The Andy Peloquin interview
I was supposed to post this earlier this month and totally forgot. It's been a busy month, You can find links to his J. Ellington Ashton Press release at the bottom. I also have a review here as well. I urge everyone to check it out.
. Q: Blades Of The Destroyer is your latest release from JEA. How did you come up with the Hunter?
I've always loved "bad guys". Villains usually prove to be the more interesting characters in classic (often clichéd) fantasy novels, so the idea of telling the story from the perspective of the "bad guy" was totally intriguing. Trying to find a way to make my readers identify/relate to this dark, cynical, cold, murderous character was a huge challenge, and one I'm thrilled to take on.
Q: How long have you been writing?
Off and on, since the age of 15. I have been a professional copywriter for almost five years, but I only started writing fiction two years ago. Making the decision to pen my first story (this was the second thing I wrote) was the best decision of my life.
Q: When did you realize that you wanted to be writer and who were your biggest influences?
I've always needed a creative outlet, but being a poor artist, I've never had one. When I discovered writing, it was like a light switch turned on. I suddenly had a way to share all the crazy, twisted things in my head with others.
My biggest influences when it comes to writing are Scott Lynch and Brandon Sanderson. I try to write the kind of characters Scott Lynch would write, and emulate the writing style of Brandon Sanderson. That's not to say that my work is a rip-off of these two authors, but I do my best to be worthy of the high opinion I have of their works.
. Q: Aside from The Last Bucelarii series are there any other projects coming up?
I'm going to be working hard to put out The Last Bucelarii series over the next four or five years. My goal is to put out a new book every 6 to 9 months, (Book 2 coming March 2016--fingers crossed!). However, when the book has reached its end (in five or six books), I will be publishing a separate SECRET side series, one set in the same world, but with completely different characters. There will be a few callbacks to The Last Bucelarii, but the series will focus on another aspect of the "darker side" of life on Einan.
Q: How difficult is it to write fantasy? Are there any guidelines that you follow?
Fantasy is a lot harder to write than you might expect. You can't just slap a story together and hope that it works, but you have to make it realistic. If you're going to use a magic system, you need to know how that system works and explain it to the readers enough that they can understand. Characters are much more important in fantasy worlds, as that is the only thing people can relate to.
. Q: What advice would you give to writers?
Be prepared for A LOT of hard work. I've discovered that writing a good, professionally-produced novel is about 20% fun and 80% boring editing, polishing, rewriting, and trying to make it better. If writers go into it understanding this, it can save them a lot of frustration and impatience.
. Q: Blades Of The Destroyer is your latest release from JEA. How did you come up with the Hunter?
I've always loved "bad guys". Villains usually prove to be the more interesting characters in classic (often clichéd) fantasy novels, so the idea of telling the story from the perspective of the "bad guy" was totally intriguing. Trying to find a way to make my readers identify/relate to this dark, cynical, cold, murderous character was a huge challenge, and one I'm thrilled to take on.
Q: How long have you been writing?
Off and on, since the age of 15. I have been a professional copywriter for almost five years, but I only started writing fiction two years ago. Making the decision to pen my first story (this was the second thing I wrote) was the best decision of my life.
Q: When did you realize that you wanted to be writer and who were your biggest influences?
I've always needed a creative outlet, but being a poor artist, I've never had one. When I discovered writing, it was like a light switch turned on. I suddenly had a way to share all the crazy, twisted things in my head with others.
My biggest influences when it comes to writing are Scott Lynch and Brandon Sanderson. I try to write the kind of characters Scott Lynch would write, and emulate the writing style of Brandon Sanderson. That's not to say that my work is a rip-off of these two authors, but I do my best to be worthy of the high opinion I have of their works.
. Q: Aside from The Last Bucelarii series are there any other projects coming up?
I'm going to be working hard to put out The Last Bucelarii series over the next four or five years. My goal is to put out a new book every 6 to 9 months, (Book 2 coming March 2016--fingers crossed!). However, when the book has reached its end (in five or six books), I will be publishing a separate SECRET side series, one set in the same world, but with completely different characters. There will be a few callbacks to The Last Bucelarii, but the series will focus on another aspect of the "darker side" of life on Einan.
Q: How difficult is it to write fantasy? Are there any guidelines that you follow?
Fantasy is a lot harder to write than you might expect. You can't just slap a story together and hope that it works, but you have to make it realistic. If you're going to use a magic system, you need to know how that system works and explain it to the readers enough that they can understand. Characters are much more important in fantasy worlds, as that is the only thing people can relate to.
. Q: What advice would you give to writers?
Be prepared for A LOT of hard work. I've discovered that writing a good, professionally-produced novel is about 20% fun and 80% boring editing, polishing, rewriting, and trying to make it better. If writers go into it understanding this, it can save them a lot of frustration and impatience.
You can buy Blade Of The Destroyer in paperback and Kindle
Andy Peloquin: Lover of All Things Dark and Mysterious
Andy Peloquin--a third culture kid to the core--has loved to read since before he could remember. Sherlock Holmes, the Phantom of the Opera, and Father Brown are just a few of the books that ensnared his imagination as a child.
When he discovered science fiction and fantasy through the pages of writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs, J.R.R Tolkien, and Orson Scott Card, he was immediately hooked and hasn't looked back since.
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