Red Moon Chronicle

Interview with Martin McKenna

2011-11-11T15:43:00.000-08:00

Martin McKenna is a freelance illustrator based in the UK. He was born in London, and started out in illustration with work for fantasy & horror RPG fanzines in the 80s, in particular the H.P. Lovecraft-devoted Dagon. His first professional commissions came from Games Workshop for their magazine White Dwarf and this began a long relationship with the company, illustrating lots of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay publications and the very first Warhammer 40,000 book, as well as many other GW books and board games. Martin has also created game-related material for other publishers, including covers and internal illustrations for twenty-five of the Fighting Fantasy series from Puffin Books/Wizard Books, and card art for Magic: The Gathering from Wizards of the Coast.

Martin also produced artwork for various publishers around the world including Scholastic, Time-Warner, HarperCollins and Oxford University Press, illustrating popular authors such as Anne McCaffrey, Raymond E. Feist and Harry Turtledove, as well as some classics including Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and The Silver Sword. He was fortunate enough to receive the British Fantasy Award for Best Artist.

Martin illustrated the book accompanying the album release of Misterstourworm & the Kelpie's Gift, an orchestral work based on stories and characters from Scottish legend. His artwork was used as large-scale backdrops for live performances of the work by The Orchestra of Scottish Opera, with narration by Lord of the Rings actor Billy Boyd.

As an author, Martin has written books about digital art including Digital Fantasy Painting Workshop and Digital Horror Art, and edited Fantasy Art Now published by Collins. In addition to work in publishing, Martin does concept and production art for computer games, and film and television productions which have included the BAFTA-nominated The Magician of Samarkand for the BBC, and most recently Gulliver's Travels for 20th Century Fox.

Talisman Of Death

Tell us about your artwork.

I’d hope it can speak for itself for the most part. I’m not sure there’s a lot I can add, especially if a picture’s worth a thousand words and all that. I like drawing dark, shadowy, gnarled things. They’re a lot easier and more fun than doing light, bright and pretty things. Particularly when, if something goes wrong, you can just make it a silhouette, stick it behind a bit of knobbly tree, or hide it in some mist. But no, generally I’m drawn to monsters, melodrama, and a crepuscular gothic sort of mood. Plus over the years I hope I’ve got better at some kind of useful storytelling through pictures, and in my most recent projects I’m working really hard on that. For probably too long now I’ve been working on my first big solo picture book project, which has a deceptively simple story I’ve struggled to perfect. It’s my first serious stab at writing, at the suggestion of one of my kindly editors. It’s a nightmarish adventure for children exploring themes of darkness and light. I’ve strived to create the look and feel of the ‘golden age’ of book illustration and the work of Rackham and Dulac, but with some modern touches. With any luck I may not have fallen too far short.

Carol Wailers

Removal Giant

What aspects of your childhood inspired your artistic creativity?

The things that I found most frightening! My earliest drawings, mostly scrawled on my bedroom wallpaper as if I were a troglodyte, all came as a direct result of whatever good, strange things disturbed me in books and comics, and especially on television. The first murky TV memories I have are of Doctor Who, and I was fortunate to be at an ideal impressionable age that coincided with those great gothic horror episodes of the mid 70s. Combined with a very early introduction to Hammer and Universal horror movies - again, I’m grateful to have grown up with all the late night horror double bills that used to be shown by the BBC. This proved to be formative, vital stuff and provided a foundation for exploring all sorts of spooky fare that I still love and find inspiring. I’m at my happiest when I have goosebumps.

Tell us about your learning process, and particularly how your work evolved as a result of it.

Big Ben

Whatever I’ve learned has been self-taught; nothing I’ve done has come as a result of any formal training. Perhaps it shows! For many years all my stuff was done with purely traditional materials, using inks and other often unpredictable unguents on paper that didn’t allow for much in the way of mistakes, so I had to gain confidence in my technical abilities early on if I was ever going to complete jobs and meet deadlines. Since 1997 most of my stuff has been digital, which is much more forgiving and I guess it helped me loosen up a bit in my work. But it was a case of almost relearning things or at least how to approach things slightly differently and how to embrace the perceived freedom of all this new-fangled electrickery. My digital work went through a few dodgy phases while I was finding my feet again and searching for some sort of identity within it all, and now I feel happier with how I’m using Photoshop etc for drawing and painting. I seem to be enjoying doing things that are simpler again, using the new technology so I don’t have to worry about the paper buckling.

Are there any underlying themes or messages in your work?

Virtually everything I do is commissioned work, so whatever themes or messages it contains are mostly those that are necessary for the artwork to be doing its job in conveying a mood or helping to tell a story, for the client.

Of the artwork you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular work?

There’s not really one particular picture I like, it tends to boil down to things that stand the test of time and that I can bear to still look at. Any time I look through old work I find different things that I like and dislike each time. It’s a nice surprise when I look at something I’d almost forgotten doing because it had to be done in a hurry, which is usually the case, and discovering that it really wasn’t too bad. Some pictures remain stinkers and are best buried at the bottom of the drawer.

The Shadowing

Howl of the Werewolf

Tell us about your British Fantasy Award for Best Artist.

It was quite a long time ago now. But still I caress it and polish it and adore it for most of every day. I carry it with me everywhere and show it to people at bus stops. Actually, there’s not a great deal to tell. It was nice to get one, whatever it was I did that year, or cumulatively up to that point, to get me nominated and all. The best thing is having an example of the statuette itself, which was made from a carving by my great old friend Dave Carson. Although I did already have one he made for me out of concrete in case I never received a real one, and I still use that as a doorstop.

Spellbreaker

How is creating science fiction or fantasy art different from creating other genres?

I’m not sure there’s a whole lot of difference. As a commission, any job requires an individual approach to fulfil the brief, whether it’s something fantastical or otherwise one works within whatever stylistic parameters are put in place. The same basic rules of lighting and composition and whatnot remain the same. The main difference is in the challenge of making a fantastical, unreal subject appear believable to some extent.

What do you find most rewarding in the creative process, and how do you overcome that which you find challenging?

I’m very happy if I get something finished. And if I don’t hate it, then I’m ecstatic. I’m exaggerating somewhat but it’s not so far from the truth. I love it when there’s an image, a piece of work that I’m happy with, that I can sit back and look at in the evening but which didn’t exist in the world that morning. There’s so much about the process of making this stuff that I find challenging. I’ll usually get underway with some procrastination. And after some frisbee with the dog and a bit of gardening, and the washing-up, I’ll procrastinate a bit more. Eventually I’ll confront my demons and probably, not having overcome that which I find most challenging at all but merely sidling around the back of it to give it a kick before running away, I’ll have produced another piece of work which I’ll forever thereafter think could’ve been better. But the next one’s bound to be great.

What advice would you give to anyone considering a career in art?

Bloodbones

Sorry, art’s full. Anyway plumbing pays better. Oh okay, to attempt a more serious answer, I guess the key thing is to keep working and enjoy it. If you love what you’re doing, stick at it and really put everything into pursuing it chances are stuff will happen for you. There's no tried and tested method of getting into illustration work, everyone I know who does it professionally got to where they are by different routes. Overall it's simply a case of remaining persistent. The important thing is to get your work seen by art directors etc -- submit samples of your work to companies and publishers who put out the kind of stuff you like, and maybe approach art agencies. Some diligent research online can give you the name of an art director within an organization and how to contact them. And then if you fire off enough bullets, depending on the suitability of your work (and any number of other random factors), one is sure to eventually hit something and you're off to a start -- anything to gain experience. I remember when I was about sixteen I entered a Games Workshop drawing competition, but rather than being entered into the competition I received a letter from John Blanche (their then art director) inviting me to work for them, which was incredibly exciting for me at the time. So, nothing ventured, nothing gained. My career started before the internet made it so much easier to contact people -- now it's possible to really put yourself out there in the world through Facebook and the like. Get a site set up, or simply start a page on an art site such as CGSociety. Love what you do, keep at it and don't give up.

What have you done to promote and market your artwork and what advice would you give to other artists?

I suspect I’ve probably not been doing enough to promote myself recently. What I could really do with is to be asked to give an interview for a blog -- then I’ll hit the big-time. I’ve been a bit quiet of late, working away on my projects. But I dare say I need to remind folk I’m not deceased, so I must do things like update the blog on my own site soon... too easily neglected, as I’ve discovered. As for advice to artists, I’ve probably already covered that in the previous answer.

Who, do you imagine, would be your ideal client?

That has got to be Windsor Davies. Just the thought of him fixing me with his steely squint while gurning that moustachioed pout, before complimenting me on the good job what I done by saying, “My lovely boy!” in his sonorous Welsh baritone is what forever drives me on. A slightly more serious answer might be, I dunno, designing some telly Doctor Who monster stuff perhaps. If you’re reading this, Moffat, give us a bell.

Centaur Uniforms

What aspirations, or reservations, do you have regarding the continuing application of your work to film and television?

My little forays into film and TV have been fun, but quite intense and stressful at times. Although that might have been due to negotiating the M25 at 6am to get to film studios - I’m not much of a commuter. I’ve loved seeing my artwork come alive on screen as costumes worn by actors, or as animation or whatever. I’d really like to do more work in film if I get the chance to muck in on anything good, as long as I don’t abandon the sorts of personal book projects, which have been taking up all my time recently. If I have any reservations, it might be that movie productions can be just so sprawling and complex with so many people involved - I went from the last such experience I had at Pinewood to working alone on my simple little picture books, which has been a nice, calm time in comparison. Having opportunities to hop between the two spheres every now and again provides a refreshing contrast, if I’m lucky enough to continue to be asked.

Tell us a little about any good art you’ve seen recently.

I’m seeing good things all the time. But recently I’ve been stuck very much in the past, on that Rackham and Dulac trip, with a liberal dose of Sidney Sime. The latter can really stir my imagination and lure it away into murky, spectral reaches. Just the thing on a slow day.

Jack

What other interests do you have?

Aside from reading a lot and endlessly watching films, other interests are mainly outdoor activities, in necessary contrast to sitting indoors and the very sedentary business of doing illustrations. Training my brilliant border collie for sheepdog trials - by far my best achievement of late! Climbing Scottish mountains in sideways rain, and recently learning to fly aeroplanes, which provides plenty of thrills and mental exhaustion.

Where can we find you and your art?

My work and I turn up in all sorts of odd places. But check out www.martinmckenna.net and that poor neglected blog it features that one day I might actually update.

Interview with Synergy (Larry Fast)

2011-09-27T04:04:00.000-07:00

Larry Fast is a synthesizer expert and composer, best known for his series of pioneering electronic music albums recorded under the project name Synergy. He is also known for his work with Peter Gabriel; playing synthesiser on records and on tour, and rounding out the production team on many of Peter's albums for nearly a decade. Larry has also worked with Rick Wakeman and Yes, Foreigner, Hall and Oates, Bonnie Tyler, Wendy Carlos, Tony Levin, Nektar, Iam Siam, Annie Haslam and others. He also contributed music to the Carl Sagan 1980 television program Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, and created the soundtrack for the 1982 film The Jupiter Menace.

You are one of the pioneers of electronic music. How did you enter, what was once, one of the most exclusive worlds in modern music?

It really started happening for me in the late 1960s. I had been an electronic experimenter since I was a kid, building and wiring things since I soldered my first wires together in the late 1950s. I also loved listening to music and took lessons on violin and piano, and later self-taught myself guitar and bass. Couple that with hi-fi and stereo, tape recording and the various aspects of audio circuitry and I was primed for electronic music. When the Moog products evolved into instrument systems from individual modules between 1964 and 1967, I wanted to own some of them. But still in school at that time, there was no way I could afford those thousands of dollars. So I started building my own devices. Some from circuits I found in technical magazines and others that I developed myself from classic oscillator and filter circuits. One of my first oscillators was a modified Morse code practice oscillator.

By the early 70s I was building electronic devices for other musicians such as Rick Wakeman from Yes.

But I had also started to write and record, to satisfy my own creative leanings. And by then had managed to scrape together enough money to buy some genuine Moog instruments, which were superior to my own designs and construction. I used the combination of Moog and my own equipment to work with bands and on my own. After a short-lived band experience I was offered a record deal in 1974 for what would become the Synergy solo electronic project.

Electronic Realizations for Rock Orchestra

How and why did you choose the name ‘Synergy’?

I was looking for a project name to hide behind - a sort of fictional band. Reading Buck Minster Fuller's Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth there was a chapter called Synergy. He was describing the combined effects observed in metallurgy, chemistry and environmental sciences. But the word did apply to the effects I had observed in multi-track audio recording. And it sounded a bit like "synthesizer", so I appropriated the then-obscure term for my project. Now, about forty years later, it is a much-overused mainstream term.

In my opinion, Electronic Realizations for Rock Orchestra is one of the most innovative and important recordings of the 20^th Century. Tell us about the development of this album, and the technology you employed to produce it.

The earliest form of the album started shaping up as a senior thesis piece in my 20th Century Composition course at college. There is an entire section of the appropriately named Legacy piece, which was written for that course. Slaughter On Tenth Avenue was a piece that I had performed on piano as a student in junior high school. It struck me a decade later, as something that would translate well into the electronic genre. Other pieces evolved from writing sessions with a short-lived band I had on a development deal with Warner Bros. Records, which didn't pan out, and things I wrote after that band broke up.

Soon after that I signed as a solo artist to Passport Records and began putting the album together in preproduction. The technology was fairly standard for the time. Much of it is listed in the album credits. I used Moog instruments, which on that early album was mostly Minimoog along with modules from Oberheim and 360 Systems. Recording was quite conventional 16-track to 2-inch tape with dbx noise reduction. Mixing was done in both quad and stereo. The original quad mix is encoded in the stereo mix, though the quad fad of the 1970s soon faded so few people have heard the old surround mix. The original release was on the available formats of the day which were vinyl, cassette and 8-track. There was even a quad 8-track format released in very limited numbers.

Peter Gabriel Tour, 1977

Tell us about your work with Peter Gabriel and others.

That is a huge topic covering more than five albums and almost a decade with Peter Gabriel alone. Session work and touring with other acts has never really stopped, but was a fairly consistent 35-year-run with so many recording dates that I can't even remember all of them anymore. Without a specific question it's difficult to know where to even begin. For the years 1976 through 1985 or so, the recording and touring cycle with Peter Gabriel was fairly constant. Many of the other recordings that I worked on like Foreigner, Hall & Oates, Bonnie Tyler and others were slotted in when there were breaks in the Gabriel schedule. After that, it was easier to get involved in special projects.

One of the most interesting projects was working with Wendy Carlos in 1997 on the live version of Switched On Bach performance at a Bach festival in New York. It was the first time that the classic 1967 album had been performed live by a synthesizer ensemble. It took months of work and was the finest all-synthesizer group that I have ever performed with. That kind of work was so different from the many rock tours that I have done that it really stands out in my experiences.

Cords

Sequencer

You have designed listening devices for the hearing disabled; and you own several patents for optical distribution using infrared audio technologies. Has this expertise helped you with your career in music, and if so, how?

In reality, it's the other way around. The technologies that underlie audio in the studio and synthesis are all about quality sound. For people with hearing losses, finding ways to compensate for their hearing through technology is very much related. I had already spent several decades exploring the nuances of audio circuit designs so it was not a big leap when I was charged with finding some new solutions to problems in accommodating those people with hearing losses covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The only aspect that was new to me was getting up to speed on transmitting audio over infrared light. But even that was not all that much different from the design of blinking LEDs that I had incorporated into a lot of my sequencers and computer interfaces for analog synthesizers. The one irony out of the whole exercise was that in all of my earlier years developing specialized synthesizer modules, nothing I had developed was clearly patentable. The changes that I brought into infrared assistive listening, a small side project, was patent-ready on multiple counts.

Games

Tell us about your new Synergy album. Why have you chosen to return to the Synergy project, after over 20 years, and what do you hope to give to your listeners?

There wasn't a conscious decision to stop doing the Synergy recordings. It was more a matter of economics. The record business has always been notoriously unstable and to some degree untrustworthy. Over the years, I found myself getting more commissions to work on corporate projects and in broadcast media, which took up as much, if not more, time to execute on a per-project basis. That left little time for making records just for art sake. That, coupled with the bankruptcy of the label I had been originally signed to, and a protracted fight to get the rights to the Synergy catalog back, put new Synergy recordings on hold for quite a while.

What has happened recently, is that at my current stage in life (older) I can back off on the outside projects a bit. And in the current extended recession, there aren't as many commissioned projects as there once were, either. So that opens up some time for me to indulge in the Synergy project experimentation again.

The listeners are along for the ride, because I can't predict exactly where it will take us or even when it will be completed. I do know that the recordings will be high-bit audiophile digital masters, which will be down-converted to regular CDs and of course compressed audio for download sales and streaming. However, I'm actively pursuing the best way to make the audiophile versions available to the general public and in what formats. I'd also like to do 5.1 surround versions of the final mixes. I expect that I'll use many of the same creative tools, which these days focus heavily on software synthesis tools.

Is there an underlying theme or message in your work?

No, not really. You might pick up something from a title here and there, but I like the music to stand on its own, conveying spaces and emotions non-verbally. And even that tends to be "fiction" without a specific storyline. Think of it more as a soundtrack that doesn't have a movie attached to it.

Metropolitan Suite

Of the music you’ve created, is there one piece that you are particularly proud of? If so, why this particular work?

So far, the Metropolitan Suite is the most integrated collection of my earlier works. But it is very hard to have a single favorite piece. At the time any one of the Synergy pieces is being written, it is my favorite piece in the world. If it wasn't, why would I even bother to keep working on it? But after any collection is finished, some of the pieces just work better than others. And sometimes that is completely unexpected.

The pieces I've created over the decades are so different from each other that various aspects of different pieces have strengths that are more appropriate for different listeners and in different settings. So no one piece could ever be my universal favorite for all times.

What do you find most rewarding in the creative process, and how do you overcome that which you find challenging?

I never quite know where the creative process is going to take me. I sometimes have a starting point with a rough idea of where I want to explore. Setting up some parameters of tempo, feel, texture and so on, gives me the beginnings of structure. Often I'll also have some kind of melodic hook or partial melody to get me started. And then it's off to that mysterious place in the creative thought process where ideas come together. I'm constantly switching between programming, arranging, writing and rewriting parts. These days it is all integrated into an ongoing recording process in the computer. Even the mixing is roughed in at this point, as the piece develops. The simultaneous job functions are somewhat of a departure from the analog days where there was a writing phase along with programming sounds on the synthesizers. But other than rough sketches on a 4-track recorder, there wasn't a whole lot more that could be done outside of the studio other than plan and note things like patch setups and the settings on the outboard equipment. Then, after all of the preparation, there was a distinct master recording phase onto multitrack tape, and then another period of time where recording was finished and locked, and mixing could begin. And the mastering for LP manufacturing.

Now many of these phases occur as part of one continuous process with the ability to revisit individual notes on any one part and make a quick change after the mix and mastering have been done on a first or second pass. I find that work sessions will last many hours with intense concentration, which is almost like going into some kind of zone. A lot gets done to move any production forward during that process. But sometimes I will hit an impasse where I can't decide which path to take, or I find that I'm unable to make some kind of decision about a musical part or a mix level or the sound of a patch. And I find it best to just leave it all for a while and stop working on it. Hearing it fresh an hour later, or a day or two later, usually makes the resolution of whatever the problem was become obvious. Often the right path is easy to get to, but if it won't resolve, then there is probably some kind of fundamental problem with the decisions that I've been making, which need to be revisited. At those points, the best thing to do is to go back a few or more steps in the process and try to re-imagine an alternate way to make the production evolve.

Computer Experiments, Vol. 1

Audion

What advice would you give to someone considering a career producing electronic music?

That is a difficult question because I’m not really sure that electronic music in the sense that I started working in even exists as a meaningful genre anymore. What is now called electronic music is more of a dance and beat genre using laptop software, dedicated devices and other tools, which evolved from the work done forty plus years ago. But what used to be electronic music, a composer and technologist's medium, was always a very small group of people and to some extent with limited opportunities.

My advice would be more universal to anyone considering working in the music business. Know your craft and be as good at it as you can be. Have high standards and specific artistic and business goals. And especially, learn the business side and have a good lawyer you can trust. The music business changes every week and if you don't understand how you are going to get paid for all of your hard creative work, then it's just a hobby.

Tony Levin Band, Seattle

Evolution is an inherent facet of modern music. What new developments are you aware of, with regards to the application of technology in electronic music production?

Of course there are always some new developments in the evolution of sound technology, but what I'm seeing now in many ways is the commercialization and affordability of many of the concepts that I was fortunate enough to experience in the mid 1970s and 80s at Bell Laboratories. The underlying technologies and concepts of digital sound and synthesis were being developed back then. But it was extraordinarily expensive and time consuming. What we're seeing now is the evolution of those ideas to become available at consumer prices and on standard computers, pads and phones. And that allows further evolution of the user interface and development of ways to use underlying audio technologies in creative new ways that are a part of the social evolution of digital music. That encompasses everything from how the music is created to the many ways that digital music is distributed.

The Jupiter Menace

My earliest memory of your music is from Carl Sagan’s Cosmos. I also have the soundtrack for The Jupiter Menace. What aspirations, or reservations, do you have regarding the continued use of your music in film and television?

Most of the last few decades when I have been out of the direct public eye has been spent working in broadcast media, TV, radio, advertising and special projects related to film and scoring. Being based on the east coast that tends to be a bit more anonymous than working on Hollywood projects. But I have almost no reservations about either licensing my existing work for these kinds of uses or accepting commissions to create new music in these same fields. I have probably written and recorded more commissioned work over the last 20 years than all of the earlier Synergy albums combined. As a purely economic matter for the working electronic musician as the established record industry continues to unravel, these alternative media provide a much-needed economic base to replace what the record companies once provided.

Tell us a little about any good electronic music you’ve heard recently.

I don't listen to music much, so I can't comment on anything new. After spending time in the studio, I find myself listening to news and talk radio in the car and watching TV in my downtime at home (or on the computer while travelling). I do keep some of Wendy Carlos' classic pieces and a lot of Beatles in my iTunes collection to remind me to keep my standards high. Those works, the earliest of which are nearly a half-century old, really defined production values, composition and in Wendy's case (as well as some later Beatles pieces on Abbey Road) the purest essence of Moog-based synthesis.

Tell us about your interest in photography.

That's been a hobby since I was very small. I've been documenting phases of my life, and where I've been, since I was in single digits. That's my historian side. There's also the visual artist side, which I also express through photography. Of course for the last 15 years or so I've given up most of my darkroom work and use digital cameras and photo software.

It was only natural that I'd have a hand in both photographing some of my album art and working closely with the art directors and photographers that they brought into the projects.

Reconstructed Artifacts

Semi-Conductor

Describe ‘Synergy’ in one sentence.

The sum is greater than the whole of the parts.

Where can we find you and your work?

It is all available on iTunes as well and a number of major online download sites. Physical CDs of some of the titles can be found on CD Baby (www.cdbaby.com). As of this writing there are some changes underway in the distribution of the rest of the Synergy titles on CD so the best thing to do is check the updated information on the Synergy website: www.synergy-emusic.com.

Interview with Scott Grimando

2011-09-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

Indigenous to planet Earth, Scott Grimando currently resides in the outer spiral arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. He hopes to relocate soon. In the meantime, he paints pretty pictures of zombies and fairies, takes nice photos and tries to write.

Tell us about your artwork.

It’s the most amazing, fantastical art in the known universe. Or so my mother tells me.

Why did you choose this type of creative work, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

I assume you mean Science Fiction and Fantasy art? I was raised on it. This kind of art speaks to me. It speaks of the promise of a better tomorrow and a magical past. I hope to touch people with my work - to get them to think and dream.

What’s your strongest memory of your childhood, and how has it helped to define your art?

My earliest memory is a recurring dream that I had when I was still in the crib. I could see into my parents room and they were being eaten by monsters that later took on their identity. At least I think that was a dream. I can’t see any relationship between that and my art. My goal as an artist was defined by an early Boris Vallejo calendar my father bought for me. It gave my overactive imagination a sense of direction. I wanted to be as good as Boris!

Are there any underlying themes or messages in your work?

Yes. Monsters ate my parents.

Tell us about your learning process, and particularly how your work evolved as a result of it.

I was raised by a commercial artist, so I always had the tools and encouragement. As a teenager, I studied under Harold Stevenson, one of the few students of Norman Rockwell. In my early twenties, computers entered the art scene and I applied my classical training to the new tools.

Of the artwork you’ve created, do you have any favourite? If so, why this particular work?

My favourite personal work is the fjords found on the coast of Norway on planet Earth… Now I’ve said too much.

How is creating science fiction and fantasy art different from creating other genres?

A Fantasy artist has to be able to create things that don’t exist and make them believable. The viewer must suspend disbelief when looking at fantasy art. That doesn’t work if the Dragon’s not convincing.

What do you find most rewarding in the creative process?

Creating. Bringing an idea to life. Seeing a person respond to my creation.

What do you find most challenging, and how do you overcome it?

Illustration as an occupation is the job of visual problem solving. You are given a set of criteria along with an outline or manuscript and you must come up with a visually compelling image that hopefully conveys a narrative in your own unique way. That’s the constant challenge and often rewarding aspect of the craft.

What have you done to promote and market your artwork, and what advice would you give to other artists?

Traditionally artists used expensive illustration directories and direct mail campaigns. The modern art department revolves around the computer and instant access to the Internet by art directors. A strong web presence is the best approach to promotion now. The web is not the only piece of the puzzle though. An artist must research and reach out to as many relevant art directors as possible. Direct mail is still a good way to keep your most recent work on an A.D.’s wall. However, once a contact has been made, keep them updated through non-harassing emails. Update your website regularly and get involved in as many promotional websites as possible.

What memorable responses have you had, regarding your work?

A fan once told me that my work had gotten her through cancer. That’s pretty cool. Other than that, I have at least one fan at each fairy show approach me with a whisper of, “Do You Believe?”

Evolution seems an inherent facet of fantasy art. What new developments are you aware of, with regards to the application of technology, in this genre?

Digital Art is just about the only kind of art being used in publishing today (excluding children’s books). A few painters still make an important impact on the industry, but they are finding it hard to deal with increasingly tight deadlines and editorial changes. More importantly, a photo-illustration style is what’s being sought by publishers and consumers. Here’s the interesting thing: I get hired because I have both sets of skills. I’m a classically trained painter with digital photography expertise. We’re still talking about fantasy art here. Things need to be convincingly made up. The last thing an art director wants to hear is that the “illustrator” can’t convey the message because they can’t photograph the subject.

What aspirations, or reservations, do you have with regards to your art being used in film and television?

I think a lot of illustrators want to get involved in concept development for TV and film. It seems so glamorous and prestigious. There are downsides but I still want to get deeper into the field. I did character development for video game companies and Hallmark Entertainment and I really enjoyed it. A concept art agent is currently looking for a project for me, so we’ll see how it pans out. No pun intended.

What do you do when you’re not being artistic?

I kayak, fish, hike, exercise, write, perform poetry and wrestle pandas.

Describe your art in one sentence.

What? How’s that?

Where can we find you and your art?

Hopefully you can find my cover work in bookstores. Assuming you can find a bookstore. My first art book from SQP publishers can be found on Amazon or any other online source. Look for, The Art of the Mythical Woman, Lucid Dreams. I think fantasy fans and art students will find it enlightening. The first half deals with components of an assignment and the second half deals with painting theory and the concepts behind my personal work.

Links:

www.grimstudios.com
www.theArtoftheMyth.com

Interview with Susan Bischoff

2011-09-13T04:14:00.000-07:00

Susan in her own words:

I’m just a girl who wants superhero romance! Is that so much to ask? Why must it always be a tragedy? Why does Angel walk away? Why does Spike—what did happen to Spike? Why did Wonder Woman go back home after the end of season 1 and WWII, then come back, work with Steve Trevor’s grandson, and still not hook up? Seriously! And let’s not even talk about Superman Returns, OK? Let’s. Just. Not.

Tell us about the ‘Talent Chronicles’.

The Talents are mostly teens that have been born with supernatural abilities. No one knows (yet) why this started happening, but as the kids started to exhibit powers and some of them got out of hand, people got scared. The government set up an agency to “deal with the issue,” and of course gave them too much power and free reign. So now, when the evil government agency finds out about these kids, they remove them from their families and put them in special research facilities where they can be studied and taught to control their abilities. Or turned into human killing machines for the government. Potato, potahto, right? Anyway, the kids naturally want to keep their abilities secret to avoid prison, so a lot of the Chronicles is about their attempts to do that.

Why are you writing this series, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

Right now I’m kind of into gas and groceries. These days, being able to afford those things feels like an achievement, right?

In a more writerly sense, there are a lot of reasons I wanted to write the series. I love superheroes, and I longed for more super-powered stories with an emphasis on romance—not to mention with some Happily Ever Afters. I wanted to try my hand at writing something with a lot of characters and threads, where people’s lives kept intersecting—like in a soap opera. The characters have these cool abilities, the kind that makes you think, ooh, I could totally use that. But for these guys, it brings them a lot of grief. And both the ability and keeping the secret go far in shaping each character. For some reason that really speaks to me.

Is there an underlying message in ‘Hush Money’?

I think there are, like, fifty underlying messages in Hush Money. And that’s part of the fun for me in reading what other people get out of it is that I can go: Yes! You totally got that!

If I had to pick out just one to mention, it would be this idea that what makes you a freak is the thing that makes you awesome. The series is YA and I think that’s something I’d like kids to understand. There’s so much pressure to fit into categories and to be like everyone else, or at least a subset of everyone else, and if you’ve got something about you that makes you stick out somehow, it can be really uncomfortable. But if you can take that thing, own it, make something out of it, be who you are, there’s freedom in that. And maybe more.

You have more than a passing interest in computer games. Has this influenced your writing, and if so, how?

Computer games are kind of a new obsession for me, but because I always like to make connections I am seeing lessons as far as the kind of video game stories that appeal to me. For those interested, I’ve talked about that on my blog in a post called Zelda, Dragon Age, and the Power ofChoice.

Of the characters you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular character?

It’s a lame answer, but I love all the characters. Every one of them contains some facet of my personality and my experience. I’ve spent a lot of time now writing as Joss and Dylan, so I’m very attached to them, but I have others who are dear to me I have yet to introduce.

How is writing superhero stories different from writing other genres?

At the end of the day, it’s probably not. We all have our rules. Sometimes I get jealous because I’ve restricted the superpowers in my world to things I can sort of wrap my brain around. So I don’t have some of the super-creative and how does that even happen?? Stuff like you’d see in X-Men. And I can’t just whip out some new kind of magic, magic object, or whatever to make a scene more interesting or get me out of a tight spot like writer friends in other genres. But they’re probably just making it look easy.

Why do you think romances, within the superhero genre, often end in tragedy?

One explanation, perhaps, is the serial nature of a lot of superhero fic. If you’ve got a guy wandering around battling evil issue after issue, it might be inconvenient for him to have a family in tow. I guess there’s probably some basic belief that the life—and “with great power comes great responsibility” to lead that life—is incompatible with a relationship.

There’s also something terribly romantic about that lonely hero thing. It’s just that in romance we like that to be the beginning of the story, not the end.

What do you find most rewarding in the writing process?

All the surprises. Like the things that just come out unexpectedly and totally work. Or going back and reading something I’ve written and having that feeling of, “Holy crap, I wrote that?”

What do you find most challenging, and how do you overcome it?

Getting out of my own way. Getting over myself and all my insecurities to just sit down and do the work. I’m still working on this one, but having a designated ass-kicker does help.

What have you done to promote and market your books, and what advice would you give to other authors?

Start here: Kindle Rank: Unknown to top 1K in 8 Weeks

And then keep clicking for the next post.

Who, do you imagine, would be your ideal reader?

I usually think of my readers as people like me. We spend a lot of time daydreaming to change the course of relationships in our favourite TV shows because things just didn’t end right. We don’t understand why “a slayer is always alone.” We were horrified by deadbeat dad Superman in Returns. Those of us who are my age probably watched Steve Trevor’s admiration for Wonder Woman and Diana’s obvious interest in him and desperately wanted to see that go somewhere, only to be disappointed. And then there was Batman and Catwoman…

What advice would you give to help others build the confidence required to write their first book?

Just write it for yourself. Because if you’re the only one who’s ever going to see it, it doesn’t so much matter what you do. Making it “perfect,” releasing it, finding readers… That’s all stuff that can come later. But you have to write it first.

Would you like to see your books adapted for the screen? If so, do you have any aspirations, or reservations, regarding this?

I would love to see a Talent Chronicles TV series. Not something that follows the books, but something based on the idea, maybe with a new set of characters. And of course I’d love Joss Whedon to show up for that.

What are you doing now?

I’ve just released the second novel in the series, Heroes ’Til Curfew, so I’m trying to get the word out about that. I’m deep in the planning phase for the third book, Heroes Under Siege. And, having decided to keep Talent Chronicles and independent endeavour, at least for now, I’m trying to come up with an idea for something new to share with my agent and New York.

Describe the ‘Talent Chronicles’ in one sentence.

If Buffy led the X-Men—it’s teen angst drama, action, and romance; kids with super powers trying to become the people they were meant to be—without getting caught.

Where can we find you and your books?

Hush Money, the first novel, is available in eBook and paperback pretty much everywhere you’d expect.

Impulse Control, is a short story available for free on Smashwords or as part of an eBook anthology called Kiss Me, Kill Me, where you can get it with the works of several other awesome authors for a great price and good cause.

Heroes ’Til Curfew, the second novel, is currently available in eBook at select retailers with a paperback in the works and coming in the next few weeks.

Visit my website for more information on any of these titles.

Links:

Interview with John Howe

2011-08-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

John Howe is a Canadian illustrator and concept artist, best known for his work based on J. R. R. Tolkien's worlds. Howe and noted Tolkien artist Alan Lee served as chief conceptual designers for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, John Howe also did the illustration for the "Lord of the Rings" board game and re-illustrated the maps of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion in 1996–2003.

His work is however not limited to this, and includes images of myths such as the Anglo Saxon legend of Beowulf. He also illustrated the board game Beowulf: The Legend. John Howe illustrated many other books, amongst which many belong to the fantasy genre. He also contributed to the film adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. In 2005, a limited edition of George R. R. Martin's novel, A Clash of Kings was released, complete with numerous illustrations by John Howe. He has also illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game.

For the upcoming The Hobbit films, former director Guillermo del Toro and current director Peter Jackson have been in consultation with John Howe and fellow conceptual artist Alan Lee to ensure continuity of design. John Howe is a member of the living history group, The Company of Saynt George.

Bridge of Kazad-dum

You are a world-famous illustrator and concept artist whose work I have long admired. For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with your work, tell us about your career and your artistic creations.

I’m afraid I’ll have to leave the introduction to you; I am not very good at writing about my own work. I am grateful, though, to have been able to pursue drawing and painting as a profession. I suppose the best part is being under the constant obligation to LOOK at things, since so much is needed to paint fantasy, from an acceptable layman’s knowledge of history, armour, architecture, and much, much more, to landscape and light and the human figure, not to mention all the astonishing creatures that inhabit fantasy. This means you are always attentive to atmosphere and detail.

Orthanc

I spend a lot of time visiting the cities in countries I go for convention or work, stopping at museums, visiting sites, getting up at all hours to catch sunrises, heading out in the rain to take photos. Insatiable curiosity is a desirable trait for an illustrator, it keeps you open to the world, rather than centring your technique on your own depictions, you can retain a certain vulnerability to circumstance, to the appreciation of everything around you. To have had that appreciation of things opened up for me is perhaps the thing for which I am most grateful.

Concerning my own work, it’s either done, therefore not really of much interest to me; or yet to be done, which, while I’m eagerly looking forward to it, cannot really say much about it. The best picture is always the next one.

Gandalf the Grey

What aspects of your childhood inspired your artistic creativity?

A certain freedom, I think, to pursue drawing. Also, a certain undeniable obsession with a few fantasy illustrators likely helped. This was, you’ll have to remember, back in the ‘70s, before a lot of fantasy art books came out, and you had to search through stacks of old paperbacks to find appealing book covers. The first art book I bought was a collection of works by Gustave Doré. I knew nothing at all about art history, not even about the 19^th century fin de siècle painters, who have since become my favourites.

Smaug the Golden

Tell us about your learning process, and particularly how your work evolved as a result of it.

I wasn’t able to follow many art classes in school, but finally did get into art class in the last year of high school, in the class of a lovely art teacher with whom I am still in touch. After that, I went on to art school in France. This said, although it’s a little trite, you never stop learning. It’s a process that demands a good deal of attentiveness, though, always keeping both eyes open, recalling visual relationships, establishing a little order in what you see, since a person’s wanderings, whether in situ or in books, cannot always be chronological or by category – so, when you stumble on a little church on a street corner in some small medieval town, you are much better prepared to remember (and profit from) what you see if you have some basic notion of architectural period and style. Fantasy is not a departure from history, but a refining and an enhancement of it. The only way to make fantasy real is to make it as solid as reality, but simply other or extra-worldly.

Lancelot

Lancelot

What do you find most rewarding in the creative process, and how do you overcome that which you find challenging?

I’d be tempted to say that the challenges are the most rewarding aspect. It would be a shame to fall into a certain routine. That’s why I enjoy illustration work; every picture on a theme is first and foremost an introduction to the vision of another, whether it’s the anonymous author of some ancient saga like Gilgamesh or Beowulf, or a modern fantasy writer. They open up a window on a world, and then stand to one side to let you try and capture the view. Remaining attentive to the text is like having them at your elbow, prompting, providing details you might have missed, enriching the experience. The process is what it all reminds you of, those things that you’ve picked up over the years, and which come into play with what you’re being shown. The result is a blending, interweaving, extrapolating and emulating of the two, a pictorial narrative where the story is either implicit or explicit, but underpins the image itself. I also very much enjoy the interweaving of narrative with the inner logic of an image in the graphic sense. These two can be complimentary or opposed, intertwined or independent of each other.

Mythago Wood

What advice would you give to anyone considering a career in art?

Go to school! Even just for a short time, to give yourself time to get a little experience and maturity before trying to make it in the professional world. Judging one’s own work is near impossible at the best of times, and it can be quite hard to step out of the world where you’ve grown up as the clever child who can draw and into a world where it’s your bread and butter (for better or worse).

Winter of the Raven

Tell us about your experience as a chief conceptual designer for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

It was very challenging, and enormous fun. I don’t think anyone realized at the beginning how huge it was going to grow. We created thousands of pieces of artwork to help Peter capture the vision he had of Middle-Earth.

Evolution is an inherent facet of contemporary art. What new developments are you aware of, with regards to the application of technology, in art?

"When an idea seems to revolutionize the world, it is really you that is changing. "-- Edward Robert Hughes (1851-1914)

Rainstorm

Tell us a little about any good art you’ve seen recently.

I’m far more interested in sculpture and metalworking than painting; I’ve recently seen some wonderful work by a number of artists.

What other interests do you have?

Many, though they are mostly related to history, architecture and art. I do enjoy blacksmithing, although my skills are minimal. I’m also involved in a re-enactment group, which is enormous fun, though I’ve not been to many events recently. I have done a little archery and fencing, but all on a strictly amateur level. Otherwise, I very much enjoy making things and often retreat to my little workshop and poke about amongst bits of wood, plaster and metal.

Perilous Wood

What are you doing now?

Back in the movie business for a brief stint! Looking forward to getting back to publishing, though I am working on texts as best I can, it’s not possible to draw and paint right now.

You can find out more about John Howe at his Official Website.

Listen to the artist, in his own words, in the Forging Dragons - Trailer.

Interview with Dawid Michalczyk

2011-08-28T04:21:00.000-07:00

Dawid Michalczyk was born in Poland in the early 1970s and has been working as an artist since 1996. He mainly works in the computer games industry but also does illustration for book and CD covers. The popular PC games he worked on include "The Longest Journey" (Funcom), "Unreal 2" (Legend Entertainment) and "Dungeons & Dragons Online: StormReach" (Turbine Entertainment). Lately, he has also been involved in casual online games, like the world's most played online pool game "Quick Fire Pool" (Miniclip). He now lives in Denmark creating freelance and personal artwork.

What aspects of your childhood inspired your artistic creativity?

My dad was an artist and art collector, so I grew up surrounded by paintings and antiques. We had a large library and a lot of books about art and architecture. Back then, I was not interested in art at all, it was just part of my life. Nevertheless, I always liked looking at pictures, whether drawings, paintings or photographs. I used to go through encyclopaedias just to look at the pictures, hardly ever reading anything.

You have lived and worked in several countries, including Norway, USA and Denmark. What have you gained from various cultural experiences, and attitudes to work and art?

Living and working in different countries broadens the perspective on life - perhaps too much. It is both interesting and very educational to experience different cultures because it is so revealing about human nature, and challenges your own beliefs. Overall I have gained many insights about the various aspects of the cultures I lived in. There are good and bad things about every country, and in the end a lot of the likes/dislikes are based on personal preference. As far as attitudes toward work and art, it seems that talented or successful individuals are rewarded and treated much better in the USA. Americans are also much more work oriented. They work more; and they seem more attached to, and responsible for, their work.

Tell us about your learning process, and particularly how your work evolved as a result of it.

I'm self-taught and I primarily learn through studying other artists’ work. I say studying, but in reality it's a very enjoyable process. I just sit and look at the pictures in a book or computer screen. My artwork has changed somewhat over the years. In the past, I often did images that had a lot of detail in them. I'm not all that interested in detail anymore; I like simpler images now. Simpler images are easier to process visually and often don't require as much creative energy to produce; yet they can be just as effective or more so. I also noticed that I tend to use a more colourful palette now, I'm not sure exactly why. I think the changes in my work are the result of me changing as I go through life. The accumulated experiences, increased awareness and understanding of the environment, influence my creative output.

What attracted you to the world of computer games?

During the late 1980s and early 1990s I played a lot of computer games - especially on Commodore 64 and Amiga 500. I was fascinated by the pretty graphics of Amiga 500 and collected a lot of games and demos. So it was mainly the wonderful visuals, music and good game play that got me interested in computer games. Later when I started working in the computer games industry it felt quite natural to be part of it. In fact, I don't think I would be doing what I do today if it wasn't for all those Amiga games and demos.

Is there an underlying theme or message in your work?

Sometimes there is a message in some of my artwork. For example, in "Endless opposites" I illustrate the perplexity of duality - that there is always a choice to be made. Every choice made is a step in one of two directions; and every step taken leads to a new choice to be made.

Of the artwork you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular work?

I don't have one favourite piece, but there are many, which I like better than most. One surreal piece that I particularly like is "Edge of perception". The composition, colours, and metaphysical content works really well together. The blue sky, which gradually transitions into green and then meets the horizon as a bright red fog on the right and a soft white transition on the left. And then there is the abstract structure in front of a standing man looking ahead at the uncharted frontier. The closer one gets to the edge of perception, the more abstract and incomprehensible the unknown becomes. Eventually, a new structure of beliefs emerges which may lead to a new understanding of a particular aspect of reality.

Evolution is an inherent facet of contemporary art. What new developments are you aware of, with regards to the application of technology, in illustration?

In general, computer technology makes many things much easier to do. Especially what traditionally used to be hard or time consuming is now relatively easy and quick to do. Because of that much of the focus shifts to areas that digital technology offers greater control over, like finer colour ranges, better composition, more realistic and precise rendering, increased image complexity, etc. The availability of art assets like libraries of high quality 3D models and photographs transforms the whole process of picture making. Now, instead of doing everything yourself, you can simply use pre-fabricated 3D models, textures, photographs, etc and create a picture out of that.

For artists and illustrators the wonders of digital technology is a mixed bag. Personally, I don't like when too much stuff is being done for me. I like to paint my own textures, do the concept design, the 3D modelling or traditionally paint a 2D illustration digitally. That way I get satisfaction from my work and a sense of accomplishment. So in the end, it's a matter of personal preference how much technology one is willing to incorporate in the picture making process. Digital art is not any better or worse than traditional art; it is merely a product of the technological progression.

What do you find most rewarding in the creative process, and how do you overcome that which you find challenging?

Doing the remaining 20-30% of an image is the most rewarding for me because the image just keeps getting better. I overcome the challenging aspects through learning, experimenting, and practice. Studying other artists work is essential.

What have you done to promote and market your artwork?

My website under my own domain is central to my online marketing efforts. In the past, I did quite a bit work to improve my search engine rankings, but found it too time consuming. I have accounts on many popular social networking sites like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and others. I try to post my new artwork there on a regular basis. Overall, however, the return of investment has been low. Regular updates through my RSS feed and newsletter seems to work better. There is so much competition out there and, now with the recession, getting sales is much tougher.

What advice would you give to anyone considering a career in art?

Follow your passion and take care of your health. Good health is the most important thing in life - it allows you to do the things you want. Without it you are more limited. Educate yourself about healthy diet, do regular exercise, minimize stress, and cut out the unnecessary stuff. In the beginning, it's probably best to work at a studio with other artists, to learn not only the craft but also the business side of things. Working as a self-employed artist is not for everybody. The main disadvantage here is unstable income, and having to do everything yourself (promotion, selling, website, etc). The main advantages are more freedom to structure your daily life, do the type of work you really enjoy, no commuting, no office politics, bureaucracy, etc.

What aspirations, or reservations, do you have regarding your art being used in film and television?

As long as I get paid and credited I'm all for it.

Describe your art in one sentence.

Colourful, thought provoking, original and memorable.

What other interests do you have?

Health and nutrition is my primary interest - especially healthy diets and supplements. I have been experimenting with different diets for many years and keep journals about my observations. Another subject that interests me is anthropology. I find human behaviour and value systems across very different cultures particularly interesting. Lately, I've become interested in urban and wilderness survival in case the whole system, or parts of it, collapses.

Where can we find you and your art?

On my website at http://www.art.eonworks.com

Interview with Chris Moore

2011-08-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

Chris Moore is a British illustrator, noted for the classic science fiction book covers he has created for many of the world's most famous science fiction authors, including Philip K Dick and Alfred Bester. Born in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, Chris was educated at Mexborough Grammar School, after which he attended Doncaster Art School. Thereafter, he enrolled on a Graphic Design course at Maidstone College of Art, and was subsequently accepted by the Royal College of Art to study illustration.

His professional career began in the early 70s, working on book, magazine and record covers. The mid 70s marked the start of his long association with the science fiction genre. But it wasn’t an exclusive association. As well as work on titles by Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, Frederick Pohl, Anne McCaffrey, Clifford D Simak, Kurt Vonnegut, J G Ballard, Arthur C Clarke, Philip K Dick, and Samuel R Delaney, Moore was also the Artist of Choice for more mainstream writers like Arthur Hailey, Frederick Forsyth, Jackie Collins, Claire Francis, Stephen Leather, Leon Uris, Wilbur Smith, Craig Thomas, and Colin Forbes. Chris has also provided art for directors such as Stanley Kubrick and George Lucas, producing the very popular wallpaper design for The Empire Strikes Back. He was commissioned by the Isle of Man Postal Service to incorporate his cover for Arthur C Clarke’s 2001 into a special First Day Cover, an example of which was signed in orbit by the crew of NASA's space shuttle.

Despite a wide range of achievements, Moore has never sought to promote himself. Aside from a readers’ award for Best Cover Art from Asimov’s Magazine, his only public acknowledgement, to date, has come in the form of a Pink Pig Award in 1982, given by women in publishing for ‘Higher Tech’ a painting of a sensuous female robot! Chris says, "All I’ve ever wanted over the years has been to gain the respect of my peers. They know what it takes to survive in this business. I’d like to think that I’ve not only gained their respect, but also their friendship."

The Stars My Destination

Why did you choose to produce science fiction art, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

I had a vague interest in SF as a child, being brought up in the 50's and 60's with some of the films and comics around at the time - Superman, Batman etc. and the development of space travel with the Apollo programme. They landed on the moon when I was still at college.

In or around 1972, as part of a small design group, I met and started to work with Peter Bennett who was art director at Magnum paperbacks doing mainstream titles. He decided to try me out on a couple of PK Dick covers and an Alfred Bester. They were pretty crummy, but he persisted and gradually they got better with the Clifford D Simak's etc. I guess I was at that time full of optimism about the future and wanted to portray my vision of what the future could mean.

Download Blues

Is there an underlying theme or message in your work?

Not really, the object of the exercise has always been to sell books because that is my job, and as a side issue to indulge myself in my visions of the future. Largely, art directors and the book buying public at that time were content to see something on the cover that looked like SF, not necessarily relevant to the actual story and we were sometimes producing the images so quickly that there wasn't time to read the manuscript, sometimes I had up to 20 jobs on at any one time.

Prior to 1974, you had not produced any artwork related to science fiction. When you did move to the genre, did this delay prove helpful, and if so, how?

I have developed a technique of producing fairly realistic images, thanks to the use of my airbrush (a Conopois - no longer manufactured). I was able to apply that to pretty much any subject that I was given. SF was around 30% of the work I did at that time and, thanks mainly to Pete Bennett, I was able to channel it in the direction of SF. So I guess it was helpful. When I was at The Royal College of Art studying illustration, I was loosely in the employ of the graphic design department doing finished pieces of illustration to be used in the degree shows of some of the graphics students in my year. It was a good grounding for working at a fast pace in the actual real world.

I, Robot

Of the artwork you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular work?

I quite like some of the PK Dick covers I have done, but generally I like very few of them a lot. You do a picture and then move on to the next job. The test of an image for me, is how long these things are around; there are some things that I did in the late 70's that are still being used and they still seem fresh. I once said to my mother that the process of creating these images was more of a journey of discovery than creation and that you had almost 'found' the image, like it was a combination of some text you'd been given and a series of happy accidents that you had gone through to arrive at this window on the future. Bit strange really.

How is creating science fiction or fantasy art different from creating other genres?

It is different in that you can be self-indulgent and express yourself to a certain extent, but you still have to do something that's right for the cover just as you had to for other commissions.

Sandworms Of Dune

What do you find most rewarding in the creative process?

Certainly not the money; I still get a buzz from people's reaction to something when they look at a painting and say, "How the hell did you do that?" This happens a lot less now, because everyone is exposed to the polish of digital imagery so they aren't impressed any more by the workmanship, which is a bit sad really. It's one of the side effects of computerisation, that and the flexibility that the art director now expects from the service you provide. I still like to get it right and it's nice to go onto the Amazon website and see all your covers displayed.

What do you find most challenging in the creative process, and how did you overcome it?

You start with a pencil and a piece of paper and design the cover as a thumbnail sketch. Then work this up to the final image with whatever medium that you decide to use. 3D is more flexible, and it's easier to change things with this medium. Art directors are used to this flexibility now. I still produce a drawing on paper to work out my design so an ability to draw is pretty essential. It's a shame art schools don't cater for this very much now, preferring to concentrate on mastering digital software technology, drawing boards have almost disappeared.

The Exiles Trilogy

Have you opened your gallery in East Lancashire? Tell us about what we should expect to find on display there.

I will be opening it in October, when my kids have gone back to school and university, so I can give it more attention. The kind of work will be a mixture of SF, techno, and local landscapes with some acrylics, (mostly realistic) some oil paintings and watercolours, a mixture of original and giclée prints, framed and unframed, hopefully something for everyone. A lot of my originals head off to America but I still have quite a few in my personal collection.

Evolution is an inherent facet of science fiction art. What new developments are you aware of, with regards to the application of technology, in this genre

There are so many tools at one's elbow nowadays that anything is possible and there are a lot of new up and coming and established artists working in the digital idiom. I have dabbled, but I can't hope to compete with guys who have been brought up using computers all their working lives. I admit to being a struggling Luddite, surviving more by luck than judgement in today's technology-driven market. Sometimes I think I should go back to college!

War Of The Worlds

Tell us about your work for Stanley Kubrick and George Lucas. What aspirations, or reservations, do you have regarding your art being applied to film or television?

I didn't do very much for Stanley Kubrick, the film was 'AI', which was shelved very soon after I got involved. Steven Spielberg subsequently took it up, with Chris Baker as concept artist, and he did a great job. I did some poster work for a re-release of THX 1138 and a wallpaper design for ICI for 'The Empire Strikes Back', which sold out of sight! Regarding working in film and TV, well, I've skirted around it a little but the truth is I've been pretty busy bashing out book covers so I'm not sure if I would be able to function in that medium. I was asked a couple of years ago by my chum Fred Gambino if I'd like to go with him to Vancouver to work on a film as concept and production artist but they chose John Harris instead, which was a good choice for them; but I don't think that John found it very rewarding from what I hear.

What advice would you give to artists considering a career in art?

My advice would be to spend your time at art school doing lots of drawing. Learn about anatomy of people and animals, study other people’s work in detail, read about how they work, look at how your work may well be used, as well as keeping up with all the new developments in computer software. Most people are now employed in the games industry, as well as special effects in film and TV; so really, you need to decide what speciality you want to go for fairly early on because there's a lot to learn. But drawing will be something that you can always fall back on, and will generally sort the men from the boys. Check out Ridley Scott's sketches for 'Blade Runner' as well as Syd Mead’s...'nuff said!

Tell us a little about any good science fiction or fantasy art you’ve seen recently.

I haven't seen much really, other than in the film genre, which is amazing. My favourites are guys like Jim Burns, Fred Gambino, Les Edwards and John Harris in the UK, and Donato Giancola, Jon Foster, Phil Hale, Mike Whelan, Stephan Martiniere, Steve Hickman etc. in America; but really, there are so many talented people out there that the mind boggles.

What are you doing now?

Still doing SF covers, everything else has been replaced by photos and Photoshop, with some 3D thrown in. I guess I'm now branching out to do other types of work, landscapes and private commissions. I'm still quite busy really.

Describe your art in one sentence.

Functional. I'm still a jobbing illustrator, working from one job to the next with a bit of time now to do things of a more personal nature.

Where can we find you and your art?

I live in Rural Lancashire in a barn conversion, with my wife, Katie, 2 children and 2 dogs. My art can be found in my gallery, and gracing the covers of the Orion SF Masterworks series, the latest David Weber covers, and Hannu Rajaniemi covers. My website is: http://www.chrismooreillustration.co.uk/

Interview with Gary Tonge

2011-08-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

Gary Tonge is a Conceptual Art Director and Visionary Artist who lives in Warwickshire England. He currently works for Codemasters in the UK and has worked for many other publishers, development companies, and magazines in his 23 years as a professional artist.

You are an award-winning painter and conceptual artist, known internationally for your science fiction and fantasy art. For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with your work, tell us about your career and the work you create.

Ok then. I started out as a computer graphic artist in 1987 (I had just turned 17 at the time) working on games and over the years I progressed from the little single colour graphics of the old 8-bit machines through the enormous technological advances of computers and the software written for them. I have worked in high-end 3D modelling, rendering, and animation in my time, and also on many platforms. About 1999 – in between projects – I thought I would spend some time doodling in Photoshop, just for fun. I ended up painting a number of space and sci-fi landscape pieces and, with the advent of the Internet sweeping the world, decided it might be nice to put the pieces online. My website was set up as a gallery for my personal art but I have added some sections over the years to show some of my art I create in my day job as a conceptual Art Director and Illustrator. I am at my most happy these days painting conceptual art and my Vision Afar works when I have the time.

Race

Why did you choose to produce conceptual art, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

I think I have ended up working conceptually because the time it takes to produce state-of-the-art 3D work these days is just so long. I prefer the faster and more dynamic way of visualising “what could be” illustration-ally. I always try and find new and unique ways of portraying ideas, which tends to be invaluable to the art teams I work with in my day job and interesting to anybody who comes across my work online.

Is there an underlying theme or message in your work?

My personal art is my attempt to express that there is much more to life and the universe than many of us might think- that there is a greater reality out there, in the infinity of space and beyond our current understanding. I guess I like to try and get people to “think bigger” with my art.

Geo

Straight out of school, you started work at a computer games company called Elite Systems. How did this help the quality of your work, and what impact did it have on your choice of career?

Hmmm… Good question. I think working professionally in the games industry certainly made me have to work hard at my skill set – and I learned a great deal from being around the other creative people who worked there. And I still do from everybody I work with. I cannot imagine my life without art in it anymore and trying to look back at those formative years I do remember I truly wanted to be an artist!

Outer Rim

Of the artwork you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular work?

I really like the works I have created based on The Urantia Book and I really want to have the time to create as many more of these as I can. I also quite like “Nimbus” still (it is odd in general for me to like my art once I finish it – I tend to be bored of it quickly after it is finished!)

Master Universe Map

How is creating science fiction or fantasy art different from creating other genres?

Well, working on my personal art is a more emancipating experience for me as I am literally working on something I have seen in my imagination and trying to bring it to life. Working with real or near-real art means I have to take into account a little more of a cohesive goal for the finished piece – rather than the more emotive end result in my personal art.

What do you find most rewarding in the creative process?

I just love creating to be honest. I love being part of a creative mechanism when working with a team of artists or designers and I also love expressing my own artistic ideas too.

What do you find most challenging in the creative process, and how did you overcome it?

When I first started out as an artist I used to become very nervous about people seeing anything I was working on before I felt I had nearly completed it. But, as I have grown, I have overcome this fear and now I am happy to literally doodle in front of other people while discussing the ideas we are trying to bring to life.

Tell us about ‘Bold Visions: The Digital Painting Bible’ and what inspired it.

A number of years ago, I had been asked to do some writing for a couple of art publications as a featured artist or an expert in a specific field of art. I was contacted by F&W / David and Charles Publishing after they had read some of my articles and they wanted me to create an entire book about how I create my art. I spent some time with my publishing editor, Freya Dangerfield and designers working up some ideas on what I could write about. The aim of the book was to give some instructional ideas to new, aspiring and adept artists while also showing off some of my work in the process. It came out quite well, I think.

Evolution is an inherent facet of science fiction art. What new developments are you aware of, with regards to the application of technology, in this genre?

Wow... That is a deep question. But one thing I have noticed recently is the architectural flamboyance on this planet has come on leaps and bounds in the last 15 years or so. There are buildings being erected and already built that challenge my own structures I have created previously in my art. Now that is an impressive leap in development!

Dungeon Down

You have produced work for the biggest names in computer gaming. What aspirations, or reservations, do you have regarding your art being applied to film or television?

I would like to work on some feature films in the future, but I think the right project needs to come along. I am willing to work on those sorts of projects and I have a great deal of interest in seeing what film and TV art is up to.

What advice would you give to artists considering a career in art?

If you really feel inspired to be creative as a profession, I can say that it is a very rewarding and invigorating experience. It can be challenging and stressful at times also, but to be honest these things only make the payoff for great art even bigger.

Tell us a little about any good science fiction or fantasy art you’ve seen recently.

I see amazing art everyday, to be honest. Whenever I have a little spare time or want some inspiration I will check in on some online galleries to see if there are any new and interesting images. I love seeing other people’s artistic efforts.

The Sky Opens

What are you doing now?

At work, I cannot say as it is a secret – but it is great. At home, I have just finished my second book – due out at the end of the year. Which, at the moment, looks like it is going to be called 'Digital Painting Tricks & Techniques'.

Describe your art in one sentence.

Visionary (hopefully!) – wait that is two words...

Where can we find you and your art?

All over the Internet, to be honest; but mostly my art can be found at:

www.visionafar.com

Interview with Kevin J. Anderson

2011-08-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

Kevin J. Anderson goes to work every day in several different universes, from his own Seven Suns or Terra Incognita universes, to Dune, or Star Wars. He is a #1 international bestselling author of more than 100 novels, 48 of which have appeared on national or international bestseller lists; he has over 20 million books in print in 30 languages. He has won or been nominated for the Nebula Award, Bram Stoker Award, the SFX Reader's Choice Award, and New York Times Notable Book.

Anderson has co-authored 11 books in the Dune saga with Brian Herbert. Anderson's popular epic SF series, The Saga of Seven Suns, is his most ambitious work, and he is currently at work on a sweeping fantasy trilogy, Terra Incognita, about sailing ships, sea monsters, and the crusades. As an innovative companion project to Terra Incognita, Anderson co-wrote and produced the lyrics for two ambitious rock CDs based on the novels, with his frequent co-author, Rebecca Moesta, with whom he has been married for 20 years.

His novel Enemies & Allies chronicles the first meeting of Batman and Superman in the 1950s; Anderson also wrote The Last Days of Krypton. He has written numerous Star Wars projects, including the Jedi Academy trilogy, the Young Jedi Knights series (with Moesta), and Tales of the Jedi comics from Dark Horse. Fans might also know him from his X-Files novels or Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son. Anderson is also a publisher at wordfirepress.com, teaches writing seminars, climbs mountains, and he cooks, too.

When did you first read The War of the Worlds, and what effect did it have on you?

I was only 5 years old when I saw the George Pal movie, and it blew me away. I didn’t sleep at all that night - I was so obsessively fascinated about the heat ray, the ruined cities, the feeling of hopelessness; and then that crawling 3-fingered hand covered with leprous splotches, dying because of our germs. Amazing!

So, when I was 9 years old, I read the H. G. Wells novel, the second adult novel I ever read (the first was The Time Machine). I’ve since read a great many of Wells’s novels, read biographies, and even wrote a novel with H. G. Wells as a main character (The Martian War). Yeah, it had a pretty big effect.

Since 1993, 48 of your novels have been on bestseller lists; and you have over 23 million books in print worldwide. What would you say is the key to your phenomenal success?

I write a lot, I read a lot, and I’m a die-hard fan at heart. I’m fortunate that I happen to have broad, commercial tastes so that what I like to read, and write, also matches what a lot of other fans like to read. I work very hard, have numerous projects in the works at once, and I never stop thinking about my characters and stories.

In the world of publishing, there seems to be ongoing tension between independents and the established, traditional publishers. Many of your titles are available in eBook form at wordfirepress.com. What advice, or encouragement, can you give to independent authors and publishers?

I work in both worlds, and intend to keep doing so (as long as the big traditional publishers will have me); I think they serve two different purposes. At wordfirepress.com, we’ve put up a great many of my hard-to-find backlist books, dozens of my novels and short stories that have been out of print, but are no longer economically viable for a major publisher to reprint and distribute. Nevertheless, I want them available for all of the fans. I can post something there, maybe a side story, a novella, a different type of writing, that wouldn’t fit with my big publishers. On the other hand, I don’t think ambitious new writers should just dive into self-publishing without going through the hard work of competing against other aspiring authors, rising to the top of the heap, getting revision requests, detailed editing, major distribution. It’s not supposed to be easy - it’s like making a major-league baseball team. I think too many new authors turn too quickly to self-publishing because they see it as a quick and easy way to get published. Work hard and earn your chops.

Tell us about The Saga of Seven Suns. Why did you write this series, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

The Saga of Seven Suns is my love-letter to the genre of science fiction, a big epic that I spent about eight years writing (and now I’m just about to start a new trilogy set in the same universe, twenty years after The Ashes Of Worlds). It has a huge cast of characters, hundreds of planets, a war among races on a galactic scale (not to mention alien races, monsters, space battles, ancient abandoned cities, killer robots, exploding planets and stars). What more could you want? I plotted the epic from start to finish, all seven volumes, and delivered the volumes on time, every single year. It’s really a huge scope, and I loved living there. I think it shows the scale of what science fiction can be.

You have studied physics, and you have worked at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for twelve years. Did your lifelong interest in science fiction inspire your study of science, and how has it influenced your writing?

I grew up watching and reading SF, so by the time I got to high school, I was also reading Astronomy Magazine, had my own telescope, and was interested in the science behind the science fiction. I needed to know about quasars, black holes, supernovas, etc. before I could write them. The more I learned about how the real universe worked, the more story ideas came to me (some of the ideas didn’t work, because the science precluded it, but that’s OK). Working for so many years, at a very large government research lab, allowed me to see how real scientists work and interact (believe me, it’s not the way you see it in the movies).

What do you find most rewarding in the writing process?

I love building the stories, painting the worlds, and constructing the plotlines like an intricate puzzle. Also, while I’m writing, I use a digital recorder and go out for hours on the forest or mountain trails here in Colorado. I get to go hiking and do writing at the same time - the best of both worlds.

What do you find most challenging, and how do you overcome it?

I work on a lot of different projects at once, and balancing the priorities is often challenging. A lot of people and deadlines are all pulling at my time, so the only solution is to do it all.

What advice would you give to other authors regarding marketing and promoting their books?

Writing a brilliant book doesn’t do any good if nobody knows about it and nobody reads it. You have to get out and talk about your book, meet people, write blogs, go on Facebook or Twitter - but don’t just be a monotonous “buy my book!” commercial; be interesting, and then readers will think your book is interesting.

Tell us about your Guinness World Record for "Largest Single Author Signing".

Hours and hours and hours - thousands of books signed, two bands playing, an entire street in Hollywood blocked off, free banana splits. I would run a pen into the ground and then toss it out to the audience like a rock drummer tossing a drumstick. I set the Guinness Record - I’m pretty sure someone has broken it since, but I’ve got the nice certificate on my wall.

You have collaborated with other authors including Brian Herbert, Dean Koontz, Doug Beason and your wife, Rebecca Moesta. Tell us about your writing process when collaborating.

I love to brainstorm with other writers; Brian and I meet together and spend a few days just hashing out a new Dune or Hellhole novel; we write up the outline together, break down the chapters, and then we hash out who is going to write what chapters. Then we write the draft chapters, each edit them, and then combine them for more start-to-finish editing. Brian and I have each written our chapters in Hellhole Awakening, and now I’m working through the first edit. When I’m done, I’ll send it to Brian, and he’ll do the same. It goes back and forth until it’s done.

Your deal with Bantam Books was the largest single science fiction contract in publishing history. Tell us about your Dune novels and the major new film currently in development by Paramount.

Dune has always been my favorite SF novel ever, so I am very pleased to be working with Frank Herbert’s son Brian on the new novels. We’ve now been working on big books together for twelve years. When we sold our first three Dune books: House Atreides, House Harkonnen, and House Corrino, that contract was the largest single SF contract in publishing history, and those books outsold Bantam’s projections by three times, according to our editor. Because Dune is such an incredible classic, there has always been Hollywood interest in remaking the original film and possibly some of the other novels, but right now there’s nothing in production. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.

What aspirations, or reservations, do you have regarding the screen adaptation of your original books?

I would love to see film adaptations of some of my books, because it exposes a much larger audience to my work. Films are a different art form to books. I’d like to take a crack at doing a screenplay adaptation, but I’m primarily a novelist. Of course, we’ve all seen crappy adaptations of great novels more often than great adaptations, but even films like The Postman and Starship Troopers sold many hundreds of thousands of copies of the original novels. I see it as a good thing, regardless.

Tell us a little about a good science fiction or fantasy book you’ve read recently.

I am halfway through reading Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb and really enjoying it. I always like Robin Hobb’s work and I’m glad to revisit her universe. Next up is The Temporal Void by Peter F. Hamilton, one of my favorite big SF writers.

What new developments, in the world of science fact, excite you?

Good news, bad news: I was saddened to see the landing of the last space shuttle flight, the end of our shuttle program. Imagine a science fiction writer in the 1960s who wrote a future history novel about a space program that put a man on the Moon several times, then stopped due to lack of interest, then created a space shuttle program that went on for years of incredible breakthroughs, and then stopped without any successor program ready… That author would have been a laughing stock! But I was also glad to see the new launch of the Juno probe to Jupiter, even though it’ll take five years to get there, I can’t wait to see the pics.

Mt Guyot - 13,370 feet

Tell us about your interest in mountain climbing.

I love being on the summit, meeting the challenge of scaling a slope, working my way along the rocks, usually alone, often racing gathering thunderstorms. I have checklists of peaks and knock off as many as I can every summer.

Links:

eBooks

Official Site

Seminars

Dune

Interview with Phatpuppy (Claudia Bartoli-McKinney)

2011-08-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

Claudia Bartoli-McKinney, known as Phatpuppy, is a mom to four children and a digital artist by night - specializing in book covers for best selling authors including, Amanda Hocking, JL Bryan, Courtney Milan, and others. Her clients include: Random House Books, Flux Publishing and Monalis360 Entertainment, to name a few.

Tell us about your artwork.

I discovered it rather later in years at the age of around 41. For me, my art is like keeping a journal - each art piece represents a time in my life, whether good or bad; and it's clearly reflected, for me anyways, in my work.

B-L-U-E

What led you to become an artist?

After the birth of my 4th child at 37, even though busy with being a wife and mom, I wanted to do something to fulfil something inside of me personally; and I literally fell into it, when having to help my daughter with something on one of her photographs used for her singing career.

How do you define your art, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

I am a mixed media artist; and I hope to just continue what I'm doing - hopefully it's uplifting to people.

What’s your strongest memory of your childhood, and how has it helped you develop as an artist?

My strongest memory is always, probably, of one of my heroes - my grandfather who raised me like a daughter. His love and sacrifice envelops me to this very day.

My Bestest Friend

Is there an underlying theme or message in your work?

Always hope. I have very strong faith, and even though I may at times do darker images, I always try to put the element of light to leave a glimmer of hope. For me, especially in today's times, this is sorely lacking. I find that so many young people seem to gravitate towards the dark, seemingly gloomy and hopeless images. Although they may be emotional pieces I see out there - they still lack hope.

How is creating fantasy art different from creating other genres?

Fantasy art is just another type; and I usually, with the help of Danny Elfman’s music, can get transported there mentally rather easily. It's different for me, in that it's colder - not necessarily what I prefer to do, but often what authors want when commissioning me for covers. Yet, I still LOVE making them.

Sumptuous

What do you find most rewarding in the creative process?

A happy client rewards me the most - someone who flips over the moon for their pic. That always makes me so happy.

Geisha Walk

What do you find most challenging, and how do you overcome it?

Most challenging is how to introduce new styles of art to my watcher base. People have a harder time accepting a new style if they really like you for one type. But to be honest, the dark gothic stuff is wildly popular, but also, in my opinion, totally overdone.

Blind to Beauty

Of the images you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular work?

My favourite, and I do have a few, is "Blind to Beauty", because it represents a time in my life when I did feel hopeless, and the miracle that came from it. To sum it up, I had been suddenly struck blind, told I would not live by doctors, scheduled for a surgery to try to abate the progress of the disease, and less than 8 hours before surgery, had a bona fide miracle. That's the condensed version.

What have you done to promote and market your artwork, and what advice would you give to other artists?

The Escape

I have never promoted or marketed ever; other than art sites where my work appears.

What memorable responses have you had, regarding your work?

Just happy customers referring me; and that's the best of all.

Evolution seems an inherent facet of digital art. What new developments are you aware of, with regards to the application of technology in this genre?

I stay fairly up to date - but don't go too crazy. I have a mind-blowing computer with 16 gigs of Ram and a monitor that is 22 inches that I actually paint directly on - so my monitor is my canvas. I have an electric desk that goes up and down, so I sit or stand while working.

What aspirations, or reservations, do you have with regards to your art being used in film and television?

I have been blessed in that I do work in film now, doing storyboarding for films in production. I love the creative process. My daughter is now in film and television makeup so it's fun to work with her on projects.

What do you do when you’re not being artistic?

I have fun with my children - a LOT of fun!

Here I am Lord

Describe your art in one sentence.

A Light in the Dark.

Where can we find you and your art?

On my Personal Page or on Facebook.

Interview with Linda Nagata

2011-08-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

Linda Nagata grew up in a rented beach house on the north shore of Oahu. She graduated from the University of Hawaii with a degree in zoology and worked for a time at Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui. She has been a writer, a mom, a programmer of database-driven websites, and lately a publisher and book designer. She is the author of eight novels including The Bohr Maker, winner of the Locus Award for best first novel, and the novella "Goddesses," the first online publication to receive a Nebula award. She lives with her husband in their long-time home on the island of Maui.

Tell us about your science fiction books.

I love adventure stories. I always have. This is a big reason that I gravitated to science fiction: it’s the perfect genre for telling tales of great adventures, and that’s what I’ve tried to do in my novels. The first four books take place in the same story world, sharing a future drenched in nanotechnology, in which it sometimes seems like all things are possible, but in which things can, and do, go very wrong. The next book, Limit of Vision, is a near-future thriller that explores the escape and evolution of an artificial life form, while touching on the theme of how the future always unfolds in unexpected, and unforeseeable ways. My last traditionally published book, Memory, goes in a different direction. It’s a far-future, hard SF tale that feels like fantasy—a coming of age adventure set on a world where the underlying technology has begun running out of control. Oh, and I should also mention my young adult novel, Skye Object 3270a. It’s a far future, hard science fiction adventure aimed at advanced middle school readers.

Why did you choose hard science, and what do you hope to achieve with your writing?

I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, so my first goal as a writer was to write the sort of stories that I desperately wanted to read. I’ve also always been deeply interested in science, in particular biology. I was raised in a household where science shows were always on the TV and science books were always on the shelf, so it was natural to combine my interests by writing hard science fiction. But I also like the challenge of the genre, the idea of working within a fairly strict rule set.

Is there an underlying message in your science fiction books?

I didn’t set out to include one, but most of my work is interested in the evolution of people, culture, and technology, and the idea that if it can be done, someone, somewhere, is likely to try it. Also, that what we might find reprehensible today, particularly in fields like genetic engineering, could very well be seen as perfectly normal a little further down the timeline.

Tell us about your science background and how it has helped you to create your work.

I majored in biology, with an emphasis on ecology, evolution, cellular structures, and biochemistry. I managed to not learn much physics until after I graduated, when I needed to figure things out for the books. Also, lots of reading of layman’s books on many subjects. I simply could not have written the books without this background. Not that the books are about science. Very few of my characters are professional scientists. I’m just interested in constructing a story world that’s in some sense an extrapolation of known science and technology.

Of the characters you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular character?

Oh, I’m very fond of all of them! I think an author has to be, to stick with the same characters throughout an entire novel. But since he managed to put in an appearance in three different books, I’ll have to name Nikko, from The Bohr Maker, as one of my favourites. He’s an unapologetic, genetically engineered, radical technologist, and I put him through hell.

How is writing hard science fiction different from writing other genres?

I think all genres have their rules. Hard science fiction just has a different set of rules, and that rule set varies with the writer. For example, none of my stories use faster-than-light travel. I’ve also been very cautious about including aliens, though many hard SF writers freely include both. Many fantasy novels, historical novels, thrillers, etc. require just as much research to get right.

What do you find most rewarding in the writing process?

For me the pleasure comes in those moments when I know I’m finding the right words to tell the story I wanted to tell. This usually takes place during the revision, when the story starts to come together and the words begin to feel graceful instead of awkward. But of course there’s a lot to be said for that moment when someone first tells me they loved the book.

What do you find most challenging, and how do you overcome it?

Focusing on the work and writing everyday; keeping the faith that what I’m doing is worth the time and anxiety. I’ve written nine novels, but on many days I still find it very hard to give in mentally, embrace the challenge, and do the work. It’s ever so much easier to go work on one of the websites I look after, or to prep another eBook, or work on a cover or layout. Right now, for example, I’m supposed to be revising my latest novel, but I’m doing this interview! And I’m late with it too. How do I meet the challenge of working consistently? Simply by returning to the work, whether I want to or not. Aiming for a daily word count helps. 2011 has been my year of writing with a new level of determination. I’ve written and published one novel so far, and I have finished the draft of a second novel. So it can be done.

Tell us about your decision to strike out on your own.

Despite awards, some very nice reviews and support from other writers, my career was caught in the infamous “death spiral” in which each book is printed in smaller quantities than the one before; and so each sells less than the one before. It was very frustrating, and the couple of books that I tried to sell after Memory didn’t find buyers. So I decided that if somebody was going to fail at selling my books, it might as well be me! Realistically, the field is changing so fast that the idea of signing a traditional contract scares me. I’ve come to enjoy having full control over my work. Right now it’s not something I’m willing to give up.

What have you done to promote and market your books, and what advice would you give to other authors?

Don’t look to me for advice on promotion! I’m terrible at it. This was a weak point in my traditional career, and it’s a weak point now. Mostly, like everyone else, I try to be active on social networks, in particular Twitter (@LindaNagata), and increasingly, Google+. I also have my blog; but this is a puzzle I’m still working on.

You have also written a fantasy book entitled ‘The Dread Hammer’ under the pen name, Trey Shiels. Tell us about this book, and why you decided to use a pen name.

I love this book, for itself, and because it got me seriously writing again. It has a “medieval-ish” setting and involves a rather violent young man - well, he’s not quite human - who finds himself unexpectedly in love. The Dread Hammer is a bit outrageous. It’s a fast-paced, violent, sexy short novel that touches on marriage, family, and self-determination. People seem to like it.

Why the pen name? First, because hard experience has shown that the name “Linda Nagata” doesn’t sell many books. Second, because the readers who do know my name expect a different sort of story from me, and I don’t want to mislead anyone. It seemed like a worthwhile experiment to publish in a new genre under a new name.

Would you like to see any of your books adapted for the screen? If so, do you have any aspirations, or reservations, regarding this?

I almost answered this question with “Who wouldn’t?” but I suppose there are writers who would hesitate. For myself, I’d love to see it happen. Most of my books would be very hard to do, given the level of special effects required and the complexity of the stories, but I’ve actually written a treatment for my novel Limit of Vision. That didn’t go anywhere, but it was an interesting experience. Now that you mention it, maybe I should do something with The Dread Hammer. That’s a story that could work nicely as a screenplay.

Tell us a little about a good science fiction or fantasy book you’ve read recently.

I haven’t been reading nearly as much as I want to, but my latest “Book Rave” on the blog was over Martha Wells’ The Cloud Roads, a fantasy novel set in a huge, complex, wild world, following the adventures of a man named Moon, a classic outsider looking for his place in life. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it highly.

Describe your Nebula award-winning novella ‘Goddesses’, in one sentence.

A near-future tale of how simple actions can make the world a better place; also, the first online fiction to win a Nebula award.

As an ambitious science fiction author, I would love to have my novel considered for a Nebula award. What advice could you give to independent authors regarding this?

I haven’t looked into the process in years! Awards are great to mention when you’re trying to interest people in your books, but a lot of great books have never won awards. Awards and readers don’t necessarily go together, and while the awards are fun, I’d rather have the readers.

Where can we find you and your books?

My books are getting easier to find. Most are available worldwide via Book View Café, in both mobi and epub formats. You can also find them at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Amazon UK, and at the UK online store, Wizards Tower. I’ve also been at work republishing some of the books in print editions. Look for them at Amazon, Amazon UK, and Barnes and Noble. Hopefully they’ll also be showing up soon at some Australian online bookstores.

You can find me at all the usual haunts. Here’s a quick list, depending on your preference:

Blog

Website

Twitter

Google+

Facebook

Interview with Syd Mead

2011-08-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

Syd Mead is an American "visual futurist" and concept artist, best known for his visionary designs for popular science-fiction films. Syd Mead, Inc. accommodates international clients, including work with major Hollywood and Japanese film studios. His impressive portfolio includes designs for Tron’s light cycles, Blade Runner’s flying cars, Japanese toy and television characters, “The New Yamato” and the 8 robots of “Turn A Gundam” mobile suits.

An advocate of new technologies, Syd Mead has expanded his horizons to include computer illustrations and graphics, using the latest in available techniques to their full advantage. In a career that spans over 50 years, and includes an astounding range of creative activities, Syd Mead attributes his success, to the premise that imagination, or the idea, supersedes technique.

You are a world famous "visual futurist" and concept artist who has produced iconic work for films such as Tron, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Blade Runner, Aliens and 2010. For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with your work, tell us about your career and your artistic creations.

My ‘career’ started just out of high school in 1952 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was my first ‘paid to create’ job, doing background scenes and character origination for a local animation trailer studio called Alexander Film. After three years in the Army Engineer Corps on Okinawa during the Korean War, I spent the next two and a half years at Art Center School, then in Los Angeles. I was hired by Ford Motor Company’s Advanced styling studio in Dearborn, Michigan, quit after 26 months to be hired by a small promotional company in Chicago, designing and producing a series of ‘future’ vehicular technology promotional books for United States Steel, and several promotional books for Celanese Corporation. I redesigned the corporate logo for Allis Chalmers, did a promotional book for Atlas Cement Corporation and several other promotional illustrative publications. I started my own company, the eponymous Syd Mead, Inc. in Detroit, Michigan in the fall of 1970. I moved to Southern California in 1975, and I am still here, now in Pasadena. The movie part of my career, started with designing the V’Ger entity for the finale of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, going from that post-production entrée to Blade Runner, Tron, 2010, Aliens, etc. You can pursue further information on our website, www.sydmead.com.

You served a three-year enlistment in the U.S. Army. Has this experience helped you in the creation of your concept art, and if so, how?

The Army service gave me an appreciative insight into the Asian mentality and design sensibility. That exposure served to fine-tune my already developing appreciation of proportion and interval.

How did you make the transition from providing designs and illustrations for Philips, to producing concept art for major Hollywood studios?

I was trained at Art Center to think, to arrange problem solving into a procedural effort. I make no distinction between various kinds of design problem solutions; it all resolves down to understanding what the challenge is, whether a consumer product, a 750 foot cruise ship, a 400 foot super yacht, a movie prop or graphical solutions to corporate graphics. It is a common mistake to put a label on any discreet field of design; that is termed ‘linear career’ limitation. I treat all design challenges as variants of procedural problem solving methodology. I have never been trapped into a ‘specialized,’ linear career parameter. That’s why I’ve been continuously and profitably active for over 50 years.

How did you become known as a “visual futurist”?

I created that title spontaneously after a brief call with my entertainment lawyer from New York, for my credit on the after roll of Blade Runner. It is purely a promotional ‘bumper sticker’ denotation.

Tell us about your latest publication, the long-anticipated Syd Mead’s Sentury II.

Sentury II is a compilation of the last ten years of design activity of Syd Mead, Inc. The peripheral exception is the anime Gundam project, which started in 1998 and finished in 2000. Sentury II is a companion sequel to Sentury. The two cover art examples are cross-related in composition, coloration and scenario presentation.

Why did you produce this book, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

The book serves as a ‘place holder’ in the rapidly expanding media universe. Our intention is to serialize it, at some point in the next years, as the print version sells out. This will be for archival purposes. All of our books have increased in value as re-sales over the years, many of them now on eBay or other shopping networks for many times their original price. The books serve as visibility portfolios and inspiration sources for designers and artists all over the world. Check our Guest Sign-In page or Facebook for an idea of our visibility worldwide.

What do you find most rewarding in the creative process, and how do you overcome that which you find challenging?

The reward in being creative is in the success of the solution, first of all to myself and secondly to the client. This sounds egotistical but think about it. I immerse myself in the specifics of the client’s problem presentation. If that presentation, or critique is inaccurate or incomplete, I can be sucked into solving either a non-existent, or a wrong problem. But if I am professionally happy with the result, operating on information I’ve been given, to me the solution is a success, and I get paid. If the client has given me the correct information, then they are happy also and become another link in the referral chain of further business, either in their field of endeavor or ancillary fields. The biggest challenge in any design problem job is getting accurate information from the client, as a basis for solving the problem. Sometimes, I’ve had to identify the problem myself, to the client, before starting. Client staff structures often obfuscate the ‘real’ problem with some vague or procedural rationale. This is disastrous.

Of the work you’ve created, is there one that you are particularly proud of? If so, why this particular work?

I am particularly proud of several large project involvements. The two 747 aircraft interiors for heads of state come to mind. I did these as only the second entry into the aircraft interior field of work. The other kind of project is more recent. I designed two very different food-service installations in New York City, FoodParc and Bar Basque, both on 6th Avenue at 30th. You can view these on our website, if you pursue the links with the architect group’s name of Philip Koether Architects.

Evolution is an inherent facet of science fiction art. What new developments are you aware of, with regards to the application of technology, in this genre?

Science Fiction owes its fascination and literary persistence to our inherent curiosity about ‘future.’ Evolution, as referenced by your question, hopefully compliments the maturation of the genre from cheap, pulp-fiction to more serious inquiries into what the future may either promise or threaten, depending on the mental health of the writer, social invention or the purely business-minded pursuit of the movie industry. The reason why Blade Runner has become such an iconic movie, is that it is consistent to itself, involves several levels of social imperatives, and on top of it all, is a morality tale of human worth and the evolution of ‘love.’

Your visuals for the film Blade Runner helped shape the public perception of the look of the future, influencing the visual design of many of the science fiction films that followed. To what do you owe your uniquely inspiring vision?

My vision… Well, let’s go back. By the time I created a lot of stuff for Blade Runner, working with Sir Ridley Scott, I’d been doing elaborate scenario and design solutions for over twenty years. Working on Blade Runner followed the procedures I’ve described in previous answers. I was presented with a clearly defined ‘problem’; and I solved it, along with several parallel jobs I was doing for other clients.

What aspirations, or reservations, do you have regarding the continuing application of your work to film?

There are many more resources for training guys to work in the electronic game industry, and entertainment industries, than there were in 1959. My ideas are still valid, as evidenced by my continued visibility across the entire range of guys working in those industries. Movie financiers tend to like a ‘one-stop’ source for creative effort, because of the risk-factor in financing productions. They like to have ‘prior’ experience.

What advice would you give to artists considering a career in concept art?

Career advice is sort of hazardous because you necessarily have to generalize. With that caveat, here goes. Notice everything. Sophistication is basically memory; how things look, why they look that way, how people react, how they stand and physically interrelate, how light plays across architecture, and how foliage softens perspective edges. A successful problem solver has to take the ‘problem’ apart, identify what the problem is and reassemble all the parts into a new solution. Big problems are combinations of smaller ones.

What are you doing now?

Right now I have taken a hiatus from commission work to write and compose my autobiography. I have stacks of photographic references, drawings my parents kept since I started to draw at around three years old… It’s been a fascinating life, and writing my way through seventy-eight years is entertaining.

Where can we find you and your work?

Our website is:

www.sydmead.com

Our e-mail URL is:

oblagon@att.net

Interview with Michael R. Hicks

2011-08-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

Born in 1963, Michael Hicks grew up in the age of the Apollo program and spent his youth glued to the television watching the original Star Trek series and other science fiction movies, which continue to be a source of entertainment and inspiration. Having spent the majority of his life as a voracious reader, he has been heavily influenced by writers ranging from Robert Heinlein to Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven, and David Weber to S.M. Stirling. Living in Maryland with his beautiful wife, two wonderful stepsons and two mischievous Siberian cats, he’s now living his dream of writing full-time.

Tell us about ‘Season of the Harvest’.

Season of the Harvest is a techno-thriller that blends in a bit of science fiction and horror. The premise of the story asks the question, what if the genetically engineered food that we’re eating wasn’t developed by people? What if had a far more sinister purpose?

We then follow FBI Special Agent Jack Dawson as he investigates the gruesome murder of his best friend and fellow agent who had been pursuing a group of suspected eco-terrorists. The group's leader, Naomi Perrault, is a beautiful geneticist who Jack believes conspired to kill his friend, and is claiming that a major international conglomerate specializing in genetically modified organisms is plotting a sinister transformation of our world that will lead humanity to extinction.

As he pursues the truth, Jack is drawn into a quietly raging war that suddenly explodes onto the front pages of the news, and discovers that Naomi's claims may not be so outrageous after all. Together, the two of them must battle a horror Jack could never have imagined as he learns the terrifying truth behind the old adage that "you are what you eat..."

Why did you write this book, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

I wrote it out of the really outrageous issues I discovered while researching the food that we eat. That research stemmed from the need for my wife and I to radically change our diets for health reasons, and if you more than scratch the surface of finding out what goes into our food, you’ll run right into the GMO – Genetically Modified Organism – issue. While I think it makes a great thriller, aside from the “bad guys” in the story (I hope, at least), everything else is based on fact. The information about GMOs, the locales, the organizations (well, except for the Earth Defense Society, the group of good guys in the book), and so on are all drawn from real life.

With my other books, thus far, which have all been based in the far future in a human-alien war, my goal has been simply to tell a story and entertain. But Season of the Harvest is also intended to be a form of education through entertainment. If I can get the reader to think just a little bit about what they’re eating, in addition to giving them a fun read, then I’ve succeeded.

Is there an underlying message in ‘Season of the Harvest’?

Yes, and it boils down to the one-liner hook for the story: you are what you eat. And while it’s taken to a science fiction extreme in the book to further the entertainment aspect, it’s also very, very true in real life. I believe that it’s not a coincidence that the incidence of many of the diseases, allergies, and syndromes has skyrocketed in our population since the mid-1990s when GMOs were first introduced on a massive scale into our food supply. The government tells us that these things are safe to eat, but food manufacturers are prohibited from telling consumers if their products contain GMO-based ingredients. The companies that produce the GMOs are the ones who are “responsible” for verifying that they’re safe to eat. There aren’t any third party honest brokers to verify those claims, and many officials in the FDA and Department of Agriculture are former officials of GMO companies, or have vested interests in those companies. It’s a mess, and it’s scary.

You were commissioned in the US Army. Has this helped you to create this work, and if so, how?

I think my Army experience, brief though it was in the great scheme of things, has helped me develop some of the characters in this and my other books. I’ve also had the honour of working with quite a lot of military folks over the last 25 years, which has also been extremely helpful.

Of the characters you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular character?

I get asked that question a lot, and my answer is always the same: I hate trying to pick a favourite character, because it’s like trying to say which of your children you love the most. They’re all part of my family, so to speak, so I have to leave it to the readers to figure out which ones they like, or hate, the most!

How is writing science fiction or fantasy different from writing other genres?

I can’t really say, as those are the only genres I’ve written in thus far. Season of the Harvest isn’t strictly science fiction; it’s more of a thriller, but it has a sci-fi twist and a lot of sci-fi fact. But my next book, which will be a standalone novel, is going to be something of a historical romance, but also with a sci-fi twist. So I’ll let you know after I get through that!

What did you find most rewarding in the writing process?

Mostly what happens in the story; I never know when I start a book exactly where it’s going or how it will end. I don’t script things out or do an outline. I wish I could, because that would be more efficient, but that’s not the way my pea brain works. I get an initial snapshot in my head, a visual, of the story, and then I go from there. But I have no idea where my fingers are going to take me most of the time when I start typing!

What did you find most challenging in the writing process, and how did you overcome it?

The most challenging thing for me is simply disciplining myself to write every day. This is something I’m still working on, and is even more critical now that I’m leaving my day job to write full-time. It’s often a struggle to sit down and start hammering out words, but the irony is that it’s never as hard to get going as I tell myself it is. That’s a mental habit I need to break.

What have you done to promote and market your book, and what advice would you give to other authors?

Twitter is my gold mine. I’ve gotten some traction from Facebook, but Twitter is where I’m making my fortune and have gained my freedom from my day job. But the main advice I have for other authors is: 1) write, and keep writing; 2) improve your craft and yourself a little bit every day; 3) you have to write AND promote to be successful; 4) give it time – don’t expect your book to shoot up the charts just because you published it; and 5) keep writing. Did I mention that already?

I’ve put out a lot of information on self-publishing on my blog at http://authormichaelhicks.com, and am also getting ready to publish a guide on how I’ve done things in the upcoming book ‘The Path To Self-Publishing Success.’

Who, do you imagine, would be your ideal reader?

I’ve had a number of readers comment that folks who enjoy stories along the lines of what Michael Crichton or Preston & Child have written will enjoy Season of the Harvest. Basically, if you’re looking for a thriller with a lot of action, a bit of science that’s not over the top, and a little horror sprinkled in for good measure, you’ll probably like this book.

What advice would you give to help others build the confidence required to write their first book?

If you don’t write it, no one will ever read it. If your first book is a flop, learn from it and start writing your second book. Who does something really complicated and has it come out exactly right the first time? And when (not “if”, but “when” - it will happen!) someone pans your book, take to heart what they have to say, then move on. If you really want to be an author, if you want to succeed, start writing and keep writing. The only true way to fail is to give up.

Would you like to see your book adapted for the screen? If so, do you have any aspirations, or reservations, regarding this?

Absolutely! I’ve had tons of readers say that they could easily pictures Season of the Harvest on the big screen (and the books of the In Her Name series, as well). Getting screenplays done and starting to pound the pavement in Hollywood is on my strategic “to-do” list for next year.

Tell us a little about a good science fiction or fantasy book you’ve read recently.

Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel is the most recent one I’ve read. It’s not quite science fiction, but is a bit of an alternate history where airships, or zeppelins, are the dominant form of long-range transportation. It was a very endearing story that kept me quite entertained, and I bought the sequel and have started in on that.

One thing I’d also like to point out for other authors: reading is part of your professional development. I’ve had very little time to read over the last couple years, as I’ve been working 12 to 16 hours most days, between my day job and squeezing in as much writing and promoting time as I could in my off-hours. Now that I’m close to writing full-time, I’m trying to read more, as well.

What are you doing now?

At the moment, we’re on another one of our many RV trips, this time for the weekend to Pennsylvania. And once I get this interview finished, I’m going to cook up some chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast!

Describe ‘Season of the Harvest’ in one sentence.

After you’ve read Season of the Harvest, you’ll never look at an ear of corn the same way again...

Where can we find you and your book?

Season of the Harvest is available for all the major eBook platforms, including the Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, and Kobo. It’s also available in print on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Links:

Interview with Milton Davis

2011-08-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

Milton Davis is a research and development chemist living in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and two children. Describing himself as ‘a big country boy’, originally from Columbus, Georgia, Milton loves fishing and used to hunt. The publisher and author of African-inspired science fiction, fantasy and historical fiction, in the ‘Sword and Soul’ tradition of Charles R. Saunders, Milton aims to provide a form of entertainment that fills a cultural void in literature, and creates opportunities for people, around the world, to experience exciting stories and characters from African perspectives.

Tell us about ‘Meji’.

Meji is the story of twin brothers, Ndoro and Obaseki, born to a royal family in my fictional world of Uhuru. They are separated at birth, each growing up to become men with special abilities and a special purpose.

Why did you write this book, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

I’d played at writing ever since college; but I decided to get serious on my 45^th birthday - Meji was the result. I call it my celebration of pre-colonial African culture, tradition and mythology. I hope that Meji and other books I write will spark serious interest in African history, especially among people of African descent.

Is there an underlying message in ‘Meji’?

I think Meji deals with the concepts of purpose and fate. The twins are born for a purpose. It was meant to be an origin story of a people, so it’s written with the result never in doubt.

You are a chemist. Has this helped you with any of your creative work, and if so, how?

I think being a chemist helps. I’m a research chemist so I’m trained to find stuff. I think this helped me discover the historical references I needed to create Meji. I’m also trained to take exisiting components and create something different or new, which also applies to fiction writing.

Of the characters you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular character?

Inaamdura, Dingane’s second Great Wife and Ndoro’s nemesis, is my favourite character. She claims the title because I think she experiences the most growth and change of any of the characters besides the twins. She began as a minor character but her actions drive much of the plot. As I studied her, to give motive behind her decisions, she evolved into a complex character.

How is writing science fiction or fantasy different from writing other genres?

Science Fiction and fantasy give you greater freedom to create a story. It also allows you to build worlds the way you would like them to be.

What did you find most rewarding in the writing process?

The creation of the story itself; I love world building.

What do you find most challenging, and how did you overcome it?

Editing. I hate it with a passion because I’m not that good at it. I get caught up in the story and details slip by. So I hire editors.

What have you done to promote and market your books, and what advice would you give to other authors?

I currently spend most of my marketing time either online with social networking or attending local book conventions. I would tell other authors to find those sites and events focused on their niche or genre and jump in. If you’re not the social type, find someone to do it for you. Do something every day to promote your work and avoid those marketing packages that cost tons of money. My best source of sales has been the things I do above and showing up for local book events. If you’re an independent writer, you don’t have the marketing dollars to become a national sensation so focus close to home.

Who, do you imagine, would be your ideal reader?

My idea reader would be a person who loves action and adventure, loves seeing the good guys win and has a keen interest in African culture, history and traditions.

What advice would you give to help others build the confidence required to write their first book?

That’s a tough one. The best advice I received was simply to get my story on paper. Don’t worry about anything but getting it out of your head and onto the paper. Also, take a writing class, two if possible. Some folks are natural writers but all of us can use some advice. You may discover that you have the talent or you may discover you need some work. Either way it’s progress toward what you want to do.

Would you like to see your book adapted for the screen? If so, do you have any aspirations, or reservations, regarding this?

I would love to see Meji as a movie. If it happened, I think it would have to be an independent production to retain its message. I’m not holding my breath, though. If it never happens, I’ll be fine.

Tell us a little about a good science fiction or fantasy book you’ve read recently.

I just recently completed Immortal III by Valjeanne Jeffers. It’s a great story, filled with shape shifters in a future world.

What are you doing now?

I’m working on the finishing touches of Griots: A Sword and Soul Anthology. It’s a collection of new stories and images by writers and artists, giving their interpretation of Sword and Soul. Charles R. Saunders and I are the editors.

Describe ‘Meji’ in one sentence.

Meji is the tale of twin brothers, born to fulfil a destiny that will change their world forever.

Where can we find you and your books?

You can find my books at my site: www.mvmediaatl.com. They are also available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and various online bookstores around the world.

Interview with Fred Gambino

2011-07-31T14:11:00.000-07:00

Fred Gambino has been drawing for as long as he could remember; and he still has some of his early drawings, often inspired by early British sci-fi shows like Dr. Who and the Gerry Anderson puppet series. It seemed that a career in Illustration, in particular a career in SF or fantasy illustration, was inevitable. After graduating from the Derby College of Art and Technology, now Derby University, he took a part time job delivering groceries, painting in his spare time. Trips to London with his portfolio, eventually led to his first book cover commissions. Fred continued to work as an illustrator for clients on both sides of the Atlantic. His clients include Penguin, Warner books, Little Brown, Thames Television, National Geographic, Scientific American, Leo Burnet, Der Speigel, DNA Productions, Paramount, Agent 16, Whizzkids, Lego, Mattel, AVP and The US Postal Service.

In 2001, Fred was approached by DNA productions to work on the Oscar nominated "Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius" for which he was concept artist and matte painter. From 2002 to 2003, he worked on a TV series with the working title: "Project X", for Tinopolis TV and Lego. He was responsible for early visual development of all aspects of the show, from environments to characters. 2003 to 2006, Fred returned to Dallas to create concept art, production art, and matte painting for DNA's and Tom Hank's Playtone company feature, "The Ant Bully". This was followed by visual development for two more features, "C Horse" and "The Star Beast "; and later in 2006, he worked as a character designer for the Dutch film company AVP. In 2007, Fred worked as concept artist for Enne Entertainment, Salamanca Spain, on "Life in a Pickle " and concept artist for JPS Studios, Austin Texas, for “Epic Mickey”. A post as Art director on " Escape from Planet Earth " Rainmaker Entertainment, Vancouver Canada, followed this. In September 2008, Fred worked at Framestore in London as a matte painter on “The Tale of Despereaux”. And, in 2009, he worked as Art Director and Visual Development artist for Turner Broadcasting LA on “Firebreather”. Fred is currently based back in the UK, working on various publishing and freelance projects. His interests outside of work are watching movies, hiking and cycling. A book of his work, entitled "Ground Zero", was published in 2000 by Paper Tiger.

You are a well-known painter, illustrator and concept artist who specialises in science fiction and fantasy art. For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with your work, tell us about your career and the work you create.

I started out as a book cover illustrator, working in oils originally and then acrylics. I did all sorts of covers, including historical romance, war, science fiction and fantasy. I also did game box covers, when they became an option to do, and also advertising. Originally, I was just represented in the UK; but eventually I got an agent in New York and I started to get work from The States also. Eventually, I saw the writing on the wall and made the move into digitally produced art. I thought I had missed the boat, but it turned out I was slightly ahead of the pack and was considered to be something of a pioneer amongst my peers. This resulted in my featuring in a book called “Masters of Fantasy Art”, which aimed to contrast the work between traditional and the new digital art. It was that book that the director of “Jimmy Neutron” and founder of DNA animation in Dallas, John Davis saw. Something about my work struck a chord with him, and so I got a call to work on “Jimmy” and then “The Ant Bully”, which was my break into film and animation concept work.

Life-Size Dragons

Why did you choose to produce science fiction and fantasy art, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

I didn’t really choose it. When I started, I was just hoping to be a jobbing illustrator, hence the variety of stuff I did; but I’ve always had an interest in SF, so I guess it was a natural progression.

Is there an underlying theme or message in your work?

No, other than hoping to get paid for it. I am always working to a brief or manuscript, so any underling theme would be the author’s.

Empires End

We are both Gerry Anderson fans. How did the sci-fi shows on television, during your childhood, influence you?

Hugely. I always wanted to be Steve Zodiac. I had a crush on Venus! No doubt the younger readers, and I mean anyone under 40, will wonder what I’m on about; or if they do know, will wonder what I was on; but there wasn’t much in the way of science fiction on the TV in those days and I just loved the escapism in those shows. Actually, John Davis is also a Gerry Anderson fan and I think my reference to Garry Anderson in the book was one of the things that attracted him to my work; so you could say I owe the last ten years of concept work to Gerry. I met him briefly when I interviewed to work on the CG version of Captain Scarlet; but before they offered me the job, I got the offer to work in Dallas on “The Ant Bully”.

Of the artwork you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular work?

I’ve been asked this a few times and I have to say no. I don’t have a favourite, I’m always most excited about the thing I’m working on at the moment, and when it’s gone I move on to the next thing. I tend to dismiss my earlier work but sometimes when I’m forced to look at it, I find a few gems in amongst the other stuff; but they are few and far between. Mostly, I tend to just see the flaws and how I would do it better now. You never stop learning, or you shouldn’t anyway.

How is creating science fiction or fantasy art different from creating other genres?

It isn’t really. Although you are creating machines and worlds that don’t exist, the most successful, in my opinion, are the ones grounded in reality; and all the rules concerning, perspective, composition and colour, apply to any representational genre.

What do you find most rewarding in the creative process?

I like coming up with the initial concept and getting the reference material together. In the old oil and acrylic days, the actual process of producing the art was work intensive and tedious although absorbing. I much prefer working digitally, I enjoy 3D modelling and rendering, and it’s great adding those finishing touches that bring the whole thing alive.

What do you find most challenging in the creative process, and how do you overcome it?

There isn’t any one thing. Sometimes the whole process just flows and works without a hitch, sometimes I can get stuck on an idea or design. My favourite solution to that is to get on the bike and cycle 40 or 50 miles; I do my best thinking on the bike. The worst problems are when you have everything in place but it just isn’t working. In these digital days that isn’t quite so bad, as you can try anything to save the day. Replace the sky, no problem, move the figure, make it bigger, again no problem. In the old days it could be a disaster if after a week or more painstaking work you stepped back and thought, this just isn’t right. It was necessary to work things out very well before you started. Working digitally gives you so much more freedom.

Tell us about your book, ‘Ground Zero’.

The book was published by Paper Tiger in 2001. Paper Tiger were having something of resurgence after a period of time in the doldrums. I just happened to be the new “digital” guy just at that time, so I was in the right place with the right work at the right time. It was a lot of fun writing the text and putting it together and to get some great artists and writers to participate, like David Brin, Elizabeth Moon, Robert J. Sawyer, Jim Burns and Chris Moore, who each wrote an introduction to the different chapters. It’s still available from Amazon. Although there are some acrylic pieces in there, most of the work showcased is my early digital stuff.

Evolution is an inherent facet of science fiction art. What new developments are you aware of, with regards to the application of technology, in this genre?

The speed and quality of what can be produced digitally has increased enormously since I started just over ten years ago; but I think that as far as illustration for books is concerned, there is a move now to produce animated art for new media like the iPad and iPhone. With publishing finally becoming a digital medium, big changes are in the air; but at the moment it isn’t clear how things will turn out. On a negative note, the facile nature and ease with which digital art can be produced nowadays has cheapened it in some eyes and that is reflected in the fees you can expect. Concept art, which is all about ideas rather than a polished finished product is where the action really is for illustrators at the moment. Most of my contemporaries, who are still doing well, have moved into film or TV.

You were the concept artist on the 2001 Oscar-nominated computer animated film, ‘Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius’; and you produced concept art, production art and matte paintings for DNA's and Tom Hank's Playtone company feature, ‘The Ant Bully’. What aspirations, or reservations, do you have regarding film and television?

After spending decades working on my own as an illustrator, I have really loved working in a studio environment; and I’ve learned such a lot from all the very talented people I have worked with. My work has improved enormously as a result. I have also spent time working in Dallas, Vancouver and LA, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. My only reservation is that the projects have to end.

What advice would you give to anyone considering a career in art?

Despite all the technical wizardry available today, all the old skills of colour and composition still apply. Learn those skills, learn how to draw and paint, as it will stand you in good stead and put you above the others. It’s no accident that a lot of job ads looking for concept and texture artists, also ask for good traditional drawing skills as well proficient computer skills.

Tell us a little about any good science fiction or fantasy art you’ve seen recently.

There is so much of it on the net these days I hardly know where to start. I am a fan of the Concept Ships web site.

Firebreather

What do you do, when you’re not being artistic?

As mentioned previously, I like to cycle a lot and hike. We also go to the movies three or four times a month. The little cinema we have in town, shows a huge variety of films from Hollywood blockbusters to obscure subtitled foreign films. We watch all sorts of stuff.

Where can we find you and your art?

My web site is www.fredgambino.co.uk, and a list of publications with my work in it can be seen here http://www.fredgambino.co.uk/publications.html Otherwise, watch “Jimmy Neutron”, “The Ant Bully” or “Firebreather” from Cartoon Network and “Escape from Planet Earth” from Rainmaker, due to be released next year, I think.

Star Wars meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

2011-07-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

‘Star Wars’ meets ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ is a fine description of Veterans of the Psychic Wars, as long as you realize that the hero isn’t a wimp like Luke Skywalker and that the amazing warriors of Crouching Tiger would be toast before this story hits its stride. ~ Clayton Clifford Bye (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

In a distant galaxy known as the Cosmic Sea, Baron Seti Aljyk has caused the Second Psychic War by seizing Najura, the last of the ancient swords of power, and usurping the imperial throne from Sakara Rey, the True Emperor. On Earth, young schoolteacher Roman Doyle remains unaware he is Prince Armon Sakara, heir apparent of the True Emperor. That is, until he encounters Chi-Ro Jin, a Veteran of the Psychic Wars. Chi-Ro’s mission is to return Roman to the True Emperor, but Roman believes that Chi-Ro is crazy.

When Roman’s wife, Soraya, is abducted by the Baron’s assassins, Roman is forced to make the epic journey to the Cosmic Sea. However he does not go alone. He is joined by his shamira Chi-Ro, Nuri Nemsys a beautiful secret agent, Anah Sadaka the mysterious captain of the Starglider Sanura and Roman’s friend, Zachary Silverman, a quantum physicist.

With his dormant psychic and astral abilities awakened by an alien drug and pursued by the Baron’s assassins, Roman, his friend, and the Veterans of the Psychic Wars face evil and danger in uncharted space and on alien worlds. Roman must overcome his fears, master the martial art of Hatari Ikou, and learn the secrets of astral projection, in order to rescue his wife, retrieve the sword of power, and bring the Psychic Wars to an end.

Read the Press Release

Watch the Trailer

Interview with Kevin David Anderson

2011-07-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Kevin David Anderson’s novel Night of the Living Trekkies, which debuted at the San Diego Comic Con, from Quirk Books, is a funny, offbeat Zombie novel that explores the pop culture carnage that ensues when the undead crash a Star Trek Convention. Publishers Weekly gave Night of the Living Trekkies a starred review and the Washington Post listed it as one of the top five Zombie novels not to miss in 2010.

With a lifelong passion for monsters, the walking dead, and all things that go bump in the night, Anderson was a guest at the first ever Zombie Culture convention, ZomBcom held in Seattle 2010, with other Zombie/horror genre icons like George A Romero, Bruce Campbell, and Max Brooks. Anderson was a panellist alongside Pride and Prejudice and Zombie’s sequel and prequel author Steve Hockensmith, discussing with Zombie fans, horror, the undead, and the mash-up genre in literature.

With a background in marketing and media, Anderson has managed national award winning ad and public relation campaigns. He is an active member of the HWA and SFWA. Anderson’s work has been promoted in print, radio, online and in video format (book trailer). Recent interviews include the Los Angeles Times, Star Trek Radio, Total Sci Fi Online, and BuyZombie.com.

Tell us about ‘Night of the Living Trekkies’.

Night of the Living Trekkies, from Quirk Books, is a funny, offbeat Zombie novel that explores the pop culture carnage that ensues when the undead crash a Star Trek Convention. The idea came to me a few years back while watching one of my favourite documentaries, TREKKIES. Directed by Roger Nygard and staring Denise Crosby, it’s an in-depth and entertaining exploration of the devoted fans of Star Trek and their world, from home life to conventions.

Why did you write this book, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

I don’t know why I wrote the novel, but I do remember it was one I tried not to write. Even though I loved the idea, it was hard to believe that any publisher would take it on, considering the possible rights issues that might be involved. But about the time I was considering whether or not to write it, I heard about a novel called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I thought, if there is at least one publisher that was willing to test the limits of public domain, then maybe there were more. So I went forward and coincidentally the same publisher and editor of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies took on Night of the Living Trekkies.
Is there an underlying message in ‘Night of the Living Trekkies’?

If you happen to be at a Star Trek convention during a Zombie outbreak, whatever you do, don’t get caught wearing a red shirt.

You worked as a marketing professional managing award winning advertising campaigns. How influential has this expertise been in the creation of this unique work?

Writing advertising copy was my first professional writing opportunity. It allowed me to explore my creative side while earning a living. Eventually I wanted to write about things that interested me, and didn’t involve promoting consumer products. But coming up with good ad copy taught me to be focused, to the point, and when possible, entertaining.

Of the characters you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular character?

A few of my short stories involve an over night truck driver named, Dale. His past is mysterious and his adventures are surreal. His life is extremely different from mine and through him I can experience many of the choices that I didn’t make in my life.

What did you find most rewarding in the writing process?

There are many things I enjoy about writing, but I’d have to say that writing the words “THE END” tops the list. Whether a short story or a novel, the feeling of completion is indescribable. Which is very misleading, because writing "THE END" upon finishing a first draft, is by no means, the end of the writing process.

What did you find most challenging in the writing process, and how did you overcome it?

Writing is a solitary endeavour. There are no bosses hovering, insisting that you produce. You have to find your own reason and motivation to put your butt in the chair and do the work. Being productive only comes from routine, and routine only comes from the writer’s dedication. That was a tough thing to master. It took years to create my routine, but now that it is in place its harder to break then I could have imagined.

An award-winning trailer was produced for ‘Night of the Living Trekkies’. Tell us about that, and other methods used to promote and market the book.

I had little to do with its production, but I’m extremely pleased at how it turned out. The book gets a fair amount of promotion on its Facebook page, the Quirk Books web site and appearances at conventions like Comic Con and ZomBcon.

What advice would you give to new authors with regards to marketing?

I have yet to market a book on my own, so the only advice I have is to sell your manuscript to the biggest publisher you can, and let them do all the work.

Who, do you imagine, would be your ideal reader?

My ideal reader is someone who buys a copy of Night of the Living Trekkies for all their friends, relative, acquaintances, Facebook and Twitter friends, frendamies, enemies, BFFs and or nemesis. But I imagine that any reader who enjoys a good Sci-fi and pop-culture laugh, would love the novel.

Would you like to see your book adapted for the screen? If so, do you have any aspirations or reservations regarding this?

There have already been a few attempts at acquiring the film rights for Night of the Living Trekkies, and it may actually happen. As far as reservations - as long as Paris Hilton isn’t in it, I’m good.

What are you doing now?

Currently I have two book proposals out to market. I’m revising a YA novel, which I hope will go out to market in the next few months; and I’m ping-ponging between two other novel projects: a short story collection and a novella I’m co-authoring with a friend, short story author and editor of PodCastle, DK Thompson.

Describe ‘Night of the Living Trekkies’ in one sentence.

Roddenberry meets Romero.

Where can we find you and your book?

Me, I’m usually at Starbucks. Not because I enjoy the coffee, I just don’t have an office, so it’s where I write. Night of the Living Trekkies can be found at most bookstores, B&N and Amazon. The German edition just came out (July 2011) and a Spanish edition is on the way.

Links:

Kevin's Web Site
Kevin on Facebook

Night of the Living Trekkies on Facebook

Night of the Living Trekkies Book Trailer on YouTube

Night of the Living Trekkies on Amazon

Interview with Alan Tucker

2011-07-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

Alan Tucker, author of A Measure of Disorder and A Cure for Chaos, is a dad, a graphic designer, and a soccer coach; mostly in that order. He's had a lifelong adoration of books, beginning with Encyclopedia Brown, progressing through Alan Dean Foster's Flinx, and continuing on with the likes of Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine and Naomi Novik, to name a few. Tucker's first book, A Measure of Disorder, has, "a dreamy, movie-like quality to it, which my mind effortlessly brought to life," according to a recent review from Squeaky Clean Reads. Austin at Reading Teen says about the second book in the series, A Cure for Chaos, "I really admire the genius of Mr. Tucker for creating this world that is so awesome and … well, believable." Describing his motivations, Alan says, "I wanted to write a book that I'd enjoy reading; one that I hoped my kids would enjoy too!"

Tell us about ‘A Measure of Disorder’.

The story is about an eighth grade science class that goes on a field trip into the forest near their hometown of Boise, Idaho. While there, they mysteriously fall asleep and find themselves in a new world they later discover is called Mother. Through their travels in trying to find a way home, they are transformed into people and creatures native to Mother, each presenting its own challenges of adjustment and acceptance.

Why did you write this book, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

I loved adventure stories as a kid. I particularly identified with Alan Dean Foster's Pip and Flinx books, which fostered a love of reading in me. I found myself with some extra time in the summer of 2009 when my daughters were away, visiting their mother, and I decided to use that time to develop a story idea I'd had kicking around in my mind for a while. At first, it was just a fun exercise for me, but as it progressed and I had a few people read it and tell me how much they enjoyed it, I decided to polish it up and see where it could go. When all was said and done, I just wanted to write something that my daughters would enjoy reading. It thrills me to no end that they do and that others have shared in that enjoyment.

Is there an underlying message in ‘A Measure of Disorder’?

There are several issues dealt with lightly in the book: pollution, stereotypes, and societal expectations. But, really the story is about growing up and all the adversity that our teenage years create. My main purpose in writing is to entertain, not educate or preach.

You are a graphics designer. Has this skill helped in the development of this work, and if so, how?

Being a graphics designer helped me more after I typed "The End," than before. My decision to self publish, largely came from my professional background. The eBook revolution we are currently in, was in its first phases of the royalty debates. I queried a handful of agents, but in my further research I realised it could take years, if ever, for my book to see the light of day through traditional means, so, why not use that time to see what I could do with it on my own? I did all of the formatting for eBook and print, and even did the cover artwork (to mixed reviews I have to admit). It was all a great learning experience and I'm so glad that I went that route.

Of the characters you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular character?

Oh gosh! I can't really pick a favourite. They are all different and, because I write the stories from different characters' perspectives, I get to explore many of them deeper than if the story was told from just one point of view.

How is writing fantasy different from writing other genres?

Fantasy is nice because the canvas is completely blank to begin with and you can paint whatever you wish upon it. The trick is, once you've established the ground rules for your world, you have to remain consistent or the readers will pick up on it and quickly lose interest. Just because you have magic in your world doesn't mean anything goes. You still need to create laws that govern your world and remain true to them.

What did you find most rewarding in the writing process?

Typing, "The End!" Seriously, it was an amazing moment to realise I'd finished the whole thing, from beginning to end. Then, the harder part started: rewrites!

What did you find most challenging, and how did you overcome it?

Finding a balance between things that I wanted to explore as a writer, and keeping the story moving at an appropriate pace. It took several months of editing, and suggestions from other writers in critique groups, to figure out where that balance might be.

What have you done to promote and market your books, and what advice would you give to other authors?

Even though I've been in the advertising industry for many years, I'm still a novice at selling books. I've gotten the book reviewed on a few blogs, done a handful of interviews, and a number of giveaways, with mixed success. At the moment, my advice for others is what I try to remind myself every day: write! Lots of folks write a book, throw it on the web and expect people to beat down their door to get it. It doesn't work that way. It really helps to have a catalogue of work in your arsenal, rather than just a "one off." I'm hard at work on the third book in the series now, called Mother's Heart.

Who, do you imagine, would be your ideal reader?

Anyone who enjoys fun, fantasy and adventure.

What advice would you give to help others build the confidence required to write their first book?

Write about something you know and love. And don't worry about what you're going to do with it after it’s finished. Write simply for the enjoyment of it.

Would you like to see your book adapted for the screen? If so, do you have any aspirations, or reservations, regarding this?

I see scenes in my head like I would watch them in a movie or television show; so yes, I'd love to have that happen someday. Of course I'd hope it were done well; but honestly, it would just be amazing to see the stories on screen.

Tell us a little about a good science fiction or fantasy book you’ve read recently.

Oh, where to start? I read a great deal. I've really enjoyed Jim Butcher's Dresden Files books and he has a new one just coming out that I'm anxious to read. I just read Foster's Flinx Transcendent, the final story in the Pip and Flinx series and that really took me back to my boyhood days. I've also read Simon Green's Eddie Drood series recently and enjoyed those as well.

What are you doing now?

Besides answering interview questions? I'm working on the third book in the Mother-Earth series, called Mother's Heart. My goal is to have it available some time by the end of the year. I'm also in the beginning stages of ghost writing an historical fiction for a client of mine, as well as making notes on another sci-fi fantasy project that's been running around in my head for a while.

Describe ‘A Measure of Disorder’ in one sentence.

A group of eighth grade students travel to another world, to find out who, and what, they really are.

Where can we find you and your book?

The best place to start is at my Official Site. There you can find maps of the world, read reviews, watch book trailers and read my blog, which I don't post to as often as I should! I also have author pages on Amazon, Smashwords and Goodreads.

Interview with Nykolai Aleksander

2011-07-29T03:42:00.000-07:00

Painting since 2002, Nykolai Aleksander’s work has been published in various books, like Ballistic Publishing's "Expose" and "Exotique" series, Focal Press & 3DTotal's "Digital Art Masters" and "Digital Painting Techniques" series, as well as numerous magazines such as Advanced Photoshop, Fantasy Art China, INTEL Visual Adrenaline, and 2Dartist. She’s been awarded for her work at CGSociety, 3DTotal, IT'S ART, and GFX Artist, and was nominated for the CG Excellence Award 2009 at the CG Overdrive Expo in Singapore. All in all though, she’s really just a 6-year-old who was let loose with a box full of (virtual) crayons...

1. Tell us about your artwork.

Well, let’s see… I work both traditionally and digitally, and while my oil paintings are usually monochrome portraits or realism with a surrealistic twist, my digital paintings - other than being portraits - tend towards heightened realism, and are usually in colour.

2. Why did you choose fine art and illustration, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

I didn’t really choose it; it chose me. It just feels right for me. I’m not a full on fine artist, and neither an illustrator in the true sense of the word. A bit of both, sometimes more, sometimes less. And I don’t know what I want to achieve with it other than be happy with what I do, and perhaps make some other people happy with it, too.

3. Is there an underlying theme or message in your work?

There is, but it varies from piece to piece. I think the one red line that can be traced through most of my work is “the story behind”. I don’t enjoy painting something just for the sake of painting it. I need to know what’s behind it all. What’s the background story, what does the person (real or fictional makes no difference) I am painting have to say. Where have they been, where are they going, and what are they thinking. And it’s those stories I try to capture, and it’s up to the viewer to read them.

4. I was very impressed to learn that you are completely self-taught. Tell us about your learning process, and particularly how your work evolved as a result of it.

Mhh… there’s not much to say other than that I was (and still am) painting every day of the year. Studying anatomy, lighting, colour theory, you name it. And if you do that and keep at it, eventually you will get better. Which is exactly what happened, I got better over time. And the learning never stops. Far from it.

The Lost Dream - Digital Painting

5. Of the artwork you’ve created, do you have a favourite?

I really can’t answer that.

6. How is creating fantasy art different from creating other genres?

I don’t know, to be honest, because I don’t see my work as fantasy art per se. I paint realism with a touch of surreal, or “fantasy” - but not the typical full on double-rainbow of fairytale fantasy.

7. What do you find most rewarding in the creative process?

Finishing a piece and being happy with it.

8. What do you find most challenging in the creative process, and how did you overcome it?

It’s always challenging in one aspect or another, and you never overcome it. You just learn to adapt, play and make the best of what’s on your plate, or canvas in this case.

9. What have you done to promote and market your artwork, and what advice would you give to other artists?

Nothing, actually. I was in the lucky position to have it promoted for me, in a manner of speaking. Various book and magazine publishers approached me over the years wanting to feature my work or asking me to write tutorials. It got my work out there, and just snowballed from there. However, I am on a number of networking and art sites, and that always helps to get your work out there, especially if you are active.

Monarch - Oil on Canvas (Metamorphosis)

10. Who, do you imagine, would be your ideal client?

Anyone who has at least a marginal understanding of the creative process.

11. What advice would you give to help others build the skill and confidence required to produce fantasy art?

I don’t see how fantasy art would be any different from any other art, but the answer would be practice, and patience. That’s pretty much it, as boring and tedious as it sounds. Learn about anatomy, learn about lighting, colours, perspective, composition, etc. even if you don’t want to go into realism. Knowing how things should look, and knowing how to make them look right is a solid basis for all kinds of styles. There’s no easy way, and no way around that. You have to. Confidence comes with time and afore mentioned practice.

12. Tell us a little about any good art you’ve seen recently.

Oooh… at the moment I really rather enjoy the work of Loic Zimmermann, who also goes by the online nickname of “e338”. His very unique style, use of colours and a fine eye for subject matter and composition are just fantastic. Another artist I was recently stunned by is Joe Fenton. His pencil and ink pieces are out of this world.

13. What are you doing now?

At the moment, I’m working on two projects that are both taking quite some time to complete. One is a picture story book by the title of “Of Light and Dust”, and the other is a series of ten large scale black and white oil paintings entitled, “Metamorphosis”.

14. Describe your art in one sentence.

It’s the colours I feel that let me paint the things I cannot see.

15. Where can we find you and your art?

My most comprehensive profile online is probably my Facebook page, as it has everything from paintings to sketches and painting videos, as well as other things I’ve done over the years, and it’s updated regularly, too.

Interview with Peter Coleborn

2011-07-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

Peter Coleborn is a biomedical scientist, photographer, writer, and the editor of Dark Horizons, the journal of the British Fantasy Society. Peter has published several books; and with his wife Jan, he has set up Renegade Writers, a group dedicated to honing the skills of writers that dare to be different.

Tell us about your work for ‘Dark Horizons’, The British Fantasy Society, and other creative exploits with regards to the fantasy genre.

In case your readers aren’t aware, the British Fantasy Society began in 1971, a place where fans of fantasy and horror could share their passion. Over the years, the BFS grew to become an organisation that includes many professional writers, artists and editors in its ranks. Check out www.britishfantasysociety.org for further information on its history and publications.

The first publication I produced for the Society, in 1984, was Masters of Fantasy 2: August Derleth – written by John Howard with illustrations by Allen Koszowski. Over the long years I also edited/produced the Newsletter (now Prism), Fantasy Bookshelf and Long Memories (a biography of Frank Belknap Long by Peter Cannon).

In 1987 I started a new chapbook for the BFS, Winter Chills (later just Chills), mostly because the Society’s journal, Dark Horizons, was going through a dry patch. It lasted ten years and ten issues. With issue 5 Simon MacCulloch became co-editor. The first issue included stories by Ramsey Campbell, R Chetwynd-Hayes and Brian Lumley. Over the next nine, contributors included Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Stephen Gallagher, Lisa Tuttle, Tia Travis, Michael Marshall Smith and Ian Watson and many others.

In 1997/8 the BFS needed new editors for Dark Horizons and so Mike Chinn, Phil Williams and I took over with issue 37. Unfortunately, real life finally got in the way of all the fun-filled activities and I had to step down after just two issues. And yet – miraculously – I still found time to take up various BFS committee posts, including Chair and FantasyCon organiser. I must have had a lot of energy in those days! Even so, I finally did stand down from the BFS and looked forward to a lazy ‘retirement’.

Then in 2007 I was asked to edit Dark Horizons again. So, Jan Edwards and I took up the reins with issue 50. But after issue 52 I was appointed to produce the FantasyCon Souvenir Book, which meant, once more, my leaving DH. After FantasyCon 2010 Jan and I were reappointed editors of Dark Horizons (which now had been combined with New Horizons and Prism into the BFS Journal). And that’s where I am today.

Could you tell us how your interest in fantasy developed?

When I was a young kid I spent much of my free time outside in the fresh air, going for long walks and cycle rides, playing around on river banks, etc. And not an adult in sight – unlike the tethered childhood of today. At school, I became a pupil librarian and discovered adventure stories and tales of the Norse gods, HG Wells, John Wyndham, Edgar Allen Poe, Conan Doyle, the Pan Book of Horror and the Fontana Book of Ghost Stories. All great fun. But academic life interfered and mostly I read Oz and International Times…

Later on, a friend gave me Michael Moorcock’s Behold the Man. I was hooked and read everything by that man – so blame Moorcock for reigniting my passion! From there I worked my way backwards: Robert E Howard, L Sprague de Camp, Fletcher Pratt, Jack Vance, Lord Dunsany, William Morris, Clark Aston Smith, CL Moore, HP Lovecraft, Mervyn Peake, and, of course, J. R. R. Tolkien – many discovered via Ballantine’s Adult Fantasy series edited by Lin Carter. And, naturally, I read vast amounts of fantasy and horror as it was newly published: Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Robert Holdstock, Tanith Lee, Lisa Tuttle…

You are a biomedical scientist. Has this influenced your interest in fantasy, and if so, how?

Short answer: No. Slightly longer answer: I doubt it.

What are the hallmarks of good British fantasy?

You mean modern fantasy? I’m not sure I know. I enjoy the work of Jonathan Carroll (an American living in Austria), Peter Atkins (a Brit living in the USA), Terence Green (a Canadian), Lisa Tuttle (an American living in Scotland), Dennis Etchison (an American living in the USA) and Robert Shearman (a Brit living in Britain). There are others! Is there a pattern?

How is editing fantasy publications different from editing other genres?

I’ve no idea, since I’ve only edited fantasy and horror. Oh wait. I have attended writing workshops where we were supposed to comment, editorially, on colleagues’ work. This was difficult because I wasn’t interested in some of the genres they wrote in (and, probably more significantly, they were poorly written).

What do you find most rewarding as an editor, and how do you overcome that which you find challenging?

Challenging? Maybe it’s not having enough time. And the number of poorly presented and poorly written submissions I see. Rewarding: three things. Firstly, discovering a gem amongst the submissions. Secondly, it’s helping a writer improve his/her work – especially enjoyable when they are receptive (you can always tell the serious writer by their willingness to accept advice). Thirdly, it’s seeing the finished publication, smartly designed, cleanly printed.

What have you done to promote your work within the fantasy genre, and what advice would you give to those interested in a career in fantasy?

I like to think that my abilities speak for themselves – but that’s probably not quite enough and I ought to blow more trumpets. As for a new writer: keep on writing and submitting. Submit to the small presses and build up a CV. Have a website or blog (not just Facebook) to publicise your work. Agents and editors (I’m talking about professionals, here) do look at these things, to see if you have the ability and the commitment to be a writer. It is very difficult for the new writer to obtain an agent or secure a publishing deal, so every little, as they say, helps.

How do you feel about the Internet, social networking, and the rise of independent publishing?

Facebook is a tremendous … time waster. It certainly has merits, and is a useful tool for keeping in contact and spreading information. But I hesitate to open accounts with other social networking sites: not enough hours in the day. And having watched the movie The Social Network, I almost left Facebook!

Tell us a little about a good fantasy book you’ve read recently.

Cheating a bit here: it’s Rumours of the Marvellous by Peter Atkins. This collection of Pete’s stories highlights his fast-paced, hard-edged, yet surreal and weird fantasies. It will be launched at FantasyCon 2011 – and that’s why I’m cheating: RofM is co-published by The Alchemy Press and Airgedlámh Publications. And I am The Alchemy Press (you see, a toot on a trumpet here!). Details can be found here: http://alchemypress.blogspot.com

Do you have a favourite author? Please explain why you like their work.

Nowadays my reading veers towards supernatural horror, surreal/suggestive fantasies, weird or quirky fiction – and mainly in the short form. I can no longer read fantasy epics spread over several volumes, horror that simply goes for the gross out and/or agonising angst. I enjoy many writers; I don’t have ‘favourites’, as such.

The British Fantasy Awards are very prestigious. What advice would you give to new or independent authors hoping to have their work considered for the awards?

See my answer to question 7. Writers have to write well and, nowadays, self-promote. Or get their mates to do it on their behalf.

What are you doing now?

Back in 1998, I started a small/independent press: The Alchemy Press. It’s been in hibernation for a while, but now I aim to revive it – I mentioned Rumours of the Marvellous earlier. Then I hope to start other projects – no details yet. Previous AP titles are The Paladin Mandates by Mike Chinn, Shadows of Light and Dark by Jo Fletcher and Where the Bodies are Buried by Kim Newman (both these two co-published by Airgedlámh), Swords Against the Millennium edited by Mike Chinn (co-published by Saladoth Productions) and Beneath the Ground edited by Joel Lane.

I don’t write a lot of fiction – I spend most of the time editing other people’s work for Dark Horizons and the like. I also take a lot of photos at FantasyCon and other conventions – some have appeared in Locus and other publications. Other activities? Yes, there are other things I get involved with…

Where can we find you and your work?

I’m somewhat tardy at keeping my blogs up to date (not following my own advice), but these are a good place to start: http://petercoleborn.blogspot.com and http://piperatthegatesoffantasy.blogspot.com.

Interview with Jeremy Robinson

2011-07-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Robinson is the author of eleven novels including Pulse, Instinct, and Threshold the first three books in his exciting Jack Sigler series. His novels have been translated into nine languages. He is also the director of New Hampshire AuthorFest, a non-profit organization promoting literacy in New Hampshire, where he lives with his wife and three children.

1. Tell us about ‘The Antarktos Saga’.

The Antarktos Saga takes place in the universe I created for my novel, Antarktos Rising, but begins twenty years earlier. While the books feature characters from Antarktos, the main character is new. Solomon Ull Vincent is the first and only child born on Antarctica, a land secretly imbued with supernatural power by an ancient enemy of mankind that lives beneath the surface. As a result, young Solomon is born with a strange connection to the land, and immunity to its ferocity - he can’t feel the cold. When he returns to Antarctica as a young teen, he’s kidnapped and dragged underground, where he’s subjected to awful tortures and forced to fight, and kill, to survive. His spirit is broken and he becomes a hunter, the last hunter, for mankind’s greatest enemy - the half human, half demon, Nephilim.

2. Why did you write this series, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

Antarktos Rising has always been one of my favourite books, and is perhaps my bestselling book to date. I’ve always wanted to expand the story and get into the Nephilim world in a deeper way. The Last Hunter is my way of really firming up the mythology I’ve created, making it even more horrible than before, which is always fun for me.

3. Is there an underlying message in ‘The Antarktos Saga’?

I think the underlying message is one of redemption and forgiveness. We see this in the first book and again in future books. Redemption and forgiveness are considered weak by the Nephilim society; but in truth, they’re far more powerful than anyone realises.

4. What is your strongest memory of your childhood, and how has it helped to define your work?

My strongest memory is of doing what I do now, being creative in solitude. I would spend Saturday mornings sketching and watching Godzilla. And that’s exactly what I have Solomon doing at the beginning of book 1. In fact, most of those first few chapters are straight out of my childhood, so it was great fun to write.

5. Before becoming a novelist, you illustrated comic books and wrote screenplays. How influential has this expertise been in your development as a novelist?

What I discovered over the years, is that all of these things I love doing are exactly the same thing - telling stories, creating worlds, using my imagination. Even the art form I chose - comic books, is telling stories through images. Starting in comics and moving to screenwriting was an easy thing. Both are visual mediums. But shifting to novel writing was hard and took years of practice. There are no images to back up the words, so I had to adjust to conjuring images in readers’ minds through description, which is frowned upon in screenwriting.

6. Of the characters you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular character?

My favourite is actually Solomon from The Antarktos Saga. He’s based, in part, on me as a kid. He grew up in the same time period, watches the same shows and even has the same best friend. He’s a lot like me. But he’s also based on my son, whose real name is Solomon. The Solomon in the book looks like my son and has the same wonderful innocence as my son. So this character is really a combination of me as a child, and my son, who is still a child. It makes him very easy to write and that personal connection seeps into the writing and most readers love the character as much as I do.

7. How is writing fantasy different from writing other genres?

It’s freeing and fun. In my science thriller novels, I have to explain EVERYTHING! There can be no mystery about how something exists. If I come up with some kind of horrible man-eating creature, I have to explain how it exists using real science. This is sometimes a challenge, and I couldn’t do it without professional help. But in a fantasy story, I can just say, “there are egg-shaped man-eating monsters with jaw-like jaws” and readers don’t need to know how such a thing is scientifically possible, they just say, “Great!” and enjoy the story.

8. What do you find most rewarding in the writing process?

The most rewarding thing about writing isn’t the writing itself, it’s hearing from someone that they enjoyed the book. Or even better, the book moved them. The Antarktos Saga has definitely received the highest praise of all my books and I think that’s because readers get emotionally involved. It’s strange, but I like to hear my writing affected someone so much that they wept. Means it was powerful.

9. What do you find most challenging, and how do you overcome it?

Burnout is my biggest problem. It’s nothing like writer’s block, which is never a problem. But I write 4 – 5 books a year right now, publish several of them myself, market them all, design covers, the website, social media, etc. All on my own. So I occasionally get to a point where doing anything feels like I’ve been sucked dry. The way to combat it, is to put creative energy back in. Read a good book, see a good movie, go someplace inspiring, or on an adventure.

10. I own a copy of ‘POD People’, which helped me with my own publishing. What advice would you give to new authors with regards to publishing and marketing?

Things have changed A LOT since POD People came out. There are still some good nuggets of marketing advice in there, but marketing has become all about social media, which drives me nuts, but works. Authors need to be active on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc. People support authors they “know” and social media is the best, and quickest, way to give people access to you. Of course, you also have to be likable, so if you’re kind of a jerk, maybe skip it. J

11. Who, do you imagine, would be your ideal reader?

This is a hard question because I get fan mail from eleven year olds and sixty year olds, men and women. So there isn’t a specific demographic for me. A better way to describe my ideal reader is someone who doesn’t take everything seriously. Someone looking to have some fun, who understands that what they’re reading is fiction and not my attempt to convince someone to believe in God, or evolution, or that Nephilim walk the Earth, or that I’m a left-wing nut job, or a Neo-Con. I write about everything imaginable from often opposing perspectives, but there always seems to be someone who thinks I’ve got an agenda beyond entertainment, which I don’t. “Fun people,” is the short answer.

12. Would you like to see your fantasy series adapted for the screen? If so, do you have any aspirations, or reservations, regarding this?

Absolutely. I’ve done the movie side of things so I have no problems with stories being adapted for the screen. I know things have to be cut, sometimes changed for a different audience. The process excites me. I suppose my only concern is one of quality. If I ended up with something like The Last Airbender I would be sad. But I’ve heard a LOT of authors complain about how their story was changed; and I’m not like that, at all.

13. What are you doing now?

Too much; I’m currently finishing a horror novel under a pen name, which isn’t publicly known, so I can’t give the title. Then I’m writing the next book in The Antarktos Saga, The Last Hunter – Ascent. In October, I have a humorous book coming out entitled, The Ninja’s Path – Inspirational Sayings For The Silent Assassin. And then I’ll start work on the next hardcover novel, Island 731. Oh, I also have four Chess Team novellas coming out in the next few months. So, just a little busy!

14. Tell us a little about a good fantasy book you’ve read recently.

You know, I don’t read a ton of fantasy. I watch every fantasy movie and TV show there is, but my reading time is so limited I mostly read the books that are sent to me by authors and publishers. The last fantasy novel I read, and really enjoyed was Hinterland by James Clemens.

15. Describe ‘The Antarktos Saga’ in one sentence.

Solomon Ull Vincent, the first and only child born on Antarctica, battles the evil within himself while using his strange powers to defend mankind from an ancient, corrupting enemy - the Nephilim.

16. Where can we find you and your books?

Best place to start is my website: www.jeremyrobinsononline.com. Sign up for the newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest releases. But the books are all available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. If a retailer doesn’t have the book in stock, they can order them.

Related links:

Website

Twitter

Amazon

Interview with Kevin Baldeosingh

2011-07-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

Kevin Baldeosingh is a newspaper columnist and public intellectual, who deals with issues ranging from philosophy, literature, science, social psychology, religion, pedagogy, economics, and policy matters. In 20 years as a professional writer, has written over 2,000 newspaper articles, over 30 periodical articles and papers, 20-plus short stories, 3 novels, and a history textbook. His novels are: The Autobiography of Paras P (Heinemann Caribbean Writers Series, 1996); Virgin's Triangle (Heinemann Caribbean Writers Series, 1997); and The Ten Incarnations of Adam Avatar (Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 2005). This last is the only work of fiction by an Anglophone Caribbean writer that covers five centuries of Caribbean history. His most recent fiction has been included in the short story collection Trinidad Noir (Akashic Press, 2009). In May 2011, CSEC History, a textbook he has co-authored with Dr Radica Mahase, will be published by Oxford University Press.

In 2007, his one-act play, The Comedian, was one of the 4 winning plays in the National Drama Association’s playwriting contest. Kevin was also one of 15 prize-winning finalists in a 2007 international essay competition, organized by the US-based TRACE Institute, on official corruption and how to prevent it. He is a co-founder and chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Humanist Association, the only organization of its kind in the Anglophone Caribbean. He is also vice-chair for ASPIRE (Advocates for Safe Parenthood: Improving Reproductive Equity), a lobby group seeking clarification and updating of Trinidad and Tobago’s laws on abortion in order to reduce health risks and maternal mortality associated with unsafe abortions. He was regional Chairperson for the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Canada/Caribbean) for 2000 and 2001. At present, he works for the Trinidad Express as a freelance writer and columnist.

Tell us about ‘The Ten Incarnations of Adam Avatar’.

It’s about a human being who dies every half-century and is reborn in a new body, initially with no memory of his/her past lives.

Why did you write this book, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

I wanted to explore the question of how our identity is affected by our situation – whether we’re male, female, rich, poor, black, white etc.

Is there an underlying message in ‘The Ten Incarnations of Adam Avatar’?

If any, that being human encompasses many conditional conditions.

I believe you are a humanist, with a deep sense of social responsibility. Has this helped you to create this work, and if so, how?

Yes, because I’m not tied to any ideology, religious or otherwise, and I feel impelled to use whatever gifts I have to improve people’s lives.

Of the characters you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular character?

Avatar himself and, within the novel, the servant girl character, because she most embodied the traits of a Caribbean individual who overcomes adversity.

How is writing science fiction or fantasy different from writing other genres?

The science fiction and fantasy author has to be very well grounded in reality, logic and empiricism, or else it’s impossible to break reality’s rules and still maintain the reader’s suspension of disbelief.

What did you find most rewarding in the writing process?

The sense of creating a world.

What did you find most challenging in the writing process, and how did you overcome it?

Just the discipline of sitting down every day to write. I set a schedule.

What have you done to promote and market your book, and what advice would you give to other authors?

I’ve gone to book fairs, spoken to publishers and editors, while also spreading the word on my personal network through the Internet.

Who, do you imagine, would be your ideal reader?

Someone who is seeking both information and entertainment.

What advice would you give to help others build the confidence required to write their first book?

Learn the craft.

Would you like to see your book adapted for the screen? If so, do you have any aspirations or reservations regarding this?

Yes. Only that a filmmaker stays true to the story.

Tell us a little about a good science fiction or fantasy book you’ve read recently.

The last books I read weren’t recent – Harry Potter and Phillip Pullman.

What are you doing now?

I am working on my fourth novel.

Describe ‘The Ten Incarnations of Adam Avatar’ in one sentence.

A novel covering five centuries of history.

Where can we find you and your book?

PeepalTree Press, Amazon.

Interview with Jason Matthews

2011-07-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

Jason Matthews lives in Truckee, California with his wife and teen daughters. He writes books, paints houses, skis, loves dogs and enjoys coaching European football - soccer. Life experience and the universe has fascinated him enough to write novels on the subjects: The Little Universe and Jim's Life. Jason also enjoys the fruits of the Internet, helping others create online platforms, making free websites and selling products such as ebooks. His guides include: How to Make, Market And Sell Ebooks All for Free, How to Make Your Own Free Website: And Your Free Blog Too, and Get On Google Front Page.

Jason also does Skype visits. If your club reads any of his books and would like a Skype visit, just contact him via his websites to arrange an author chat.

Tell us about ‘The Little Universe’.

The Little Universe is about the amazing discoveries that are possible with a universe at your fingertips. Imagine being able to observe any star or planet no matter how far away. Imagine finding life on planets and then having the ability to accelerate universal time and watch it evolve from primordial soup to advanced life forms, even to intelligent alien worlds. Imagine what you could find.

Why did you write this book, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

Growing up, I used to think about the vastness of space and wonder how many other worlds must exist beyond ours, especially planets that are so far away it seems impossible we could ever know about them. Then I thought of a science project where a miniature, self-enclosed universe is created including powerful cameras set in place to see any corner within it. Then the ideas really started rolling! I hope to achieve some answers to the deeper questions in life, and our place in the universe.

Is there an underlying message in ‘The Little Universe’?

A paradox of the universe is that everything seems so big and far away, yet all life is actually connected, as Quantum Physics is beginning to understand. One major lesson in a human lifetime is discovering this connection. You may call the underlying factor many things; but I hesitate to use the word, God, because that word carries so many more varied meanings to different people. In The Little Universe, life is a soul experience and a chance for soul development that happens within our relationships and personal events, which are designed to assist in genius ways.

Of the characters you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular character?

There is an alien called The Grandmother who lives on a discovered planet of seemingly primitive people within The Little Universe. She is a telepathic guide for those who seek assistance through meditation, prayer and dreams. She's a very wise and tuned-in spirit. I wish I had more of her understanding sometimes as I stumble my way through my own existence.

How is writing science fiction or fantasy different from writing other genres?

I also write non-fiction in the form of how-to books. To me, those are much easier than my fiction because I already know all the parts, or can research what I need to know. With my novels, there's often much that I don't understand or see clearly as I'm initially writing. At first there is no beginning, middle and end, but there are just a series of parts. It's more of a jigsaw puzzle compared to the non-fiction. Over time, the story usually unfolds like a flower to me. Only then can I see the beginning, middle and end.

What did you find most rewarding in the writing process?

The old saying, 'Why do you climb a mountain? Because it's there,' comes to mind. I didn't think I would write novels as a kid growing up. Then these stories got stuck in my head as ideas that felt like they had to be expressed. I doubted if I was up to the task, and they were quite large tasks that took years. But when they were finally done and when I heard from absolute strangers, saying how much they enjoyed the novels, then it felt like I had really accomplished something.

What did you find most challenging, and how did you overcome it?

Writer's block or not knowing what comes next in the story is incredibly frustrating. Sometimes I'll complain in journal entries like, 'What the hell happens next in this story? I wish I knew what happens to this character!' Sometimes the answers come within minutes, but often they don't come for months. When I'm most blocked, it's usually because I need to learn certain things in my own life that will help with what I'm attempting to write.

What have you done to promote and market your book, and what advice would you give to other authors?

Thankfully, the Internet has tons of free resources for networking and marketing. I created ebooks and uploaded to all the major retailers like Amazon. I created websites and blogs and became fairly active with them. I joined forums for writers and readers, and I also got into Facebook, Twitter and any social media site that felt worthwhile. All of these things are totally free of cost, and that's the best part. This effort was the background for my first non-fiction title, How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks All for Free. My advice for other authors is to build your online platform as much as possible with free resources. Be active and visible, networking as much as time allows. Blog, blog, blog. Get a free blog with a good company like Wordpress or Blogger.

Who, do you imagine, would be your ideal reader?

My ideal reader would be a film producer like James Cameron who recognizes the potential for both The Little Universe and the sequel, Jim's Life, to be made into blockbuster movies. The other ideal readers are people who enjoy stories about the mysteries of life, our place in the universe, and those who feel good knowing we're all in this together with unique talents, experiences and pieces to share in the big puzzle.

What advice would you give to help others build the confidence required to write their first book?

Mountains get climbed one step at a time. Immense structures get built one brick at a time. Books get written one sentence at a time. Anyone with an interesting story to tell can be an author. It just takes effort and time. When you feel inspired, write. Try to write a bit everyday. A month or two later, you might be surprised how much great material you've got on paper.

Would you like to see your book adapted for the screen? If so, do you have any aspirations, or reservations, regarding this?

I believe the elements in my novels are perfect for the big screen. They have incredible visuals of alien worlds, futuristic inventions, light forces within living things, and they also have deeper meanings for thoughtful discussions. Hopefully the movies will help bring people closer together.

Tell us a little about a good science fiction or fantasy book you’ve read recently.

The book I'm currently reading is by an Indie author and hasn't yet been published, but it feels like a real winner. It's called Ripple, about dolphins and the hidden work they do to better the planet. It takes the reader into the minds of dolphins and the angelic beings that watch over them from other galaxies. Very trippy stuff. You can currently only read it through Authonomy, but look for it to be published someday by author, Tui Allen.

What are you doing now?

Now that I have five titles for sale as both ebooks and paperbacks, I'm spending my time marketing online. I'd like to begin the third novel and have a completed trilogy with room for more books; but the ideas just aren't flowing, so I believe the universe is telling me to market now, write later.

Describe ‘The Little Universe’ in one sentence.

What a tough request! The Little Universe is about discovering the biggest mysteries of life, by simultaneously looking outward into the cosmos and deeply within ourselves.

Where can we find you and your books?

You can find me at my home in Truckee, California or on my websites. You can find my ebooks at every major retailer and the paperbacks through Amazon and CreateSpace.

Related links:

Jason Matthews [Website]

How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks – All for Free [Website]

The Little Universe [Kindle Edition]

Jim's Life [Kindle Edition]

How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks - All for Free [Kindle Edition]

Interview with Dalton Narine

2011-07-23T01:38:00.000-07:00

Dalton Narine, a Trinidadian-born writer and film producer, has won six awards on three continents in 2009-2010, for his direction and production of Mas Man Peter Minshall. The Carnival artist from Trinidad, who, for three decades has been presenting provocative themes about man’s incompleteness as street theatre in the annual festival, drew global attention as an artistic director for the Opening Ceremonies at Olympic Games in Barcelona, Atlanta and Salt Lake City - Emmy Award.

Mas Man picked up Best Documentary prizes in Trinidad and Tobago, and at the New York and South Africa International Film Festivals. The film also garnered Best Cinematography at Chagrin Falls Documentary Festival; Best Director, Short Documentary at the Los Angeles International Film Festival and Honorable Mention Best Documentary, as a work in progress, at the Greater Columbus International Film Festival. The film was nominated for Best Documentary at eight festivals.

Narine has written for the Village Voice, New York; served as a features editor at The Miami Herald; and an editor at Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and Ebony magazine. He received awards for feature writing at Ebony and The Herald. Narine fought in the American war in Vietnam, and benefited from the GI Bill at Hunter College, New York University, Brooklyn College and the University of Miami. He is currently writing a screenplay about the human condition as it pertains to the constant fluctuations of battlefield survival.

1. Tell us about, ‘Mas Man’.

Mas Man is about Peter Minshall, an existential hero in Trinidad and the largest novel character among carnivals anywhere in the world. For four decades he has had us in his mirror, which he calls mas, not masquerade, because his graphic imagery of society is much bigger than that. It is largely about who we were, what we've become and why we haven't changed. Though some of his carnival presentations are indisputably positive, the seven deadly sins remain his overarching theme. Indeed, he captures society so eloquently; his mobile theatre literally rubs up against upper-crust art.

Midnight Robber

2. Why did you make this film, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

I made the film partly because when Minshall was an artistic director of the Opening Ceremonies at the Barcelona Olympics, the media described him as “someone from the Caribbean,” and so I set out to inform the world about his storied past. Also, when I heard he was designing his first band, Paradise Lost, my antennae went up. I studied the book in a literature class in high school, and I never thought anyone could depict Milton’s work as mas. I’ve been shadowing his presentations ever since. He’s an astute storyteller.

3. Is there an underlying message in ‘Mas Man’?

Sure. The incompleteness of man. And we see it being played out in his mobile gallery, which is the streets of Port of Spain, Trinidad. But we are bringing his erudite message to film festivals, theatres, and eventually your living room. And if the work in progress has given a clear indication of the seriousness and breadth and depth of the film, by the awards it picked up so far, our conclusive production, Mas Man - The Complete Work, should endear any audience to its signature personality. It will be premiered September in Toronto.

Fly, Fly Sweet Life

4. How did you enter the world of filmmaking?

Like any 12 year-old boy growing up Behind the Bridge, a gang-ridden area known for its birthplace of the steel band, I watched a lot of movies with my friends. One day we took in a movie on the way to a soccer practice session, and when it was over the guys left while I stayed back to watch the credits roll. They came back to hustle me out. I told them they should at least honour the people who made the film by staying for the credits. They laughed harder when they heard me say that someday my name would be scrolling like that on a movie screen somewhere. Little did I know I was being prescient then.

5. What do you find most rewarding in the production process?

Editing the work. It’s like watching your own child being born.

6. What do you find most challenging, and how do you overcome it?

Structuring the film, because it almost always surprises you when it takes a different course of its own volition. Part of the creative process, I guess. It’s the Muse at work, for sure.

7. Peter Minshall is one of my favourite artists. When did you first discover his work, and what effect did it have on you?

Hummingbird, a costume he created for his adopted sister for the 1974 Junior Carnival Queen competition, which it won. I thought we had a new genius in mas, after George Bailey died in 1970. And Bailey was the Father of Mas.

8. With a population of just 1.3 million, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has had a profound effect on world culture. Time and time again, our citizens have proven themselves pioneers, capable of excelling in every artistic field. What makes us so unique?

What makes us unique is the fusion of cultures in a cosmopolitan society, perhaps the most complex in the Western Hemisphere. Trinidad and Tobago is renowned for its competitive Jones, or idiosyncrasy, if you will. You name it - from kite flying to stick fighting to female boxers.

Papillon

9. What have you done to promote and market your films, and what advice would you give to other filmmakers?

I once worked as a public relations manager for a major airline, so that’s been an asset. Also, I was a feature writer and editor for three national publications. But that doesn’t mean the business comes to me. I still need to get the film right by doing as many cuts as it takes. For example, the film has won six awards for Best Documentary, Cinematography and Director - all of them for a film dubbed, until today, a work in progress. I travel with the film wherever it goes and I observe and listen. But conscientiousness is an ego thing. You must be willing to improve your product at any cost. And that’s why we’re only now getting ready to wrap the work two years after it won Best Documentary in Trinidad and Tobago as a rough cut. So stick with it is my advice, until you know it’s fully ripened.

10. Who, do you imagine, would be your ideal viewer?

The film’s niche is performance art, but anyone can enjoy it and come away feeling they’ve never seen anything like this film before. It carries a universal theme. Schools and education departments show interest, too. There’s so much to learn about art, costuming, and human behaviour, for example.

The Sacred and the Profane

11. What advice would you give to help others build the confidence required to embark in a career in filmmaking?

Watch a whole mess of films, then enrol in a film school and find your own groove. It’s about the story. Always. And that’s half of it right there. Everyone has stories to tell.

12. Have you considered producing or directing movies? If so, what are your aspirations, or reservations, regarding this?

I’ve produced and directed 14 documentaries about the cultures of Trinidad and Tobago. I’ll tackle my next film as a screenwriter. That’s where the story begins to develop.

13. If you were to choose a favourite piece of fantasy art, what would it be?

Dusk at Las Cuevas on a bluff overlooking the Caribbean Sea. And you don’t need to be stoned.

14. What are you doing now?

Structuring a script about my combat experience, which will be told through allusions about the human condition stretched to its infinite conscience.

15. Describe ‘Mas Man’ in one sentence.

A designer chooses the two dominant characters on earth - good and evil; and dresses them up in costumes year after year so people can watch themselves from a pervert’s eye view (to see who’s winning, even though they know how it always turns out - and there’s the rub).

16. Where can we find you and your work?

In Miami, and the Mas Man Official Site.