When
did you realize that you wanted to become a writer?
The
first rumblings I felt about writing my own stuff came shortly after reading The
Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I was about twelve at the time
and remember it well—my mother had recently come home from the local mall in
Winnipeg and dropped a black and purple paperback on my bed (with some really
cool artwork on it). I didn’t know what fantasy fiction was, but believe me, I
sure as h#$# wanted to know what Elfstones were! It was my first literary
introduction (outside of playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends) to
mystical creatures, magical weapons, and foreign lands and races. I devoured
it. And when I was done, I remember thinking how cool it would be if I
could one day write something that took people to another place like the way I
had been. Fast-forward twenty-seven years and that is exactly what I hope to
accomplish with The Rithhek Cage Trilogy. It might have taken me a while to get
to this point, but I’m writing with purpose every day.
How
much of your characters are based on your traits or someone you know
personally?
In
my mind, it’s hard to write something fictional and not pour your emotions and
experiences into your characters. In my writing, I try hard to have my
characters come to life on the page and to do that, I draw on the five senses
as well as my own life experiences. Translating this into The Cloudstone Key, there
are elements of Karsen’s character loosely related to my own life; a capital
‘L’ on loosely. I, too left home at a relatively early age, but I wasn’t forced
to, nor was I running from a murder case. To twist your question around a
bit, though, I’ve channeled more personal experiences directly into my
world-building. Especially through the map of Tholann. A lot of care went
into crafting it (and the history behind it) and every element is emotionally
tied to something or someone close to me.
Describe
your main character in six words.
Karsen
Morgate is: Curious. Sensitive. Determined. Cognizant. Clever. Proud.
Describe
the world you’ve created in six words.
Tholann
is: Expansive. Strained. Diverse. Untamed. Mysterious. Treacherous.
What
scene was your favorite to write?
That’s
a tough one to answer. As I continue to write the trilogy, I’m finding
the scenes keep improving—but hey, I’m my biggest critic! There were a
lot of scenes in The Cloudstone Key that I had fun with. If I was to pick just
one, I’d have to say the first meeting between Cal-ba and Karsen near Arch
Falls. Although the meeting was outlined during my planning process (I’m
not a “pantser”), the contrasting dynamic of their characters jumped off the
keyboard and was a joy to just let the momentum of their conversation flow.
What
scene was the hardest for you to write?
The
interaction between Mej and Karsen en route to Arch Falls was a challenging
scene to write. I needed to relay a good chunk of Tholann’s history in
order to ground the reader, especially considering The Cloudstone Key is the
first book of the trilogy. Getting control of this balance between
‘showing’ and ‘telling’ is something I think many fiction writers struggle
with, especially in the fantasy fiction genre. We’re so excited to let people
know how expansive or world is or how cool our magic system is that we can, if
we’re not careful, lose sight of this concept.
As a relatively new writer, I’ve had my editor point this out… more than
once. Let’s just say that it’s something
I am acutely aware of J
What
are you working on now?
At
the moment, the first draft of The Peregrine Prophecy—the second book in The
Rithhek Cage Trilogy—is almost complete. As an aside, one of the coolest things
I’m finding about being an author and having access to the power of social
media is the speed and ease in which you can test ideas with your friends,
family and readers. In fact, the title—The Peregrine Prophecy–was one of
four choices that I tested on Facebook and Twitter. It won the day.
What's
your favorite thing to do when you're not writing?
That’s
an easy one—playing with my five-month old son (our first child). He
likes to sleep a lot, though. And when he does, I usually can be found on the
tennis courts near our house throwing down a few sets.
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