Fantasy author Darrin Drader's two new projects

1.) Darrin, what can you tell us about your new/upcoming novel?

Which one? I have two projects to talk about right now. The first is the series of serialized fiction I'm working on, which is set in the shared world called The Endlands. Originally created by Scott Fitzgerald Gray, The Endlands is much more of a traditional fantasy setting than my other project. This series is called The Heroes of Gracia, and the first story is called The Vacant Forge. It serves to introduce the characters and also explain why they leave their life of relative comfort to go adventuring in the wilderness. There is a larger story arc that will emerge through the run of this project, but I'm keeping each story at the length of a long story or short novella (about 30 novel-length pages), and the larger story will unfold in a very much episodic manner. The Vacant Forge starts the story with a blacksmith's apprentice who awakens in the middle of the night to find his master dead. He, along with his friends, strike out to try and find out what happened and bring his murderer to justice. This will ultimately reach the highest reaches of power in the city they live in. The Vacant Forge is available now through Amazon.com.

The other project I'd like to talk about is a full-on novel called Echoes of Olympus. It's set in the classical period of Ancient Greece, but it's definitely an alternate history book. It begins with Alexander the Great's invasion of Asia Minor and is told from the point of view of Heliodas, one of the sons of Zeus. When he's gravely injured on the field of battle, he's found by a woman named Thermiandra, who was following a vision given to her by Athena that led her to him. Together with the Macedonian warrior Pelephon and the Egyptian wizard Archetus, they strike out on a quest that has implications not only for them, but for the entire world and the gods themselves. Echoes of Olympus will be released by Dark Quest Books in the near future.

2.) How does your day job relate to your fiction writing? Or does it?

Well, before the studio I worked for self destructed, there wasn't a lot of overlap. I wrote dialogue for a computer game, so if nothing else, it kept me in the practice of producing material daily, and writing good character dialogue.

3.) As a writer, what do you hope to bring to your readers?

I hope to bring entertainment, and I also hope to be able to tell good human stories that will touch people on some level. I'm not going to lie and say that it's of literary quality, as a lot of it features action at its core, but I occasionally like it to be a little more than just a fun romp through fantastic scenery.

4.) If you could be rich or famous but not both, which would it be?

Oh, absolutely, rich. Who wants to be famous? If I had all the money in the world, I'd be able to do what I wanted, go where I want to go, and not have to worry about making ends meet. If I was famous but not rich, I'd be constantly hounded by the media, have my personal privacy invaded, and possibly have me or my family threatened. That's no life!

5.) Who is your favorite relative, and why?

Come on, Ty, is this a fair question? Really? See that question above about fame vs. wealth? If I actually go on and answer this question it will be like choosing fame above.

6.) You are on a ship sinking next to a deserted island. You have been able to carry to the island enough food and water and clothes to last you a good while, but the ship is going down fast and you only have enough time to grab one more box of goodies. You have three choices: a case of beer, a crate filled with guns and ammo, or a box full of books. Which do you grab?

Obviously the books. I don't drink a lot of alcohol, so I won't be needing that, and I've seen enough Survivorman to be able to survive, especially so close to a ready supply of fresh fish. No, I'd need to keep my mind active, so I'd want to take the books. Hopefully they're a collection of MY books rather than some other passenger's romance books.

For more on Darrin Drader
DarrinDrader.com
Darrin's Smashwords page
Monumental Works Group