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Note: I am re-running this interview as the three book series by Alan Baxter has been released beyond the original Australia and New Zealand Region. It can now be found in the USA, UK and elsewhere in ebook form. Hopefully, print will follow.
Mr. Hood, could
you tell the readers a little about yourself, including your business?
Certainly.
I run a company called Black Diamond Incorporated. We are an investment and
acquisitions firm. I’m sure you’re more interested in the less mundane
acquisitions side of my activities. Well, let’s just say that I seek arcana
that the magical community might be prepared to pay very well for and I sell it
to them. If they can afford it.
In general, Mr.
Hood, could you describe some of your clients? And isn’t it dangerous to deal
both with arcana and individuals in the magical community, especially those
with access to magical powers and wealth?
Well,
I know few people who control greater wealth than I do, and therein lies my
ultimate power. My clients are many and varied, but confidentiality prevents me
from telling you anything about them. Suffice to say that I can meet their many
and varied needs well. Everything good in life can be dangerous, but that’s
half the fun, no?
Understanding
that client confidentiality is of vital importance to your business, might you
be able to name and describe an example or two of the arcane items that you’ve
obtained and/or sold through Black Diamond Incorporated?
There’s
really very little I don’t sell through Black Diamond. If someone wants
something, I’ll get it for them. I have people out there in the world who are
experts at finding things. A lot of magical grimoires pass through our hands –
people are always after that powerful tome. You know, the one that will make
them more powerful than they ever dreamed. Very few such things exist, of
course, but that doesn’t stop my business from making a good turnover on the
desire. Ancient god icons tend to attract a lot of bidding too, but we usually
source those for specific clients. The truth is, if it’s rare, and especially
if it’s magical, we can get it for you. If you can afford it.
Can you describe
a situation where one of your competitors did something foolish or unwise that cost
them dearly and allowed Black Diamond Incorporated to profit?
Ah,
well, you see, the problem with that question is the assumption that I have
competitors. No one does what I do. Sure, there are various arcane dealers out
there, but they trade in trinkets compared to me. And should they get their
hands on anything of real value, I’ll soon relieve them of it and turn a proper
profit on the thing. The most foolish and unwise thing any person can do is
think they have any chance at competing with my company.
“Relieve them of
it” is quite a loaded answer. Correct me if I am wrong, but what you’re
indirectly relaying is that underhanded actions, which might be an
understatement, or hiring someone outside the company structure to perform such
actions, are part of your business model?
Business
is business. My business is successful because I get what I want. We live in
the jungle, we’re still animals. Don’t mistake this concrete and glass for
anything other than a variation on the trees and vines of the wilds. Survival
of the fittest. I will always make a viable business offer for anything, but
believe me when I say that I get what I want. Nothing “underhanded”, of course,
and yes, I have many outside subcontractors on my payroll.
Mr. Hood, as you
view humanity as a form of animal, and actions animals take to survive and
prosper aren’t generally classified as ‘underhanded’ in the animal kingdom,
would it be accurate to say you’re a firm believer in ‘The ends justifies the
means’?
Most
certainly. The strong survive and the weak are subjugated. There’s no point in
complaining about it. The only response is to become stronger, become the apex
predator. Many people try to moralize all kinds of other positions, but the
simple truth is that the strongest survive by feeding on the rest. That’s the
end that justifies the means of existence throughout the animal kingdom. Man
likes to think he’s more evolved, but look at the news any day of the week and
you’ll see the truth.
Keeping with the
animal theme, humans are animals that form relationships and communities. Who
would you consider part of your social circle, be it family, friends,
associates, subordinates, or others? What part do they play in your life?
I
have many people in my social circle, from the purely business-related to
rather more personal liaisons. But there’s no one I couldn’t do without.
Reliance on anyone is a weakness. To continue your analogy with animals (or was
it mine?) the greatest hunters hunt alone. Some work in packs, but the truly
apex predator is solo.
What do you
think of the Kin, and what sort of contact or business interaction do you have
with them—if any?
They
are what they are. Usually I have very little to do with them, but if they come
to me for business, I will offer them the same service I would extend to anyone
else. But in my experience, they tend to keep to themselves. Which is probably
best for everyone.
From the
following, in your experience, which type of client is the most risky to deal
with and which would be your preference to deal with when they’re seeking an
item that might notably enhance their power? And, if you could, provide some
insight as to why
1. An
accomplished conjurer preparing to bite off more than he can chew
2. Someone
else in your sales and acquisitions business, not necessarily one with
magical abilities but is knowledgeable
3. A
Kin in a leadership position within their culture
4. A
skilled witch that’s part of a powerful coven
5. A
demon garbed in (or possessing) a mortal body
Ah,
well now we get into the nitty gritty of the business! I’ll address each of
your queries in turn. Number one is likely to be a once-only client, as people
in that position tend not to survive a brush with the truly powerful items.
Number two I would never deal with. One doesn’t fraternize with the enemy.
Number three is usually represented by someone. A Kin leader coming directly to
me is usually up to no good within his or her own Den. And let me tell you, I
find that kind of internecine warfare quite delicious. Number four I’ve learned
to be very wary of and deal in open and honest terms. Seriously, it is foolish
to cross a powerful witch. Number five is unlikely to come to me and I don’t
know if I’d recognize them for what they are if they did. And I certainly
wouldn’t tell you.
Might you relay
how you came to be aware of the magical community and provide your view on why
it remains an unknown to the vast majority of humanity?
The
thing about this world is that people only see what hey want to see. Very few
people really want to know anything beyond their job, three meals a day and a
roof over their heads. Anything that doesn’t fit the paradigm gets filtered
out. Other people, very few and far between, do want to know more. The true
seekers, the adventurers, and they will discover the wonders that are out there
to be found. It’s also in the interests of those people not to publicize too
much the wonderful world they know. There’s value in exclusivity, after all.
And power. And I’m here to help facilitate that power to those who know and can
afford it.
Mr. Hood, as we
are closing in on the end of this interview, is there anything you’d like to
add or say to the readers here?
Simply
that if anyone out there requires the rarest of arcane treasures, then I’m the
man you need to see. And if you can’t find me, you’re clearly not cut out to be
my client.
Thank you, Mr.
Hood, for taking the time from your business to answer questions for the
readers.
(End of Character Interview)
Note: The
Alex Caine books are currently only available in the Australia/New
Zealand region, but should be available everywhere else before too long. (as of Mid December 2014, they're available everywhere!)
Amazon USA: Bound (currently free) -- Obsidian -- Abduction
About the
Author, Alan Baxter:
Alan Baxter is a Ditmar Award-nominated British-Australian
author. He writes dark fantasy, horror and sci-fi, rides a motorcycle and loves
his dog. He also teaches Kung Fu. He is the author of the dark urban fantasy
trilogy, Bound, Obsidian and Abduction (The
Alex Caine Series) published by HarperVoyager Australia, and the dark
urban fantasy duology, RealmShift
and MageSign (The
Balance Book 1 and Book 2) from Gryphonwood Press. He co-authored the
short horror novel, Dark
Rite, with David Wood. Alan also writes short stories with more than
50 published
in a variety of journals and anthologies in Australia, the US, the UK and
France. His short fiction has appeared in Fantasy & Science Fiction,
Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Daily Science Fiction, Postscripts, Wily Writers
and Midnight Echo, among many others, and more than twenty anthologies,
including the Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror (2010 and
2012). Alan also writes narrative arcs and dialogue for videogames. He
wrote the popular writer’s resource, Write The Fight Right,
a short ebook about writing convincing fight scenes.
Alan lives among dairy paddocks on the beautiful south
coast of NSW, Australia, with his wife, son, dog and cat. Read extracts from
his novels, a novella and short stories at his website – www.warriorscribe.com –
or find him on Twitter @AlanBaxter
and Facebook, and feel free to tell him what you think. About
anything.
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