the fantasy and fantasy romance genres.  She is an avid reader and creator of worlds, a poet and a dreamer. When she is grounded in the real world she likes science, natural history, history and monkeys.  Her work has been described as ‘dark and gritty’ and her poetry as evocative.

1.) When did you first get serious about writing?

A.) I’ve written poetry and short stories for years, but I would say ‘serious’ was about 5 or so years ago. The first novel came out of stories written for a game, plus something I’d been working on for a while. At first I wasn’t sure if I should publish – it’s a very daunting step. A few people had read the book, and past short stories and persuaded me to give it a shot. I wasn’t writing to make money, I was writing because I had a story which wanted to be told, and because I enjoyed creating worlds and characters.

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?

(A) The discipline! I have a full time job, a few health problems and so finding the time to sit and write when I’m not too tired, too stressed, or too lazy is hard for me. Often it will take me a while to get started and usually I have several things on the go. I actually find it easier to concentrate on many projects and tasks at once, focusing on only one thing I find difficult.

Also marketing. In many ways this is the most challenging part of publishing.  I don’t like pushy sales people and the line between acceptable promotion and spamming people is very thin. Many readers don’t like any author promotion and knowing when to mention one’s book is tricky.  It’s also hard finding marketing strategies that work – what works for John doesn’t work for James, and James has a strategy which Joanne finds bizarre. Writing the book is relatively easy – selling the damn thing – that’s hard.

Oh and formatting. I hate it. BORING!!!!

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis:
Meet the Kitchen Imps - mischievous creatures who lurk behind the cupboard, and under the fridge.

Where do all the missing socks go? Find out with The Joy of Socks.

Learn the mysteries of the Secret Kitchen and gaze upon a rather familiar world with Free Will.

Dare you risk the king's wrath when you venture into the House of Treasure?

Short fantasy/fairy tales for readers of all ages. (Contains dark humour and some moderate mischief).

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

(A) Terrified. As I’ve said it’s quite daunting, and there is always the fear readers won’t like it or even find it. For many authors a book can take months or even years to write, rewrite and produce for publication and so there is a sense of relief, pride and achievement.

For me – there was a lot of joy and sadness. My mother was in the last stages of terminal cancer when I published but even so she was so proud of the achievement. I took the print version for her to see, and she had tears in her eyes. Even though she was so ill she told everyone about it – neighbours, friends, family members. For a while she had something else to think about and focus on. I was so pleased she was able to see it.

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?

Both. Although if I had to choose, I’d lean towards characters. Flat, one dimensional characters can kill a book. If a reader doesn’t give two hoots about the characters then the plot doesn’t matter. That reader is lost. Well-written characters can carry a dodgy story but not vice versa.

5.) What is a typical day like in your world?

Chaos usually. Get up, make breakfast, fed pets and man of the house and tidy kitchen a bit. Go to work. Spend day grumbling about work and wishing I had time to write down all the story ideas which poke me. Get home, walk dog, have dinner, then maybe write if I’m not too tired, or annoy Facebook if I am and then walk dog again, then bed. Repeat cycle.

So exciting…..

Author Links

Blog: http://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6430414.A_L_Butcher

Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alexandra-Butcher/e/B008BQFCC6/

Twitter:@libraryoferana

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarkFantasyBeyondTheStorm

Friday's 5 with Christian O'Neil

This week's featured guest is writer/director/other??? Christian O'Neil.

1.) When did you first get serious about writing?

A.) When I finally buckled down and wrote the first chapter of BACK ROADS KINGDOM, I was a wee lad of thirty-seven, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to take on the world. Prior to that, I'd written plays and screenplays, but never a novel. My wife's aunt, a mega-successful e-publishing romance novelist, asked me to co-author a romance/sci-fi hybrid with her. That project never really got off the ground, but it reminded me that writing was something that I loved doing and that it was time I finally made good on all the promises I'd made over the years and write my fantasy opus. I knew I had it in me, it was just a matter of forcing myself to turn off the TV and get it done.

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?

A.) When you aren't in the rhythm of it, it's about finding the self-discipline to do it. When the project takes hold of you, it's the exact opposite - EVERYTHING else in the world suddenly becomes a distraction, because writing is all you want to do. That's a wonderful, joyous place to be, just cruising along like that for months on end, seized by the story...but it can be hard to get from zero to sixty. (Translation: I'm a lazy procrastinator).

Click here for more info

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

A.) My brain was confused by the idea that I could no longer revise the manuscript, because that's all I've done for the last two years. Then I felt grief, then anger, then bargaining, and finally acceptance. Now I'm just hoping people find me!

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?

A.) My theater training has taught me that the two are inextricably linked. I would go so far as to say that character IS story. Another way of saying it is: story is what happens when characters have needs, and act on them. The only story anyone has ever been interested in hearing is, "The Story of the Character who Needed the Thing." I think a lot of people confuse story and plot, and a lot of writers stress over plot, but the plot will always write itself if the characters are active and drive the story forward. Plot is the organic way the world reacts to the character's struggle: the fallout, the complications, the resistance.

5.) What is a typical day like in your world?

A.)  You want to know what a typical day looks like? Try surviving one, and then tell me how it went. First, you have to sleep lightly, in case a swarm of skeeters comes upon you in the night. A swarm that size will leave you a bloodless husk within thirty seconds. First thing to do upon waking is to ensure that the Belled Buzzard is nowhere about, because if so, you might want to call out sick: chances are a massacre is in the works. If you do get out, just be sure you're ready to duck and cover at the sound of motorcycle engines: rumor has it the Pale Riders are looking for slaves to bring to market. Such is the ugly truth of the world: up here in the Yonder, you're either predator or you're prey. But hey, at least you don't gotta pay Uncle Sam no dues, and it's been years since you had to befoul your eyes with the sight of an OfficeMax.


Bio:
Christian O'Neill is a writer/director/other living in New York City with his wife Leah, a children’s librarian, and his 5-year old son Asher, who knows one karate move and uses it often, regardless of what mood he's in. He studied ancient history at Providence College in the hopes of becoming actual Indiana Jones, and then went on to earn master's degrees in Theater Education from Emerson College and Directing from Brooklyn College. He now knows more about theater than Indiana Jones did. BACK ROADS KINGDOM, his first novel, is the culmination of decades of telling people that he would someday write a novel


For more information about BACK ROADS KINGDOM, please visit the official website at: www.backroadskingdom.com

Or just buy it on Amazon at: http://tinyurl.com/opmndml

And while you’re at it, why not subscribe to my classy blog at: www.backroadsia.com