Interview with F. P. Spirit
My latest book is titled “City of Tears.” It is the first novel in my next series, “Rise of the Thrall Lord.” The book follows
the further exploits of the characters from the “Heroes of Ravenford,” though things take a far more serious turn.
In this installment, demons have once again crawled up from
the Abyss, undead are roaming the earth, and someone has appeared who can exert
control over dragons. All these signs point to the possible return of the dread
Thrall Masters, a group of mega-powerful mages who nearly decimated the world
over a century ago.
City deals with the first of these major encounters: a tower
harboring enormous power, shrouded in mist, surrounded by an ancient city that
has fallen under a terrible curse. All who once lived there walk the earth as
undead, ruled by the former empress of the once great Naradon empire.
Of all the books you've written, do you have a favorite?
My favorite would probably be City. Writing is a craft that can always be improved upon. I’ve
learned a lot over the last ten years, and thankfully my writing has improved
along with it. My first few novels were full of action, adventure, and humor. I
did put quite a bit of effort into character backgrounds and development.
However, I could have used more character introspection. This new book delves
not just into the character’s minds, but truly captures their emotions and
underlying motivations.
Do you have a favorite character? If so, why?
It's a toss-up between Lloyd and Seth. Lloyd is the most
genuine character you will ever meet. In some ways, he is the archetypical hero
- athletic, good looking, always doing what's right. However, he is also quite
modest and shy. Seth, on the contrary, is an extremely sarcastic character. His
shady past makes him distrustful of everyone. He is also inclined to say
whatever he is thinking without holding back. He's that voice in everyone's
head that never gets expressed in real life.
I’ve always loved fantasy and a few years back we started
role playing with family and friends. A number of amazing and amusing
characters resulted from those sessions and I wanted to share their adventures
with as many folks as I could. Little did I realize the long road I had ahead
of me. After many iterations of world building, character development, and
weaving together of plot lines, the Ruins on Stone Hill was finally born.
What is the hardest part of writing fantasy fiction?
There are a couple of things, but the foremost is making up an entire world. Fantasy fiction often takes place in a completely different world from ours. Building that world requires a lot of work if it is going to be believable for the reader. There has to be rules, especially where magic is concerned, places, travel, races, creatures, and the like that need clear cut definitions. That world also should have a history. Defining that history can take months of painstaking work to map out.
Did anything surprise you about the process of writing your
book?
The way that characters “talk” to you. Well-developed
characters tend to have a mind of their own and tend to disrupt your plans as
your writing. I've often hit a road block where a character will tell me
"no way am I doing that!" It's just not in their nature. I have to
then learn to write around it or change the plot point to fit the character.
David Eddings is probably my favorite author. I love the way he combines a large cast of characters and how they interact with each other. Tolkien is of course the father of fantasy and one of my favorites. I also love Piers Anthony. His Apprentice Adept series is one of my all-time favorites. On the Sci-Fi side, I've always loved Asimov. I cut my teeth, so to speak, on the original Foundation series. Heinlein and Niven are also two favorites.
What advice would you give beginning writers?
Write, write, and write again. Never stop. Never give up. There's always room to grow as a writer. The key, though, is to write about things you love. The passion you feel as you write will translate into your stories and to your readers.
Ruins on Stone Hill (Book One: Heroes of Ravenford)
Glolindir thought he knew all about magic until he came face to face with his very first monster. He only survived thanks to:
Lloyd, the gallant
spiritblade as talented as he is reckless.
Seth, the mysterious halfling whose knives are nearly as sharp as his
tongue.
Aksel, the quiet gnome whose very touch can heal.
Unfortunately,
that was just the beginning of their troubles. The little town of Ravenford is
in desperate need of heroes. Before Glo and his friends know it, they are up to
their necks in monsters and worse.
It all comes to a disastrous head when they confront a dark force in the ruins outside of town. Outclassed and overpowered, the only thing that can save them now is their wits and a bit of luck.
Ruins on Stone Hill is available at Amazon
A long-time lover of fantasy and the surreal, he hopes you enjoy his fun contributions to the world of fantasy and magic.
For more on F. P. Spirit and his books check out these
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