Author Interview - Gemma Clatworthy

Hello and welcome to our latest author interview with urban fantasy author, Gemma Clatworthy!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing.

I started writing during the 2020 lockdown (my first book was called The Girl Who Lost Her Listening Ears, which tells you all you need to know about lockdown!). I soon switched to urban fantasy because I love mixing the magical with the mundane, especially if it involves dragons! 

I've got one complete series out featuring a half-dwarf, an arrogant elf and dragons set in modern day Cardiff and my current series is urban fantasy with a dash of murder mystery - think if Jessica Fletcher worked in IT, lived in an English village and had magic.

I live in the magical county of Wiltshire in the UK with my family and two cats. When I'm not writing, I enjoy playing board games, drinking tea and eating chocolate.

Who would you say your biggest literary influences are?

This is so tough because I love reading -anything from Jane Austen, Tolkein of course, Agatha Christie, through to more modern authors like Jonathan Stroud or Nicholas Eames. I really love eclectic British authors. My absolute favourite is Terry Pratchett - his Discworld series is incredible. I also enjoy Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, Tom Holt and more modern fantasy authors too. Recently, I've gotten into cosy fantasy (I'm sorry, I just can't bring myself to spell it with a 'z'!) and enjoyed Legends and Lattes and The Bookshop and the Barbarian. 

How has the history of the middle ages impacted/influenced your work?

I actually used to do medieval reenactment at university and studied it a bit too, so it's important to me to get details right. While I usually write more modern urban fantasy, when it comes to the big battle in Attack on Avalon (book 5 of my Rise of the Dragons series), I definitely drew on more middle ages style warfare and weaponry. For example, did you know that you don't 'fire' an arrow? Unless it's literally on fire, you 'loose' it or shoot it. I try to aim for accuracy where I can because I always appreciate it when I read books that you know the author has researched. 

Do you feel like your writing has been impacted/influenced by Tolkien? If so, in what way(s)?

My Rise of the Dragons series has been described as 'Bridget Jones meets Lord of the Rings' so his writing has definitely influenced me. I was a teenager when the films came out and remember reading the books for the first time - the vivid sense of this other world and the journey through it with this cast of intriguing characters was so amazing and gave me a sense of just how epic a fantasy world can be. I reference his books quite a bit too - you can find the mead halls of Rohan discussed in one of them! One big difference between Tolkein's writing and mine is that his humour was more subtle whereas my writing is much more irreverent.

What do you think the current innovations in your genre(s) are?

I'm really enjoying seeing more representation in the fantasy genre as a whole and urban fantasy in particular. I always try to have a diverse set of characters, and it's something I try to work on. I'm reading Legendborn at the moment and enjoying the new take on Arthurian legends and that it doesn't shy away from issues around race. I want to read more books like this.

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see more of?

[answered in 5]

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see less of?

I'm a little bored of the chosen one trope, I much prefer it when a hero learns and grows into their power. The accidental or reluctant hero is much more interesting to me. Another thing that I don't enjoy reading so much is the young hero who is an expert in their craft or a master assassin by the time they're sixteen. When I was a teenager, I was a mess - not a hot mess, just a mess -  and even now I don't think I'd say I was the top of my field in anything, unless you count eating chocolate! 

Is there anything else related I didn't ask a question about that you'd like to add?

Nope

Where online can our readers find you and your work?

You can find me at my website www.gemmaclatworthy.com where you can also join my mailing list and get some free stories (you can unsubscribe straight away, I don't mind!)

You can also find me on most of the socials if you want to hang out and chat books and I'd really appreciate some follows on Amazon or Bookbub if you can!

The Socials:
Fb page: www.facebook.com/gemmaclatworthy
Book Wyrm Facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/227215732518863
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gclatworthy_author
Instagram: www.instagram.com/gemmaclatworthy
Patreon: www.pateron.com/G_Clatworthy
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-G-Clatworthy/s...
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21719551.G_Clatworthy
Website (where you can join my awesome newsletter!): www.gemmaclatworthy.com
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gemma-clatworthy

Gemma, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your thoughts and experiences on Post-Tolkien and Post-Middle Ages influence!

Moving Further toward #Kzoo2024

ℑn a bit of an update, the Society has submitted to the 2024 International Congress on Medieval Studies for a business meeting and the four sessions decided upon at the 2023 Annual General Meeting. All events have been requested to be blended online/onsite, with virtual options preferred if hybrid is not available. The texts submitted for consideration are below, so get started planning your papers early!

Alternative Medievalisms against the Tolkienian Tradition–A Paper Session

While it is the case that Tolkien’s works are a primary lens through which contemporary popular culture views the medieval, it is far from the only such lens, and the English and European medieval from which Tolkien’s works borrow so extensively are not the only medievals to be found. This paper session seeks to examine how contemporary works employ medievalisms other than those commonly associated with the Tolkienian tradition, how that employment contrasts with that tradition, and how that contrast can better illuminate how current popular cultures understand, and *can* understand, the medieval in its multitudes.

Off of the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms–A Paper Session

Other media than literature, ranging from the obvious movies to video games and music, among others, make much of the medieval and the kinds of ideas of the medieval that are promulgated and propagated by Tolkienian-tradition works. Rich as other arts are, and borrowing from the medieval as they do, there is relatively little discourse that focuses on how contemporary works in multiple media make use of the medieval, as such. The proposed paper session seeks to open conversations about how non-literary works look to popular mis/understandings of the medieval, making use of and influencing commonplace perceptions of the medieval.

Tolkien and Twenty-First Century Challenges–A Roundtable

That the works of Tolkien continue to be read and adapted decades after their publication bespeaks ongoing interest in those works and the continuing dialogue with the present in which those works engage. The proposed session seeks to examine how Tolkien’s works can be read against the backdrops of late-stage capitalism and hyper-concentration of wealth; resurgent authoritarianism, religious intolerance, and ethnocentrism; increasing precarity in many areas of endeavor, including but not limited to the academic; climate change; building tension between great-powers realignment and regional autonomy and independence; terrorism, state-sponsored and otherwise; and other issues of concern that occupy current attention.

Continued Lessons from the Professor: Borrowings from Tolkien, 2020+–A Roundtable

The Tales after Tolkien Society seeks to foster scholarship on medievalism in popular culture, recognizing the works of Tolkien are a primary lens through which popular culture views the medieval. In acknowledgment of this, the Society proposes a discussion focusing on how primary sources published or otherwise produced in 2020 and after borrow from Tolkien’s works or otherwise make use of them. In doing so, the roundtable will facilitate discussion of the continuing influence of Tolkien on prevailing perceptions of the medieval, helping to situate more formal discussions to come in a more stable sociocultural context.

We hope to have several panels for your papers, and we hope to see you--virtually or otherwise--at the 'zoo!

#Kzoo2023 Report (and an eye toward #Kzoo2024)

𝔗he Tales after Tolkien Society continued its work at the online International Congress on Medieval Studies hosted by Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. For the 2023 iteration of the event, the Society sponsored and presented a paper session and conducted its annual general meeting. Notes about each appear below.

The Session

The Society's paper session, Religion along the Tolkienian Fantasy Tradition: New Medievalist Narratives, was organized by Society President Geoffrey B. Elliott and presided over by Society VP (USA) Luke Shelton; it was presented at 8am, UTC-6, on Friday, 12 May 2023. Papers were given by Society Secretary and Social Media Officer Rachel Sikorski and by the Society President. The session, per Congress materials, was set "to examine deployment of religious structures and ideologies in medievalist narratives derivative of or notably or avowedly influenced by Tolkien’s Legendarium (although excluding works by Tolkien himself). It is a commonplace that medieval life was permeated by specific religious structures; medievalist narratives across media might well make much of religious groups and ideologies, therefore. To what extent such is the case, and in what media and what bodies of work, indicates the extent to which popular understanding of the medieval accepts its own commonplaces, offering insight into how knowledge of the medieval works in the world."

The paper by Sikorski, "Do You Even Pray Though? Examining the Worship of the Great Mother Goddess in Tamora Pierce's Tortall Universe," was "A look at religion within Tamora Pierce’s Tortall Universe and how it relates to the Post-Tolkien fantasy tradition of worship versus the historical period this genre pulls from," per Congress materials. Plans to post the paper to the Society blog were noted.

The paper by Elliott, "Playing with Medieval(ist?) Religion in Forum-Based Play-by-Post Roleplaying Games: A Case Study," noted that "One way people begin to engage with the medieval most directly is roleplaying games, of which many overtly and explicitly engage in presenting ideas of the medieval. One such is Pendragon, and one iteration thereof appeared as an online event among reasonably representative gamers whose interpretations exemplify popular understandings," per Congress materials. Plans to post the paper to the Society blog were noted.

The Meeting

Per §5.1 of the Society Constitution, an Annual General Meeting of the Society was held during the 2023 Congress, taking place on a Zoom meeting and called to order at 3:02pm, UTC-6. The Society President presided, with the Society Secretary and Social Media Officer taking minutes. Present were the two officers aforementioned, as well as VP (USA) Luke Shelton and founding member Molly Brown

As had been noted previously, the agenda for the meeting was as follows:

1. Election for VP (At-large)
2. Election for Secretary
3. Selection of Sessions to Propose for the 2024 International Congress on Medieval Studies
• Alternative Medievalisms against the Tolkienian Tradition
• Off of the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms
• Tolkien and Twenty-First Century Challenges
• Continued Lessons from the Professor: Borrowings from Tolkien, 2020+
4. Other Business
• Coordination with Other Societies (e.g., ISSM, Lone Medievalist, the many Tolkien societies)
• Sessions at Other Conferences than the Congress
• Publications?

As to the first point, Molly Brown graciously agreed to resume her former position and was acclaimed as VP at-large.

As to the second point, incumbent Rachel Sikorski agreed to continue in her position and was acclaimed as Secretary.

As to the third point, discussion determined to propose all four sessions for the 2024 Congress. The first two, Alternative Medievalisms against the Tolkienian Tradition and Off of the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms, will be proposed as paper sessions. The remaining two, Tolkien and Twenty-First Century Challenges and Continued Lessons from the Professor: Borrowings from Tolkien, 2020+, will be proposed as roundtable discussions.

As to the fourth point, more overt efforts will be undertaken to coordinate with other learned societies. Vice-President Shelton agreed to note to Tolkien at Kalamazoo the sessions the Society will propose for the 2024 Congress, helping the reduce duplication of efforts and affording members of both groups additional presentation opportunities. Vice-President Shelton also noted online resources, both Robin Reid's Online Conference Project and those of the International Society for the Study of Medievalism (here), the latter of which is hosting an online conference likely to be of interest to Society members (here). Of particular note and emphasis is the Mythopoeic Society's "Fantasy Goes to Hell," contributions to which will close soon as of this writing.

Related to the last is an idea that the Society has considered before. In light of the panel offered, as well as of panels at past Congresses, the notion that the Society would compile a volume of essays treating the deployment of religion in medievalist works suggests itself strongly. Efforts will be made to formalize a proposal for such and transmit it appropriately through contacts known to the Society.

As the meeting was conducted via Zoom, it ended upon the software's time-limit at approximately 3:45pm, UTC-6, foreclosing further discussion.

Author Interview - Hallie Christensen

Hello and welcome to our latest author interview with children's book author, Hallie Christensen!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing.

Hi! My name is Hallie Christensen and I am a children's book author. Since I was a child, I wanted to write a book and always had a notebook with me where I would scribble down interesting things that happened in my day that I hoped to use for inspiration for my book. My inhibitions held me back for years. I didn't start to really focus on writing until after I graduated from college. I had a degree in English and had read a lot of literature in those years and was really inspired by the classics - Tolkien, Bronte, Dickens, Behn, etc.

My writing style is very descriptive, which I see a lot in Tolkien's writing. I like for the reader to visually be able to see what world they're reading about. My first published book was a children's picture book about a vegetarian dragon - Daisy the Nice Dragon. I self-published this book a few years back. After getting my feet wet in writing, I decided to try and write a novel. I joined online writing groups that helped me with honing the craft of creating a storyline and a character arc. After writing a few short stories, I entered a novella contest. While I didn't win the contest, my book basically won Miss Congeniality and I realized I might have something here. It was a middle grade fantasy/adventure story and it was a lot of fun! After pitching to agents and publishers for a year, I was picked up by a small press and one year later Enchanted Misadventures with Great-Aunt Poppy was published. It has since won a few writing awards and gained fans.

Since publishing Enchanted Misadventures, I got a literary agent, wrote a paranormal middle grade story that is currently on submissions, and wrote a middle grade fantasy that is in the editing stages. I enjoy writing children's books. There's always excitement and wonder in them and it makes me happy to travel back to that age and experience things all over again.

Who would you say your biggest literary influences are?

I have very fond memories of going to the library in the summer and checking out so many books, I needed a bag to carry them in. I've always loved to read, and I am sure I have been influenced by every book I've picked up.

As a child, I enjoyed series, like Hank the Cowdog, or even the Olsen twins' mystery series. As I grew older, I had a period of time where all I read were historical fiction about the 1800s and early 1900s. I also read any book with a medieval character on the front, especially if it was a princess (Ella Enchanted, The Ordinary Princess). Any classic children's book out there, I've probably read it.

As I got older, I wanted to expand my mind, so I read classics like The Catcher in the Rye, Great Expectations, and The Scarlet Letter. Being a teen, I also enjoyed YA Contemporary and read my fair share of The Princess Diaries, too. I adored The Hobbit and as I've mentioned, Tolkien's visual writing style intrigued me. Needless to say, my reading style was eclectic. But all of it helped to shape and form the way I write.

How has the history of the middle ages impacted/influenced your work?

I LOVE the middle ages. I took English Lit in college and focused on it heavily with my master's. There are a lot of the middle ages that are also connected with the fantasy genre: Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Ella Enchanted, How to Train Your Dragon, etc. Even Dungeons and Dragons is a fantastical world set during the middle ages. There's a reason why people focus on this time period when it comes to fantasy. There's a magic, mystery, and awe found there that we can't seem to find in our own time. My latest manuscript is a MG Fantasy and it is set during the middle ages.

Do you feel like your writing has been impacted/influenced by Tolkien? If so, in what way(s)?

Definitely. Tolkien created entire worlds of magic and fascination and they were so descriptive and beautiful. I have noticed in my own writing that I like for the reader to know exactly where they are and what everything looks like. I also like for there to be a sense of adventure in all of my stories. Tolkien stories were always filled with adventure, curiosity, and wonder. I hope my books provide the same wonderful escape as Tolkien's did for me. Tolkien also created sympathetic characters. I hope that my characters are the same and that people can connect with them.

What do you think the current innovations in your genre(s) are?

I write MG and honestly, I feel like the genre is growing! MG can be hard to write for. Kids these ages are venturing from picture books and chapter books to full-size novels, so your story needs to keep them hooked. They like to feel emotions! They love adventures, friendships, and characters that they can relate to. 

There isn't just one genre that is being fixated on right now in the publishing world. I see tons of new spooky/horror MG books, contemporary, and fantasy!

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see more of?

MG is really well represented when it comes to genres, but I do see a need for more contemporary novels dealing with marginalized characters and their lives. Kids like to see themselves represented in stories and see the character's going through the same things they are. So, we definitely need more of that.

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see less of?

MG is such a fun genre. There's really nothing I want to see less of, ha.

Is there anything else related I didn't ask a question about that you'd like to add?

Whatever genre you are wanting to write in, read books in that genre. Reading, in general, is important, but especially for MG, there is a certain style and voice that is needed when talking to kids. You will understand the style and voice more when you read in that genre.

Where online can our readers find you and your work?

Most everywhere, ha. My books are available online wherever books are sold. My website is www.authorhalliechristensen.com, and from there you will see links to all my social media accounts: Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Hallie, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your thoughts and experiences on Post-Tolkien and Post-Middle Ages influence!

Tales after Tolkien Society Annual General Meeting Survey Results

ℌello once again, all!

Results from the survey conducted online beginning 20 March 2023 are in. The Zoom meeting, which will be hosted by the Society and presided over by Geoffrey B. Elliott, will occur on Friday, 12 May 2023, at 3:00pm in UTC-6. The invitation will go out across the Society email list, so if you have not confirmed that we have your correct email address, please do so to be able to get on and join in.

Agenda items for the meeting will be, in order

1. Election for VP (At-large)
   
2. Election for Secretary
3. Selection of Sessions to Propose for the 2024 International Congress on Medieval Studies
• Alternative Medievalisms against the Tolkienian Tradition
• Off of the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms
• Tolkien and Twenty-First Century Challenges
• Continued Lessons from the Professor: Borrowings from Tolkien, 2020+
  
4. Other Business
• Coordination with Other Societies (e.g., ISSM, Lone Medievalist, the many Tolkien societies)
• Sessions at Other Conferences than the Congress
• Publications?

The survey also suggested a report on the blog itself might be in order. Given constraints of Zoom meetings, the report will be posted to the blog itself. Contributions to the blog are, as always, welcome. Rachel Sikorski's author interview series remains open, and the general call for guest work is ever available.

Any members of the Society interested in standing to office, please let the Society know; if you're on the list, you're eligible.

As ever, thank you for your continued interest and support!

Author Interview - Erin Casey

Hello and welcome to our latest author interview with fantasy author, Erin Casey!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing.

I'm an urban fantasy and YA/Medieval fantasy writer. Let's just say I dabble in all things fantasy, and definitely have a lot of authors to thank for that. Non-writing wise, I'm a bird mom to six feathered kids who actually helped inspire the werebirds in one of my series. As an advocate for mental health, I talk about my experiences with depression, anxiety, ADHD, and my eating disorder across social media. I believe it's important to be transparent (if you're comfortable) to help others know it's okay to talk about these issues. Mental health issues often show up in my characters. I'm also a supporter and part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Writing wise, I've published three books in my Purple Door District series. It's an urban fantasy series about parahumans (werebirds, vampires, werewolves, fae, witches, magi, etc.) living in safe spaces called Purple Door Districts, and the Hunters trying to eradicate them. 

This is a smaller series based on a bigger one that my co-author and I are currently writing together. We decided we wanted to dip our toes into the market and see if people found our stories/characters interesting, and so far the series has had a positive reception! I also write pieces for anthologies (I've had a mix of medieval/YA/urban fantasy accepted). I also have a medieval fantasy series sitting on the back burners, waiting for me to heavily revise it before it sees the light of day. 

I should also mention that I'm a founder of a writing organization called The Writers' Rooms in Iowa. It's a non-profit corporation focused on providing a free, safe environment to all writers. I currently lead one of the groups under it called The Violet Realm in which I teach folks about fantasy/science fiction elements. It's a great community and I'm honored to be part of it. 

Who would you say your biggest literary influences are?

Oh gosh, that's a hard one.

Susan Fletcher: Her dragon stories made me start writing my own dragon series in elementary school. Every morning I'd wake up and scribble down my tale on pieces of notebook paper and store them in a Lisa Frank folder. Ah, the days before computers. 

Brian Jacques: author of the Redwall series, he made me really love storytelling and taught me how to paint pictures with my words. His series is actually how I met my co-author. We met one another while on a Redwall RPG forum, and we've been friends ever since. 

Patricial Briggs: She introduced me to the world of urban fantasy/paranormal romance. 

How has the history of the middle ages impacted/influenced your work?

A lot, actually. Most of my early writing has medieval elements. The first full trilogy I wrote (which I still need to edit), is set in a medieval-like period. I researched a lot to prepare myself for the book including types of swords/weapons, jousting, castle construction and fortification, heraldry, medieval food, holidays and customs, agriculture, and more. I wanted my series to be as accurate as possible while also embodying fantasy. I use that knowledge to help me in my short stories, and in apothecary/witch work in my urban fantasy series. I have way too many books about medicinal herbs and uses. 

Do you feel like your writing has been impacted/influenced by Tolkien? If so, in what way(s)?

Oh definitely. While I didn't list Tolkien as a writing influence simply because I'm more familiar with Lord of the Rings as films rather than as books, his stories heavily influenced my writing. I would watch the trilogy over and over again to get inspiration. I spent long hours listening to the soundtrack to put me in the writing mood. I studied the different weapons and clothing the characters used/wore, and that helped me in my own studies, or gave me ideas on how to dress some of my characters, with my own fantasy flare, of course. I was always drawn to the elegance of the elves and usually included some kind of ethereal race. The long, powerful speeches also helped inspire some of my characters' own speeches. 

What do you think the current innovations in your genre(s) are?

I think urban fantasy is becoming more accepting of including LGBTQIA+ characters as well as strong female characters. There's less of the damsel in distress trope (depending on the series), and more of the female main characters rescuing the men, or rescuing themselves, which I absolutely adore. Urban fantasy books are starting to show more diversity as well. The more people represented, the better! 

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see more of?

I'd like to see more trans representation in my genres. We're starting to see more LGBTQIA+ characters and relationships, but not as many trans characters. I'd also like to see mental health discussed more so it's less taboo. It would be so nice to have more plus-sized characters, and not just as a joke. Let's also continue adding more diversity to books! 

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see less of?

I'd like it if token characters aren't killed off (usually Black or LGBTQIA+ characters). Appropriation is a big issue too. Writing a diverse cast is great, but when you start appropriating cultures without paying proper respect, or you try to write through the eyes of someone outside of your lane, it becomes a problem. There are ways to write diverse characters without acting like you personally know their struggles. Hiring sensitivity readers can really help with this. 

Is there anything else related I didn't ask a question about that you'd like to add?

Not that I can think of. 

Where online can our readers find you and your work?

I'm on most social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tiktok, Goodreads, Amazon, etc. You can find all my links either through my website at erincasey.org or at   https://linktr.ee/erincaseyauthor You can also find my work at erincasey.org or on Amazon.com/author/erincaseyauthor

Erin, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your thoughts and experiences on Post-Tolkien and Post-Middle Ages influence!

Tales after Tolkien Society Annual General Meeting Survey Ending

ℌello, all!

The survey mentioned in an earlier post will be closing on 14 April 2023, US Central Time. If you have already voted in it, thank you; if you have not yet done so, please do; if you did not get the email invitation, please email talesaftertolkien@gmail.com to receive yours.

As noted previously, the upcoming Annual General Meeting will feature elections for the VP (At-large) and Secretary, currently Andrew Higgins and Rachel Sikorski, respectively. It will also treat proposals for panels for the 2024 Congress. If you're willing to stand to office, let us know! If you have ideas for panels, fill out the survey!

If you're not presently a member of the Society and you'd like to be a member, send the Society an email so we can get you listed!

As ever, thank you for your continued interest and support!

Author Interview - Mark Allard-Will

Hello and welcome to our latest author interview with comic book writer, Mark Allard-Will!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing.

My pleasure. Before I start, thank you so much for inviting me to complete this interview with you; I had no idea Saskatchewan had a Tolkien society and to be invited by said society to an interview is truly a privilege.

My name is Mark Allard-Will, I'm a published author in the comic book medium based out of Saskatoon. I was born and raised in the deeply rural county of Suffolk in England, UK and I moved to Canada at age 26, I'm 36 now and became a Canadian citizen in 2019. Beyond writing, I'm a jack of all trades, I'm an amatuer athlete who rides road bikes for sport and provides professional commentary on the live broadcast races from virtual cycling platform CADEsport, I'm a degree-trained filmmaker, an avid wristwatch collector and self-trained in amatuer watch repair, a freelance copywriter, and probably half a dozen other things I'm forgetting.

But, we're here to talk about my work as a writer. I've been writing my whole life, but only knew what to do with it when I met my wife, Elaine M. Will, in 2015. Elaine was already a published comic book illustrator at this time and she showed me that I could write for comics. I had been into comics as a young child through to my late teens in the UK, fell out of love with them in my late teens as many do and I never would've thought at that time that I'd end up writing for comics; if anything, I honestly didn't realise that blue collar, regular folk could - I thought that it was a select few individuals were hired to work in publisher offices like the early days of the comics industry. Elaine showed me that anybody can do this and that, really, like published prose writers, we're invariably creating from home too.

I wrote screenplays in university, as my minor was a Creative Writing class for stage and screen and that training translated very well into the skill set needed for formatting a comic book script; both being heavily framed by formatting.

I published my first comic, a Canadiana comedy comic called Saskatch-A-Man, in 2015. I found my voice as an author there, which is a sardonic dark comedy tone for comedy work and for my Fantasy work, it was very much a sardonic tone too; but one that's void of overt comedy and more of weighted tragedy, characters who are doomed to their ways and all of that.

Who would you say your biggest literary influences are?

Fantasy is always present in my literary influences and even how I think about character development. Invariably, Tolkien comes up a lot as an influence. Beyond Tolkien, however, I have to say Barry Hughart, Bridge Of Birds changed my life when I read it, as did the rest of The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox series of books; it really made me think about how you can bring comedy into Fantasy without jarring the tone and how you can link dramatic to development to environments and comedy to others (like how everything in the Peking scenes in Bridge of Birds is this really funny introduction to Master Li and we return to dramatic tension after leaving Peking).

How has the history of the middle ages impacted/influenced your work?

Oh, man, the Dark Ages come up a lot in my work. Before Siegfried: Dragon Slayer (2022), I wrote a horror graphic novel called The Burning Black: The Legend of Black Shuck (2019), it was a horror graphic novel that re-imagines the folklore of Black Shuck from back home in Suffolk in England with a cinematic, atmospheric tone to the book. I imagined a backstory for the hellhound and, because the folklore typed by Abraham Flemming has such a devoutly Christian bent to it, I decided that he could have been a figure from Suffolk's long pagan history and one that was betrayed by the Christian establishment.

Boudica was a very important figure in Suffolk's pagan history, but the establishment that betrayed her was also pagan, in the form of the pre-Christian Romans. Then I landed on my favourite part of Britain's very chaotic history, the Dark Ages, where the pagan Vikings went to toe-to-toe with the very devout Saxons. King Guthrum who settled in Suffolk was the man who had King Alfred the Great scared enough that he and his men fled Wessex and hid the forest (the origin of the fable about King Alfred burning the cakes), before ultimately surrendering to a united force of the Saxon fiefdoms who were previously warring with each other and signing a peace treaty which saw him be Christened as one of its clauses. He abided by the treaty and became a farmer after laying down his weapons, but was ultimately betrayed by both his own people and the Saxons. So, I imagined that what if Black Shuck is a werewolf that has lived for centuries, wishes to die a natural death yet can't, and is ultimately Guthrum after the act of being christened "infected" him.

And then Siegfried: Dragon Slayer is my re-imagining of The Völsunga Saga, coming from the height of the Viking Age (presumably either the 8th or 9th century) before finally being transcribed to the written word by Snorri Sturluson in the 12th century. So, much like Tolkien the Middle Ages, and the Vikings place therein, has had a huge impact on my work.

Do you feel like your writing has been impacted/influenced by Tolkien? If so, in what way(s)?

Absolutely! When I was imagining how to make the character arcs of the likes of Sigurd, Regin, Fafnir, Odin, et al more relatable to a visual medium and a traditional modern three-act story for my graphic novel re-imagining of The Völsunga Saga in Siegfried: Dragon Slayer, I ultimately chose to look at how characters in The Hobbit are handled. Why? Because, when everything is said and done, Tolkien's The Hobbit took a large inspiration from The Völsunga Saga and other things the Saga inspired like the late German Medieval myth, Das Nibelungenlied, and, of course, Der Ring Das Nibelung (The Ring Cycle) by Richard Wagner. I mixed this with both a desire to stay as faithful as I could to the Saga and my sardonic, tragic tone.

Tolkien's work also inspires how I think of how characters who seem doomed by their own flaws can ultimately right themselves, something that readers will get to experience for themselves in the second, and final, book in the Siegfried: Dragon Slayer series soon.

What do you think the current innovations in your genre(s) are?

Comics are a tough medium to gauge re innovation, but I think the innovations have largely been in pushing the envelope of the genres and storytelling styles that are possible in comics.

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see more of?

Personally, I'd love to see more of anything outside of the superhero genre. Don't get me wrong, there's whole universes of stories and genres in comics beyond superheroes, but with the sheer pop culture zeitgeist of the Marvel Cinematic Universe it steals the attention away from all of that wonderful wealth of every other genre in western comics.

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see less of?

I'd really like to see less variant covers in comics and less of other such manufactured scarcities from the publishers. It's nice every once in a while as a one-off, but with the way it is today, it's become a gimmick to boost sales and it's centering the readers' money only on the major publishing houses in the comics industry and killing the smaller players.

Where online can our readers find you and your work?

Readers can find me and all of my socials on https://markallardwill.com

Also readers can check out the live action trailer for Siegfried: Dragon Slayer!

Mark, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your thoughts and experiences on Post-Tolkien and Post-Middle Ages influence!

Author Interview - Rick Waugh

Hello and welcome to our latest interview! Today we'll be talking with with fantasy author and musician, Rick Waugh!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing.

I’ve been a creative person my entire life. I started to play music seriously and to write when I was a teenager in the 1970s. I came close to selling a historical fantasy novel — but not quite close enough. It was painful to get that far and fail. I got busy with life, career, family, and put music before writing for the small amount of time I had. I didn’t start writing again until I retired.

I had a thought rattling around in my head for years, to write a series about a minstrel mage whose magic worked through music; the result was the Eternal Muse series, which I self published through winter 2021-2022. I also wrote all the music for the songs that appear in the books, recorded them and made videos for them as well.

I’m currently working on a new series, The Skin of the World - Gods of Chaos. The Skin of the World is a term that refers to the thin layer between our world and the supernatural, ripped open by Mischief the Trickster. Chaos magic, accompanied by every supernatural god or creature ever imagined by man, crept through the tear. My characters need to figure out how to manipulate the magic to survive.

To world build for the series, I wrote a 35 episode serial novel that I’m sending out through my newsletter twice a month. It was quite an exercise writing it — a serial story is a very different beast from a novel, trying to keep the episodes tied together, reminding the reader of what went before. I’m now working on what will be at least a trilogy in that world.

Who would you say your biggest literary influences are?

I started to read fantasy in the 1960s and 70s, when LOTR was huge, and the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series came out. Obviously Tolkien, Guy Gavriel Kay, Ursula Leguin, Lord Dunsany, Fritz Leiber, Robert E. Howard, and on and on, too many to list. I always find it difficult to find other authors’ influence exactly in my writing, but…I’ve read an awful lot of fantasy, many different kinds, and it’s all sunk in, in its own way.

How has the history of the middle ages impacted/influenced your work?

Kind of underpins everything, doesn’t it? I was having discussions with my critique group about my current work and it’s lack of proper medieval nobility levels, and during the Eternal Muse that level of culture reference was always coming up. How would you act if you were X in front of Y. What kinds of clothing, what kind of money, how would they interact. So even though it’s fantasy, and you can in theory do what you want, if you’re writing second world epic/high fantasy, that knowledge, those concepts of how things worked in the medieval period are always there, and you have to work around them, or at least, you feel you do. 

Do you feel like your writing has been impacted/influenced by Tolkien? If so, in what way(s)?

When I was in elementary school, grade 2 or 3, we didn’t have a library. We had a ‘book bus’ that came a couple of times a year, and they would feature a book. This one time it was the hobbit, and they had a paper mache map of Bilbo’s journey on the wall. My head pretty much exploded at seeing that, it was what I wanted to read. A few years later I read LOTR, and I read it three times in a row. So Tolkien’s entire feel, the cadence of the books, the sense of wonder, was engrained in my brain. The words were so completely beaten in that when the movies came out, I could tell what was dialogue from the books. So Tolkien got me into fantasy in the first place, and everything since then I’ve viewed in comparison; for me, it’s the wellspring. Do I write like him? No, I don’t think so. But that sense of wonder has never left me.

What do you think the current innovations in your genre(s) are?

Honestly not sure about innovations. I’m not seeing a lot of wildly original books, just a lot of good ones. It’s hard to come up with entirely new stories when so many have been written, and the tried and true can’t help but leak into your own work. It is interesting that format variety is coming back; when it’s an ebook, people don’t seem to care so much whether it’s a novel, a novella, or a short story, as long as the length works for the tale being told. For the longest time in print it was novels only. Now you see writers creating series using novellas and short stories, and of course there are serial platforms like Vella available as well.

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see more of?

I’m a bit tired of epic fantasy, of long heroic quests, massive, universe threatening struggles. One thing I always liked about the sword and sorcery I read when I was young was that it was often just about a couple of people trying to make their way in a fantasy environment. Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, by Fritz Leiber, is a classic example. So, less epic consequences, more personal ones.

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see less of?

I’m pretty tired of graphic violence and sex that does nothing to drive the plot. I’m not sure detailing rape or torture is useful at any time. As to steam, I’ve read some relatively steamy books where the sex was well integrated in the story and the relationships there, and drove the character arcs. But too often, it all just seems like cheap thrills tossed in. Which is fine, if that’s what readers want. But it feels like lazy writing to me.

Is there anything else related I didn't ask a question about that you'd like to add?

I feel we are in a state of transition. Amazon is constantly being filled by a river of new books, and now with ChatGPT making it ‘easier’ to write, magazines and agents are being buried by volume. The days of the Indie gold rush, where it was relatively easy to put your book up and make money, are done. Time to buckle down, put in a bit of extra polish, make your good books better, because I think that’s the only way to stand out from the crowd. Certainly what I’m going to try and do.

Where online can our readers find you and your work?

My website is https://rickwaughauthor.com. You can find listings of my books there, and a signup for my newsletter. You’ll also find links to my music there, which is recordings of all the songs I’ve written for my books.

Rick, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your thoughts and experiences on Post-Tolkien and Post-Middle Ages influence!

Author Interview - Day Leitao

Hello and welcome to our latest author interview with YA fantasy author, Day Leitao!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing.

I'm originally from Brazil and I like to write sci-fi and fantasy. I've written three YA fantasy series.

Who would you say your biggest literary influences are?

I'm not really sure. I grew up reading books in Portuguese. There's a Brazilian author I like very much, called Pedro Bandeira, but I'm not sure it's an influence. For English writing, I like Cassandra Clare and Holly Black. 

How has the history of the middle ages impacted/influenced your work?

I studied Medieval Literature in university and I like it a lot. I enjoyed learning about a different language, the evolution of English and the history of Europe and the United Kingdom. It's so fascinating. Because I studied so much, I feel that I turned away from it when it was time for my writing. I just wanted something fresh and new, but the medieval literature and some of its meaning and influence will always be there, in the background, lurking. 

Do you feel like your writing has been impacted/influenced by Tolkien? If so, in what way(s)?

Yes. I love The Hobbit. I think it's nice that it places value in human relationships and friendships, and although it has a clear evil, it muddies the waters between good and evil with good characters doing things that, let's say, are not so great. 

What do you think the current innovations in your genre(s) are?

I think we want to be as close as possible to characters, and that's a good thing. 

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see more of?

There's so much out there already… But I'd love to see more diverse writers being promoted by publishers. 

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see less of?

I don't think YA is the right place for titillating, explicit steam. Nothing against it, by the way, but it shouldn't be YA. I'm not saying YA can't have sex or that teens shouldn't read those books, but that, as a category, if books get detailed on what goes on down there, they shouldn't be YA.

Where online can our readers find you and your work?

Dayleitao.com has all the links!

I'm active on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/day_leitao_ya/

Day, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your thoughts and experiences on Post-Tolkien and Post-Middle Ages influence!