Interview with Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed

 

Hi there, Danielle and Day!  Thank you both for stopping by to talk to us today!

Danielle: Hi, Luke! ::::waves:::::

Luke Reviews readers will likely be very familiar with the name Danielle Ackley-McPhail (Bad-Ass Faeries, frequent contributor to Defending the Future, etc.), but could each of you give us a brief introduction to yourself?

Danielle: I am a woman of many voices. Not one to limit myself unnecessarily, I write fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, science horror, military science fiction, steampunk…pretty much anything and everything that inspires me. I love creating of any type, sewing, cooking, sculpting, and, of course, writing. I do believe that I put together my first book when I was twelve and haven’t stopped since. They have fortunately improved in quality.

I have worked in publishing for over twenty years and I’ve been published for over thirteen years. Currently I have six novels to my credit, three short story collections, one writers guide, seven edited anthologies, and I have contributed to over fifty other anthologies or magazines.

On the other hand, Day Al-Mohamed is making her first appearance on Luke Reviews with Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn.  Can you tell us some more about yourself, Day?  Do you have any other works interested readers can look for?

Day: I’m very excited about this first novel. I love writing, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, comics, even a couple of short films, but novel-length work has always been a bit intimidating. J  I feel like I’m just getting started on some grand adventure!

As to my current work, I co-edited the anthology Trust & Treachery and have shorts in Daily Science Fiction (one of my favorite places to read). This year, I have stories in Sword & Laser, Alternate Hilarities, Breath and Shadow magazine, and GrayHaven Comic’s Women-themed comic anthology (prior work of mine is in their You Are Not Alone anti-bullying issue). I am a member of Women in Film and Video and a graduate of the VONA/Voices Writing Workshop.

When not working on fiction, I’m a Senior Policy Advisor with the Federal government.  I love action movies and tea (lots of tea), and live in Washington, DC with my wife, in a house with far too many swords, comics, and political treatises.  I have a website (www.DayAlMohamed.com) but the easiest place to catch me is Twitter (@DayAlMohamed)!

So. Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn.  I loved it.  How did this wonderful book come about?  Did one of you get the idea and bring it to the other, or were you looking for a story to collaborate on and came up with this together?

Danielle: LOL…it started out as a short story and quickly outgrew its pages. When the publisher learned how long it had grown he told us we could not use it for the anthology it was written for. He said it was a book now and we had to go finish it. We are eternally grateful to him for this. While it would have been a good story, it’s a great book.

Day: Initially, Danielle had asked for help with some of the background for a story she was working on for Gaslight and Grimm.  Having grown up in the Middle East and with stories similar, I have always lamented the lack of diversity in fairytale collections and anthologies.  I wanted to see characters that looked like me. I may have gone overboard in my assistance when I sent her a multi-page guide with definitions, common phrases in Persian and Arabic, notes on clothing, culture-specific responses to the environment etc. That grew into a story collaboration and then, accidentally became a novel collaboration.  J

What was it like collaborating on a project rather than working on an individual work?  Was it hard to give up complete creative control?

Danielle: Oh….just….oh….I do have to admit that I have control issues. I have very definite ideas and find it difficult to let go of details. It takes a lot of effort for me to step back and let someone else guide things. In most cases I did it, only occasionally taking the bit between my teeth on one aspect or another. I just kept in mind that it was our novel not MY novel.  It wasn’t always easy, but I think it is a stronger more tightly woven book precisely because I was able to restrain myself and let Day take equal part in shaping the story.

Day: I think there was some suffering. J I’ll admit, I think I had a slight advantage. Working on a couple of stories for comics, it was a difficult lesson to trust the artist when it came to shaping the vision.  Though I will say, every time I did, the final product was fantastic beyond anything I had conceived of myself.

What process did you use for your collaboration?  Did you meet up and write together, or was it a long range email thing?  Did you switch off writing, or did one person write a draft and the other followed up with complete re-writes?

Danielle: LOLOL….I think you would have to call it the “Hot-Potato” method of collaboration. We had so many great ideas and so much excitement to write it that neither of us held on to it for long. We would write sections and bounce it back to the other and just keep going like the manuscript was going to burn us up if we held on to it too long.

Day: Writing is so often such a solo affair.  This was anything but.  We passed the writing back and forth but it wasn’t just adding new material, it was going back over each other’s writing and adding, adapting, revising, and changing. So it became an exciting game.  What did the other person do?  What is going to happen? What shall I do next?  Add to that “idea conversations” over email or phone where we got to bounce back and forth ideas of where to go. I’m sure this made writing Baba Ali take longer than it would have otherwise, but I think that a small sacrifice.

There were some wonderful period references in your novel.  What sort of research was done in the writing on Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn?

Danielle: The historic elements are a hodgepodge of contributions from both myself and Day. I brought in the historic elements from the Persian dynasties and Al-Jazari’s The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Devices and I picked Charles Babbage as Ali’s mentor, all gleaned by searching certain terms on Google that pertained to the time period we were aiming for and the regions. Once I settled on Babbage I did research into his background and referenced photographs/etchings to incorporate details of his appearance and home. For everything else, to be truthful, I can’t remember what ideas led to finding these particular things. For me research is a real scavenger hunt and I find ways to seed my work with the relevant details. Now Day…she’s the true researcher and history buff. She did a lot more in-depth research to keep us historically accurate and to draw in the right technical feel to lend credence to our period piece, but I’ll let her share those details with you.

Day: I love history. I love alternate history and what ifs.  I also love those tiny details that let you think “This story COULD have happened.” We worked hard to include the 1001 Nights aesthetic and capture elements from oral storytelling, but we also included concrete references and technologies.  I love including those little references for people who either know the topic or are interested enough to take a few minutes to look it up. We pulled up old maps and descriptions of Jerusalem and used actual schematics for the Graf Zeppelin to design the aerostat, Thaddeus Lowe (I also encourage folks to look up who he was).  As a more specific example, I used language references from both Arabic and Persian.  It won’t matter to most readers but if you recognize that difference, it leads you to perhaps some more interesting questions about the origin of Baba Ali and his family.

What about the story of Ali Baba inspired you to use it as the basis of your novel?  There are a lot of stories to choose from in the Arabian Nights, so what made this one stand out?

Danielle: A couple years back a fellow author recommended a themed anthology to me: Gaslight and Grimm: Steampunk Faerie Tales. I loved the idea and so we moved ahead. My vision for that collection was a mix of traditional Grimm’s tales, mingled with fables and tales from other sources as well, to lend variety. I don’t think there was every any question what I was going to do myself. See, while I was growing up my mom worked for CBS records and they received an allotment of free records every year. One of those my mom chose was a recording of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and some other fable. I don’t remember what the other one was but I listened to Ali Baba until the vinyl was nothing but scratches. Even without that, though,  I really wanted to do Ali Baba myself because I saw so many possibilities to transform the tale through a steampunk retelling.

Day: In some ways, I came to the project knowing it was “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.”  But what I remembered more about the story was that Ali Baba wasn’t really the only hero.  In fact, I had heard of it as “Clever Morgiana” and that long-forgotten element made this stand out as a story with great potential for a retelling.

Is there any chance of a sequel?  This setting and these characters seem so full of depth and wonder that Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn seems like a world with more than one story to tell.

Danielle: Oh….I don’t think we could stop here even if we wanted too. We had half a dozen ideas for other books before we even finished the first one, it seems. There is so much wonder and adventure to explore and elements from the first book still unresolved that there simply have to be more books.

Day: Maybe in a sequel Danielle will let me chop someone into 40 pieces to distribute through the Ottoman Empire…yes? J Expanding to a novel was probably the best thing that could have happened to the story.  It gave us the time and space to not only expand the characters, but to fill in a world rich with magic and mechanics, personal ambition, politics, and secrets.

What other works do you two have on the horizon?  Will we be seeing any more collaborative work from you in the near future?

Danielle: :::groan::: I still have to finish Gaslight and Grimm (Dark Quest Books, Fall 2014) and I have about five novels I’m working on, not counting the future Baba Ali books. There is also a short story collection I’m wrapping up for October. It’s mostly a reprint collection of my urban fantasy stories that have appeared in various anthologies over the years.

Day: Baba Ali? Likely yes.  J  I think we’ve been bitten by the bug and the urge to spend more time in this world is very tempting.  Other things on the horizon? I have several stories and comics coming out this year (I mentioned several above – that’s what I get for not reading ALL the questions before I start answering.) I’m currently in the middle of two other novels, one that has the flavor of a steampunk Lonesome Dove, set post-Civil War and the second, co-written with N.R. Brown, a science-fiction Young Adult novel set in a future Venice.  I have to admit, with showings of both my short films on Virginia cable this year, I also have been thinking about spending a bit more time working on film.

Thank you so much for taking the time to hang out and answer some questions.  Do you have any final comments before we wrap up?

Danielle: Thank you for having us, Luke. And thanks a LOT for really liking our books! For those who are curious about what else we have done, my website is www.sidhenadaire.com and www.badassfaeries.com....

Day:  Thank you!  This was a lot of fun.  Just had to say, yours was my first review.  I was so very excited about it. As I said earlier, I love talking to folks and the easiest place to find me is www.DayAlMohamed.com  or (more likely) @DayAlMohamed 

 

 

Thanks again!

Interview with William I. Levy

I recently read William I. Levy’s second novel, The Starcrossed, and was really impressed. I got the chance to sit down and ask him a few questions.


Thanks for the interview, William!



Right off the bat, congratulations on getting your latest novel, The Starcrossed (out from BlackWyrm Books), published! I know this was your second novel, and ninth book, so how was the process this time around? How was working with the people at BlackWyrm?



Really great. Frankly, they took a bit of a chance on me, and I'm grateful. We're working hard to get the book out there, and Dave has done a lot to get venues, and not been shy about accepting suggestions from my own freelance experience.



Before we jump too much into The Starcrossed, can you tell us a bit about the other pieces of writing you have done?



I tend to run amuck across the genre landscape; done everything from a book about practical philosophy, several graphic and short story collections, an rpg, and even an erotic romance set in an alternate universe. Ideas don't stay in categories for me, always interested in almost everything. Which is reflected in what I write about. Start one of my stories, you may run into midget angels, bored warmechs, or living rollercoasters in love. But I try to keep it interesting.



Now, to The Starcrossed (I liked the double entendre of the title, by the way). It seemed to me that you were playing with everything from pulp science fiction to super heroes to modern military thrillers. Did you intend from the beginning to play with all of these genres, or did the story really develop beyond its original scope in the process? Were there any particular inspiration for certain elements, such as the Pact or the catmorphs?



Nifty that you noticed. Yeah, first I was digging into a 'real' version of hero, not the street gritty weirdness or the saintly pure, but an explanation that shows what drives people like Barret. More than human, but still very human without being a total neurotic.

Secondly, I was going for something between action and romance, an area we don't really explore much here in the US. The former is regarded as pure male, the latter pure female, and that's silly. Not to defy the grand and glorious market barons, but you CAN put elements of both together and the entire audience will enjoy it.

And inspirations? Well, I'm not exactly standard issue humanity. A convention organizer once described me as an oversized Klingon ogre disguised as Albert Einstein. Most of my life I've dealt with the consequences, good and bad, of being able to do more than anyone in the area. So you could say I'm an expert on the subject. And catmorphs?

Okay, so I had my hormones carbolyzed by Julie Newmar on the Batman tv show when I was entering puberty. (Let me tell you, I finally met her a few years ago, she's so sweet, smart, still sexy, and that hug was amazing!). So when I wanted a sweet, sexy, cute, alien female...



While we are on the topic of inspirations, who and what are the big ones for you and your writing?



The romance elements; pure and simple, Milady. Karen, my goddess, wife, partner, soul.

And she's gonna get so annoyed with me for saying that in print. Then she'll get all melty...

Other than that, I get so many ideas from the world at large, I don't think I'll ever run out. I read Mental Floss, Funny Times, The Week, and the papers to keep up on new stuff.



I hear you are already at work on the sequel. Can you tell us a little bit about it? Any idea of when we might see it in print?



The sequel is almost a third finished, and starts off with a glimpse of Paum and Col as children, on Preen. Then it moves to traumatic events back on Earth, as our characters and society in general try to come to grips with the ramifications of What is Human?, legally, morally, and medically. Readers will get a deeper look behind the curtain at the shadow players attempting to control the planet, and inklings of how something like the Holsai came to be.



Do you have any other works we will be seeing in the near future, or that are in the works as we speak?



Definitely. I work on multiple projects at the same time. That way when I run into a block, I drop it and go work somewhere else until I figure out a solution.

Right now I'm almost finished with an armageddon action fantasy called LORDS OF NEXUS about a plot by psycho ancient demi-gods to reboot the universe.

Also writing a serial called OUT OF SPACE which I post on Deviant Art about a not-so-secret philosophical invasion of Earth by a galactic civilization using cable television. (But it's for our own good, and quite friendly.)

A hardboiled hedgewitch series is coming along nicely, as is another about a cursed sorority house that randomly spews crazed superheroines out into the world.

And one about a ship full of rejected spys and cyber criminals, protecting a little girl.

Not to mention a mystery series about a stranded alien.

Gimme a couple of years...



What are you reading, in and out of the genre?



A lot of manga, especially some of the older stuff, Yen, and alternate comics. Tons of books; Terry Pratchett is my fave, but I've picked up on a lot of Tom Holt, Modessitt, Butcher, Weber, and a recently completed set of Strangers In Paradise. I read fast, at least a book a day. Darn near a drug habit.



Any final comments?



I couldn't do this without the feedback and support I've gotten over the years. I really appreciate it. I'll try to keep writing interesting stories.

Interview with Brian Libby

A couple days ago I put up my review of Brian Libby’s latest fantasy novel, Gold and Glory, and also reviewed his previous novel, Storm Approaching, a while ago. I thoroughly enjoy Libby’s novels, and was delighted to have the chance to sit down and ask him a couple questions.


Thanks for the interview, Brian!

First off, I want to congratulare you on your first novel, Storm Approaching. It has garnered some wonderful praise and solid reviews! I know you went through a bit of an extended process getting that first novel out there, from having it in the hands of publishers to deciding to publish it yourself. How was it trying to get your first book published?

Many say that getting an agent is harder than getting a publisher, but that was not true in my case. In 2004, after about a hundred query letters, I succeeded in getting a very good New York agent. (This did not result from the query letters, but, oddly, from his irritated response to a review of one of his authors that I posted at Amazon. But ‘a soft answer turneth away wrath;’ after an exchange of e-mails, in which I mentioned my writing, he asked to see my book; I made a number of changes along lines he suggested; he accepted it.) In 2005 and 2006 several fine publishers declined Storm Approaching. At one it was recommended for publication by the first reader, but then languished until mid-2008 (!), waiting for the supreme editor to read it. Whether or not she ever did remains a mystery; after a note in which I said I was planning to self-publish if nothing good happened soon, the last word from my agent (August 2008) was, “I don’t think she is going to do it. From what I gather, she started it but lost interest. And then she said she would try again. But she never does. So go self publish. We tried. I think it is a fine book. It’s just not where the market is in fantasy. With some exceptions the market for new authors is ‘urban fantasy.’ Vampires, zombies, and werewolves.”

So I decided to produce Storm Approaching as a print-on-demand book, its unfortunate lack of vampires, zombies, and werewolves notwithstanding.

I had already published a satirical novel about education, And Gladly Teach, in 2001, with AuthorHouse, so the POD process went as expected, although I used another publisher for Gold and Glory.

Who are the biggest inspirations for your work, both literary and otherwise?

Inspirations? In my high school and college days (the late 60’s and the 70’s) I read much fantasy: Tolkien, of course, and earlier writers (e.g. George MacDonald, William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E.R. Eddison), and many books in the fantasy series edited by Lin Carter. I largely stopped reading it in grad school and beyond. When I decided to write Storm Approaching I wanted to see what sort of fantasy was now popular, so I read many pages from contemporary authors, and many more reviews; I have to say that few of them inspired me. (I do not read much contemporary fantasy now; studying history provides enough blood, sex, and misery.)

Authors I admire for their style and brilliance include George F. Kennan, Telford Taylor, S.J. Perelman, Thomas Mann and Dostoevsky (in translation), Edward Gibbon, and Alexander Pope.

Now that the first two books of Mercenaries have been released, a kind of over-arching theme in the world around your characters is becoming apparent. Do you have plans for the rest of the series? Will it be something you want to be ongoing, or do you have a set beginning, middle, and end in mind?

I know that many readers, rightly irritated by series that never end—or whose authors seem to have abandoned them—are reluctant to start reading anything new until it is complete. Well, good news here: the first three volumes of Mercenaries is a trilogy (i.e. a complete story, not just three books), and I plan to publish the third volume later this year. There is a fourth, a stand-alone volume, set in the same world with some of the same characters.

Can you give us any hints on what the next Mercenatires novel will be about?

Resolution continues the story of the first two and brings it to a definite conclusion. I should not like to say more, as it might spoil things for the readers—myriads, I hope—who will be starting Mercenaries. :)

Do you have any non-Mercenaries or non-novel plans for the near future?

I have already published And Gladly Teach, a satirical novel about prep-school life. Most readers find it very funny. There is also Miscellanea, a small book of humorous pieces on various subjects such as education, the LOTR and Star Wars films, and the nutritional benefits of eggplant parmesan. I don’t have plans for any non-Mercenaries novels. I post essays (mostly humorous) on my blog.

Your series has a very strong sense of history to it. Have you drawn a lot of details from the past, in particular the middle ages? Does your background in history help you work with the large political and global struggles that are the underpinnings that create Andiriel's world?

I’m a historian; my fields are European diplomatic and military history. Without professional knowledge I could not have written the books. I have, for example, striven earnestly to present diplomacy as it actually works—not as the lying and backstabbing that some uninformed authors seem to think it is. Military matters (found more in Gold and Glory than in Storm) are mainly described from the Operational level—that of regimental commanders in small armies—which I think is something new, as it avoids both the vagueness of a merely strategic description and the dreary, repetitive homicide of minor tactics. (It strikes me as odd how some writers seem to feel an obligation, if not an obsession, to emphasize the brutality of small-unit combat, as though readers were unaware of it. I will leave incessant carnage to these masters; it has been done enough, and new authors are supposed to do something different. More interesting, perhaps, to see how battles are planned and fought and won, or lost, from the viewpoint of those in command.)

Certainly there are parallels between my books and historical events and situations. The New Empire, for example, has certain features of the Holy Roman Empire; the possible inheritance crisis is similar to the situation before the War of the Austrian Succession and involves an equivalent of Charles VI’s Pragmatic Sanction. However, the world I am trying to create has nothing directly to do with Europe at any particular time. The society contains features from early and late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, and, I hope, many original things. Mercenaries is not historical fiction.

Any final comments?

Thanks very much for the opportunity to say something about my writing. I hope readers will be sufficiently intrigued to take a look at my blog, perhaps to get in touch, maybe even to take a chance and read something I wrote. Some print-on-demand books are better than others!

http://andiriel.blogspot.com/          http://www.blibby.com/

Interview with L.M. Preston

Not too long ago, Luke Reviews took a look at L.M. Preston’s debut novel, Explorer X – Alpha, an enjoyable new YA science fiction novel. With her next book, The Pack, on the way, I decided to sit down and ask her a few questions.


Hello, L. M. Thank you for doing an interview for us here at Luke Reviews!


To start things off with, you have a new novel coming out right at the beginning of August. Can you tell us a little bit more about The Pack? Is it the start of a new series or stand-alone? Is it aimed for the same group of readers that Explorer X - Alpha is?

There were several things that influenced the idea of The Pack. I had originally planned for this character to be a male. I had told my beta team (my kids and husband) about this idea I had about a blind vigilante that organizes a group of misfit kids to fight against a major crime organization on Mars.

My daughter told me that she wanted me to write about a female main character. That it would be cool to have a girl in the role. I smiled and Shamira’s face appeared in my mind’s eye.

I decided that her mission would be to save missing kids, because I wanted to write about missing kids escaping from captivity. Every day at my job, I passed a board of missing children. My heart went out to them, and I always hurt for their loss. Once a former colleague who’d been a police officer told me of a horrible case where he had located missing kids that were captured and being used in despicable ways by their captors who had enslaved them for years before disposing of them. These sad facts were the makings of The Pack.

It is a two-book series that I truly enjoyed writing. It’s aimed at kids 14yrs and up. It has adventure, twist and romance all in one. The true adventure is the building of trust and true friendship that empowers Shamira to become the champion she was meant to be. The Explorer X series was aimed at kids 12yrs old and up.

You have another novel, Bandits, due out next spring. Can you tell us a bit more about it?

Bandits, the first in a two book series, is about a teenaged boy who was raised as a thief and mercenary by his renowned father. His relationship with his father was strained due to his father’s refusal to continue his role as a leader of the Zukar. With his father’s murder, he discovers that his father snatched then hid a treasure that is not only worth killing for – but holds a power beyond mortal control. He sets out with his brother and friends to find the treasure before his father’s murderer does. His time is running out as the killer closes in, and the price to stop the inevitable destruction of his world becomes higher than he could ever pay.

Your first novel, Explorer X - Alpha, just came out a few months ago, and I have been hearing nothing but good things with it (and really liked it myself!). Congratulations! Since you said you are wrapping up the sequel, Explorer X - Beta, can you tell us a little bit about the sequel, and where the series is headed? Do you know how long the series will end up being?

Lol! Explorer X-Beta is the second book in the Explorer X series and will be full of surprises. The world I created for this book has me excited. This will ultimately be a four book series that will come to a climatic end that is so unpredictable yet powerful. I can’t wait. I’ve outlined the entire series and am finishing up the first draft of Explorer X-Beta, which is scheduled to come out Fall of 2011. In Explorer X-Beta, Aadi realizes that it’s okay to make mistakes, that leaning on your friends make you stronger, and that people are not always what they seem. I’ll give you a hint, he’s on his way to save Dakota and Carter, but in doing so, unveils something about the species in which he and the others were created from. The depth of the deception of TECRC becomes more obvious, and the burgeoning power of each character comes to the surface.

What authors/books/non-authors/books have most influenced your writing?

I’ve always loved reading horror, adventure, science fiction, true crime and romance. There’s not much I haven’t read. However, I love the style of James Patterson. He never, ever bores me. I also loved Dean Koontz’s earlier novels. I realized that in order for me to finish a book, I personally have to be excited about writing it.

You write YA science fiction. What do you think of the state of the genre?

I believe YA science fiction is a growing genre. Funny thing is, when I was younger, I skipped the books focused on my age group and read adult novels. Now though, times have changed and adults are seeking out YA novels because they are fast-paced.

What is in the future for L. M. Preston? Beyond your first four novels, what comes next? Do you think you will ever write outside the YA science fiction area, or have you found your home their?

Well, to be honest I have at least ten more series that I’m dying to write. This year though, I’ll be finishing up The Pack (Retribution) and Bandits. Next year I’ll be able to delve into my growing list of book ideas. As far as YA Science Fiction – I’m definitely home.

You write for Phenomenal One Press. Their goal is to write fiction that empowers teens and helps them get through difficult times, which I thinks is a wonderful goal. Is Phenomenal One Press your brainchild, or a publisher you just stumbled upon? What is it like working for them?

Phenomenal One Press, is the brainchild of my husband. I went through several months – okay almost a year – of sending out queries and getting rejected. I take rejection well for the most part, because engineers always have to work then rework an idea that has been critiqued. However, I must be honest - I was getting frustrated. I still didn’t give up and got an offer from a small publisher. I was this publisher’s only young adult author. After receiving the contract, and looking at some of the proposals they made regarding representing my work, I regretfully declined their offer. I knew that my book was part of a four book series. I would write many more books for this publisher, but I didn’t want to give my work away to someone that wasn’t going to properly promote it.

Then I discussed this frustration with my husband. I told him that now I have the writing bug, I can’t stop. That my one and only desire was to share my books with others, and making money doing it would just be gravy. He'd been an owner of several business before and stated that he would be a better publisher to me than one I declined. At that point on, knowing him as I do, I told him sure.

The benefits of working with Phenomenal One Press, a Small Press “Indie” publisher is that I get to have a voice. My hands, feet and body get dirty as I work with my publisher on every aspect of the business. I also get to see the future possibilities of my work that I'd never even considered as an author who'd just started this journey. When I look over any contract regarding the publishing business, I now have the ability to negotiate with the full knowledge of what I'm asking for and what the publisher will and can do for me. I understand the true cost of their investment and what that investment will gain me beyond the vision of my first book. With a small 'indie' publisher, if they don’t agree with the author's proposed changes, they usually state why. I have input in the cover design, marketing, event planning and every aspect of the promotion of my book. For me, a control freak, who was also a business major in school - this was wonderful!

This year my publisher is running a contest for authors that will allow their short stories to be placed in Bandits. It’s the beginning of growth for Phenomenal One Press and I can’t wait to see what the future has to offer. The company has an event coordinator, editor and interns who desire to learn the business. The goal being to teach, educate and empower not only our readers but writers who want to be a part of Phenomenal One Press.

Before we go, any final words?

I want my readers to know, that as a young person you have your entire life in front of you. Even when things look bad, you still have the ability to fight through to make it better. Always blaze your own path and never get discouraged while you are becoming stronger through the battles of life. Imagine yourself as the hero that you are, and you will do amazing things despite your challenges. How do I know this? Well, because I have and I know you can too.

Thank you once again for the interview, L. M. Good luck with your future endeavors!

Top 15 Books for 2009

After celebrating the end of the year, and the whole of of the 2009 releases reviewed at Luke Reviews, it is time to celebrate the best.  After some tough calls while narrowing down the list, Luke Reviews presents "The Luke Reviews Top 15 Books of 2009"!  Listed in alphabetical order of the author's last name, here are the books selected as the creme of the crop from 2009, along with comments from a number of the authors (and editor!) who made the list.  A huge thanks goes out to all of the people who got back to me and said something (particularly those of you who went above and beyond the call of duty; your responses were pure gold to read), and for all of the kind words.

The Chronicles of Malus Darkblade: Volume Two by Dan Abnett & Mike Lee


From Dan Abnett: I'd just like to say that Mike and I are delighted and honoured that the second Darkblade omnibus has made your best of 2009 list.  Thank you for the accolade--Merry Christmas and a very Happy 2010!


Resistance: The Gathering Storm by William C. Dietz


From William C. Dietz: It was a thrill to learn that Luke had chosen Resistance: The Gathering Storm as one of his top fifteen books of the year.  Working with the folks at Insomniac and Sony is a wonderful way to build out a really compelling universe in a way that compliments the games.  I'm writing a second book for them now and enjoying every moment of it.  I write original novels too, like my Legion of the Damned books, but tie-in work provides an opportunity to be part of a team.  And an excuse to play games and call it work!


Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan


(Sadly, Luke Reviews never heard back from Harry Dolan)


The Hidden Man by David Ellis


(Sadly, Luke Reviews never heard back from David Ellis)


Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman


(Neil Gaiman has a rule of thumb that he doesn't answer questions for websites unless you go through his agent, so Luke Reviews didn't contact him)


Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue by Hugh Howey


From Hugh Howey: It's a real honor to make an "best of" list, but this is a special thrill for me (and not because it's my first and only one).  That it comes from a reviewer brave enough to be a critic, someone I trust to point out my work's faults and help me improve as a storyteller, makes inclusion a real treat.


When I wrote the book, I didn't dare dream of it getting picked up by a publisher.  I just wanted to please my wife, the most discerning and ornery reader I know (in a good way).  That it has gone on to win rave reviews, selling far more copies than I have friends and family, was quite unexpected.  That it landed on an end-of-the-year list such as this, I can only say: publish in October, not in January.


Thanks, Luke.  And congratulations to all the other authors.  They are now on my reading list.


The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume Twenty edited by Stephen Jones


From Stephen Jones: One of the reasons I put together anthologies is for people like you.  As an editor, I don't expect the reader to like every story in a book--after all, it reflects my taste--but I do hope that most readers enjoy the majority of them.  What I loved about your review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror #20 is that you "got" every single story in the book--you understood exactly why I chose a particular tale, and in an age where most online "reviews" are little more than personal blogs, it is refreshing to find a site that actually still makes an effort to review books intelligently and insightfully.


I am extremely honoured that you have chosen The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror #20 as one of your Top 15 Books of the Year--it was an obvious milestone in the series and my career--and I hope that you will continue to spread the word for all genre material in 2010.


My best wishes to you and all your readers for a happy and prosperous New Year!


Storm Approaching by Brian Libby


From Brian Libby: Gold and Glory, the second volume in the Mercenaries series, should be available by early summer.  Check http://www.blibby.com, or write me at brnlbb(at)gmail.com, for more information  on my books.  No glory without honor!


Courage and Honour by Graham McNeill

From Graham McNeill: This was a fun book to write, as it was a chance to get back o basics with the Ultramarines.  I'd taken them off to the Eye of Terror in Dead Sky, Black Sun and left them there for a while, as I went off and did other projects, but they were always itching to get back to Ultramar.  I knew right away that I couldn't just have them turn up at the gates of their Chapter Monastery and say, 'Hi, we're home...' so that entailed The Killing Ground, a novel about the steps on the way home.  Like DS, BS, it was a novel that took the Space Marines out of their comfort zone and had them doing very un-Space Marine-like things, so with Courage and Honour, it was time to rectify that.


I wanted this to be the book that reminds the reader why Space Marines are the premier fighting force in the galaxy.  The Imperial Guard may number in the millions, but it's the Space Marines that do the really hard work, the missions that absolutely cannot be allowed to fail.  This was going to be a war novel, a book that had the Space Marines doing what they did best, killing their foes with complete and utter dedication and professionalism.  I wanted Courage and Honour to be a simple story, and when I say that I don't mean without complexity, I mean that is showed the Ultramarines--and Uriel--in the most classic Space Marine light possible.


These weren't Space Marines operating outside the Codex Astartes, these were warriors who fought with their Primarch's holy tome as their guide, and were winning with it at their side.  Of course, I wanted elements that weren't exactly codex, which is what led to Learchus going behind enemy lines and learning what had driven Uriel to make the choices he made.  It's a book with plenty of action, from all levels of the conflict, and I hope shows the brutality of warfare in the 40K universe, while also highlighting the heroism and horror that can come out of such desperate conflicts.


It's an honour to write about such an illustrious Chapter, and to have Courage and Honour chosen as one of the fifteen top books of 2009 by Luke gives me the pleasant thought that I did something right.  Let's just hope that the follow up book, The Chapter's Due is similarly well received.


The Lord of the Sands of Time by Issui Ogawa


(With the language barrier--Luke doesn't speak Japanese and Issui Ogawa's entire site was in said language--Luke Reviews was unable to contact Issui Ogawa for comment)


Hunt at the Well of Eternity by James Reasoner


From James Reasoner: Thank you so much for including Hunt at the Well of Eternity on your list.  I had a great time writing the book, and the fact that so many people have enjoyed reading it is very gratifying.


Kell's Legend by Andy Remic


(Andy Remic was kind enough to explain his very busy situation right now, and our schedules just wouldn't line up, so Luke Reviews couldn't get a comment from him)


Harbinger by Jack Skillingstead

From Jack Skillingstead: Harbinger is based on a loosely connected series of stories I published in Asimov's.  In fact, the connection is so loose, I doubt most readers even noticed it--and it may be the connection exists mostly in my own head.  The idea of so-called consciousness evolution was the starting point, a sort of organic singularity.  But in writing the novel I became fascinated by how individuals interpret experience/phenomenon through their own filters, and that took the narrative in different directions.  I'm gratified the book has been so well received, generally, and am especially happy to see it make Luke's Top Fifteen.


Slights by Kaaron Warren


From Kaaron Warren: Writing Slights was difficult.  It took a lot out of me emotionally, because I devoted myself to understanding the character Stevie, who is harsh, murderous, funny, and at times repugnant.  It was worth the pain if she works on the page.


Emperor's Mercy by Henry Zou


(Luke couldn't find any way to contact Henry Zou and let him know of his selection, so no comment was collected)

Interview with Dan Abnett

As many of you know, Dan Abnett (author of a huge number of things, to include Horus Rising, Ravenor, Annihilation: Nova, and Triumff: Her Majesty’s Hero, all featured here at Luke Reviews) is quite highly regarded here at Luke Reviews (Ravenor didn’t get a great review, but hey, no one’s perfect all of the time!). I recently got the chance to sit down and ask Dan a few questions. Enjoy!


Dan, thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for Luke Reviews!

My pleasure, Luke.

Right off the bat, I just wanted to mention that you must be amazingly busy right now. War of Kings just wrapped up, with Realm of Kings on the way, along with both Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy, all from Marvel Comics (I only just read Annihilation, so far behind on the times). You are in the midst of Insurrection with 2000 AD (and that is getting rave reviews left and right) and The Authority for Wildstorm. Blood Pact didn't hit the stands too long ago, Prospero Burns is in the chute, and I just picked up a brand new paperback copy of Titanicus today, all from Black Library, and your first creator-owned novel, Triumff: Her Majesty's Hero has just hit the stands in the UK. How do you manage all of these different stories and universes, and for that matter, how do you churn out so many high quality stories so quickly? This seems like an almost overwhelming amount of fiction for one man to be putting out in such a small span of time.

Well, to be fair some of it was produced a way in advance. Some of these projects are going to press faster than others, so it just appears as if I’ve been ridiculously productive. Having said that, I am ridiculously productive. I find I work better and harder if I’m under the gun a little. A little pressure helps, so I do more work, then more…

You frequently work with collaborators (especially Andy Lanning). Do you find that easier/harder than working solo? More rewarding?

It’s just different. I’m a writer, and for most of the time I write on my own. But that can get very soul-destroying. A lot of writers (and comic book artists and so on) can get a little stir-crazy if they only have their writing space around them 24-7. Twenty years ago, Andy and I discovered we could have a laugh and be productive working together, and we’ve done it ever since on a regular basis to give ourselves a welcome break once a week or so from the solo freelancing life. It’s as rewarding. It’s differently rewarding.

Can you tell us about some of your upcoming projects? I know there are a couple more books signed for Angry Robot Books, and I am sure there is plenty more with Marvel, 2000 AD, and Black Library. Any hints, or are you sworn to secrecy?

Some of this stuff is still to be announced, but Andy and I have got a big cosmic project at Marvel - Realm of Kings - which is gearing into something bigger for 2010. I’m about to start work on my second book for Angry Robot, and I have more lined up for Black Library, and it’s just been announced that I’ve written the screenplay for the upcoming Warhammer 40K movie, Ultramarines.

Who (or what) inspires your work most, either in the field of writing or outside of it? Do you have a favorite author? Anyone we should look out for while we wait for the next Dan Abnett book to come out?

Actually day to day inspiration can be found everywhere for me: books, TV, newspapers, conversations. I absorb stuff for later use (I never go anywhere without my notebook). As far as favourite authors go - my all time faves are Ray Bradbury, Jorge Luis Borges, John Buchan, HP Lovecraft, Jack Vance, Alan Garner... actually, the list is vast. My favourite contemporary author is probably Kelly Link. I adore her work.

You work in both prose and graphic formats. What are the advantages to each of them? Do you find it hard to shift between the two, or does one fuel the other?

It’s nice to alternate, to keep things fresh. You can get tired if you do one thing for too long. Prose is great, because what you write goes (pretty much) directly to the reader. Comics are wonderful, because you get to engage with an artist and develop stories in ways that you couldn’t have done alone.

Thanks again, Dan. Any final words?

Thanks for letting me blah on.

Note: Luke Reviews is happy to let Dan blah on whenever he likes.

Interview with David Ellis

David Ellis’ latest novel, The Hidden Man, was one that I ranted and raved about not too long ago. I was curious about some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of the book, and was thrilled when I got the chance to throw some of these questions Dave’s way.

Dave, thank you for the interview!

Your latest novel, The Hidden Man, has just been released from Putnam! Congratulations! Could you tell us a little bit about the genesis of the novel, as well as the new series character Jason Kolarich? What were some of the particularly important influences on the book?

Thanks for having me here!

Jason Kolarich is a 34-year-old attorney who is on the verge of greatness in the legal community---having just won a headliner political corruption case---when he suffers a personal family tragedy that turns his life upside down. When he comes out the other end of this ordeal, he is changed. The rules don't matter as much as justice. Jason is a sarcastic, courageous, cynical but compassionate man who likes the underdog. He is someone I'm sure you'll enjoy spending time with.

As for the genesis of the novel, I wanted a ticking clock. I wanted a case that Jason had to solve in a very short amount of time, with the lives of his family and friends in the balance. I wanted to test Jason early on in the series to introduce him to the reader under some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable.

As I mentioned above, The Hidden Man is the first book in a series of novels following Jason Kolarich. What inspired you to undertake a series character, as opposed to more stand-alone novels? Does the way you plan and write a series novel differ from the way you planned and wrote your other books?

For the first time, I began the idea of a novel not with a plot, but with a character. I wanted something particular in this character---some baggage, some attitude, wicked sarcasm---and that told me, right there, that I was building a character I wanted to spend more time with than just one book.

And yes, plotting a series novel is different, at least for me, than writing a stand-alone novel. In all my five previous books, I've put the protagonist through the ringer, such that it would be hard to imagine them in a sequel. But when you're writing a series character, you have to leave them relatively intact. You have to think about what preceded the novel in terms of the protagonist's life, and more importantly you have to set up what will come next.

Do you read other authors in the legal thriller/mystery genre? To fans of your work, particularly The Hidden Man, who else would you recommend them read, while they wait for your next novel to come out?

Because of my "day job" as legal counsel to the Speaker of the House, I don't get to read as much as I'd like. But authors I admire include Lee Child, Theresa Schwegel, Tana French and Barry Eisler.

It would seem that much of the background of the novel, rooted in the legal system as it is, would be taken from your experiences working in this system. Do you find that you pull aspects or details of your own legal work to put into your novels? Do you feel that your role as prosecutor in the Blagojevich impeachment trial has effected your fiction, including your depiction of the legal system?

Certainly, my experiences in the legal system have influenced what I write. I never write about something I have directly experienced, but the issues and the characters and the plots are often composites of a number of different experiences over my career. Many people have asked me if my experience as the House Prosecutor who convicted Governor Blagojevich has impacted my writing. The best answer I can give is, we'll see. I'm just working on my follow-up to THE HIDDEN MAN and it will be interesting to see how those experiences will influence me. An impeachment is such a unique animal in the justice system that it's hard to compare to any other case, civil or criminal. I can't wait to see how it changes me as a writer---because I absolutely believe that writers change over time.

Finally, what can we expect in the future for Jason Kolarich and David Ellis?

Well, you asked about the Blagojevich impeachment ... the follow-up novel is about a corrupt governor and a federal investigation that involves Jason. I don't want to give away too much, but I think people will enjoy it. What I can guarantee is that Jason is a guy who doesn't back down from threats and doesn't avoid danger. Nor will he lose his edgy sense of humor. Thrills and humor, or you won't see my name on the book.

Thanks again for your time!

Thanks for having me, Luke. Hope to talk again soon.

Interview with Hugh Howey

Hugh Howey’s novel Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue was recently reviewed here at Luke Reviews, and I had the opportunity to ask Hugh a few questions. Enjoy!

Hugh, thank you for the interview!

Congratulations on having your first novel published, Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue, out from NorLights Press! You have been pretty open about your progression into becoming a published novelist over at your site, but for the readers here, can you give us a brief overview of what it is like getting your first novel published in today's market?

The great thing about publishing a book today is that it can be as grueling a task as you want it to be. If your goal is to have your first novel released by Random House and featured on Oprah, I would liken that to climbing Mt. Everest and finding a winning lottery ticket swirling around up on the summit. It takes an enormous amount of hard work and good fortune. I think the reason so many writers are jaded and cynical is that they all set off with this dream, despite the odds of them making it to the top.

I chose to go with a small publisher primarily because of my impatience. I was less than a month into the querying process when NorLightsPress expressed interest. They also said they could release the book in six months, which is half the time a larger house would take. The reason books have a long delay to market is because the finished product spends several months in the hands of reviewers before it’s released. The big publishers have to gauge a work’s reception before they know how many books to print, and also how much to spend on marketing. I think it’s sad that readers are left in the lurch, especially in the era of Amazon reviews, GoodReads, and blogs like Luke Reviews. With a small publisher, I can release the book as soon as it’s complete and get my feedback from readers. Flexible printing technology allows us to scale according to demand, rather than printing tens of thousands of books and pulping the unread ones.

There are, of course, other options for the aspiring writer. If you can’t find a small press, you can self-publish. Last year, for the first time in the modern era, more self-published books were released than those published traditionally. Of course, the quality is probably not as consistent, and you aren’t going to become rich and famous by going this route, but the option is there.
The key to publishing these days is to accurately gauge the quality of your work (which is harder than it sounds), and then determine which peak to strive for. I think most people that set off on this trek falter because they can’t handle that first step. Everyone thinks they are in better shape than they actually, and naturally set off for a summit they’ll never make.

Now, with all of the (justified) hype over your new novel, what is being lost in the shuffle is that you are also a very apt short story writer, with a few available for free over at your site. Do you have any plans to write more in the shorter lengths, and maybe release a collection, or are you going to just stick with novels for now?

I’m going to keep writing both. I try to put together one short story a month, on top of my other writing and editing duties. The reason I haven’t had anything new on my site the last two months is partly because of the launch of the Molly Fyde series, and partly because the last short story I wrote is too controversial for print. I’m almost done with another Melanie/Daniel story entitled “Mouth Breathers” that should be up in early October.

I would love to release a collection of my short stories. Once I have enough of their lives written out, Melanie and Daniel will probably get an anthology. I also have a collection of four novellas planned that I would like to turn into a book.

With the wide range of genres you are using in your novel, who are the inspirations for your work, both literary and not?

I’m inspired by an entire mob of creative people. I’ve read thousands of books, and all of them inspire me to some degree. Looking back on the first Molly Fyde book, I think I can pick out a few of the sources that I pulled from or was inspired by. The brilliant Scandinavian crime writer, Håkan Nesser, certainly helped me voice the darker moments in Molly’s story. I had just finished GIRL WITH BIRTHMARK, and was able to borrow from his dark and dreary angst. The satire and social commentary surely came from my love of Swift and his GULLIVER’S TRAVELS. My treatment of young characters was probably a result of a childhood spent with Orson Scott Card. The action and adventure that drives the novel ever-forward may have been inspired by my fondness for action films such as ROMANCING THE STONE and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARC. Oh, and I’m probably one of the few geeks out there that loves Star Wars and Star Trek equally, so I wanted the space opera from the former and the ethical considerations from the latter.

Do you have any non-Molly Fyde writing plans in the near future?

I’m already outlining two non-Molly books that will come out after book three. One is a contemporary novel about a young girl raised by a cruel father. A psychologist shunned by his peers, he now performs his experiments on his twin daughters, one of whom he named Constance, the other he named Experimental Variable. The book is going to give me a chance to explore parenthood and developmental psychology, while maybe highlighting two facts: no parent really knows what they are doing, and most kids turn out just fine, anyway. The book will be entitled “INVARIABLE” and I can’t wait to get it wrapped up.

I have another science fiction novel in the works as well, tentatively called HALF WAY HOME. It’s about a human colony on a foreign planet, a sci-fi staple. However, I think people are going to be blown away with the premise for this story. I got goose bumps while outlining it.

After the cliff-hanger ending of Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue, can you tell us a little bit more about the sequel, Molly Fyde and the Land of Light, than the epilogue hints at?

I can tell you that the second book focuses on Molly’s mother. It also fleshes out what’s going on between the humans and the Drenards. The Bern are also introduced (formally) in the second book, giving the reader a glimpse of the saga’s scale.

My goal with the Molly books is to introduce a new audience to the magic of science fiction. The genre can be just as compelling and moving as fantasy, but with the added bonus of plausibility. Each book is going to expand the scope a bit, easing the readers into a complex universe without overwhelming them at any point.

Your first novel is subtitled "Book 1 of the Bern Saga." Do you have a plan for the number of volumes this series will be, and an over-arcing conclusion, or do you hope to keep this an ongoing series, at least for now? When will we learn about these Bern and the Bern Seer, and how they relate to Molly Fyde?

There will be four books in the “Bern Saga,” and several other Molly books afterward. I have six total Molly books outlined right now, and I’m sure more will come to me.

The saga definitely has a conclusion. The end of book three (Molly Fyde and the Fight for Peace) will wrap up a lot of the story, forming a mini-conclusion of sorts. I think readers will be extremely satisfied with where things stand at that point. It’ll allow me the time to get out a different book before returning to conclude the saga with book four.

Any final comments, Hugh?

Just to thank you for the excellent questions. You did a great job of pulling secrets and spoilers out of me. I’m really proud of myself for going back and deleting them before returning these to you.

Keep up the great work on your site!

Interview with Andy Remic

Many of you will remember the recent review of Kell’s Legend, the sixth novel from Andy Remic. After enjoying the book, I got the opportunity to ask him a few questions. Enjoy!

Rem, thank you for the interview!

First off, I want to congratulate you on your latest novel, Kell's Legend, out from Angry Robot Press. That is very exciting news! This seems to be a step away from your other books, at least in regards to the much more blatant fantasy elements. How was it different working in a fantasy environment? Or, was that not as far a reach, as many of the characteristics you've become know for, including top-notch action and a certain attitude or style, were just as prevalent in Kell's Legend as in your Combat K or Spiral novels?

The truth is, I started off writing fantasy a long time ago. Then I wrote SF and thrillers, was published in that arena and quickly pigeon-holed; after a few books publishers want you to write for your established fan base – which is fine. But I still always hankered after my first love – fantasy. When Angry Robot hunted me down, that was the pitch I made.

In terms of writing style, I just write. There are some differences in terms of setting and weaponry, but the same emotions and motivations and energy drive the characters through all my books – greed, sex, violence, the usual normal average human traits. So that’s why there’s still a lot of fast-paced action and gore in the new fantasy books - the attitude from my earlier books is still prevalent. This is hardcore fantasy, my friend.

Can you tell us a little bit about your other series, as I at least haven't yet delved into them (but after Kell's Legend, it is something I plan to do)?

My Combat K books are kick-ass action-adventure SF extravaganzas. They involve a corrupt and slightly insane combat squad who go on a variety of missions and wreak havoc. There is Keenan, the straight guy tortured by the death of his kids; Franco, the sexually perverse mad ginger nutcase, and Pippa, slightly deranged and the toughest Lara-Croft type woman alive. Let me give you a taste of the new book out in January, HARDCORE: Sick World was a planet dedicated to the ill, the deformed, the dying and the dead. Humanity as an organism was not the most durable chassis. After mixing it up with aliens, the human shell developed a host of unwanted and incurable ailments… esoteric diseases, curious viruses, life-changing bugs, vomit-inducing deformations. So a beautiful planet, Sick World, was terraformed with limitless funding, state-of-the-art research centres, gleaming wards and towering operating theatres providing unparalleled care, a perfection of medicine and a pinnacle of repair for the plethora of grotesque diseases and mutating conditions. However, a thousand years ago something happened, and the planet was evacuated in totality. Today, it lies uninhabited. Combat K: Keenan, Franco and Pippa, forced by implanted logic cubes into an unholy alliance of cooperation. Mission: to infiltrate Sick World and carry out a simple fact-finding mission prior to SLAM excavations to research the new Junk threat. It should have been safe, simple, secure. As the first day fades, so a long hibernation ends. The Medical Staff of Sick World, the doctors, the nurses, the patients, those abandoned long ago, a thousand year gestation of hardcore medical mutation and accelerated healthcare technology… they can smell fresh meat, and begin to awake … HARDCORE: You’ll never look at a nurse the same way again!

The SPIRAL trilogy books are more out and out action thriller, with only a taste of SF elements and starring a schizophrenic psychopathic anti-hero, Carter, and his alter-ego, Kade. Think Tom Clancy without the long boring bits. So, the blurb for SPIRAL runs: In a future where nuclear warheads can be hidden in a suitcase … In a world where designer plagues are held suspended in a teardrop … Prepare for chaos. Where conventional armies are powerless to defend against a single assassin, the secret organisation known as SPIRAL exists to fight a shadow war against fanatics and rogue states of every faith and political persuasion. Remorseless, unstoppable, of every country and of none, SPIRAL’s agents conduct their covert operations throughout the world in a never-ending battle for civilisation’s survival. But now SPIRAL itself is under attack. And if SPIRAL falls, the world falls with it …

David Gemmell, the father of modern heroic fantasy, is obviously an important inspiration for Kell's Legend. Just how has he impacted this novel? Who/what else has been an inspiration for Kell's Legend?

Because of Dave, I started writing; and started writing fantasy. I bought LEGEND when I was 15 and my perspective changed. I’d read Lord of the Rings, but this was different – gritty, violent, real. So yes, DG had a massive impact on me. It was a great honour to correspond with him, and also meet him on several occasions which culminated in getting drunk in his hotel room.

In terms of inspiration, I try and write my own stuff. I don’t read widely in the fantasy genre (except for Gemmell, which I re-read a lot). In some ways I don’t want to absorb stuff unconsciously, so I read a lot of non-fantasy books like Bill Bryson, George Orwell, Iain Banks and Tom Sharpe.

You are a Gemmell fan, but who else do you read in and out of heroic fantasy?

In the past, I lapped up Michael Moorcock’s (Von Bek is a great anti-hero!) entire output, plus I loved Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts work, both with the Midkemia books and their Daughter of the Empire series. I also love Terry Pratchett’s books. He makes me laugh so much!!

Besides the next Clockwork Vampire Chronicles novel (which we will get to in just a moment), what else do you have coming up?

Ahh, a few secret projects. Just need to speak to the new editor of Solaris first (as the imprint was recently bought by Rebellion). I’ll probably be writing SF for Solaris/Rebellion, and Fantasy for Angry Robot. That’s the plan anyway, but we’ll see what happens!!

Since finishing Kell's Legend, I have found it to be one of those books that, while I always liked it, I never knew just how much I liked it until I didn't have any more of it to read. So when are we going to be seeing the next book in the series? Can you give us any hints on what is to come?

That’s very kind of you. The second Clockwork Vampire book, SOUL STEALERS, is practically finished prior to editing, and will be out Spring 2010. The third book is all planned (in my head) and I know how the trilogy ends. Oh, I do have some beautiful stuff to put in there, that’s for sure! Skinless horses! Midwife Cankers! The ideas just keep flowing, and get more and more gruesome with every glass of whiskey.

Normally I wrap up with something like "And finally, what's next for Andy Remic and Kell?" but I covered that already, so...any final words?

I’d like to just mention something I blogged recently in response to some negative digs on Amazon – with reference to me supposedly “ripping off” David Gemmell.

“There’s a couple of reviews on Amazon which just don’t get the fact that I wanted to write a tribute. They seem to think I’m trying to rip off DG by using phrases like “Laddie” and “Old Horse” in my text. No. This is supposed to be a tribute for those in the “know”. Yes, I have a character like Druss – but conversely, not like Druss, as will be revealed by the end of Book 3!! The whole point was that in KELL’S LEGEND I had a traditional stereotype aged fantasy warrior, partnered with a dandy bisexual sycophant so that their banter would be amusing; which I hope it is. But then I also merged this with what I consider an original fantasy concept: that of Clockwork Vampires, and their deviated and accelerated clockwork technology. What I didn’t do was sit down and think: I’m rewriting LEGEND. Because that would be impossible. LEGEND is unique (although my personal fave of DG is LION OF MACEDON – a book I think is actually 100% perfect. I remember telling him at the time; and even now, it has stood the test of time). Anyway, what do you think? Did I rip off Big Dave Gemmell? A man I totally admired and was one of the only guys I thought of as a personal hero? I really hope not. When he died, me and Ian Graham built a fire and toasted the great man to the Hall of Heroes with a bottle of whiskey. No other writer will ever get that treatment from me.”

Cheers!!

Interview with Galaxy Press President John Goodwin

Many of you know of Galaxy Press, famed publisher of all things L. Ron Hubbard. Those of you around from the beginning will remember a review of one of the new books featured in their Stories from the Golden Age line up, If I Were You. As L. Ron Hubbard is no longer around to interview for this site, Luke Reviews proudly presents a short interview with President of Galaxy Press, John Goodwin.

John, thank you for the interview!

You guys are approaching the 25th volume of L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future, that is excellent! A quarter of a century is quite a feat for an annual anthology series like that. Congratulations! Can you give us any hints on what we have to look forward to with this next volume?

We just held our 25th anniversary event. You can see find out what happened at http://www.writersofthefuture.com/ where the blog will list a day by day photo gallery of the workshop leading up to the event. The homepage also has the release video graphic on volume 25.

Galaxy Press is currently releasing all of L. Ron Hubbard's pulp fiction works, in a series of 80 volumes entitled Stories From the Golden Age. What was the drive behind releasing all of these works again, and in this format?

We found an increasing interest in that time period – Hollywood has already known the value of these stories. You can review all the top money makers and perhaps with the exception of Titanic, they were either directly from, or had their roots in, pulp fiction.

After this series finishes, what is next for Galaxy Press?

We have also prepared his 20+ novels also written during that time period along with Mission Earth and Battlefield Earth in the 80s to start re-releasing with modern packaging starting in 2010. The release schedule will be modified against any movie interests that may be generated as we roll with our current campaign.

I'm sure you've been asked this before, but as the key publisher of L. Ron Hubbard's fiction, which of his works is your favorite, and why?

I’ve taken a particular interest to his Westerns. A bit of a surprise, I must admit. The females are usually very strong characters and the good guy, although with a few smudges on his otherwise white hat, is able to rise to the occasion and win out in the end – regardless how many times he is beat up and shot.

Eventually, you will have put back in print all of the works of L. Ron Hubbard. Besides continuing L. Ron Hubbard's Writer's of the Future, what will be the long term future of Galaxy Press?

Well this will keep me going for 10 years or so. Plus we have 15 languages in the long term strategy.

Thank you once again for your time, John, and I can't wait to see what you have coming up next!

Sure thing. Sorry to take so long to answer.

Interview with Ridley Pearson

Ridley Pearson has popped up on Luke Reviews a couple of times now, first with The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red (see review) and then just a week ago with his brand new novel, Killer Summer (see review). I was a fan of both books, and when I got the chance to talk with Ridley and ask him a few questions, I was thrilled.

Ridley, thank you for the interview!

First, I'd just like to congratulate you on a wonderful new novel. Killer Summer was particularly engrossing, in part due to the vast array of subject matter covered, from airplane flying terminology to wine, fly fishing to police work. For a novel like this, how much research is required on your part?

I believe in putting as much fact as possible into my fiction to keep it believable. The research is basically never ending.

Do the topics covered generally focus on areas you are familiar with, or do you touch on subjects outside of your normal realm?

Both. Whatever the story requires. If I don't know it, I turn to those who do. More often than not, this is the case!

What were the big influences on Killer Summer, and the whole series following Walt Fleming?

The influence is place: The Wood River Valley (Sun Valley, Hailey, Bellevue, Idaho). There are crimes here, situations here, that are unique to the both the landscape and degree of wealth (and poverty). It's an interesting locale to write about.

I know this is a long step back, but Luke Reviews contains a review of another of your novels, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red. What was it like working on a media tie-in project, especially one attached to a big name like Stephen King?

Stephen and I play in an all-author rock band together, so I'm privileged to count him as a friend. When a publisher proposed a book tied-in to Steve's Rose Red (mini-series) they suggested a coffee table architectural book. I countered with Ellen's diary, and Stephen loved the idea. I then wrote a first-person account from the point of view of a nineteen year old woman in 1906 Seattle. It was a tremendous thrill.

In October you and Dave Barry have a new novel for kids coming out, Peter and the Sword of Mercy. Do you find it hard switching between adult crime novels to young adult fantasy novels, or do the two help feed the creative push for each other? Do you find your novels for younger audiences easier or harder to write than your adult books?

Story is story. Dave and I don't "write down" to our younger readers. Hopefully everything I do is exciting, fast paced, and has characters you care about. That's the challenge. I enjoy switching, often on a daily basis, between various projects.

Finally, what can we expect in the future from Walt Fleming and Ridley Pearson?

My next Walt Fleming book is completed -- it's a true "mystery" novel, my first in over a decade (as opposed to suspense thriller, although incorporates aspects of both sub-genres, I think.) I wanted a vehicle to explore the relationship between Fiona Kenshaw and Walt Fleming--and there's nothing like a dead body to stir things up, don't you think?

Interview with Kaaron Warren

I recently read the preview of Kaaron Warren's new novel, Slights, and loved it (my "review" of it can be found here).  With the release of her new novel flying towards us, I wanted to ask Kaaron a few questions, and she was more than gracious in answering.

Kaaron, thank you for the interview!  

No worries! Thanks for asking me. 

You have a new novel, Slights, coming out from Angry Robot Books!  Congratulations!  Can you tell us a little bit about the book? 

Slights is about a woman who, at 18, accidentally kills her mother in a car accident. Stephanie (Steve) experiences near death as a result of her injuries, but she sees no shining light, hears no loving voices. Instead, she finds herself in a cold dark room, surrounded by people she barely knows. The only thing she recognises in them is anger; she sees that they are anxious for her to die so they can devour her. She visits this room a number of times throughout the novel as she attempts suicide periodically. She is unpopular, disliked, unable to fit in to society. She gradually recognises the people in the room; each and every one is a person she slighted in some way. Steve becomes obsessed with death. Her brother, a successful politician, has no time for her, and her police officer father died years earlier, a hero. She is obsessed with her own death because in the afterlife, at least, she is the centre of attention. And she becomes obsessed with the deaths of others. She digs up her backyard with the intention of planting night-blooming jasmine, a comfort flower. Instead, she finds odd things; a cracked glass cufflink, an old belt, a dented lunchbox, a shoe heel, many more odd, small items. These lead her to understand more about her past, and about why she is driven to do the things she does. 

I read the short preview of your new novel and found it already, in the first ten pages, carrying a sense of mysterious dread, in part built up by what I called your "minimalistic" style.  Do you agree with that explanation of your style?  What do you feel influenced your writing in general, and specifically this new novel, in regards to both style and substance? 

I do tend to use less descriptive words rather than more. This is partly inspired by my level of boredom. If I’m bored writing it, I figure the reader will be doubly bored reading it, so I go in a different direction. I try to find words which set the scene without spending too much time.

I also like the challenge of creating a mood with minimal words. I was obsessed with writing micro shorts for a while. Fitting a story into 50 words. I love playing with a sentence and saying it as succinctly as possible. This is one which won a competition a few years ago:

The night before my twenty-first birthday 

At five, I mastered the language of the Heavens.

At fourteen, I was taken as a barren bride; only the chosen have children.

My husband had blood of ice.

Today I learnt that all lives must end at twenty-one.

Hold me my young lover.

I hear alien soldiers at the door. 

# 

I remember in Year 5 or so, learning that you could use “Suddenly” instead of “All of a sudden.” Seriously, it was a revelation to me. Maybe that’s the kind of writing I do. The ‘suddenly’ school of writing! 

There are many influences on the way I write.

Daphne du Maurier, Kurt Vonnegut, Raymond Carver, Martin Amis, William Vollman, Harlan Ellison, Stephen King. All for different reasons of style and substance and because they have their own way of telling a story.  

I also use badly written stuff as inspiration. I notice words misused, or long dull descriptive paragraphs and I think, “Avoid that.” 

With Slights, both the style and substance were influenced mostly by the main character, Steve. The way I wanted tell her story, in a simple, conversational way, meant there wasn’t much room for extra words. I think a lot about how people’s lives are ordinary to them as they are living them, no matter how extraordinary they appear from the outside. I wanted to capture the sense that Steve feels her life is not all that unusual. That everyone lives the way she lives.  
 

On your blog, you just recently gave a recipe for cheese biscuits (I can't wait to try some!), and I must say, that just doesn't seem like the teller of horrific tales I had envisioned.  So, which are you more: (to use your phrases) the "kindly domestic person" or "the nasty horror writer"?  How do you balance the two?  

I have a theory that horror writers, butchers and plumbers are always nice people. They work with dead bodies, filth and waste and yet they are always kindly!  

I am a sum of the two things. I always say that writing horror releases my dark side. I believe everybody has a dark side; I can utilize it in my fiction, meaning I can maintain a positive outlook in my real life. Balancing the two isn’t really difficult, because the lines are clear. It’s not that they are completely cut off from one another; often I’ll be scribbling ideas for the next story while stirring the bolognaise sauce. Or ideas for stories will come to me while I’m reading a kids book to the children. I thought of my story “The Smell of Mice” while reading a version of Snow White to the kids. In it, the smoke from the witches’ fire rises purple. The image gave me a chill, and I built “The Smell of Mice” around that image and that feeling. 
 

I read somewhere in another interview that you are squeamish.  At first, that seems odd, but when we look at other big name horror writers, they seem to be squeamish as well, and/or hold a large number of fears (Look at Stephen King, that man seems to be afraid of everything!).  Do you think that this is in some way critical to writing great horror fiction?  

It certainly is important for me. I need to be moved by something , have feelings for it. I often write stories inspired by the things I’ve seen and heard which offend me or upset me. In “Ghost Jail”, one of my Fiji-inspired stories, I write about the beggars here who walk around with laminated letters proving they have lost their house or their parents. Proving they need money. It upsets me at two levels; the poverty of the beggar, and also the manipulative nature of the begging. I think you need to have passion in your writing or you’re just going through the motions. As I said above, if I’m bored, then the reader will be. I need to be feeling the story as I’m writing it.   

A lot of people think that, as a horror writer, I should be tough. And I admit; not a lot scares me when it comes to fiction or to movies. The Ring did it for me, as did The Shining. The computer game Shrelock Holmes, the Awakened, totally freaked me out! I had to stop playing it with my kids and it was really scary. I loved it.

I’m no fan of slash horror and don’t even like medical drama. 
 

How do you feel about the horror genre in general?  Are you a fan of horror fiction, or more so of non-horror fiction?  What do you think the strengths of the genre are today?  

I read very broadly. I like stories which surprise and take chances, which is why I like the authors I’ve listed

I’ve just finished reading “Walk to the End of the World” and “Motherlines” by Suzy McKee Charnas. Now I have to wait for the next two in the series to be delivered. The books are entrancing, involving, disturbing and thought-provoking. She writes so much from within the world we see it as insiders, rather than as observers.  
 

There is a lot of good stuff about horror fiction. Readers are more critical, more discerning, and they want more from their horror fiction. Horror is so honest in what it says and does. It doesn’t spare the feelings of the reader and I think that’s a good thing.  

And finally, what can we expect in the future from Kaaron Warren? 

There are my next two novels from Angry Robot. “Mistification” is the story of a man who learns all he knows from the stories he hears, and he hears some pretty nasty stories. “Walking the Tree” is about a large island almost filled by an ancient tree. About the communities around and inside the tree, and the teachers who seek lovers as they walk the Tree. 

I have a story upcoming in Datlow and Mamatas’ “Haunted Legends” anthology. This story is another Fiji-inspired story. I’ve got another called “The Edge of a Thing”, about ghostly chiefs, in a British Fantasy Society anthology. 

There’s also my Ishtar story, which will be published with stories by Cat Sparks and Deborah Biancotti. We’re loving this project. I’m writing Ishtar in the past, Deborah is writing her in the present, and Cat is writing her in the future. Gilgamesh Press is publishing this one.  

Thanks again, Kaaron.  I look forward to more of your work in the future! 

Thanks, Luke! I hope you like the rest of “Slights” as much as you did the sample.