Interview with author and Dr. Who fan Darren Pearce

photo by Katrina Hepburn

1.) Darren, you have quite the mixed bag of writing credits. Novels, short stories, ghost writing, gaming, you've done a little bit of everything. How did you come to have such an eclectic writing career?

I always wanted to be a writer, from a very early age. I’d write very short stories when I was knee-high to a grasshopper, and I’d read a lot. So when the internet broadened and forums became really popular, I’d spend a lot of time making up fan-fiction about Surreal Software’s Drakan game and later on the Equilibrium movie. Great film by the way!

One day I had a message asking if I could help Surreal Software with a homebrew project, as a writer. It was to do with an f2p MMO (even back then) set in the Drakan world. So I jumped at the project, it fell through eventually but it was a cool ride whilst it lasted.

It opened a couple of doors though and I started to do little bits of writing here and there, news for a website called Games Xtreme and then reviews, as well as the odd article here and there. One of my former students who now worked at Particle Systems on the game I-War 2 gave me an email one day and it was a writing opportunity for a company called Dark Quest Games – that began the whole thing, I wrote a short submission and Dark Quest liked it a lot. Neal Levin has been a good friend of mine ever since and it’s thanks to James Moore (my former student and good friend) and Neal that my writing career took off really.

I’ve done a lot since then, worked on computer games, ghost-written a novel that reached 800 pages, worked on my own novel, a lot of short stories and been published a few times in the last couple of years. I also get to work on the Doctor Who RPG which is frankly a blast, and Cubicle 7 is fantastic to work with in that regard.

I’ve also done work on both Lone Wolf Choose Your Own Adventure book bonus adventures (Book 8 and 17) as well as the old and new Lone Wolf RPG from Mongoose Publishing, so yeah, all in all it’s been a mad eclectic writing career for me!

2.) You are also the creator of the webcomic The Chronicles of Wyrden, based upon your novel Fate's Hand. How did the webcomic come about?

Ah, good old Fate’s Hand. That book has been revised a few times since I first started it and that’s why it’s never actually been out into the public eye. Though through Monumental Works Group you can get a taste in Dreams in Shadow! (Not-so subtle plug eh?) – The webcomic on the other hand sprung from a desire to tell a story in the same universe as Fate’s Hand with some of the same characters, in a different format. It was really a case of ‘could I do this?’ because writing for a visual audience is vastly different from writing for a book audience. So one day we sat down and said – let’s do this, created a bunch of pages, I got some balloons from the net and we just threw ourselves at the project.

I’m lucky though, I am married to a very talented artist (Gillian otherwise known as Hellion) and cartographer and we’ve both learned some really cool lessons in the comic art over the four years that Wyrden has been trucking along at Drunk Duck etc. I’ve been able to learn the way comic stories are told and put together and you can see the change in the layout, writing and art from about Chapter 3 of Wyrden.

I also wanted to tell more stories with characters that I had grown attached to. It’s an interesting world and I love industrial dark fantasy a lot, I wouldn’t say that Wyrden is really steampunk but there are influences there – it’s more Renaissance than Victorian and the world is pretty much a dystopia. I had been watching a lot of Equilibrium when I came up with the place, so ... yeah; I borrowed some of the elements from that too.

3.) What do you hope the future holds for you as a writer?

I definitely want Fate’s Hand to be published, and I’m working on that right now – getting it into a state where I can really make it shine. I’ve learned a lot recently about the whole writing process and having a few rejections really helps sharpen the literary min I think. I also want to get it out there and dedicate it to my mom who passed away on Feb 03rd this year; she was a big inspiration and pushed me to become who I am today.

I would like to write a Doctor Who novel one day, as well as do more work on the Doctor Who RPG itself. I’ve got a couple of adventures in the pipeline for that and more stuff to come – including the Hartnell (Doctor #1) era setting which was a great project to work on. Working more with Monumental Works Group on other collaborative projects is a must too; Dreams in Shadow was great to contribute to.

I would also like to do more short stories. I love working for anthologies because those stories push your creative processes to different and sometimes new directions.

Lastly of course, more RPG work is always good and I have a lot of that I can’t talk about yet but soon; soon I can let the cat out of the bag!

4.) What is your favorite fruit?

Hmm. I would have to say strawberries!

5.) You are rumored to be a big Dr. Who fan. Which Doctor is your favorite, and why?

I am a massive Doctor Who fan! I have always loved the show and I’d have to say out of all the Doctors, Tom Baker (Doctor #4) is my #1 favourite Doctor of all time. With Matt Smith (#11) coming a very close second. I have a soft spot for all of them and really love Doctor Who a great deal.

6.) There is a knock at your front door. You open it to find a somewhat frantic gentleman dressed in clothing that's a bit out of style, perhaps a little fancy yet was fashionable during its era. Behind him is an old fashioned blue police call box. The gentleman grabs you by the hand and says, "We need you! You're the only one who can save the universe!" What do you do?

I would have to follow, I mean when the Doctor calls you to arms then there’s no use in trying to fight it. It would be a dangerous, wonderful and pretty exciting thing to travel with that guy. Apart from the whole ‘constant death’ kind of deal due to all of the enemies the Doctor has and so on. I would still go with him because to see Time and Space laid out before you like that, to be able to go anywhere and any-when? That is the core of being a writer right there!

For more on Darren Pearce, check out his ...
Amazon page
Amazon (UK) page

Books read in 2012: No. 43 -- We Can Be Heroes

by Scott Fitzgerald Gray

Started: May 9
Finished: May 14

Notes: For the last year or so I've been impressed as hell by this writer, so I have to admit to having high hopes with this one. Pretty much everything I've read by him so far has been short heroic fantasy. So, with this reading I am enjoying two firsts. It will be the first Gray novel I will have read, and it will be the first non-fantasy (I think?) work from Gray I will have read. The plot here is kind of mysterious, but seems to center around a group of gamers who stumble into trouble involving the government and who knows who and what else. I've read the first few chapters so far, and the writing style reminds me somewhat of Cory Doctorow's Little Brother, which isn't a bad thing considering Doctorow's popularity.

Mini review: You need to read this book. Regardless of your favorite reading material, whatever your favorite genres, this one covers a lot. Techno. Thriller. Mystery. Science Fiction. Action. Adventure. Gaming, digital and tabletop. Gamers. Young adult. A touch of romance. But what you really want to know is, is this book any good? Uh, hell yeah! I've said before this author has impressed me, and he continues to do so. I read a lot, but I truly cannot remember the last time a novel has kept me up reading all night; this one kept me up all night for two nights. You've probably heard that old cliche, "I couldn't put it down." Really, that was the case here for me. I have very, very few nitpicks about this book. At first I felt the beginning, the first 20 or so pages, was a little slow, but then it slams into gear and doesn't let up much for the rest of the story. And even those first 20 pages were interesting and fast reads. I truly can't say enough good about this novel.

Interview with author Uri Kurlianchik

1.) Uri, what can readers find in your writings that they aren't likely to find elsewhere?

Israel! And I mean this in two ways. First, there's been a lot of talk recently about fantasy mostly depicting societies based on medieval Europe. Now this book (Tales from an Israeli Storyteller) draws its fantastic elements from the Middle East and from the tales and beliefs of the Levant, both ancient and new. I hope people will find this perspective refreshing and, dare I say, educational.

Secondly, although this is a work of fiction, each story takes place in a real location, which I explored with a bunch of really imaginative friends beforehand. So, in addition to being a collection of contemporary fantasy tales inspired by Middle Eastern and Jewish folklore (and not the nasty stuff you hear on the news!) this is also a well-researched travel guide. How cool is that, huh?

2.) You’re currently having an indiegogo campaign going on. For those who are unfamiliar with indiegogo, can you give the basics and explain what your particular campaign hopes to accomplish?

Indiegogo is like Kickstarter, only it allows non-Americans to run campaigns and you can curse there as much as you want. It’s **** great! Basically, you create a page for your campaign and ask people to help you finance it. In my case, I need money to pay artists, an editor, do layout and pay for gas (I like to research my stories really thoroughly). Unlike Kickstarter, I get to keep whatever I raise, even if I don’t reach my campaign goal. That being said, I hope to make at least $1000 because it turns out producing a quality book is really expensive! The more I raise, the more great art the book will have, so it’s really a great investment to make.

If you want to help, first, big, huge, colossal thanks in advance; secondly, go here and click the big pink button. The rest should be fairly obvious.

3.) Looking ahead to the future, where do you hope to be as a writer in five years?

It would be nice if a lot of people read my books and stories and had fun. I am a man of modest ambitions.

4.) You've got one of the coolest day jobs I've ever heard about. What exactly is it you do, and how did you land such a gig?

I play Dungeons and Dragons with kids aged 9-12 all over the state. We meet for weekly 90-minute-sessions in schools and community centers. I know it sounds like a very exotic job, but it's actually very common around these parts. I think most schools in Israel have a D&D program nowadays.

It started with a childhood friend calling me after we hadn’t spoken for years, and asking me if I’m still into D&D. “You can bet your ass I am!” I answered. “Good,” he said, “do you want to make money from it?” I answered, “Do I!” and so it rolled from there. If you want to read more about my job and the adventures it entails, just visit my blog DNDkids.com.

5.) Lilith vs. a golem, who wins?

That's a really tough question! I guess it really depends on who created the golem. I mean, if you look at historic golems, you have creatures that are only suitable to serve as comic sidekicks, such as the alchemical homunculus, and you have monsters so huge and powerful they can pulverize cities, such as the Golem of Chelm. They're big, tough and resistant, but they're also dumb as dirt, literally. Lilith is a lover, not a warrior, but she is almost as old as the universe, which is 5772 years (dodges a shoe thrown by science guys), very smart and has the support of desert animals, angels, demons and, I suspect, many fantasy enthusiasts. However, it seems the big guy in the sky isn’t very fond of her ... Hmmm ... I guess I'd go with Lilith. Unless the golem crushes her outright, she'll probably think of some cool way to destroy it.

By the way, both these characters appear in Israeli Storyteller, but in different stories so you don’t get to see them fight ... yet. You can, however, see their pretty pictures on the cover.

6.) What is the most stupid thing you have ever done?

Wow! Where to begin? When I was five, I climbed the roof with my grandma, even as everyone else hid in shelters, and watched American rockets duel with Iraqi rockets in the sky. I went on a trip to Nablus once, which if my mom ever finds out she'd kidnap me and lock me in a safe basement for the rest of my life. I once drank a cup of tea with thirteen spoonfuls of sugar. Ahh ... the ensuing rush ... But the prize probably goes to a little border incident I had during my military service. I was at the Syrian border and we were just told by HQ that there has been a suspected breach. It was an incredibly misty night -- if I held my hand outstretched, I couldn't see the tips of my fingers. I was sitting there, a little nervous because I couldn't see anything and the whole base rung and clung in the wind. Suddenly, I heard someone rocking the gates. My heart leaped. I ordered them to identify themselves in Hebrew, Arabic and English. No response. I cocked my rifle and approached the gates, hopefully looking like John McClane and not like Stormtrooper #827. I reached the gates and what do I see? A huge porcupine trying to enter the base. It actually stood on its hind feet and shook the gates with its front paws. I let it in, why not?

So yeah, my stupidest act was probably attempting to perform an arrest procedure on a particularity large porcupine ...

Interview with historical fiction author Martin Lake

1.) Martin, you write quite a bit of historical fiction. What draws you to such literature? More specifically, you've written about English history soon after the Battle of Hastings, so what drew you to that particular period?

I love history and I love literature. One morning I had the idea of fusing my two passions and writing historical fiction. About this time I also discovered George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman novels and realised that historical fiction could be a wonderful vehicle. I was drawn to the period after 1066 because I've been fascinated by the Anglo-Saxon period since reading a Ladybird book about King Alfred at the age of eight or nine. 1066 was a disaster for ordinary people and I was drawn to writing about a time when their world was broken in this manner. Many people in England still think that the country started when the Normans seized the kingdom, a propaganda coup which has lasted for a 1,000 years.

2.) Do you prefer to be an independent writer, or would you be willing to sign with a traditional publishing house if the opportunity arose?

I love the freedom of being an independent writer and being able to manage the career of each of my books. I have also been amazed and excited by the opportunities to engage with readers and other writers. Having said this, if a publishing house made me an offer I couldn't refuse, then I wouldn't refuse it.

3.) According to your blog, you and your family recently moved to France. Do you think it possible this will affect your writing? If so, how?

That is a fascinating question. The chief effect is that I am beginning to see things from a much more international perspective. It helps that France and England were bitter-sweet enemies, siblings who loved and hated each other in equal measure. We live in a frontier town so we also have the influence of Italy. Living abroad has given me new ideas, insights and thoughts. I can't speak French very well but I imagine that as I improve it may have an impact on the way in which I write. At the moment I notice that I relish the richness of English even more than I have in the past.

4.) What do you most hate about your hero?

Tough question. The hero of The Lost King series is Edgar, the young boy who was the rightful King of England and was proclaimed as such just after the Battle of Hastings. He must have been an astonishing man and I look forward to writing about the rest of his life. The one thing which gets me, and I didn't intend this, is that he is sometimes overawed and overwhelmed by William the Conqueror. It frustrates Edgar as well: "I searched the pennants fluttering above the troops. There, yes there, was William's standard. It towered above a forest of other flags, arrogant, assured, a spit in my eye. My heart seemed to stall at the sight of it. What hope did we have now that William here?"

5.) If you could be a time of year, what would it be?

The day after the clocks go forward in spring. It's like a magic wand has worked a strange trick. People wander around as if bewildered and beguiled by the sudden opportunity opened up by an extra hour of sunlight. The world seems to breathe quicker and with more excitement.

6.) Also according to your blog, you have interest in Gene Kelly. Are you a good dancer?

Only when dancing with Cyd Charrise.

Thanks very much for this interview, Ty.

To find out more about historical fiction author Martin Lake, check out his ...
Blog: Martin Lake Writing
Amazon page
Amazon (UK) page
Smashwords page

Books read in 2012: No. 42 -- The Queen of the Swords

by Michael Moorcock

Started: May 5
Finished: May 9

Notes: This is the second novel in a trilogy commonly called "The Chronicles of Corum" or "The Books of Corum." They are, as stated, about the adventures of Corum, a Vadhagh prince who travels worlds on various adventures. I read the first novel, The Knight of the Swords, about five years ago and have been meaning to get back to this series ever since.

Mini review: This one started a little stilted for me, almost archaic in tone, but that's to be expected somewhat from much of '60s and early '70s Sword and Sorcery literature. But by the halfway point I was more into the story, and I much like the ending, leaving me ready for the final book in this trilogy.

Interview with author Joe Vasicek

1.) Joe, you've written mostly speculative fiction so far, mainly science fiction and fantasy. What draws you to those genres?

There's a saying that the golden age of science fiction is about twelve, and that's definitely true in my case. I fell in love with the science fiction genre when I saw Star Wars for the first time as a young boy, and I haven't looked back since. I read all the books by Timothy Zahn and Kevin J. Anderson, then discovered the Corellian Trilogy by Roger MacBride Allen. His descriptions of the enormity of space and the age and evolution of the universe really captivated me, and I took an interest in astronomy which eventually led me to more classic works of science fiction by Orson Scott Card, Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ursula K. Le Guin. But it was Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time that made me realize that I would one day be a writer.

As for what draws me to speculative fiction, it has to be the sense of wonder and possibility. Writing is an exercise of imagination for me, and I find it almost impossible to write anything that takes place in the "real world" because my creative mind thrives on that sense of wonder. At the same time, I often feel drawn by the depth of character that can be found within the genre. Because the setting of the story is often completely alien, you have to ground the reader by making the characters' reactions believable and true to life. My favorite books, like Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed, are the ones that use the alien and the fantastic to show more clearly what it means to be human.

2.) You have also written a travel book about a trip to Jordan. What brought you to travel to Jordan?

I traveled to Jordan over the summer of 2008 as part of a study abroad program with Brigham Young University. I studied Middle Eastern Studies & Arabic in college, and my main reason for being there was to take the 300 level Arabic classes required for my major. However, I had a fantastic cultural experience as well, traveling all across the country and making a lot of friends among the local people. The book is based largely off of the blog that I kept while I was over there.

Since graduating in 2010, I've decided to spend a few years traveling more extensively. Currently I'm in the south Caucasus region, teaching English in Georgia. After I'm done here, I'll probably make my way back to the Middle East, either to Jordan, Egypt, or somewhere in the Gulf (depending on the political situation), or maybe head out to Eastern Europe to explore my family's roots. Either way, you can expect to see more travel writing in the future.

3.) There has been a lot of talk, arguments not being uncommon, concerning the future of books and e-books. What is your take? Have any predictions for the future?

I have to admit there are a lot of people who know much more than me about this subject. However, I think it's safe to say that there will always be a demand for books, no matter what form they take.

The way I see it, the e-book format is an amazing technological revolution, on the order of the Gutenburg press. Imagine a world where books never go out of print, where you can find just about anything you could ever want to read at the click of a button. That world has already arrived! And because the marginal costs of e-book production are so low, writers and readers can connect directly, making possible an explosion of innovation and new voices the likes of which we've never seen. This is the best time in the world to be a reader, and because of all the new opportunities that have been opened by e-publishing, I believe it's the best time to be a writer as well.

4.) Can you tell us a little about your next writing project?

Sure! I'm currently working on a revision for Heart of the Nebula, a direct sequel to Bringing Stella Home. I finished the rough draft a few months ago, but I feel it needs a lot of work before it's ready to go out, so I won't be publishing it until probably the end of this year. I've also finished the draft of another novel set in the same universe, Stars of Blood and Glory, but that one also needs a lot of work.

As for my next publishing project, I've got a novel that I'm really excited about, but I can't say any more about it because it's currently on hold with the Writers of the Future contest. I hope to publish it in four parts, and the first part is ready to go as soon as I hear back from WOTF, but obviously I can't do anything until I hear back from them first. Check out my blog for more details!

5.) What is your favorite number, and why?

Twelve. It's divisible by 2, 3, 4 and 6, which makes it beautifully symmetrical. It's the number of hours on a clock, the number of months in a year, the number of bagels in a dozen, and the number of colonies in Battlestar Galactica.

However, the number 60 is also quite interesting. It's divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 20, and 30. The Babylonians used it as the base for their counting system, which is why we have 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, and 360 degrees in a circle. All things considered, though, I'm glad we switched to a base 10 system -- high school math would have been torture in ancient Babylonia.

6.) An ancient Mayan spirit comes to you and informs you the world will most definitely end in 2012, either through earthquakes, a giant asteroid strike, or zombie dinosaurs. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), this spirit says you are the individual who must decide which form the end is going to take. So, what's it going to be?

A mysterious blight infects all of humanity, killing anyone older than 25 and making that the maximum age that most of the population can hope to live. After a mass exodus from the urban centers and a brief period of Mad Max style anarchy, a new society of small, decentralized farming villages arises. In this society, older children raise their brothers and sisters, while self-trained specialists scour the ruins for lost treasures like canned foods and abandoned server racks. And in a land far far away, rumor has it that a tyrant king has discovered a cure and is amassing a fearsome army ...

For more on Joe Vasicek, check out his blog: One Thousand And One Parsecs.

Books read in 2012: No. 41 -- The Ghost Pirates

by William Hope Hodgson

Started: May 2
Finished: May 5

Notes: This writer has come highly suggested by the likes of H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, so I'm guessing he is worth my while. I've obviously heard of Hodgson, but I've never read any of his work. This particular short novel is the third part of a trilogy, though apparently each part of the series can be read by itself. Also, this one was published in 1909. Besides, the title, it's got both ghosts and pirates, so what is there not to like?

Mini review: Started somewhat slow, but then builds quickly and in an interesting fashion, with events piling upon one another to a dramatic climax. I felt the ending came a little (just a little) too abruptly, but it did mostly fit in with the story. This was more a horror than a fantasy tale, and fans of early 20th century speculative fiction should enjoy this one. I know I did.