This interview is an unusual treat, in that I am interviewing four authors from the recently released anthology, Heroika: Dragon Eaters
The Authors:
A. L. Butcher is
the British author of the Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles series and several
short stories in the fantasy and fantasy romance genre. 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’.
Mark
Finn is a fantasy and science fiction, essayist, and
playwright. He is recognized as an authority on the Texas author Robert E.
Howard and has written extensively on that subject. In 2007 he was nominated for World Fantasy Special Award: Professional.
Seth (S.E.) Lindberg lives near Cincinnati, Ohio working as a microscopist by day. Two decades of practicing chemistry, combined with a passion for the Sword & Sorcery genre, spurs him to write graphic adventure fictionalizing the alchemical humors.
He co-moderates a Goodreads- Sword & Sorcery Group and invites you to participate.
He co-moderates a Goodreads- Sword & Sorcery Group and invites you to participate.
What is one of the most interesting novels you’ve enjoyed in the past year and why?
Butcher: IX by
Andrew Weston – it’s a time travelling heroic historical sci-fi. What attracted
me to this book was the fact some of the main characters are from the missing
IX Legion from Rome. It’s a fun book, with monsters (which aren’t what you
think they are), adventure, courage, alternate history, space ships and much
more.
Lindberg: Griots: A Sword and Soul Anthology: This anthology marks the catalyzing moment of the sub-genre "Sword & Soul" Charles R. Saunders is credited with starting the sub-genre with his Imaro tales (~1980). In 2011, Milton J. Davis (fellow chemist and Heroika author) expanded the front with this collection, including contributions from the Soul-champion himself, Saunders. Named after African storytellers who relied on the oral traditions, "Griots" is inspiring, unique, and history making.
What
is one technique or method that you’ve used to improve your writing?
Butcher:
Reading. The more a writer reads, especially in a wide field of styles, the
more one can find one’s own style and learn the rules.
Finn: I
always read back out loud what I have written the day before. Not only does it
serve to remind me where I left off, but it helps me do an immediate copy check
for awkward phrasing, overused words, etc.
Lindberg: Going
mental! Balancing a fun career with the duties of a father too, there is scarce
dedicated time for writing. I’ve fallen
into structured day dreaming, rehearsing scenes via each characters’
perspective. Being kept away from the writing-desk forces multiple iterations,
but the frustration is rewarding when scenes are enhanced. This role playing
can be done anywhere, anytime; a smartphone or notepad is needed to capture key
dialogue and interactions to flesh out later.
Peace:
I’m not sure if “used” is the right word, since that implies a
deliberate act. Due to my editing and proofreading services I naturally get to
read and work on a huge variety of different styles of writing. While picking
my way through the vagaries of grammar, language, and syntax I often learn
things I can apply to my own writing. It’s amazing how blind you can become to
your own bad habits - copy-editing someone else’s really does help!
If it
was possible, which author (living or deceased) would you like to share lunch
with? What would you hope to discuss?
Living – I’m not sure….
Tell us a little about your story found in the Heroika: The Dragon Eaters, a heroic fiction anthology.
Butcher:
"Of Blood and Scales" is a
tale of courage, sacrifice and desperation. Oh and a great dragon…
It’s a tale of heroics to save a dying child and a land on the
brink of war. It’s a tale of last resorts.
Finn: “Sic
Semper Draconis” posits a time in the mid-to-late 1980s when giant time gates
open up and spew forth all of the atmosphere, as well as the flora and fauna,
of the late Cretaceous Period, and viola! Dinosaurs in Texas. The state would
waste no time organizing an armed resistance—much like game wardens—to thin out
the dangerous ones. It’s (I hope) an entertaining take on the hunter, becoming
the hunted, and back to the hunter again type of story.
Lindberg: "Legacy of the Great Dragon" shows the
Father of Alchemy entombing his singular source of magic, the Great Dragon.
According to Greek and Egyptian myth, the god Thoth (a.k.a. Hermes) was able to
see into the world of the dead and pass his learnings to the living. One of the earliest known hermetic scripts is
the Divine Pymander of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus. Within that, a tale is told of Hermes being
confronted with a vision of the otherworldly entity Pymander, who takes the
shape of a 'Great Dragon' to reveal divine secrets. Legacy of the Great Dragon fictionalizes this Hermetic Tradition,
presenting the Great Dragon as the sun-eating Apep of Egyptian antiquity.
Peace: When
Janet first asked me to contribute to HEROIKA, I struggled for an idea. Then I
realised St. George’s Day was coming up in the UK, and I decided to rewrite the
story of St. George. I went back to his Middle Eastern roots and made him a
knight of the Crusades, one who is doubting his faith. Then I tied the
resolution of the story to an island right off the coast of my home county,
Hampshire, adding a dash of druid for extra mysticism.
Links
to where Heroika is available:
Where
you can find these authors on the internet:
A.L. Butcher:
Blog: Library of Erana
Mark Finn:
S.E. Lindberg:
Cas Peace:
On Amazon
