Tell us a bit about your latest work.
My first full-length sword & sorcery novel, Runemaster: Shield Maiden's Blade just dropped from Airship 27. It's been a long time coming and was so much fun to complete, it's almost surreal to have copies on my desk finally. Ron Fortier approached me about doing a book for Airship back in 2010 and soon after I started and wrote the first 10,000 words for the book. Well, life got in the way and I wasn't able to write the final 50k words until last Fall.
The story follows Skarl Kirwall, born during the Last Great War, he was destined to lead his clan as the next Runemaster. Betrayed by a clansman, Skarl is banished from his village, only to learn of its destruction at the hands of their bitter enemies, the Ysling clan. Mourning his father’s death, he discovers his beloved Lacina is still alive, but taken by the bloodthirsty Yslings as a sacrifice to their god, Ysfang, the world serpent. Now, Skarl must pursue his lost love across the frozen wastes of Njordica and save her from the slathering jaws of the serpent god and in the process, take his rightful place as the next Runemaster.
What happened in your life that prompted you to become a writer?
As a kid, I was raised with my brother and two cousins until I hit elementary school. The three of them all got into drawing when I was four years old, but try as I might I could not draw a recognizable stick figure. One morning, I complained to my aunt that they were all drawing and I couldn't and she told me "Well, they say a picture's worth a thousand words, so if you can't draw the picture you better learn to write the thousand words." I took that at face value and went back in the other room and wrote my first story, with exactly one thousand words. (haha) The rest is history.
What inspires you to write?
Anything imaginative. I think imagination is its own fuel, so when I see something creative, it sparks a fire in me. Going back to my childhood, as I grew older through the elementary and high school years, I spent a lot of time alone. Left to my own devices, back in the days when kids didn't have a million options for entertainment like they do now, I was forced to dream up ways to entertain myself. From creating games, to imagining far off worlds, conjuring new characters, places and conflicts just became something I did, spurred on by an intense fear of boredom.
What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?
Personal loss and broken families seem to come up a lot...
What would be your dream project?
What writers have influenced your style and technique?
Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard had the biggest impact on my pulp writing, while the old Rankin/Bass stop motion movies of the 60s and 70s inspired my all-ages writing. There are also particular books that hooked me and stuck with me over the years, such as The Phantom Tollbooth and the Flash Gordon book series from ACE in the 70s.
If you have any former project to do over to make it better, which one would it be, and what would you do?
I took a shot at re-imagining the Black Bat over at Moonstone Books years ago and the existing fan base didn't much care for it. In hindsight, I think we should have established the original character in the Moonstone pulp universe first, then brought the re-imagined version in later on. Sort of eased folks into it instead of driving it right out of the gate.
Where would you rank writing on the "Is it an art or it is a science continuum?" Why?
While there's certainly a scientific craft to it, but I think it's more art, for sure. You can hit all the scientific marks of great storytelling and not invoke feelings in the reader. Conversely, a total hot mess of structure/theory can still trigger an emotional response. This is why you hear the word "lifeless" used to describe stories occasionally in reviews. A story is worthless if it doesn't make the reader feel something.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Landing the plane. I'll often psyche myself out with the ending of a tale, thinking it has to be a mind-blowing, paradigm-shifting, life-altering revelation. In reality, it just has to be a satisfying conclusion to the tensions created in the story.
How do your writer friends help you become a better writer? Or do they not?
A big part of it is inspiration. Guys like Joe Gentile, Bobby Nash, Barry Reese, Ron Marz, JM DeMatteis and others have all inspired me to no end with their work, but also poured wisdom, knowledge and encouragement into me over the years to help make my work better. I wouldn't be the writer I am without those guys and their inspiration and advice.
What does literary success look like to you?
Having the work enjoyed by the audience. To clarify, I don't create to please anyone but myself - I write stories (and songs) I want to read (and hear). However, when I do that and others enjoy it too, then it feels like I did my job well.
Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?
I'm working on a handful of things for Moonstone at the moment, including a dream gig with a well established property. Just wrapped up the first story yesterday, as a matter of fact. Along with that, I completed a tale featuring Gladiator, Golden Amazon and my own character, Death Angel at the end of 2020. Coming up we're introducing a few more of my original characters, The Red Widow, Lady Judex and others as well.
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