BY CANDACE J. THOMAS
Tell us a bit about yourself! Give us your background in 30 seconds. How did you get started writing?
I’ve had a mind for exciting other worlds for a long time now, and I think I’ve been wanting to tell good stories for as long as I’ve been sucked into reading those of others.
In terms of my own background, I’ve been a man of many trades for some years now, who spent a long time finding out I could do a bit more with this writing thing at university with some very cool people. In that group, I found the confidence to finish a story. I’ve kind of gone from there, really.
Primal Storm is your second publication with Xchyler. Tell us about the process you went through. What were the differences between this time and the first time, with Oblivion Storm?
I probably mentioned at the launch party, for those who were paying attention to such things, that the key difference was the speed at which it all happened. Everything with Book 2 seemed to move a lot faster for some reason.
Penny cited a huge difference between editing Primal Storm and Oblivion Storm. With Book 1, the challenge was turning a manuscript twice the size into the leaner copy that finally hit the shelves. She mentioned a concern some way through that the Primal Stormword count that it might have ended up too short, if anything.
The first draft of what ended up being Oblivion Stormstarted about seven years before the last proofing run occurred. I had about a seventh of the time for Book Two—not knowing, at the time, there would definitely be a second book! Now I know there’s going to be a third—who knows what the difference in process will be between that and the first two!
Tell us a bit about Oblivion Storm and Primal Storm: where did your inspiration come from?
Some of the characters just hung around from an old university project of mine. The stories kind of grew around them, to a certain extent. I had certain motifs from the very beginning with Oblivion Storm.
Like many writers who know London, the iconic Underground had an big influence on an idea I wanted to run with. Weirdly, that little warm breeze you get when a train is about to arrive at your platform started this whole thing! That, and a certain news article about an amnesiac who happened also to be a talented piano player. There’s a bit more about that on an interview I had with my old university.
As for Primal Storm, well, the main line behind the story came as pretty logical from Book 1. However, the added ‘beef’, in terms of a bit of a sub-theme behind it, came from a good afternoon’s action movie session.
A bit of poking led me to this talk from Sebastien Foucan, and, where the Underground sub-themed the first book, for Primal Storm, it was very much the art that is parkour. I absolutely had to use one of his quotes at the start of the book, so central it became to Jennifer’s story.
Who are a few of your favorite authors? Do you think they inspired your writing style? How so?
Citing some of the names I always mention, Ursula LeGuin got me started on all of it. The interest in fantasy, the writing. It shames me that I can’t remember the name of the teacher who started reading The Wizard of Earthsea to us in class, but I will thank her forever for the introduction. Seriously, this was long before Harry Potter, but a thing of beauty.
I also really enjoy Jim Butcher and his Dresden Fileswork. Always gripping to follow. And what is there to say about Neil Gaiman that hasn’t been already? Neverwhereis one of those Underground-inspired works I was telling you about, and surely one of the best. Good Omens, his collaboration with Terry Pratchett, is just amazing.
And I’ve just started on the Rivers of London series, by Ben Aaronovitch. Peter Grant is rapidly going to become one of my favourite characters anywhere, I suspect.
What is some advice you’d give to someone hoping to get published?
I’ll quote this verbatim from the launch party. Three words: Go. For. It. You have to get this idea out somewhere, or at the very least, try. I did that for a few years, and eventually found a good home with some wonderful people. It’s like a family here, and even your most crazy ideas get the correct guidance. In my case, often a, ‘yes! Do that!’ For which I am incredibly grateful.
But the advice is always, and I’ve taken this from more experienced authors than me, is first get writing. If you’re patient and persistent enough, the rest will follow.
When he’s not LARPing or making personal appearances, R. A. Smith writes from his home in Manchester, England, where he lives with his girlfriend and cat. Russell’s latest book, Primal Storm, Book 2 of The Grenshall Manor Chronicles, was released in January, 2014.
Follow Russell on his blog, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and Goodreads.
Shauntel Simper lives in Arizona with her two pet turtles and various insane roommates, and her hobbies include singing, comic book reading, and pretending she can dance. After a strong tenure as an intern, Shauntel was promoted to editorial assistant here at The X. Her energy, dependability, solid education, and an eagerness to learn make her an excellent addition to the team. Her next project, Reflected, Book 2 of the Vanguard Legacy series, will be released in March, 2014.