Author Interview - The Four Horsemen Series Book Reviews
Friday, February 1, 2013
Let's welcome author Don Martin
Hello Don and welcome to my blog. Please tell us a little about yourself.
I am the proud son of two 20-year Navy veterans, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in writing, and a Master of Arts degree in English with a focus on myth and folklore, both from Buffalo State College (New York). I work as a college writing professor in Texas, where I live with my wife, daughter, and four cats.
Please tell me about your novel. Who or what was your inspiration behind it?
Infernal Eighteen is the fourth book of my contemporary fantasy series Phantom Squadron, continuing a story thread from the previous book, The Insurgent's Journal, about central heroine Alanna Sharpe's search for her father, which takes a shocking twist at the end of the previous book. As far as my inspiration for this one, it's mixed, really. I've picked up things around from the news, particularly the political scene, which serve as the background for the world Alanna and her friends live in, but at the same time I'm looking to classical literature for parts of my plotlines. In particular, what would be the ultimate place to hide someone's father, the worst possible place to search? Why, the Inferno, of course ... Dante's version of it.
What are some of your favorite genres to read and to write?
Primarily fantasy and speculative fiction is what I read and write. I've dabbled in sci-fi prior to Phantom Squadron, and some of that sci-fi work tends to make its way into my books' technology sometimes. As far as reading goes, I'm very influenced by authors who use the speculative environment to comment on modern life.
Compared to when you first started writing, have you notice any big changes in your writing style or how you write compared from then to now?
I've always tried to inject my work with heart and humor. As I've continued writing Phantom Squadron novels, I've found that heart and humor taking a decidedly darker edge to it. It's like I'm letting pessimism color my work, which sometimes can create great stories when that dismal environment is overcome and hope wins out, but it occasionally scares me. I've delved into some dark places in recent years while writing Alanna's adventures.
What do you look for in a book when you sit down to read for fun?
I have a shortlist of favorite authors I look for first ... Harry Turtledove, Terry Goodkind, and Alan Moore are at the top of the list ... but then I look at the description on the back cover or inside flap, and if there's an intriguing concept behind the book's writing, I decide to pick it up. Strong storytelling and good writing will keep me, too.
What has been your favorite part of being an author? What has been your least favorite?
By far, the least favorite part has been attempting to promote my work. Because I keep a day job, and especially since my daughter's birth last year, I've had none of the time other authors have had to promote, and been left to rely on social media and websites to get word out, which leads to frustration at times. But I have to say, those times when I get reviews, and people write positive things, and credit me for my storytelling ... those are the favorite moments for me as an author.
Did you get to quit your day job and become an author or do you still have a day job and writing is something you do for fun? If you still have a day job, what is it?
I still do my day job, but it's kind of related to my work as an author, as in my regular life I'm a writing professor at a Texas community college. I need the job to help supplement my household income, and partly to function my little publishing exercise.
Did you have any teacher in school that encouraged you to write? Did you take their advice?
The best advice I received came from a professor I had as an undergrad, but it didn't come from class. Among my professors was an English and writing professor, Dr. Ralph Wahlstrom, who published a book a few years back titled The Tao of Writing, which posits that writing is all about flow and allows you to use writing as a form of meditation. I do find myself zoning out from time to time while writing, mainly so that I can allow the story that's been building up in my mind to flow through my fingers and out into the keyboard.
We all have our little things when it comes to reading, is there anything that bugs you when you read a novel? What is it?
Above all, it's hackneyed dialogue and unrealistic characterization. Mary Sue characters in particular ... too perfect, too admired author proxies ... make my teeth grind more than anything, but I also will complain loudly to anyone who can hear me whenever I read, for instance, a modern teenage girl speaking like an Elizabethan duchess.
What do you listen to when you write? Do you find one type of music over another that inspires you to write? Why?
I tend to listen to music that fits whatever it is I'm writing. Among the many ways I brainstorm my work is by creating "soundtracks" for the stories, if they (hopefully) ever get made into films. For my NaNo this past year, for instance, I found myself listening to Skillet, Big & Rich, Five Finger Death Punch, Halestorm, Meat Loaf, and the soundtrack to Pippin because each album had particular songs that, in my head, matched scenes I wanted to write.
Who was your current novel dedicated to? Any particular reason?
All of my novels have been dedicated to my wife up to this point, for obvious reasons ... she inspires me and I still consider her to be my muse, even after eight years of marriage. Infernal Eighteen is dedicated to both my wife and our daughter, mainly because it's a story about a daughter's love overcoming the greatest dangers imaginable to reunite with a father she loves dearly and has missed for years.
What 7 words would you use to describe yourself?
Imaginative, loyal, loving, quick-witted, dedicated, patriotic, and funny.
Is there anything else that you would like to share or say to those who will read this interview?
This is the first stop on my Blog Tour for the upcoming release of Infernal Eighteen. The book will be available on February 15th, in paperback and e-book formats, from Desert Coyote Productions, at many on-line retailers and at the official series website. In addition, four of my characters blog from their hiding place on Tumblr at the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch, and will be participating at several stops on the Tour. The other three books in the series ... The Advance Guard, Dinetah Dragon, and The Insurgent's Journal ... are currently available in paperback and e-book formats from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and at the DCP and Phantom Squadron sites.
Oh, one last thing ... thank you, Pam, for letting me have this time with your readers and being on the Tour.
Let's welcome author Don Martin
Hello Don and welcome to my blog. Please tell us a little about yourself.
I am the proud son of two 20-year Navy veterans, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in writing, and a Master of Arts degree in English with a focus on myth and folklore, both from Buffalo State College (New York). I work as a college writing professor in Texas, where I live with my wife, daughter, and four cats.
Please tell me about your novel. Who or what was your inspiration behind it?
Infernal Eighteen is the fourth book of my contemporary fantasy series Phantom Squadron, continuing a story thread from the previous book, The Insurgent's Journal, about central heroine Alanna Sharpe's search for her father, which takes a shocking twist at the end of the previous book. As far as my inspiration for this one, it's mixed, really. I've picked up things around from the news, particularly the political scene, which serve as the background for the world Alanna and her friends live in, but at the same time I'm looking to classical literature for parts of my plotlines. In particular, what would be the ultimate place to hide someone's father, the worst possible place to search? Why, the Inferno, of course ... Dante's version of it.
What are some of your favorite genres to read and to write?
Primarily fantasy and speculative fiction is what I read and write. I've dabbled in sci-fi prior to Phantom Squadron, and some of that sci-fi work tends to make its way into my books' technology sometimes. As far as reading goes, I'm very influenced by authors who use the speculative environment to comment on modern life.
Compared to when you first started writing, have you notice any big changes in your writing style or how you write compared from then to now?
I've always tried to inject my work with heart and humor. As I've continued writing Phantom Squadron novels, I've found that heart and humor taking a decidedly darker edge to it. It's like I'm letting pessimism color my work, which sometimes can create great stories when that dismal environment is overcome and hope wins out, but it occasionally scares me. I've delved into some dark places in recent years while writing Alanna's adventures.
What do you look for in a book when you sit down to read for fun?
I have a shortlist of favorite authors I look for first ... Harry Turtledove, Terry Goodkind, and Alan Moore are at the top of the list ... but then I look at the description on the back cover or inside flap, and if there's an intriguing concept behind the book's writing, I decide to pick it up. Strong storytelling and good writing will keep me, too.
What has been your favorite part of being an author? What has been your least favorite?
By far, the least favorite part has been attempting to promote my work. Because I keep a day job, and especially since my daughter's birth last year, I've had none of the time other authors have had to promote, and been left to rely on social media and websites to get word out, which leads to frustration at times. But I have to say, those times when I get reviews, and people write positive things, and credit me for my storytelling ... those are the favorite moments for me as an author.
Did you get to quit your day job and become an author or do you still have a day job and writing is something you do for fun? If you still have a day job, what is it?
I still do my day job, but it's kind of related to my work as an author, as in my regular life I'm a writing professor at a Texas community college. I need the job to help supplement my household income, and partly to function my little publishing exercise.
Did you have any teacher in school that encouraged you to write? Did you take their advice?
The best advice I received came from a professor I had as an undergrad, but it didn't come from class. Among my professors was an English and writing professor, Dr. Ralph Wahlstrom, who published a book a few years back titled The Tao of Writing, which posits that writing is all about flow and allows you to use writing as a form of meditation. I do find myself zoning out from time to time while writing, mainly so that I can allow the story that's been building up in my mind to flow through my fingers and out into the keyboard.
We all have our little things when it comes to reading, is there anything that bugs you when you read a novel? What is it?
Above all, it's hackneyed dialogue and unrealistic characterization. Mary Sue characters in particular ... too perfect, too admired author proxies ... make my teeth grind more than anything, but I also will complain loudly to anyone who can hear me whenever I read, for instance, a modern teenage girl speaking like an Elizabethan duchess.
What do you listen to when you write? Do you find one type of music over another that inspires you to write? Why?
I tend to listen to music that fits whatever it is I'm writing. Among the many ways I brainstorm my work is by creating "soundtracks" for the stories, if they (hopefully) ever get made into films. For my NaNo this past year, for instance, I found myself listening to Skillet, Big & Rich, Five Finger Death Punch, Halestorm, Meat Loaf, and the soundtrack to Pippin because each album had particular songs that, in my head, matched scenes I wanted to write.
Who was your current novel dedicated to? Any particular reason?
All of my novels have been dedicated to my wife up to this point, for obvious reasons ... she inspires me and I still consider her to be my muse, even after eight years of marriage. Infernal Eighteen is dedicated to both my wife and our daughter, mainly because it's a story about a daughter's love overcoming the greatest dangers imaginable to reunite with a father she loves dearly and has missed for years.
What 7 words would you use to describe yourself?
Imaginative, loyal, loving, quick-witted, dedicated, patriotic, and funny.
Is there anything else that you would like to share or say to those who will read this interview?
This is the first stop on my Blog Tour for the upcoming release of Infernal Eighteen. The book will be available on February 15th, in paperback and e-book formats, from Desert Coyote Productions, at many on-line retailers and at the official series website. In addition, four of my characters blog from their hiding place on Tumblr at the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch, and will be participating at several stops on the Tour. The other three books in the series ... The Advance Guard, Dinetah Dragon, and The Insurgent's Journal ... are currently available in paperback and e-book formats from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and at the DCP and Phantom Squadron sites.
Oh, one last thing ... thank you, Pam, for letting me have this time with your readers and being on the Tour.
Author Interview - The Cult of Me
Welcome to the second day of your blog tour! Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about yourself.
Before I begin, I want to sincerely thank you, Michael, for hosting us today. My name is Don A. Martinez. In my regular day-to-day life I teach developmental writing as a professor at a small college in east Texas. I hold degrees in writing and in English, with a focus on mythology and folklore, a specialty which definitely helps a fantasy writer. I live here in Texas with my wife and daughter, who readers will see my books dedicated to regularly.
The tour is supporting your new book in the Phantom Squadron series, tell us about the series.
The Phantom Squadron series is a fantasy story which was inspired by the 9/11 attacks. Part of my thinking regarding these attacks was what could lessen their impact for me personally, and as a result my mind started playing with the thought of demons in the world being countered by the U.S. government having a fantasy adventuring party in tow. It's kind of like Tom Clancy, Gary Gygax, and Hayao Miyazaki getting together on a single story. When I got into the most recent books, starting with Insurgent's Journal, my increasingly darkening eye took over and some of the writing was colored by my own feelings about where the nation's gone, particularly the politics.
Before we find out more about your new book, let's get to know you a bit better :-) What first inspired you to start writing?
It's in my blood. My grandmother was a poet and writer, though she didn't have much publishing success. My father was a storyteller, but he didn't really have the skills to put his stories down in writing; his was more of an oral tradition. When I started writing, I was living with my grandmother and mother who gave me a lot of encouragement and fed my creative beast, so to speak. It also doesn't hurt that I've always had a bit of an overactive imagination.
If you could work with any author, who would it be and why?
There's a lot I wouldn't mind working with, but I have a shortlist, and at the top of that list would be Alan Moore, who's one of my influences. I don't know of anyone who can turn on the darkness and humor with as much class and skill as he does, and his work is something I aspire to emulate with my own.
Do you have a favourite character from your series?
Some of the characters remind me of people I know. Two of them share bits of my personality ... it might surprise people to know that the two characters are the Sharpe women, Ariel and Alanna. Some of them are simply characters that don't show up often enough, for my taste. Above all, if you want my favorite one to write, that would have to be Kitty Lazarus. I try to make her feminine but at the same time she's a hard-cussing, hard-fighting combat monster, and that has to show in her actions. She also gets the best wisecracks mainly because it's in her character. So she's my favorite to write.
What advice would you give new and aspiring authors?
Keep writing, and don't worry about numerical bull like page counts and word counts. A very wise teacher of mine wrote a book that says writing is flow. I can't think of a more certain truth in a writer's existence. Writing will flow when the time is right: you can't force it. At the same time, you also can't limit yourself. Let your freak flag fly as often as you need to in your writing: the more you put down on paper, the better you'll feel, and probably the better you'll have written.
Tell us about your new release and how we can find out more.
Infernal Eighteen picks up about six months after The Insurgent's Journal leaves off. Alanna Sharpe has to rejoin the insurgency against the New Empire of America she was reluctantly placed at the head of, and continue trying to find her family. Ultimately, she finds her father, but he's a soulless shell, and she has to return his soul to his body. Unfortunately, that soul's being held hostage in Hell, so in order to get him back Alanna has to retrace the path of Dante Alighieri through the Inferno, with a less-than-trustworthy damned soul as her guide ... fans of Dinetah Dragon will be in for a surprise as to the guide's identity!
There's several places to get more information on the New Empire and the insurgents. You can visit the official Phantom Squadron site (http://phantomsquadronofficial.weebly.com). You can ask questions at the blog for the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch (http://hiddeninplainsightranch.tumblr.com). You can follow me on Facebook and on Twitter (@Desert_Coyote13).
Before I begin, I want to sincerely thank you, Michael, for hosting us today. My name is Don A. Martinez. In my regular day-to-day life I teach developmental writing as a professor at a small college in east Texas. I hold degrees in writing and in English, with a focus on mythology and folklore, a specialty which definitely helps a fantasy writer. I live here in Texas with my wife and daughter, who readers will see my books dedicated to regularly.
The tour is supporting your new book in the Phantom Squadron series, tell us about the series.
The Phantom Squadron series is a fantasy story which was inspired by the 9/11 attacks. Part of my thinking regarding these attacks was what could lessen their impact for me personally, and as a result my mind started playing with the thought of demons in the world being countered by the U.S. government having a fantasy adventuring party in tow. It's kind of like Tom Clancy, Gary Gygax, and Hayao Miyazaki getting together on a single story. When I got into the most recent books, starting with Insurgent's Journal, my increasingly darkening eye took over and some of the writing was colored by my own feelings about where the nation's gone, particularly the politics.
Before we find out more about your new book, let's get to know you a bit better :-) What first inspired you to start writing?
It's in my blood. My grandmother was a poet and writer, though she didn't have much publishing success. My father was a storyteller, but he didn't really have the skills to put his stories down in writing; his was more of an oral tradition. When I started writing, I was living with my grandmother and mother who gave me a lot of encouragement and fed my creative beast, so to speak. It also doesn't hurt that I've always had a bit of an overactive imagination.
If you could work with any author, who would it be and why?
There's a lot I wouldn't mind working with, but I have a shortlist, and at the top of that list would be Alan Moore, who's one of my influences. I don't know of anyone who can turn on the darkness and humor with as much class and skill as he does, and his work is something I aspire to emulate with my own.
Do you have a favourite character from your series?
Some of the characters remind me of people I know. Two of them share bits of my personality ... it might surprise people to know that the two characters are the Sharpe women, Ariel and Alanna. Some of them are simply characters that don't show up often enough, for my taste. Above all, if you want my favorite one to write, that would have to be Kitty Lazarus. I try to make her feminine but at the same time she's a hard-cussing, hard-fighting combat monster, and that has to show in her actions. She also gets the best wisecracks mainly because it's in her character. So she's my favorite to write.
What advice would you give new and aspiring authors?
Keep writing, and don't worry about numerical bull like page counts and word counts. A very wise teacher of mine wrote a book that says writing is flow. I can't think of a more certain truth in a writer's existence. Writing will flow when the time is right: you can't force it. At the same time, you also can't limit yourself. Let your freak flag fly as often as you need to in your writing: the more you put down on paper, the better you'll feel, and probably the better you'll have written.
Tell us about your new release and how we can find out more.
Infernal Eighteen picks up about six months after The Insurgent's Journal leaves off. Alanna Sharpe has to rejoin the insurgency against the New Empire of America she was reluctantly placed at the head of, and continue trying to find her family. Ultimately, she finds her father, but he's a soulless shell, and she has to return his soul to his body. Unfortunately, that soul's being held hostage in Hell, so in order to get him back Alanna has to retrace the path of Dante Alighieri through the Inferno, with a less-than-trustworthy damned soul as her guide ... fans of Dinetah Dragon will be in for a surprise as to the guide's identity!
There's several places to get more information on the New Empire and the insurgents. You can visit the official Phantom Squadron site (http://phantomsquadronofficial.weebly.com). You can ask questions at the blog for the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch (http://hiddeninplainsightranch.tumblr.com). You can follow me on Facebook and on Twitter (@Desert_Coyote13).
Preventing BellaSwanitis: Avoiding Mary Sue at All Costs - Reviewing Shelf
Let’s welcome Don A. Martinez, the author of The Advance Guard, Dinétah Dragon and The Insurgent’s Journal who’s now presenting book 4 in the series, Infernal Eighteen. Today he’s here conversing with 4 of his characters which had me chuckling away. Hope you find some good laughs too. Thank you Don for being here.
Don A. Martinez: Hello, and welcome to Day 3 of the Infernal Eighteen Blog Tour 2013. First off, before we begin our presentation, I’d like to express my thanks to Pragya for hosting us here at Reviewing Shelf. Also, please allow me to introduce my companions here on the panel, all from the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch, whose Tumblr feed shows off their thoughts on a regular basis. Left to right around our table, we have Cyrus Salem …
Cyrus Salem: Greetings to you all.
DAM: … his wife Kitty …
Kitty Salem: Hey guys, how’s it going?
DAM: … their daughter Michika …
Michika Salem: What’s up?
DAM: … and finally their friend William White Bear.
William White Bear: It’s a pleasure, sir.
DAM: Okay, now that we’ve introduced ourselves and each other, let’s get to the topic of discussion today, and that’s the problem with characters who act as proxies for their authors. While it’s all right for a character to be based on real people, or even the author him or herself, there’s never anything good that comes from making that character into a dreaded “Mary Sue.”
KS: Who’s Mary Sue? Does your wife know about her?
DAM: What? No, it’s not like that. It’s a character type. Mary Sues have a tendency to be falsely humble, but are admired by everyone they meet, have incredible amounts of power particularly in fantasy fiction, and wind up having the entire universe revolve around their little lives.
CS: I’ve read a lot of books in my time, and I’d have to say the ones I liked the least had characters like the one you’re describing. They’re self-centered, and the writing comes across as at best arrogant, but at worst unbelievable.
MS: But what do you write? I mean after all, right now you’re sitting here having a conversation with four of your own characters. That’s gotta be weird, right?
DAM: To a certain extent, but I’m used to having a dialogue with all of you, since I hear your voices all the time in my mind.
KS: That sounds like a personal problem.
DAM: Well, not exactly, not when I can generate characters to go with those voices. In fact, all of you embody some aspect of my personality, in one form or another. All of you in my cast of characters do, as a matter of fact.
WWB: How do you avoid making any of us a Mary Sue, then?
DAM: It’s because I limit the characterization of each of you to one aspect of my personality. For instance, you, William, you’re the side of me that’s a hopeless, helpless romantic.
WWB: But wait, so you mean your romantic side wants to eat people from time to time?
DAM: Not exactly, no, but look at how you relate to your girlfriend, Alanna Sharpe. Haven’t you noticed, you fling yourself full-steam into that relationship, am I right?
WWB: Well of course I do. I love her, why wouldn’t I?
DAM: Exactly. That’s one of the defining parts of your character. And you, Michika …
MS: Yeah? What about me?
DAM: … you’re part of me that refuses to grow up.
MS: HEY!
DAM: Stick with me here, Michika. You have this unbridled energy, the kind that only comes from youth and inexperience. When you get out into the field, sometimes that comes back to bite you in the butt, but you thankfully have your friends around you. Plus, there’s the whole thing with Prince Fahaian …
MS: Now wait just a damn minute, what are you trying to tell me?
DAM: That’s the definition of “schoolgirl crush.” Even though you want to be Peter Pan and never grow up, you have these feelings that you can’t … or don’t … understand for the prince, and it causes you conflict.
MS: (grumbles)
KS: I think somebody’s had her personality hit right on the head.
DAM: Which brings me to you, Kitty. When I write you, you’re the part of me that houses my unrealized natural need for violence.
KS: Ex-cuuuse me?
DAM: Haven’t you wondered at all why you know how to operate damn near ever gun ever made? It’s because you’re expressing every violent impulse I feel that I don’t express due to my pacifistic nature.
KS: Really? Because some of the stuff you write me doing is pushing it quite a bit.
DAM: Absolutely. After all, you’re my combat monster.
KS: HEY!
DAM: Plus, Michika takes after you.
MS: HEY!
CS: (chuckles)
DAM: Which brings us to the Salem patriarch. You, Cyrus, are the part of me where my maturity and wisdom resides, but has trouble articulating that wisdom.
CS: Please, elaborate.
DAM: Your character is one that has gained much wisdom over centuries of existence. When the chips are down, though, sometimes you have trouble expressing what you need others to know. There’s the Se Ri Pak incident, for instance.
CS: I think I was pretty clear when I was talking about soul possession.
KS: Cyrus, you told us if you were possessed we were supposed to kill you.
DAM: Exactly. There’s a better way you could have told the team about it, but instead you wound up freaking them out. Wisdom with articulation trouble, right there.
CS: Okay, maybe I was a little too blunt …
KS: A “little” too blunt?!
DAM: We’ve kind of gone off the rails here from our original subject, but really all of this discussion ties into it. To avoid Mary Sue characters, authors need to spread themselves around to all of their characters.
WWB: What happens if it doesn’t happen?
DAM: That’s a good question, William. What you wind up with is characters like Bella Swan … I apologize, but this is the truth … characters who are the prettiest, the most popular, the most powerful, can save the day singlehandedly, and are admired by everyone. They also express an artificial sense of humility, by claiming to be completely “oblivious” to their qualities unless it’s explicitly stated to them by other characters. To me, that feels like the worst kind of masturbatory ego-stroking on the part of the author.
KS: Then what the hell do you call this whole conversation? Isn’t this basically talking to yourself?
DAM: Yes, that’s technically true, but I’m not trying to make myself look like the greatest person in the world with it.
MS: I love your tie, by the way …
DAM: Well, before things get too far out of hand, let me just let all of you reading know that Infernal Eighteen, the fourth Phantom Squadron novel, has its worldwide release on February 15th in both print and electronic formats, and you can find out more information by going to the official Phantom Squadron website or to the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Tumblr page. Once again, thank you all for joining me in this round-table discussion.
CS: Which reminds me, I should take this back to Avalon … (levitates table and carries it out of the room with magic)
Don A. Martinez: Hello, and welcome to Day 3 of the Infernal Eighteen Blog Tour 2013. First off, before we begin our presentation, I’d like to express my thanks to Pragya for hosting us here at Reviewing Shelf. Also, please allow me to introduce my companions here on the panel, all from the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch, whose Tumblr feed shows off their thoughts on a regular basis. Left to right around our table, we have Cyrus Salem …
Cyrus Salem: Greetings to you all.
DAM: … his wife Kitty …
Kitty Salem: Hey guys, how’s it going?
DAM: … their daughter Michika …
Michika Salem: What’s up?
DAM: … and finally their friend William White Bear.
William White Bear: It’s a pleasure, sir.
DAM: Okay, now that we’ve introduced ourselves and each other, let’s get to the topic of discussion today, and that’s the problem with characters who act as proxies for their authors. While it’s all right for a character to be based on real people, or even the author him or herself, there’s never anything good that comes from making that character into a dreaded “Mary Sue.”
KS: Who’s Mary Sue? Does your wife know about her?
DAM: What? No, it’s not like that. It’s a character type. Mary Sues have a tendency to be falsely humble, but are admired by everyone they meet, have incredible amounts of power particularly in fantasy fiction, and wind up having the entire universe revolve around their little lives.
CS: I’ve read a lot of books in my time, and I’d have to say the ones I liked the least had characters like the one you’re describing. They’re self-centered, and the writing comes across as at best arrogant, but at worst unbelievable.
MS: But what do you write? I mean after all, right now you’re sitting here having a conversation with four of your own characters. That’s gotta be weird, right?
DAM: To a certain extent, but I’m used to having a dialogue with all of you, since I hear your voices all the time in my mind.
KS: That sounds like a personal problem.
DAM: Well, not exactly, not when I can generate characters to go with those voices. In fact, all of you embody some aspect of my personality, in one form or another. All of you in my cast of characters do, as a matter of fact.
WWB: How do you avoid making any of us a Mary Sue, then?
DAM: It’s because I limit the characterization of each of you to one aspect of my personality. For instance, you, William, you’re the side of me that’s a hopeless, helpless romantic.
WWB: But wait, so you mean your romantic side wants to eat people from time to time?
DAM: Not exactly, no, but look at how you relate to your girlfriend, Alanna Sharpe. Haven’t you noticed, you fling yourself full-steam into that relationship, am I right?
WWB: Well of course I do. I love her, why wouldn’t I?
DAM: Exactly. That’s one of the defining parts of your character. And you, Michika …
MS: Yeah? What about me?
DAM: … you’re part of me that refuses to grow up.
MS: HEY!
DAM: Stick with me here, Michika. You have this unbridled energy, the kind that only comes from youth and inexperience. When you get out into the field, sometimes that comes back to bite you in the butt, but you thankfully have your friends around you. Plus, there’s the whole thing with Prince Fahaian …
MS: Now wait just a damn minute, what are you trying to tell me?
DAM: That’s the definition of “schoolgirl crush.” Even though you want to be Peter Pan and never grow up, you have these feelings that you can’t … or don’t … understand for the prince, and it causes you conflict.
MS: (grumbles)
KS: I think somebody’s had her personality hit right on the head.
DAM: Which brings me to you, Kitty. When I write you, you’re the part of me that houses my unrealized natural need for violence.
KS: Ex-cuuuse me?
DAM: Haven’t you wondered at all why you know how to operate damn near ever gun ever made? It’s because you’re expressing every violent impulse I feel that I don’t express due to my pacifistic nature.
KS: Really? Because some of the stuff you write me doing is pushing it quite a bit.
DAM: Absolutely. After all, you’re my combat monster.
KS: HEY!
DAM: Plus, Michika takes after you.
MS: HEY!
CS: (chuckles)
DAM: Which brings us to the Salem patriarch. You, Cyrus, are the part of me where my maturity and wisdom resides, but has trouble articulating that wisdom.
CS: Please, elaborate.
DAM: Your character is one that has gained much wisdom over centuries of existence. When the chips are down, though, sometimes you have trouble expressing what you need others to know. There’s the Se Ri Pak incident, for instance.
CS: I think I was pretty clear when I was talking about soul possession.
KS: Cyrus, you told us if you were possessed we were supposed to kill you.
DAM: Exactly. There’s a better way you could have told the team about it, but instead you wound up freaking them out. Wisdom with articulation trouble, right there.
CS: Okay, maybe I was a little too blunt …
KS: A “little” too blunt?!
DAM: We’ve kind of gone off the rails here from our original subject, but really all of this discussion ties into it. To avoid Mary Sue characters, authors need to spread themselves around to all of their characters.
WWB: What happens if it doesn’t happen?
DAM: That’s a good question, William. What you wind up with is characters like Bella Swan … I apologize, but this is the truth … characters who are the prettiest, the most popular, the most powerful, can save the day singlehandedly, and are admired by everyone. They also express an artificial sense of humility, by claiming to be completely “oblivious” to their qualities unless it’s explicitly stated to them by other characters. To me, that feels like the worst kind of masturbatory ego-stroking on the part of the author.
KS: Then what the hell do you call this whole conversation? Isn’t this basically talking to yourself?
DAM: Yes, that’s technically true, but I’m not trying to make myself look like the greatest person in the world with it.
MS: I love your tie, by the way …
DAM: Well, before things get too far out of hand, let me just let all of you reading know that Infernal Eighteen, the fourth Phantom Squadron novel, has its worldwide release on February 15th in both print and electronic formats, and you can find out more information by going to the official Phantom Squadron website or to the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Tumblr page. Once again, thank you all for joining me in this round-table discussion.
CS: Which reminds me, I should take this back to Avalon … (levitates table and carries it out of the room with magic)
Author Interview - Second Book to the Right
The Interview!
1. Tell me a bit about yourself.
My name is Don A. Martinez, I live in eastern Texas, and work as a writing professor at a small college here. My family consists of my wife, my baby daughter, and four cats who consider themselves the rulers of my house. When I'm not teaching or writing, the baby has been taking up most of my time lately. As far as who I am as a writer, I've been writing my series Phantom Squadron in one form or another for the last 12 years, which has also fed my professional interests; my Master's degree in English was earned with a focus on mythology and folklore.
2. When did you first consider yourself a writer?
At around nine or ten years old, I entered the Young Authors' Conference story competition in Oak Harbor, Washington, where my family was living at the time. I wound up winning a spot in the Conference two consecutive years, and that gave me the confidence to believe that I could write more than just to entertain or mollify myself. I kept writing, using writing as a coping mechanism, particularly because I wasn't exactly the height of popularity at any school I attended. I posted writings to the Internet when that became something normal folks could do, but I didn't start getting serious, honest-to-God feedback from readers until I wrote fan-fiction. Phantom Squadron kind of builds from that fanfic experience.
3. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
That's actually easy, because not only do I have his book, I studied under him in college. There's an author by the name of Dr. Ralph Wahlstrom who has a book out entitled "The Tao of Writing." He is my writing mentor, because he showed me some of the essential truths of what it takes to be a truly successful writer. Ralph is a writing and English professor at my alma mater, Buffalo State College in New York, and it's actually for his class that I wrote the first of my books, a bit of overachieving considering most of the rest of the class was working with four-page essays.
4. If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?
I'm already doing it, actually. Since high school, I've been wanting to teach on one level or another. That it's college that I'm teaching is all the better, although one thing I do regularly in my day-to-day work is put out fires set by poor English teaching my students have had to go through, where they haven't been kept accountable, or have just been bulldozed through the public school system without a major writing deficiency being addressed. When I worked as an intern at a social work training facility, and saw that many of the MSW's had no idea how to write coherently, this made me doubly determined to fix these problems before they reach the professional world.
5. What book are you reading now?
Most of my time is spent reading through the books of the authors I publish. As such, any book I'm currently reading tends to turn into a plug for their latest releases. That being said, the most recent books I've read for both pleasure and business are Destiny Never Sleeps: Quest of the Two Queens by Bernadette Thompson Martin and Jeannie Faulkner Barber, River Town by Lynn Hobbs, and John Dies at the End by David Wong.
1. Tell me a bit about yourself.
My name is Don A. Martinez, I live in eastern Texas, and work as a writing professor at a small college here. My family consists of my wife, my baby daughter, and four cats who consider themselves the rulers of my house. When I'm not teaching or writing, the baby has been taking up most of my time lately. As far as who I am as a writer, I've been writing my series Phantom Squadron in one form or another for the last 12 years, which has also fed my professional interests; my Master's degree in English was earned with a focus on mythology and folklore.
2. When did you first consider yourself a writer?
At around nine or ten years old, I entered the Young Authors' Conference story competition in Oak Harbor, Washington, where my family was living at the time. I wound up winning a spot in the Conference two consecutive years, and that gave me the confidence to believe that I could write more than just to entertain or mollify myself. I kept writing, using writing as a coping mechanism, particularly because I wasn't exactly the height of popularity at any school I attended. I posted writings to the Internet when that became something normal folks could do, but I didn't start getting serious, honest-to-God feedback from readers until I wrote fan-fiction. Phantom Squadron kind of builds from that fanfic experience.
3. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
That's actually easy, because not only do I have his book, I studied under him in college. There's an author by the name of Dr. Ralph Wahlstrom who has a book out entitled "The Tao of Writing." He is my writing mentor, because he showed me some of the essential truths of what it takes to be a truly successful writer. Ralph is a writing and English professor at my alma mater, Buffalo State College in New York, and it's actually for his class that I wrote the first of my books, a bit of overachieving considering most of the rest of the class was working with four-page essays.
4. If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?
I'm already doing it, actually. Since high school, I've been wanting to teach on one level or another. That it's college that I'm teaching is all the better, although one thing I do regularly in my day-to-day work is put out fires set by poor English teaching my students have had to go through, where they haven't been kept accountable, or have just been bulldozed through the public school system without a major writing deficiency being addressed. When I worked as an intern at a social work training facility, and saw that many of the MSW's had no idea how to write coherently, this made me doubly determined to fix these problems before they reach the professional world.
5. What book are you reading now?
Most of my time is spent reading through the books of the authors I publish. As such, any book I'm currently reading tends to turn into a plug for their latest releases. That being said, the most recent books I've read for both pleasure and business are Destiny Never Sleeps: Quest of the Two Queens by Bernadette Thompson Martin and Jeannie Faulkner Barber, River Town by Lynn Hobbs, and John Dies at the End by David Wong.
Author Interview - ZB's Blog of Awesomeness
This week we have special guest Don A. Martinez the author of the Phantom Squadron Series during the Infernal Eighteen Blog Tour. Welcome to ZB’s Blog of Awesomness!
The son of two 20-year Navy vets, Don A. Martinez spent much of his formative years around the Pacific Rim before settling in the continental U.S., first in Michigan and New York before eventually landing in Texas.He has been writing all of his life, getting his start in elementary school as a two-time Young Authors selection in Oak Harbor, Washington. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in writing and a Master of Arts degree in English from Buffalo State College (SUNY-College at Buffalo), where he wrote his thesis on application of mythic storytelling techniques to the modern media.
Currently, he lives with his wife, daughter, and four cats in Texas, where he is a college English instructor.
Phantom Squadron is a contemporary fantasy series which follows a team of four supernatural agents has been assembled for a Black Ops team unlike any other.Both separately and together, these agents will face down an enemy of immense evil, rising above their differences and individual traumas and coming together to face a demonic matriarch hiding within one of the holiest sites in Europe. Infernal Eighteen is the fourth book in the series. So on to the questions!
What inspired you to write? I come from a family that has creativity ingrained in it, from both parents. My grandmother was an accomplished poet, although she was never published. My father was a great storyteller, but he wasn’t exactly a writer, and he stuck with more of an oral style. I’ve tried to bring both sides of the equation together, and be a fully-rounded storytelling writer. As far as the inspiration for Phantom Squadron, it comes from my coping mechanism with the 9/11 attacks – I spent some time thinking about the events, and how I could come to terms with such evil being perpetrated. Eventually it led me to a concept involving government agents drawn from the ranks of fantasy archetype characters. As I went further along in the series, coping continued to be the theme of the inspiration, as starting from The Insurgent’s Journal I started writing based on my observations of what the nation’s become, in terms of polarized politics.
What have you learned as a writer? Perseverance, above all. You have to keep writing, no matter what. The only one who can express your idea is you, so you’d better get to it. Don’t censor yourself either, because no idea is too crazy. You dictate the way your story is told, so do all that you can to bring that story to a well-rounded fruition.
Infernal Eighteen is your fourth book in the Phantom Squadron Series. How did writing Infernal Eighteen compare to writing the first three books? It was a bit of a chore, actually. I knew where I wanted the story to go … Alanna needs to reclaim her dad’s soul from Hell … but I also needed to be true to the main inspiration for her journey, and keep the spirit of Dante’s poem. Thankfully, there are several sources available on the Inferno, and I wound up using one that retold the poem in the style of a novel. Some things surprised me as I was writing it, some little references to the past books that I could work into the Inferno, such as Jerzaan’s treatment of women and Alanna’s mother’s suicidal tendencies. Writing this one also made me think a little more intensely about the in-universe history of the Sword of the Guardsman, and how it couldn’t be possible for every member of the Sharpe line to be righteous. Readers will find out about these hellbound Sharpes from throughout history, and that they all have one-track minds when Alanna meets them: they all want the Sword back.
What was some of your inspiration/sources for the series? I’ve described the series as what happens when Tom Clancy, Gary Gygax, and Hayao Miyazaki get together to write a single story, and that’s pretty much how Phantom Squadron came to be. It combines elements from military technothrillers such as those by Clancy and Stephen Coonts, the character variety of role-playing, and some of the attitude of anime. A direct anime influence on the series is the comedy anime The Slayers and its two subsequent seasons (Slayers NEXT and Slayers TRY).
Who is your favorite character? Why? They’re all my favorite in one way or another. Alanna and Ariel share elements of my personality, so I have a soft spot for both of them. I like Gabe’s mysterious side, and his inability to speak in anything other than half-truths. Above all, though, I think my favorite character to write would have to be Kitty Salem (Lazarus), just because her personality is just so over-the-top, and it’s a delicate balance to consider that not only is she a woman, she’s also a character type called the “combat monster” in role-playing games. Not to mention that if she gets angry, she gives virtuoso profanity performances …
What is your plans for the series? Infernal Eighteen‘s the penultimate volume of the Phantom Squadron series. I’m at least starting the final book of the series during NaNoWriMo 2012, which is going to be my attempt at an epic battle to conclude the series. It’ll have every great element to fantasy: a huge, climactic battle, raw emotion, character development, and margaritas!
What are you reading right now? A couple things. I just finished the horror comedy book John Dies at the End by David Wong, and I’ll be picking up its sequel (This Book is Full of Spiders:Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It) shortly, once the e-book’s price comes down. I’m also awaiting the next volume of Rosario+Vampire Season II, I’ve just gotten through volume 10 and I’m going crazy about it because each of the last few volumes has ended with monstrous cliffhangers.
Who are some of your favorite authors? How much do you read in the fantasy genre? The authors I like best are the ones I tend to have the most respect for, and it’s a fairly short list. I’m big on speculative fiction, so I like authors like Harry Turtledove, Margaret Atwood, and the like. As far as fantasy authors, Terry Goodkind’s ability to put commentary into his fantasy is something I aspire to. I also like the big names from graphic novels like Neil Gaiman and especially Alan Moore.
What is your next project? I’ve got a couple I’m thinking about. One of them would be a Phantom Squadron spinoff involving a minor character from The Advance Guard, the Greek inspector Calista Adamidis, learning that she’s the daughter of the goddess Athena, and trying to claim her rightful place in the pantheon. The other one I’m thinking of is actually inspired by my baby daughter and one of her daycare friends, a children’s space opera story where the two of them go on a quest to restore one of them to a space throne.
The son of two 20-year Navy vets, Don A. Martinez spent much of his formative years around the Pacific Rim before settling in the continental U.S., first in Michigan and New York before eventually landing in Texas.He has been writing all of his life, getting his start in elementary school as a two-time Young Authors selection in Oak Harbor, Washington. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in writing and a Master of Arts degree in English from Buffalo State College (SUNY-College at Buffalo), where he wrote his thesis on application of mythic storytelling techniques to the modern media.
Currently, he lives with his wife, daughter, and four cats in Texas, where he is a college English instructor.
Phantom Squadron is a contemporary fantasy series which follows a team of four supernatural agents has been assembled for a Black Ops team unlike any other.Both separately and together, these agents will face down an enemy of immense evil, rising above their differences and individual traumas and coming together to face a demonic matriarch hiding within one of the holiest sites in Europe. Infernal Eighteen is the fourth book in the series. So on to the questions!
What inspired you to write? I come from a family that has creativity ingrained in it, from both parents. My grandmother was an accomplished poet, although she was never published. My father was a great storyteller, but he wasn’t exactly a writer, and he stuck with more of an oral style. I’ve tried to bring both sides of the equation together, and be a fully-rounded storytelling writer. As far as the inspiration for Phantom Squadron, it comes from my coping mechanism with the 9/11 attacks – I spent some time thinking about the events, and how I could come to terms with such evil being perpetrated. Eventually it led me to a concept involving government agents drawn from the ranks of fantasy archetype characters. As I went further along in the series, coping continued to be the theme of the inspiration, as starting from The Insurgent’s Journal I started writing based on my observations of what the nation’s become, in terms of polarized politics.
What have you learned as a writer? Perseverance, above all. You have to keep writing, no matter what. The only one who can express your idea is you, so you’d better get to it. Don’t censor yourself either, because no idea is too crazy. You dictate the way your story is told, so do all that you can to bring that story to a well-rounded fruition.
Infernal Eighteen is your fourth book in the Phantom Squadron Series. How did writing Infernal Eighteen compare to writing the first three books? It was a bit of a chore, actually. I knew where I wanted the story to go … Alanna needs to reclaim her dad’s soul from Hell … but I also needed to be true to the main inspiration for her journey, and keep the spirit of Dante’s poem. Thankfully, there are several sources available on the Inferno, and I wound up using one that retold the poem in the style of a novel. Some things surprised me as I was writing it, some little references to the past books that I could work into the Inferno, such as Jerzaan’s treatment of women and Alanna’s mother’s suicidal tendencies. Writing this one also made me think a little more intensely about the in-universe history of the Sword of the Guardsman, and how it couldn’t be possible for every member of the Sharpe line to be righteous. Readers will find out about these hellbound Sharpes from throughout history, and that they all have one-track minds when Alanna meets them: they all want the Sword back.
What was some of your inspiration/sources for the series? I’ve described the series as what happens when Tom Clancy, Gary Gygax, and Hayao Miyazaki get together to write a single story, and that’s pretty much how Phantom Squadron came to be. It combines elements from military technothrillers such as those by Clancy and Stephen Coonts, the character variety of role-playing, and some of the attitude of anime. A direct anime influence on the series is the comedy anime The Slayers and its two subsequent seasons (Slayers NEXT and Slayers TRY).
Who is your favorite character? Why? They’re all my favorite in one way or another. Alanna and Ariel share elements of my personality, so I have a soft spot for both of them. I like Gabe’s mysterious side, and his inability to speak in anything other than half-truths. Above all, though, I think my favorite character to write would have to be Kitty Salem (Lazarus), just because her personality is just so over-the-top, and it’s a delicate balance to consider that not only is she a woman, she’s also a character type called the “combat monster” in role-playing games. Not to mention that if she gets angry, she gives virtuoso profanity performances …
What is your plans for the series? Infernal Eighteen‘s the penultimate volume of the Phantom Squadron series. I’m at least starting the final book of the series during NaNoWriMo 2012, which is going to be my attempt at an epic battle to conclude the series. It’ll have every great element to fantasy: a huge, climactic battle, raw emotion, character development, and margaritas!
What are you reading right now? A couple things. I just finished the horror comedy book John Dies at the End by David Wong, and I’ll be picking up its sequel (This Book is Full of Spiders:Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It) shortly, once the e-book’s price comes down. I’m also awaiting the next volume of Rosario+Vampire Season II, I’ve just gotten through volume 10 and I’m going crazy about it because each of the last few volumes has ended with monstrous cliffhangers.
Who are some of your favorite authors? How much do you read in the fantasy genre? The authors I like best are the ones I tend to have the most respect for, and it’s a fairly short list. I’m big on speculative fiction, so I like authors like Harry Turtledove, Margaret Atwood, and the like. As far as fantasy authors, Terry Goodkind’s ability to put commentary into his fantasy is something I aspire to. I also like the big names from graphic novels like Neil Gaiman and especially Alan Moore.
What is your next project? I’ve got a couple I’m thinking about. One of them would be a Phantom Squadron spinoff involving a minor character from The Advance Guard, the Greek inspector Calista Adamidis, learning that she’s the daughter of the goddess Athena, and trying to claim her rightful place in the pantheon. The other one I’m thinking of is actually inspired by my baby daughter and one of her daycare friends, a children’s space opera story where the two of them go on a quest to restore one of them to a space throne.
Author Interview - Hock G. Tjoa
Don Martinez has just published the fourth of a five volume series; Don, what inspired you to write about all the different types of paranormal or supernatural powers in your series? (The X-men?)
The origins of Phantom Squadron are a little on the complicated side. The situation that immediately preceded the work's inception was 9/11, I pondered what would have made someone commit such an evil, atrocious act, and thought about how it would affect the world if it were a demonic source that did the deed. The characters, though, they were not inspired so much from Western influences as from Eastern, in particular an anime series from the mid-90's titled The Slayers (and its subsequent seasons, Slayers NEXT and Slayers TRY), which used the team of fantasy archetypes, primarily for the purposes of high adventure comedy. While most of the Slayers characters are mages, I figured that to keep this grounded in reality, you'd have to limit how much magic you use, so I wound up with only one mage, and filled out the rest with other staples of fantasy role-playing, fantasy novels, and comics.
I am intrigued also by your use of different points of view--found journals, etc.--in the books; was this a result of your studies in the art of writing?
Partly. One thing I wanted to do with these books is keep them firmly within the realm of reality. To do that, the characters not only have to be written like they're real, they have to feel that way for the reader. I felt that the best way to do this would be to get inside the characters' heads, and in the case of most of the series, so far into their heads that you're reading their words. Giving a realistic point of view ... someone who's emotionally damaged and winds up with all of this power, or an overwhelmed teenage girl suddenly thrust into events beyond her reasoning ... in my opinion makes the reader more able to relate to the character on a human level.
The New Empire sounds very dystopian to me, cultish as well as reminiscent of the reaction of the "normal" people to the mutants--would you care to elaborate on your intention with this aspect of your stories?
They do seem a bit cultish, don't they? The New Empire is primarily my means of commenting on the current atmosphere in American politics without coming right out and saying "the voters are sheep." It's not just one side or the other, either, both sides have been guilty of falling into the cult of personality, or the strict dogma of partisan politics, which the New Empire takes to the extreme. The Regents are not that far departed from the average empty incumbent politician, if you think about it in these terms: they say the right things, they make the electorate extremely comfortable (to the point of flattery), and once they're in power they do whatever they please with slim to no checks, since removing them from their office is getting more and more difficult as more measures are taken to protect incumbents in elections.
To continue this thought, I found that many aspects of the New Empire policies and actions reminded me specifically of the post-apocalyptic portrayals of the Left Behind series--how do you perceive the Christian teachings regarding the End Times?
Wow, that's a loaded question right there. Considering I used the Book of Revelation as part of an outline for one of my books, that's saying something. In my opinion, I think there's a lot of extremist talk when it comes to the End Times out there. There's some who honestly believe it, and God bless them, they can have their beliefs and live their lives, but there's others who take it too far and try to push their views on everyone else. Then there's the worst ones, the ones who use those teachings to their own profit, the kind of people I commented on when I brought Alastair Abaster into the series. To put it in a nutshell, I think the way folks have been taught about the End Times has been colored by too many agendas, and the reality can't be known until it happens.
Some people find reading novels with more than one or two points of view disturbing because, it is said, the different POVs reflect different levels of "reality." Thus, if one of the POVs is that of some one who found a manuscript/journal that narrates the action of the novel and the finder comments on what is found in the journal. this might be distracting as a "second narrator"--do you feel that this consideration has any merit?
Only if the narrator in question is a pathological liar, or has some kind of reason for wanting to obscure the truth. If it's done carefully, a second POV can round out some of the holes that are present in any single narrator's story. If it's done sloppily, however, it starts looking like contradiction, and then the reader doesn't know who to believe.
Which of your characters did you find most difficult to create and incorporate into your story?
From the start of writing about the Insurgency, I wanted Alanna to find a lover on the path. I wasn't sure exactly how she was going to do it, though, because of how focused she was going to be on her parents ... with that kind of thing on your mind, who's got time for dating, right? So I guess then the character I had the hardest time with was William White Bear, mainly because I wasn't sure what his role would be (for a while he was the bassist in a rock band), or how a relationship would develop between him and Alanna. Eventually, when the idea of the Refuge came to me, I found that William had a means of getting into contact with Alanna, and by giving them a shared past incident, it would be a means to grow a relationship realistically.
One of my favorite characters, I'll confess, is Gabe, (and not only because he is always drinking coffee); how did you conceive of him for the series?
Gabe Francis (and his predecessor Frank Gabriel) was always intended to be my mysterious advisor, the one who knows more than he can reveal only because you need to find out the truth for yourself, otherwise what's the point? I also wanted him to be intentionally vague on exactly what his supernatural nature was ... there's clues and hints to it, but he never directly fights, and most times he's playing his pawns into the position he wants them in to accomplish his goals. I also like these kinds of characters, mainly because they're the most powerful by virtue of their knowledge.
Did you always have in mind the incorporation of Dante and a similar vision of Hell in your series or, if not, when did this occur to you?
Incorporating the Inferno into the series was an eleventh-hour decision. I mainly knew that there had to be some way for Alanna to rescue her father that was going to be extremely difficult, force her to separate from her support system, and ultimately change her. When I started thinking in terms of souls, that's when the inspiration came to look to Dante ... what worse quest could there be than to traverse through Hell to rescue a wrongly-damned soul?
Thank you for the hours of pleasure reading your four volumes. Will there be just one or more to come?
Yes, there's only one book left to come in the series. By that time, it'll have played out as far as it possibly can, and I think my characters deserve some peace after the wringer I've put them through. I've already got the final book written, and it's going to wrap things up quite nicely on a story level, on a legendary level, and on a personal level for Alanna and her allies.
The origins of Phantom Squadron are a little on the complicated side. The situation that immediately preceded the work's inception was 9/11, I pondered what would have made someone commit such an evil, atrocious act, and thought about how it would affect the world if it were a demonic source that did the deed. The characters, though, they were not inspired so much from Western influences as from Eastern, in particular an anime series from the mid-90's titled The Slayers (and its subsequent seasons, Slayers NEXT and Slayers TRY), which used the team of fantasy archetypes, primarily for the purposes of high adventure comedy. While most of the Slayers characters are mages, I figured that to keep this grounded in reality, you'd have to limit how much magic you use, so I wound up with only one mage, and filled out the rest with other staples of fantasy role-playing, fantasy novels, and comics.
I am intrigued also by your use of different points of view--found journals, etc.--in the books; was this a result of your studies in the art of writing?
Partly. One thing I wanted to do with these books is keep them firmly within the realm of reality. To do that, the characters not only have to be written like they're real, they have to feel that way for the reader. I felt that the best way to do this would be to get inside the characters' heads, and in the case of most of the series, so far into their heads that you're reading their words. Giving a realistic point of view ... someone who's emotionally damaged and winds up with all of this power, or an overwhelmed teenage girl suddenly thrust into events beyond her reasoning ... in my opinion makes the reader more able to relate to the character on a human level.
The New Empire sounds very dystopian to me, cultish as well as reminiscent of the reaction of the "normal" people to the mutants--would you care to elaborate on your intention with this aspect of your stories?
They do seem a bit cultish, don't they? The New Empire is primarily my means of commenting on the current atmosphere in American politics without coming right out and saying "the voters are sheep." It's not just one side or the other, either, both sides have been guilty of falling into the cult of personality, or the strict dogma of partisan politics, which the New Empire takes to the extreme. The Regents are not that far departed from the average empty incumbent politician, if you think about it in these terms: they say the right things, they make the electorate extremely comfortable (to the point of flattery), and once they're in power they do whatever they please with slim to no checks, since removing them from their office is getting more and more difficult as more measures are taken to protect incumbents in elections.
To continue this thought, I found that many aspects of the New Empire policies and actions reminded me specifically of the post-apocalyptic portrayals of the Left Behind series--how do you perceive the Christian teachings regarding the End Times?
Wow, that's a loaded question right there. Considering I used the Book of Revelation as part of an outline for one of my books, that's saying something. In my opinion, I think there's a lot of extremist talk when it comes to the End Times out there. There's some who honestly believe it, and God bless them, they can have their beliefs and live their lives, but there's others who take it too far and try to push their views on everyone else. Then there's the worst ones, the ones who use those teachings to their own profit, the kind of people I commented on when I brought Alastair Abaster into the series. To put it in a nutshell, I think the way folks have been taught about the End Times has been colored by too many agendas, and the reality can't be known until it happens.
Some people find reading novels with more than one or two points of view disturbing because, it is said, the different POVs reflect different levels of "reality." Thus, if one of the POVs is that of some one who found a manuscript/journal that narrates the action of the novel and the finder comments on what is found in the journal. this might be distracting as a "second narrator"--do you feel that this consideration has any merit?
Only if the narrator in question is a pathological liar, or has some kind of reason for wanting to obscure the truth. If it's done carefully, a second POV can round out some of the holes that are present in any single narrator's story. If it's done sloppily, however, it starts looking like contradiction, and then the reader doesn't know who to believe.
Which of your characters did you find most difficult to create and incorporate into your story?
From the start of writing about the Insurgency, I wanted Alanna to find a lover on the path. I wasn't sure exactly how she was going to do it, though, because of how focused she was going to be on her parents ... with that kind of thing on your mind, who's got time for dating, right? So I guess then the character I had the hardest time with was William White Bear, mainly because I wasn't sure what his role would be (for a while he was the bassist in a rock band), or how a relationship would develop between him and Alanna. Eventually, when the idea of the Refuge came to me, I found that William had a means of getting into contact with Alanna, and by giving them a shared past incident, it would be a means to grow a relationship realistically.
One of my favorite characters, I'll confess, is Gabe, (and not only because he is always drinking coffee); how did you conceive of him for the series?
Gabe Francis (and his predecessor Frank Gabriel) was always intended to be my mysterious advisor, the one who knows more than he can reveal only because you need to find out the truth for yourself, otherwise what's the point? I also wanted him to be intentionally vague on exactly what his supernatural nature was ... there's clues and hints to it, but he never directly fights, and most times he's playing his pawns into the position he wants them in to accomplish his goals. I also like these kinds of characters, mainly because they're the most powerful by virtue of their knowledge.
Did you always have in mind the incorporation of Dante and a similar vision of Hell in your series or, if not, when did this occur to you?
Incorporating the Inferno into the series was an eleventh-hour decision. I mainly knew that there had to be some way for Alanna to rescue her father that was going to be extremely difficult, force her to separate from her support system, and ultimately change her. When I started thinking in terms of souls, that's when the inspiration came to look to Dante ... what worse quest could there be than to traverse through Hell to rescue a wrongly-damned soul?
Thank you for the hours of pleasure reading your four volumes. Will there be just one or more to come?
Yes, there's only one book left to come in the series. By that time, it'll have played out as far as it possibly can, and I think my characters deserve some peace after the wringer I've put them through. I've already got the final book written, and it's going to wrap things up quite nicely on a story level, on a legendary level, and on a personal level for Alanna and her allies.
My Life as a Black Ops Wizard - Hock G. Tjoa
One of my favorite characters from the four volumes (so far) of Don Martinez' Phantom Squadron was Cyrus, the mage. He has written a guest blog for all fans:
My Life as a Black Ops Wizard
By Cyrus Salem (http://hiddeninplainsightranch.tumblr.com)
First off, let me sincerely thank Mr. Tjoa for this opportunity today. A little while back, he had the pleasure of interviewing Don A. Martinez, the poor transcriber who got pulled into our problems when he became friends with my former teammates Ariel and Cole Sharpe. I’m sure he enjoyed his chance to get away from his life of frightened exile in Canada, or at least it looked like it.
Now it’s my turn, from my position here in the New Empire, to give you my perspective. But first, let me tell you a little bit about myself. (A very little bit, as there’s much about my life I’d prefer to keep private.)
I was born … well, I was born. A long, long, long time ago, I was born. You could say that I have some extraordinary parents, to go with an extraordinary birthplace. As a matter of fact, my birthplace is now accessible through a door on my property, so I get to see my mother on a regular basis, a luxury I’m unaccustomed to in my long existence.
As long as I’ve been around, I’ve had something different about me that set me apart from everyone else. It goes by many names … magic, power, sorcery … but it’s all supernatural in nature, which is the most important part to us right now. Over my extended time, I’ve learned to harness this power, and use it for the aid of all mankind. I’ve served many people, many rulers and governments. My power has been constant throughout this time, though it causes me trouble from time to time.
One of those troubles is my problematic body.
I should probably explain; it’s an accepted truth of existence that any kind of great power comes at a cost. You have to give something up in order to use said great power. For some people it’s minor; for instance, my friends in the Sharpe family have had to sacrifice smaller things like personal relationships. Other times it can be drastic, such as Ariel Sharpe who was stripped of her humanity for her power. On a personal level, my daughter Michika (my wife’s idea for her name, not mine, I assure you) has magic power she can access, but she has to use a talisman and give it blood when she wants to use the power.
Then you get to my situation. I take a great physical cost for my power. When I was a younger man, I was well over six feet tall, admired by commoner and aristocrat women alike for my appearance and my physical prowess. Today, I’m lucky if my eyes reach my wife’s navel. Using my powers for so long has cost me height, and continues to cost me the same. The power’s undiminished, but my body’s definitely smaller than it was … as a matter of fact, I think the last time I saw the world from this height I was seven years old.
I’d been shiftless for a long time before coming to the United States, but I found my place in the military forces. I started out in the Army, pacing the trenches, moved into the Marine Corps for a stretch, and finally wound up in the Navy, as a direct agent for the CIA within the service. When I first met Ken Sharpe … the latest of a long line of Guardsmen I’d known for a while … he was suspicious of me and unwilling to let me help him, but over time we had a camaraderie grow between us, one which helped me to relate to his son Cole after Ken’s death.
Of all the events of my time in Black Ops … all the fights, conflicts, death, demons, and the like … the ones that stand out in my mind are the times I spent with Kitty Lazarus, a teammate who wound up becoming my current wife. She was a tiger, both in character and in body, when I first met her. My first time laying eyes on her, she was ripping out a demon’s jugular vein. Quite a way to start a relationship, believe me.
It was our combat experiences which led us to friendship, and later love. She was one of the first women to become a SEAL, and part of her animosity with me and Ken at the start was us taking her away from that. I think she’ll agree, though, that the adventures we went on … and realistically are still going on, even today … were worth the sacrifice. I’ll admit, I’ve had many, many girlfriends and many, many wives over my existence, but Kitty is one of the only ones I’ve ever been able to relate to on this level. I think she fell for me because I related to her, related to that combative side of her, and respected her as a soldier and a strategist.
(Okay, Kitty, you can put down the rifle, I love you.)
So that brings us to today, years removed from our Black Ops experience, shepherding our daughter and her friends through this terrifying period in history where our own government wants to kill us. Although we prefer to stay behind the scenes, keeping out of the way when the firefights start, we’re still here and willing to fight. I daresay that this conflict may find its way right to our front door soon … when it does, we’ll be ready, this I can assure you.
We’re going to rise from this conflict one way or another. When we do, it will be glorious.
Cyrus Salem, his wife Kitty, his daughter Michika, and family friend William White Bear post from their hiding place on Tumblr at the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch (http://hiddeninplainsightranch.tumblr.com). Follow the most recent exploits of their ally Alanna Sharpe in Infernal Eighteen, available in paperback and e-book formats at http://phantomsquadronofficial.weebly.com.
My Life as a Black Ops Wizard
By Cyrus Salem (http://hiddeninplainsightranch.tumblr.com)
First off, let me sincerely thank Mr. Tjoa for this opportunity today. A little while back, he had the pleasure of interviewing Don A. Martinez, the poor transcriber who got pulled into our problems when he became friends with my former teammates Ariel and Cole Sharpe. I’m sure he enjoyed his chance to get away from his life of frightened exile in Canada, or at least it looked like it.
Now it’s my turn, from my position here in the New Empire, to give you my perspective. But first, let me tell you a little bit about myself. (A very little bit, as there’s much about my life I’d prefer to keep private.)
I was born … well, I was born. A long, long, long time ago, I was born. You could say that I have some extraordinary parents, to go with an extraordinary birthplace. As a matter of fact, my birthplace is now accessible through a door on my property, so I get to see my mother on a regular basis, a luxury I’m unaccustomed to in my long existence.
As long as I’ve been around, I’ve had something different about me that set me apart from everyone else. It goes by many names … magic, power, sorcery … but it’s all supernatural in nature, which is the most important part to us right now. Over my extended time, I’ve learned to harness this power, and use it for the aid of all mankind. I’ve served many people, many rulers and governments. My power has been constant throughout this time, though it causes me trouble from time to time.
One of those troubles is my problematic body.
I should probably explain; it’s an accepted truth of existence that any kind of great power comes at a cost. You have to give something up in order to use said great power. For some people it’s minor; for instance, my friends in the Sharpe family have had to sacrifice smaller things like personal relationships. Other times it can be drastic, such as Ariel Sharpe who was stripped of her humanity for her power. On a personal level, my daughter Michika (my wife’s idea for her name, not mine, I assure you) has magic power she can access, but she has to use a talisman and give it blood when she wants to use the power.
Then you get to my situation. I take a great physical cost for my power. When I was a younger man, I was well over six feet tall, admired by commoner and aristocrat women alike for my appearance and my physical prowess. Today, I’m lucky if my eyes reach my wife’s navel. Using my powers for so long has cost me height, and continues to cost me the same. The power’s undiminished, but my body’s definitely smaller than it was … as a matter of fact, I think the last time I saw the world from this height I was seven years old.
I’d been shiftless for a long time before coming to the United States, but I found my place in the military forces. I started out in the Army, pacing the trenches, moved into the Marine Corps for a stretch, and finally wound up in the Navy, as a direct agent for the CIA within the service. When I first met Ken Sharpe … the latest of a long line of Guardsmen I’d known for a while … he was suspicious of me and unwilling to let me help him, but over time we had a camaraderie grow between us, one which helped me to relate to his son Cole after Ken’s death.
Of all the events of my time in Black Ops … all the fights, conflicts, death, demons, and the like … the ones that stand out in my mind are the times I spent with Kitty Lazarus, a teammate who wound up becoming my current wife. She was a tiger, both in character and in body, when I first met her. My first time laying eyes on her, she was ripping out a demon’s jugular vein. Quite a way to start a relationship, believe me.
It was our combat experiences which led us to friendship, and later love. She was one of the first women to become a SEAL, and part of her animosity with me and Ken at the start was us taking her away from that. I think she’ll agree, though, that the adventures we went on … and realistically are still going on, even today … were worth the sacrifice. I’ll admit, I’ve had many, many girlfriends and many, many wives over my existence, but Kitty is one of the only ones I’ve ever been able to relate to on this level. I think she fell for me because I related to her, related to that combative side of her, and respected her as a soldier and a strategist.
(Okay, Kitty, you can put down the rifle, I love you.)
So that brings us to today, years removed from our Black Ops experience, shepherding our daughter and her friends through this terrifying period in history where our own government wants to kill us. Although we prefer to stay behind the scenes, keeping out of the way when the firefights start, we’re still here and willing to fight. I daresay that this conflict may find its way right to our front door soon … when it does, we’ll be ready, this I can assure you.
We’re going to rise from this conflict one way or another. When we do, it will be glorious.
Cyrus Salem, his wife Kitty, his daughter Michika, and family friend William White Bear post from their hiding place on Tumblr at the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch (http://hiddeninplainsightranch.tumblr.com). Follow the most recent exploits of their ally Alanna Sharpe in Infernal Eighteen, available in paperback and e-book formats at http://phantomsquadronofficial.weebly.com.
Author Interview - On Emily's Bookshelf
Coming February 7th
The Days My World Changed - Nightwyn.com
So much attention lately has been paid to all the troubles brought down on supernaturals by the New Empire of America that sometimes individual stories get lost in the shuffle. None of us can be wholly defined as “supernatural,” despite what the regime would have you think. We’re human. We have emotions, we have thoughts and dreams … we have pasts.
I want to talk about three days that changed me immensely. Two of them were terrible events. One was a revelation. Both of them redefined my world, for better or for worse, and led me to where I am now.
Six years ago, I was awakened by an earthquake. Maybe this doesn’t sound unusual to people in certain places in the world, but I lived in northern Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula, so this was new. My mother and grandmother hurriedly got me out of bed and brought me out to our front porch. All around us, we saw things shaking; power poles swaying like grass in a harsh breeze, cars shaking, people stumbling as they tried to walk past. We weren’t sure what was happening, but we knew that it couldn’t be good.
The TV news confirmed our fears that it was something bad, when we watched a report about the disaster that we had only felt side effects of. The stunned anchorman told us about the collapse of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, how much of the central part of it had simply collapsed into a giant sinkhole, which was now being filled by the waters of the Great Lakes as they attempted to reach equilibrium. Shortly after the report there was an official statement on the disaster by the President of the New Empire, Carleton Regent.
“Supernaturals did this,” he calmly declared. “They will pay for their crime.”
My mother’s face went pale as soon as he said this. Blaming supernaturals for this, calling it a “crime,” this would only give the government more of a legitimate excuse to crack down on us. Grandmother remained calm, and tried to calm us all down. She tried her best, but unfortunately it was too little, too late.
Three days later came the second day I want to talk about. In the mid-afternoon, a battering ram shattered the door of our modest house in Menominee. A horde of blue-shirted men, government agents, stormed in and attempted to take my entire family captive, part of those purges that my mother feared would come after the disaster created what came to be known as Lake Regent, named for the President.
The blueshirts pounded through the house, looking for us, but we had escaped into the back yard. My mother urged Grandmother to keep me moving while she held off the agents. As we ran, I watched behind us.
My mother used her supernatural ability, inherited from her father, her grandfather, and all of her ancestors back through time. Her body deformed and grew into a wendigo, a winter spirit of immense strength and murderous intent. She fought valiantly. She took out three of the agents before she was felled by a rifle round.
My sadness could not compare to my rage. My mother had been murdered, right before me. I wrenched away from Grandmother and ran back toward the house in a rage, into the fight.
In my heart, I could feel the change coming. My body started growing. My eyesight went red. My stomach began growling.
I inherited my mother’s birthright of the wendigo, and now I had to feed. I tore through the forces that had destroyed my life, throwing them to all sides, shredding several men, consuming them … eating them. The wendigo’s hunger knows no bounds, especially not that day.
When it was finished, when I stood within the tattered remains of the attacking force, coated in their blood and trying to catch my breath … only when I was able to relax and become myself again did the reality of what I had done hit me. That and the reality of what I had lost; my mother and my humanity. Grandmother rushed to my side, seemingly knowing by instinct what to do, and kept handing me thick slices of moose jerky, which I would later learn was to help me fully come back to my human self.
That day led to our trek across the country, eventually winding up in a Refuge for outcasts, many of them superhuman. It was during my time at the Refuge that the third day that changed my life occurred.
After we helped another supernatural sanctuary, the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch, repel another raid, I was asked to help an injured supernatural that the wendigo had brought back to the Refuge. She had a serious gunshot wound to her abdomen, and was going into deep shock. I treated her wounds, but it was when I saw her face that emotions rushed into my heart.
My patient was Alanna Sharpe, a girl who I had met years before, who I had spent an evening dancing with. (I was ten, she was six.) What kind of serendipity had brought her back into my life, had brought her to the Refuge? That didn’t matter. The only thing I cared about was making sure she got better, so that I could make an admission to her.
Days later, I was able to admit to her that ever since our dance I had loved her. To my relief, she felt much the same way.
So that was the happiest day of recent memory. The New Empire still reigns, and they’re still trying to exterminate all supernaturals. I have my wendigo powers, which I use to fight the threat. We all have our individual powers that we use to our own individual ends. The only bright spot to this, in my opinion, is the love I share with Alanna. We complete each other.
If we can find true love in these horrible conditions, then anything’s possible.
I want to talk about three days that changed me immensely. Two of them were terrible events. One was a revelation. Both of them redefined my world, for better or for worse, and led me to where I am now.
Six years ago, I was awakened by an earthquake. Maybe this doesn’t sound unusual to people in certain places in the world, but I lived in northern Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula, so this was new. My mother and grandmother hurriedly got me out of bed and brought me out to our front porch. All around us, we saw things shaking; power poles swaying like grass in a harsh breeze, cars shaking, people stumbling as they tried to walk past. We weren’t sure what was happening, but we knew that it couldn’t be good.
The TV news confirmed our fears that it was something bad, when we watched a report about the disaster that we had only felt side effects of. The stunned anchorman told us about the collapse of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, how much of the central part of it had simply collapsed into a giant sinkhole, which was now being filled by the waters of the Great Lakes as they attempted to reach equilibrium. Shortly after the report there was an official statement on the disaster by the President of the New Empire, Carleton Regent.
“Supernaturals did this,” he calmly declared. “They will pay for their crime.”
My mother’s face went pale as soon as he said this. Blaming supernaturals for this, calling it a “crime,” this would only give the government more of a legitimate excuse to crack down on us. Grandmother remained calm, and tried to calm us all down. She tried her best, but unfortunately it was too little, too late.
Three days later came the second day I want to talk about. In the mid-afternoon, a battering ram shattered the door of our modest house in Menominee. A horde of blue-shirted men, government agents, stormed in and attempted to take my entire family captive, part of those purges that my mother feared would come after the disaster created what came to be known as Lake Regent, named for the President.
The blueshirts pounded through the house, looking for us, but we had escaped into the back yard. My mother urged Grandmother to keep me moving while she held off the agents. As we ran, I watched behind us.
My mother used her supernatural ability, inherited from her father, her grandfather, and all of her ancestors back through time. Her body deformed and grew into a wendigo, a winter spirit of immense strength and murderous intent. She fought valiantly. She took out three of the agents before she was felled by a rifle round.
My sadness could not compare to my rage. My mother had been murdered, right before me. I wrenched away from Grandmother and ran back toward the house in a rage, into the fight.
In my heart, I could feel the change coming. My body started growing. My eyesight went red. My stomach began growling.
I inherited my mother’s birthright of the wendigo, and now I had to feed. I tore through the forces that had destroyed my life, throwing them to all sides, shredding several men, consuming them … eating them. The wendigo’s hunger knows no bounds, especially not that day.
When it was finished, when I stood within the tattered remains of the attacking force, coated in their blood and trying to catch my breath … only when I was able to relax and become myself again did the reality of what I had done hit me. That and the reality of what I had lost; my mother and my humanity. Grandmother rushed to my side, seemingly knowing by instinct what to do, and kept handing me thick slices of moose jerky, which I would later learn was to help me fully come back to my human self.
That day led to our trek across the country, eventually winding up in a Refuge for outcasts, many of them superhuman. It was during my time at the Refuge that the third day that changed my life occurred.
After we helped another supernatural sanctuary, the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch, repel another raid, I was asked to help an injured supernatural that the wendigo had brought back to the Refuge. She had a serious gunshot wound to her abdomen, and was going into deep shock. I treated her wounds, but it was when I saw her face that emotions rushed into my heart.
My patient was Alanna Sharpe, a girl who I had met years before, who I had spent an evening dancing with. (I was ten, she was six.) What kind of serendipity had brought her back into my life, had brought her to the Refuge? That didn’t matter. The only thing I cared about was making sure she got better, so that I could make an admission to her.
Days later, I was able to admit to her that ever since our dance I had loved her. To my relief, she felt much the same way.
So that was the happiest day of recent memory. The New Empire still reigns, and they’re still trying to exterminate all supernaturals. I have my wendigo powers, which I use to fight the threat. We all have our individual powers that we use to our own individual ends. The only bright spot to this, in my opinion, is the love I share with Alanna. We complete each other.
If we can find true love in these horrible conditions, then anything’s possible.
Author/Character Interview - The Pen Temptress
I’m very privileged to have as my quest today, Don A. Martinez, Editor and Publisher of Desert Coyote Productions, who has published three of my own novels. Wait just a moment, is that … yes, it is! Goodness, I see that one of his main characters, Kitty, has also joined us. What an extraordinary pleasant surprise.
Now Don, I’ve read several of your books, but how would you describe this novel to someone who is unaware of your previous work?
It’s a bit difficult to do, especially if they’re not familiar with the characters or concepts. What I would basically say would be this book involves a deeply emotional story of a girl who loves her father very much … so much so that she’s willing to risk the trials of Hell to get to his soul and rescue him from an unearned damnation.
If there is another book in the works, will it also feature Kitty?
Kitty: It had better!
Don: Of course. We can’t have the Ranch be without one of its proprietors. Kitty will be playing a role in the last book of the series, that’s a definite.
Did you do any particular research, and if so, what was the most personally interesting to you? Were there any facts, symbols, or themes that you would have liked to include, but they just didn't make into the story?
In the front matter, I give a shout-out to David Bruce, who put out a version of Dante’s Inferno re-written in prose (as opposed to a poem). This was my primary source for what Alanna is going to face in Hell, but some of Dante’s punishments are altered slightly to fit the more modern milieu in which Alanna is entering Hell. There was a lot of interesting material in the poem that I would’ve loved to put in … maybe spent more time with the flatterers, or tried to cross through the boiling pitch Dante found in part of Circle 8 without flying over it … but to expedite the story and not get bogged down too much in the rich symbolism of Dante’s work, I had to bypass those places for others which worked better for my history, such as every place Alanna finds one of her ancestors.
Give us three "Good to Know" facts about yourself and please be creative.
One is, I’m a voracious consumer of popular culture. I try finding things that are becoming mythic in our current society, and try to relate them to mythologies of old, which is a fun exercise sometimes. Another, while I don’t have the extensive experience you have behind the wheel, I had the opportunity once to run the Petty Experience, so I can honestly say I’ve driven on the track at Michigan International at a pretty decent speed for that school, I managed a respectable 120 on my best hot lap.
As a writer and drag racer myself, I have to admit I'm a bit envious of your driving adventure which was more than 'respectable', my friend!
Kitty: You never told me about that one.
Don: You never asked.
Kitty: Jealous!!!
Don: Anyway … third, both me and my wife are fans of fantasy fiction, so much so that our daughter shares her first name with the female lead of the Sword of Truth series, Kahlan.
And Kahlan is such a beautiful name for your sweet and beautiful baby girl.
If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?
I’d try a little harder with the cover of The Advance Guard. Even the second version. Now that I have access to Photoshop and a decent cover designer, I’d want to do something much better than the stock-photo cover it currently has, or the MS Paint explosion of the original cover.
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author, as well as the best compliment?
I recently got the toughest criticism on The Advance Guard, from a Goodreads user who gave it a one-star rating and called it “immature,” which I’m willing to agree with him on, it’s not exactly my best writing on display. At least he was being constructive about why he disliked the book, and I appreciate that. The best compliment came from one of the previous bloggers on the Tour, Kris Plausky at Second Book to the Right, when in her review of Infernal Eighteenshe mentioned that she had come to love Alanna. I don’t think any author can ask any more of their character than to make readers fall in love with them, and I was very happy that Kris made this mention.
Well, I agree with Ms. Plausky, so consider that a double. Now, would you share with us who designed the covers?
The covers of the first two books were done by me, using the CreateSpace Cover Creator, which is why they have random stock photos on them rather than actual fantasy artwork. Insurgent’s Journal is intended to be a transitional book from Cover Creator to Photoshop, which again I did. The most recent one, though, has been a combined tour de force between a piece of artwork I drew and my wife Stacey’s abilities with Photoshop, particularly layering multiple images with each other, and I’m thoroughly happy with it, so much so that I might have to re-do the other three covers at some point.
The work you and Stacey have done for me has been very impressive. Did you learn anything from writing your book, and if so, what was it?
Mainly, speed ain’t everything. This book took me the longest of any of the Phantom Squadron books to finish … the others were done in a matter of anywhere from one to three months, but this one took me a good ten months to write, not only because of the research, but also because of the growth of my family … baby commitments outweigh writing at this point in time. However, I can honestly say I’m quite happy with the end results.
This is so interesting, but let me pause for a moment.
Kitty, would you please introduce yourself for those readers who may not realize just who you are?
Okay. My name’s Katrina Salem, but folks always call me Kitty because if they don’t I punch them. I’m one of the proprietors of the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch, but for reasons related to our current status as government fugitives I’d rather not reveal the Ranch’s location. I run the ranch with my husband Cyrus and our daughter Michika. Oh, and long before I was married, I was a cat girl.
A cat girl — I love that. I’m curious about something though, why do you call it the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch? Is there any significance to that in relation to your current situation?
Well, we originally called it that because it was really hidden away in such a secluded place that we barely got any traffic, ever, even though the Ranch is the only landmark for miles around. Y’know, we’re so incognito that we’re hidden in plain sight. As things deteriorated, though, and we started getting harassed by the government for our perceived crimes as supernaturals, the name became more of an omen for our current work in helping innocents escape the New Empire of America.
You have quite the past, having previously been a cat girl. What kind of perspective can you give us on that?
Oh, there are some stories I could tell … honestly, though, the one thing I would tell your readers about living that life is, it really was a bit of a PITA from time to time. I mean after all, I’ve got my entire body covered in fur … which by the way itches like hell sometimes, especially in humid weather … I’m a foot and a half taller than I’m used to because I’m always walking on the balls of my feet, so I’d clock myself on doorways sometimes, and don’t get me started on how weird it was to have something extra in my pants.
It was a TAIL. Get your minds out of the gutter, all’a you!
You are a hoot, Kitty! What do you currently do at the Ranch? Is your family involved?
Right now we’re ferrying supernaturals out of the New Empire and getting them to a place where they’ll be safe and undetected. Because of our need for secrecy, I can’t tell you exactly where they’re going … you never know who’s going to be listening, after all. My husband set up the pathway and assists me with the day-to-day operations of the regular part of the Ranch, since we still have to have our working aspect, which includes our herds of bison. Michika, though, she’s been going out on expeditions with her best friend Alanna Sharpe … she’s the daughter of a couple of very close family friends of ours … and trying to take the fight directly to the New Empire.
What is your opinion on our current gun control debate?
Don’t punish us responsible gun owners. Besides that, good luck taking any of my guns away. I’ve got a personal stockpile hidden in a place in the Ranch only I can access. If any New Empire blueshirt comes through trying to take my guns, he’s going to leave with some serious alterations at the hands of my husband, my daughter, and my Smith & Wessons.
How does your military past influence your present? Does it change how you are as a wife and mother, as opposed to others?
I don’t think it’s affected how I parent Michika that much. She’s sixteen now, getting into that part of her life when she thinks she’s indestructible, and to a certain extent she might be, but I still worry. Oh sure, I taught her to shoot almost the minute she was out of diapers, but I still punished her if she disobeyed me or Cyrus, and we still did kind of girly things together. I don’t think I’m that much of a different mother.
Don: Kitty, you were a Navy SEAL. That kind of changes just about everything.
Kitty: Shut up, you. I’m workin’ the room here!
Don, she might be YOUR character, but I believe we all know who's the 'boss'. LOL. What’s the defining quality of your personality, Kitty?
I’d like to think that I’m a strong, loyal ally. Cyrus sees through that, though, and he knows that in certain regards I can be a big softie. When the chips are down, I’m right behind you, running into the fight.
Don: (cough)combat monster(cough)
Kitty: HEY!
This might be a silly question to ask, but what is your opinion of your author?
He’s a nice guy and all, but pretty useless in a fight.
Don: Just because I’m a pacifist …
Kitty: And there’s nothing wrong with that, buddy. Let me finish, okay? He’s a nice guy, from what I understand he’s a pretty decent dad and an okay husband, but I think he really shines when he writes.
Don: You’re just saying that so you’ll get some juicier stuff to do.
Kitty: You’re damn right I am.
I must say, this has been one of the most intensified interviews I’ve had ever had the opportunity to do. Thank you, Don and Kitty for such a mesmerizing and spectacular time!
Readers, be sure to check out Don’s links and order your copies of all his incredible novels.
Now Don, I’ve read several of your books, but how would you describe this novel to someone who is unaware of your previous work?
It’s a bit difficult to do, especially if they’re not familiar with the characters or concepts. What I would basically say would be this book involves a deeply emotional story of a girl who loves her father very much … so much so that she’s willing to risk the trials of Hell to get to his soul and rescue him from an unearned damnation.
If there is another book in the works, will it also feature Kitty?
Kitty: It had better!
Don: Of course. We can’t have the Ranch be without one of its proprietors. Kitty will be playing a role in the last book of the series, that’s a definite.
Did you do any particular research, and if so, what was the most personally interesting to you? Were there any facts, symbols, or themes that you would have liked to include, but they just didn't make into the story?
In the front matter, I give a shout-out to David Bruce, who put out a version of Dante’s Inferno re-written in prose (as opposed to a poem). This was my primary source for what Alanna is going to face in Hell, but some of Dante’s punishments are altered slightly to fit the more modern milieu in which Alanna is entering Hell. There was a lot of interesting material in the poem that I would’ve loved to put in … maybe spent more time with the flatterers, or tried to cross through the boiling pitch Dante found in part of Circle 8 without flying over it … but to expedite the story and not get bogged down too much in the rich symbolism of Dante’s work, I had to bypass those places for others which worked better for my history, such as every place Alanna finds one of her ancestors.
Give us three "Good to Know" facts about yourself and please be creative.
One is, I’m a voracious consumer of popular culture. I try finding things that are becoming mythic in our current society, and try to relate them to mythologies of old, which is a fun exercise sometimes. Another, while I don’t have the extensive experience you have behind the wheel, I had the opportunity once to run the Petty Experience, so I can honestly say I’ve driven on the track at Michigan International at a pretty decent speed for that school, I managed a respectable 120 on my best hot lap.
As a writer and drag racer myself, I have to admit I'm a bit envious of your driving adventure which was more than 'respectable', my friend!
Kitty: You never told me about that one.
Don: You never asked.
Kitty: Jealous!!!
Don: Anyway … third, both me and my wife are fans of fantasy fiction, so much so that our daughter shares her first name with the female lead of the Sword of Truth series, Kahlan.
And Kahlan is such a beautiful name for your sweet and beautiful baby girl.
If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?
I’d try a little harder with the cover of The Advance Guard. Even the second version. Now that I have access to Photoshop and a decent cover designer, I’d want to do something much better than the stock-photo cover it currently has, or the MS Paint explosion of the original cover.
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author, as well as the best compliment?
I recently got the toughest criticism on The Advance Guard, from a Goodreads user who gave it a one-star rating and called it “immature,” which I’m willing to agree with him on, it’s not exactly my best writing on display. At least he was being constructive about why he disliked the book, and I appreciate that. The best compliment came from one of the previous bloggers on the Tour, Kris Plausky at Second Book to the Right, when in her review of Infernal Eighteenshe mentioned that she had come to love Alanna. I don’t think any author can ask any more of their character than to make readers fall in love with them, and I was very happy that Kris made this mention.
Well, I agree with Ms. Plausky, so consider that a double. Now, would you share with us who designed the covers?
The covers of the first two books were done by me, using the CreateSpace Cover Creator, which is why they have random stock photos on them rather than actual fantasy artwork. Insurgent’s Journal is intended to be a transitional book from Cover Creator to Photoshop, which again I did. The most recent one, though, has been a combined tour de force between a piece of artwork I drew and my wife Stacey’s abilities with Photoshop, particularly layering multiple images with each other, and I’m thoroughly happy with it, so much so that I might have to re-do the other three covers at some point.
The work you and Stacey have done for me has been very impressive. Did you learn anything from writing your book, and if so, what was it?
Mainly, speed ain’t everything. This book took me the longest of any of the Phantom Squadron books to finish … the others were done in a matter of anywhere from one to three months, but this one took me a good ten months to write, not only because of the research, but also because of the growth of my family … baby commitments outweigh writing at this point in time. However, I can honestly say I’m quite happy with the end results.
This is so interesting, but let me pause for a moment.
Kitty, would you please introduce yourself for those readers who may not realize just who you are?
Okay. My name’s Katrina Salem, but folks always call me Kitty because if they don’t I punch them. I’m one of the proprietors of the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch, but for reasons related to our current status as government fugitives I’d rather not reveal the Ranch’s location. I run the ranch with my husband Cyrus and our daughter Michika. Oh, and long before I was married, I was a cat girl.
A cat girl — I love that. I’m curious about something though, why do you call it the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch? Is there any significance to that in relation to your current situation?
Well, we originally called it that because it was really hidden away in such a secluded place that we barely got any traffic, ever, even though the Ranch is the only landmark for miles around. Y’know, we’re so incognito that we’re hidden in plain sight. As things deteriorated, though, and we started getting harassed by the government for our perceived crimes as supernaturals, the name became more of an omen for our current work in helping innocents escape the New Empire of America.
You have quite the past, having previously been a cat girl. What kind of perspective can you give us on that?
Oh, there are some stories I could tell … honestly, though, the one thing I would tell your readers about living that life is, it really was a bit of a PITA from time to time. I mean after all, I’ve got my entire body covered in fur … which by the way itches like hell sometimes, especially in humid weather … I’m a foot and a half taller than I’m used to because I’m always walking on the balls of my feet, so I’d clock myself on doorways sometimes, and don’t get me started on how weird it was to have something extra in my pants.
It was a TAIL. Get your minds out of the gutter, all’a you!
You are a hoot, Kitty! What do you currently do at the Ranch? Is your family involved?
Right now we’re ferrying supernaturals out of the New Empire and getting them to a place where they’ll be safe and undetected. Because of our need for secrecy, I can’t tell you exactly where they’re going … you never know who’s going to be listening, after all. My husband set up the pathway and assists me with the day-to-day operations of the regular part of the Ranch, since we still have to have our working aspect, which includes our herds of bison. Michika, though, she’s been going out on expeditions with her best friend Alanna Sharpe … she’s the daughter of a couple of very close family friends of ours … and trying to take the fight directly to the New Empire.
What is your opinion on our current gun control debate?
Don’t punish us responsible gun owners. Besides that, good luck taking any of my guns away. I’ve got a personal stockpile hidden in a place in the Ranch only I can access. If any New Empire blueshirt comes through trying to take my guns, he’s going to leave with some serious alterations at the hands of my husband, my daughter, and my Smith & Wessons.
How does your military past influence your present? Does it change how you are as a wife and mother, as opposed to others?
I don’t think it’s affected how I parent Michika that much. She’s sixteen now, getting into that part of her life when she thinks she’s indestructible, and to a certain extent she might be, but I still worry. Oh sure, I taught her to shoot almost the minute she was out of diapers, but I still punished her if she disobeyed me or Cyrus, and we still did kind of girly things together. I don’t think I’m that much of a different mother.
Don: Kitty, you were a Navy SEAL. That kind of changes just about everything.
Kitty: Shut up, you. I’m workin’ the room here!
Don, she might be YOUR character, but I believe we all know who's the 'boss'. LOL. What’s the defining quality of your personality, Kitty?
I’d like to think that I’m a strong, loyal ally. Cyrus sees through that, though, and he knows that in certain regards I can be a big softie. When the chips are down, I’m right behind you, running into the fight.
Don: (cough)combat monster(cough)
Kitty: HEY!
This might be a silly question to ask, but what is your opinion of your author?
He’s a nice guy and all, but pretty useless in a fight.
Don: Just because I’m a pacifist …
Kitty: And there’s nothing wrong with that, buddy. Let me finish, okay? He’s a nice guy, from what I understand he’s a pretty decent dad and an okay husband, but I think he really shines when he writes.
Don: You’re just saying that so you’ll get some juicier stuff to do.
Kitty: You’re damn right I am.
I must say, this has been one of the most intensified interviews I’ve had ever had the opportunity to do. Thank you, Don and Kitty for such a mesmerizing and spectacular time!
Readers, be sure to check out Don’s links and order your copies of all his incredible novels.
Author Interview - Ramblings of a Creative Double Dipper
Coming February 10th
Random Thoughts from an Ex-Cat Girl - Diary of a Fair Weather Diver
So this is what a diver’s blog looks like, huh? Interesting. So I was asked to talk about pets and writing.
Pets and writing? Who’s writing what? Unless you’re talking about that poor transcriber who’s stuck in exile … I know he had some cats when he was writing.
I think that includes me.
There’s some perspective that you should know about me. I’m an ex-cat girl. That doesn’t mean that I was some furry burlesque dancer or a crazy cat lady, either: I was literally a cat girl. As in my body was equal parts human and cat.
I don’t think anyone who ever saw me thought I was some kind of perv sexual desire. I was too busy kicking their asses for them to get too worked up in that regard. Most of the cat girls you see around the Interwebs and such are the sexytime kinds, but that doesn’t give us enough credit. Cat girls have a lot of potential power in them, you just need to see past the kawaii-ness and look at what they have to offer.
What about their minds? Not every cat girl you see is a bubbleheaded bimbo. It’s just an unfortunate fact that most of the ones I’ve seen in the media are either too stupid for their own good or too busy making sexy poses to ever answer an intelligent question. Why doesn’t anyone ask the cat girl what she thinks the group should do? Maybe she’s got a good idea, you never know until you ask!
What about strength? Sure, some of these girls seem to be more like domesticated cats, but what about the ones like I was, half big wildcat? When I had my cat body, I felt the tiger’s strength all the time. I knew, by tiger’s instinct, how to be quiet and stalk prey; how to use my speed to my advantage; most importantly, how to use the natural weapons in a cat’s arsenal to my advantage. There’s nothing quite like the ability to use retractable claws, as I’ve learned.
I know I can’t speak to this very well, but what about their actual emotions? Guys, I have some news for you: that cat girl in your adventuring party’s not there for arm-dressing, or for your personal gratification. She’s there to help you in any way she can, and more than just in the sense I know your tiny little horny brain is thinking of. She’s a person. She thinks. She cries. She laughs. If you cross her, she’ll slap your face off your head. She has more than a gymnast’s body under a soft coat of fur; she’s got a heart, too. If you’d ever bother actually talking to her, as opposed to just ogling her, you’d know this.
I’d like to think of myself as a role model for current and future aspiring cat girls everywhere … a rounded character, one that’s respected by my female and male companions alike. Now, I know what some folks are going to say … I’m an ex-cat girl, why do I even think this way anymore? Once you go cat, you never go back, to coin a phrase. I see all these exploited cat girls around me, and it’s all I can do not to weep.
My husband’s been the best thing that’s been in my life. We met while I was in my cat girl phase, but he was more impressed with my combat prowess and my character, and the body stuff wasn’t that major of a factor. We’ve been married now for … wow, is it really seventeen years? Even though that’s just a teeny drop in the bucket for Cyrus, time flies when you’re with your soul mate, believe me.
All I hope for is that, should my daughter ever find herself in the role of cat girl, she takes a cue from her mom and retains her personality. Hope that she doesn’t just turn into some sex object.
And if she does …
Well, according to my sixteen-foot gun rack, God may own their soul but their ass will be mine.
Kitty Salem, her husband Cyrus, daughter Michika, and family friend William White Bear post from their hiding place on Tumblr at the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch (http://hiddeninplainsightranch.tumblr.com). For more information on their ally Alanna Sharpe’s adventures, pick up Infernal Eighteen, the fourth novel in the Phantom Squadron series, at http://phantomsquadronofficial.weebly.com.
Pets and writing? Who’s writing what? Unless you’re talking about that poor transcriber who’s stuck in exile … I know he had some cats when he was writing.
I think that includes me.
There’s some perspective that you should know about me. I’m an ex-cat girl. That doesn’t mean that I was some furry burlesque dancer or a crazy cat lady, either: I was literally a cat girl. As in my body was equal parts human and cat.
I don’t think anyone who ever saw me thought I was some kind of perv sexual desire. I was too busy kicking their asses for them to get too worked up in that regard. Most of the cat girls you see around the Interwebs and such are the sexytime kinds, but that doesn’t give us enough credit. Cat girls have a lot of potential power in them, you just need to see past the kawaii-ness and look at what they have to offer.
What about their minds? Not every cat girl you see is a bubbleheaded bimbo. It’s just an unfortunate fact that most of the ones I’ve seen in the media are either too stupid for their own good or too busy making sexy poses to ever answer an intelligent question. Why doesn’t anyone ask the cat girl what she thinks the group should do? Maybe she’s got a good idea, you never know until you ask!
What about strength? Sure, some of these girls seem to be more like domesticated cats, but what about the ones like I was, half big wildcat? When I had my cat body, I felt the tiger’s strength all the time. I knew, by tiger’s instinct, how to be quiet and stalk prey; how to use my speed to my advantage; most importantly, how to use the natural weapons in a cat’s arsenal to my advantage. There’s nothing quite like the ability to use retractable claws, as I’ve learned.
I know I can’t speak to this very well, but what about their actual emotions? Guys, I have some news for you: that cat girl in your adventuring party’s not there for arm-dressing, or for your personal gratification. She’s there to help you in any way she can, and more than just in the sense I know your tiny little horny brain is thinking of. She’s a person. She thinks. She cries. She laughs. If you cross her, she’ll slap your face off your head. She has more than a gymnast’s body under a soft coat of fur; she’s got a heart, too. If you’d ever bother actually talking to her, as opposed to just ogling her, you’d know this.
I’d like to think of myself as a role model for current and future aspiring cat girls everywhere … a rounded character, one that’s respected by my female and male companions alike. Now, I know what some folks are going to say … I’m an ex-cat girl, why do I even think this way anymore? Once you go cat, you never go back, to coin a phrase. I see all these exploited cat girls around me, and it’s all I can do not to weep.
My husband’s been the best thing that’s been in my life. We met while I was in my cat girl phase, but he was more impressed with my combat prowess and my character, and the body stuff wasn’t that major of a factor. We’ve been married now for … wow, is it really seventeen years? Even though that’s just a teeny drop in the bucket for Cyrus, time flies when you’re with your soul mate, believe me.
All I hope for is that, should my daughter ever find herself in the role of cat girl, she takes a cue from her mom and retains her personality. Hope that she doesn’t just turn into some sex object.
And if she does …
Well, according to my sixteen-foot gun rack, God may own their soul but their ass will be mine.
Kitty Salem, her husband Cyrus, daughter Michika, and family friend William White Bear post from their hiding place on Tumblr at the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch (http://hiddeninplainsightranch.tumblr.com). For more information on their ally Alanna Sharpe’s adventures, pick up Infernal Eighteen, the fourth novel in the Phantom Squadron series, at http://phantomsquadronofficial.weebly.com.
Romance? Who the F**k has Time for That Now? - Seers, Seraphs, Immortals, and More!
By Michika Salem (http://hiddeninplainsightranch.tumblr.com)
If Mom and Dad knew I was writing this, they’d kick my ass so hard …
Anyway, today I was asked to write this entry about relationships. I think my title speaks for the general attitude around this place … we’re in the middle of a goddamn war here, who’s got time to hook up when people on all sides of you are trying to kill you? Though y’know, I’ve found around here at the Ranch that a lot of us found ways to make relationships work, despite the odds.
I think we can even go back further than this current crappy situation we’re in on this. Travel back in time with me, kiddies, while I explore a squicky topic for a lot of folks: parents dating! (Yuck!)
I think the best ones to start with are the ones I know best, my own parents. My dad Cyrus and mom Kitty, now there’s an odd couple if you ever saw one. Dad’s a nearly immortal wizard, he’s God knows how old, and on a good day he’s just over two and a half feet tall. Mom was a Navy SEAL, knows her way around more guns than I can even count, and at one point she was turned into every furry otaku’s wet dream, a cat girl. What do they have in common?
Plenty.
For starters they’re both supernaturals, and at least right now that’s the biggest no-no in the New Empire, punishable by persecution and death. Second, they have similar personalities. As much as Dad doesn’t want to admit it, he’s got a temper on him, and sometimes can overreact. Case in point, when his best friend was killed on a mission, Dad blew the assailant’s head off with a magic spell that also wrecked half of the room. Mom’s never been shy about her attitude and her temper; she and her best friend got into a fistfight aboard a submarine once. On top of that, they’re both career soldiers … at least Mom is, Dad’s been a soldier so many times in his life he’s lost track … they both play hellacious chess games, and are really loyal to their friends.
That was all present, even before they were a couple. They wound up on the same team, and now they’re married. I think it has to do with their personalities and their general liking of each other, and not other factors … the fact that Mom breast-fed Dad back to life once, for instance …
Sorry … just threw up in my mouth a little bit at that image. Let’s move on.
My best friend Alanna’s parents, they’re the stars of the story. I think if you looked up “storybook couple” in the dictionary, you’d see their picture, and it’s not just because her dad Cole’s a knight and her mom Ariel’s a dragon. See, you’d think that would create too much friction, and not of the sexy kind. Knights are always trying to kill dragons, after all, and they were no different their first time meeting.
Talk about a misunderstanding. Cole was testing paladin powers he didn’t know about for the first time, and Ariel was distraught because one of her best friends was just killed … and it happened to be Cole’s dad.
They had a couple of arguments, but I think the turning point came when he saved her life, stopping her from killing herself. Oh I should have mentioned that, she tended to be suicidal a lot, and he prevented her from dying once. Alanna is always telling me how her mom talks about her visions, how she knew her dad was the one she was destined to love, but I personally don’t buy it. I’ve never been one to take stock in that stuff, after all.
They went through lots of hell there. They both fought demons, right alongside Mom and Dad, and sometimes the demons did more damage than anyone should be expected to handle. Alanna’s dad nearly died once, trying to stop Armageddon. Literally. Yeah, he got stabbed by a demon knight, but it wound up being Ariel’s love that helped bring him back from the injury.
Now we’re at the present, at the New Empire era, and both of those couples, to my knowledge, are still fairly strong. Mom and Dad bicker from time to time, and even fight occasionally, but deep down they still love each other. Alanna’s parents are missing right now, but I think they still loved each other a lot.
There’s rumblings of sweetness around here now, too. Alanna’s been mooning over a dude that showed up here about a year ago, big Ojibwa guy by the name of William. (I call him Willie just because I know it annoys him!) How it’s possible I don’t know … the government’s trying to kill us every time we turn around, and folks in general hate all supernaturals’ guts, but somehow those two became a couple. When they’re together, they’re inseperable. It’s kinda cute in a way, I guess …
Crap, who am I kidding? Can I tell you something in confidence?
A short time before Willie showed up, we were joined by an honest-to-God prince, Fahaian. He’s cute, charming, cultured … really knows how to treat a lady … on top of that, I think he really likes me …
Uh oh, Mom’s coming. Sorry to cut this short!
(What? I wasn’t doing anything, Mom! You can put the rifle away now …)
Michika Salem, her father Cyrus, her mother Kitty, and family friend William White Bear post from their hiding place on Tumblr at the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch (http://hiddeninplainsightranch.tumblr.com). Follow the most recent exploits of their ally Alanna Sharpe in Infernal Eighteen, available in paperback and e-book formats at http://phantomsquadronofficial.weebly.com.
If Mom and Dad knew I was writing this, they’d kick my ass so hard …
Anyway, today I was asked to write this entry about relationships. I think my title speaks for the general attitude around this place … we’re in the middle of a goddamn war here, who’s got time to hook up when people on all sides of you are trying to kill you? Though y’know, I’ve found around here at the Ranch that a lot of us found ways to make relationships work, despite the odds.
I think we can even go back further than this current crappy situation we’re in on this. Travel back in time with me, kiddies, while I explore a squicky topic for a lot of folks: parents dating! (Yuck!)
I think the best ones to start with are the ones I know best, my own parents. My dad Cyrus and mom Kitty, now there’s an odd couple if you ever saw one. Dad’s a nearly immortal wizard, he’s God knows how old, and on a good day he’s just over two and a half feet tall. Mom was a Navy SEAL, knows her way around more guns than I can even count, and at one point she was turned into every furry otaku’s wet dream, a cat girl. What do they have in common?
Plenty.
For starters they’re both supernaturals, and at least right now that’s the biggest no-no in the New Empire, punishable by persecution and death. Second, they have similar personalities. As much as Dad doesn’t want to admit it, he’s got a temper on him, and sometimes can overreact. Case in point, when his best friend was killed on a mission, Dad blew the assailant’s head off with a magic spell that also wrecked half of the room. Mom’s never been shy about her attitude and her temper; she and her best friend got into a fistfight aboard a submarine once. On top of that, they’re both career soldiers … at least Mom is, Dad’s been a soldier so many times in his life he’s lost track … they both play hellacious chess games, and are really loyal to their friends.
That was all present, even before they were a couple. They wound up on the same team, and now they’re married. I think it has to do with their personalities and their general liking of each other, and not other factors … the fact that Mom breast-fed Dad back to life once, for instance …
Sorry … just threw up in my mouth a little bit at that image. Let’s move on.
My best friend Alanna’s parents, they’re the stars of the story. I think if you looked up “storybook couple” in the dictionary, you’d see their picture, and it’s not just because her dad Cole’s a knight and her mom Ariel’s a dragon. See, you’d think that would create too much friction, and not of the sexy kind. Knights are always trying to kill dragons, after all, and they were no different their first time meeting.
Talk about a misunderstanding. Cole was testing paladin powers he didn’t know about for the first time, and Ariel was distraught because one of her best friends was just killed … and it happened to be Cole’s dad.
They had a couple of arguments, but I think the turning point came when he saved her life, stopping her from killing herself. Oh I should have mentioned that, she tended to be suicidal a lot, and he prevented her from dying once. Alanna is always telling me how her mom talks about her visions, how she knew her dad was the one she was destined to love, but I personally don’t buy it. I’ve never been one to take stock in that stuff, after all.
They went through lots of hell there. They both fought demons, right alongside Mom and Dad, and sometimes the demons did more damage than anyone should be expected to handle. Alanna’s dad nearly died once, trying to stop Armageddon. Literally. Yeah, he got stabbed by a demon knight, but it wound up being Ariel’s love that helped bring him back from the injury.
Now we’re at the present, at the New Empire era, and both of those couples, to my knowledge, are still fairly strong. Mom and Dad bicker from time to time, and even fight occasionally, but deep down they still love each other. Alanna’s parents are missing right now, but I think they still loved each other a lot.
There’s rumblings of sweetness around here now, too. Alanna’s been mooning over a dude that showed up here about a year ago, big Ojibwa guy by the name of William. (I call him Willie just because I know it annoys him!) How it’s possible I don’t know … the government’s trying to kill us every time we turn around, and folks in general hate all supernaturals’ guts, but somehow those two became a couple. When they’re together, they’re inseperable. It’s kinda cute in a way, I guess …
Crap, who am I kidding? Can I tell you something in confidence?
A short time before Willie showed up, we were joined by an honest-to-God prince, Fahaian. He’s cute, charming, cultured … really knows how to treat a lady … on top of that, I think he really likes me …
Uh oh, Mom’s coming. Sorry to cut this short!
(What? I wasn’t doing anything, Mom! You can put the rifle away now …)
Michika Salem, her father Cyrus, her mother Kitty, and family friend William White Bear post from their hiding place on Tumblr at the Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch (http://hiddeninplainsightranch.tumblr.com). Follow the most recent exploits of their ally Alanna Sharpe in Infernal Eighteen, available in paperback and e-book formats at http://phantomsquadronofficial.weebly.com.
Author Interview - The Daughter of Prophecy
First off, I want to thank you, Don, for taking the time to talk with me today.
Thank you too, Evelyn, for agreeing to be part of the tour.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? When I'm not writing, I'm a developmental writing professor at a small East Texas college, so every aspect of my professional life deals with writing. I'm also getting the hang of being a father, with my six-month-old daughter.
When did you begin writing?
At a very early age, probably around seven or eight years old. My first memory regarding writing was getting a Young Authors Conference selection in fifth grade, which started me on the path I walk now. I was a Young Authors selection for two years in a row, and in fact recently while rearranging my house I found the second year's manuscript, which now has a place of honor on my bookshelf.
What inspires you to write and why?
I get affected by the events and people around me. To give an example, the crux of Phantom Squadron stemmed originally from the 9/11 attacks, and my own reflections on how evil someone would have to be to perpetrate such an atrocity. Starting with the third book, the focus shifted to looking at how American politics has changed the landscape of society, in particular how partisan dogma on both sides is threatening our nation as we know it. I use my writing as a coping mechanism, to make sense of the world around me.
What do you do when you are not writing, besides taking care of that lovely daughter of your?
Honestly, I haven't been able to do much that doesn't involve writing lately, other than keeping up with housekeeping, car maintenance, and such. Of course, keeping up with Kahlan is a big chunk of my life now, so it sometimes gets hard to do any writing at all. When we do get the chance, though, me and my wife enjoy travel and movies.
Why did you choose to write this particular storyline?
I'm reaching a point in my writing life where I need to resolve some stories. Phantom Squadron has been a part of my imagination, and thus part of my existence, going on twelve years now. I've reached a point where I can't raise the stakes much higher. What could be higher than trying to find your captive family? Why, if one of them happens to be held, literally, in Hell. I'm also known as a writer who likes to torture his characters, and this seemed like a really good wringer to put my heroine through.
How did you come up with the titles for your novels?
It feels right and matches a theme. My first one was intended to be a prequel of sorts to the series, so I chose the title "The Advance Guard" to reflect that it's the origins of the team, kind of like the advance guard of an army going into battle. The second one just sounded neat, to use a Navajo word for their own people which just happened to have good alliteration with the word "dragon," so I went with it. The three books that are concluding the series are going to be thematically linked because all of them will include an important word starting with an I, just as a stylistic practice.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I have three themes that run through all of the Phantom Squadron books, three core values that my characters cherish: honor, family, and love. "Infernal Eighteen" focuses on the last two of those core values, particularly Alanna's family and her love for her father, which is what drives her to go into Hell. The single biggest message I want to give readers with this book is to never underestimate love's power.
How and where can we purchase your book?
We're doing a simultaneous print and digital release, like we've done with other books from Desert Coyote Productions, so readers will be able to buy the books through two websites (http://desertcoyote.weebly.com or http://phantomsquadronofficial.weebly.com), through Smashwords, or through any fine online book retailer like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the like. We've thus far had some rough luck getting the books into brick-and-mortar stores, but we're still trying!
Thanks again, Don, It was great speaking with you.
The pleasure's all mine, Evelyn. Thank you again!
Thank you too, Evelyn, for agreeing to be part of the tour.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? When I'm not writing, I'm a developmental writing professor at a small East Texas college, so every aspect of my professional life deals with writing. I'm also getting the hang of being a father, with my six-month-old daughter.
When did you begin writing?
At a very early age, probably around seven or eight years old. My first memory regarding writing was getting a Young Authors Conference selection in fifth grade, which started me on the path I walk now. I was a Young Authors selection for two years in a row, and in fact recently while rearranging my house I found the second year's manuscript, which now has a place of honor on my bookshelf.
What inspires you to write and why?
I get affected by the events and people around me. To give an example, the crux of Phantom Squadron stemmed originally from the 9/11 attacks, and my own reflections on how evil someone would have to be to perpetrate such an atrocity. Starting with the third book, the focus shifted to looking at how American politics has changed the landscape of society, in particular how partisan dogma on both sides is threatening our nation as we know it. I use my writing as a coping mechanism, to make sense of the world around me.
What do you do when you are not writing, besides taking care of that lovely daughter of your?
Honestly, I haven't been able to do much that doesn't involve writing lately, other than keeping up with housekeeping, car maintenance, and such. Of course, keeping up with Kahlan is a big chunk of my life now, so it sometimes gets hard to do any writing at all. When we do get the chance, though, me and my wife enjoy travel and movies.
Why did you choose to write this particular storyline?
I'm reaching a point in my writing life where I need to resolve some stories. Phantom Squadron has been a part of my imagination, and thus part of my existence, going on twelve years now. I've reached a point where I can't raise the stakes much higher. What could be higher than trying to find your captive family? Why, if one of them happens to be held, literally, in Hell. I'm also known as a writer who likes to torture his characters, and this seemed like a really good wringer to put my heroine through.
How did you come up with the titles for your novels?
It feels right and matches a theme. My first one was intended to be a prequel of sorts to the series, so I chose the title "The Advance Guard" to reflect that it's the origins of the team, kind of like the advance guard of an army going into battle. The second one just sounded neat, to use a Navajo word for their own people which just happened to have good alliteration with the word "dragon," so I went with it. The three books that are concluding the series are going to be thematically linked because all of them will include an important word starting with an I, just as a stylistic practice.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I have three themes that run through all of the Phantom Squadron books, three core values that my characters cherish: honor, family, and love. "Infernal Eighteen" focuses on the last two of those core values, particularly Alanna's family and her love for her father, which is what drives her to go into Hell. The single biggest message I want to give readers with this book is to never underestimate love's power.
How and where can we purchase your book?
We're doing a simultaneous print and digital release, like we've done with other books from Desert Coyote Productions, so readers will be able to buy the books through two websites (http://desertcoyote.weebly.com or http://phantomsquadronofficial.weebly.com), through Smashwords, or through any fine online book retailer like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the like. We've thus far had some rough luck getting the books into brick-and-mortar stores, but we're still trying!
Thanks again, Don, It was great speaking with you.
The pleasure's all mine, Evelyn. Thank you again!
Author Interview - Awesome Books
The Advance Guard by Don Martinez
Book Summary: Over the course of history, a team of four supernatural agents has been assembled for a Black Ops team unlike any other.The Guardsman : ageless paladin knight.Cyrus Salem: immortal shrinking wizard.Kitty Lazarus: woman warrior in a cat's body.Ariel Vibria: modern dragon with a tortured soul.Both separately and together, these agents will face down an enemy of immense evil, with the fate of the world itself possibly in the balance, rising above their differences and individual traumas and coming together to face Sheol, a demonic matriarch hiding within one of the holiest sites in Europe.Each agent has his own concerns. Is being the Guardsman worth the sacrifice of childhood Ken Sharpe made to be the paladin? Will Cyrus continue to shrink throughout history? What purpose does the Hindu god Durga have for Kitty? What will happen if the secretive government project that produced Ariel comes to search for their missing experiment?Do they have a chance against Sheol?
Dinetah Dragon by Don Martinez Book Summary:
In 2015, the author discovered by accident a budget accounting for a mysterious Special Forces team operated solely by the CIA. In questioning its origins, he was put in contact with Ariel Sharpe, one of the team's members, who agreed to meet with him in a secret location to share the story of the team, and that of her own life. Ariel's life is one of isolated existence, both physically in the Arizona desert and emotionally from her surrounding peers. The isolation becomes even greater when she volunteers to become among the first wave of the nation's new Super Soldiers, only to wind up bound to a genetically-engineered dragon, complete with the scaly complexion and beastly abilities. When she escapes this sinister project she crosses paths with a Navy man who steers her into Special Forces. This team of professional soldiers, all of which embody legendary archetypes, becomes her new family, a place where she truly feels welcomed among people for the first time. The team's adventures in the shadowy supernatural world, though, hold the fate of the entire world in the balance, culminating in their final mission to stop Armageddon itself from commencing in the place where Ariel's story first began, the deserts and mesas of the American southwest. Through pain and joy, through suicide attempts and vicious fighting, Ariel survived to tell her tale. Learn how she not only reached a peaceful existence ... she truly earned it.
The Insurgent's Journal by Don Martinez Book Summary:
The United States is no more. The New Empire of America holds power now. The people of the former U.S.A now live in the "glory" of President-for-Life Carleton Regent, his wife and Vice President Jennifer, and the immensely powerful Supernatural Suppression Agency. Their goal: eliminate all supernaturals! A victim of the SSA's purges is Alanna Sharpe, now missing her supernatural parents Ariel and Cole. Summoned by her parents' former ally Gabe Francis, she takes the burden of her Sharpe birthright ... the Sword of the Guardsman. Gabe presents Alanna with a quest. To save her parents, she must bring down the New Empire of America! Alanna pushes forth against the SSA and its field commander, General Tyrelius Scolar. But will Alanna be prepared for the haunting secret behind the rise of Scolar, the SSA, and the New Empire?
Infernal Eighteen by Don Martinez Book Summary: Alanna Sharpe is going to Hell. . .In hiding for half a year after discovering her father Cole Sharpe has become General Tyrelius Scolar, her feared enemy, she is brought back into the fold of the insurgency against the New Empire of America by Gabe Francis … a man she distrusts because of his habit of holding back vital information.
Her friends still support her in her mission to reunite her family, but that mission takes an unexpected turn when the insurgents capture Scolar. Gabe reveals to Alanna that Scolar is indeed Cole, but is also simply a body lacking its original soul, that of her father.
In a quiet moment, alone with the comatose body, Alanna catches snippets of a message.
“Find me …”
The search for her father’s soul will cross over many planes of existence, from the world of the living to the mystical realm of Avalon, ultimately leading into the Inferno of Hell. Led through the many circles of damnation by a former family enemy-turned-guide, Alanna must now endure all of Hell’s torments and follow her father’s path if she ever wants to be reunited with him.
To have any chance of reuniting her family, Alanna must bring her father back from damnation’s grasp.
Syi's Summary: So first I would like to thank Don for these four amazing ebook copy of The Advance Guard series. It was really interesting and I really like it. I found the fourth book the best out of the three. Though overall they are all great!
Book Rate: 8.9
Here is a interview about Don Martinez:
1. How long does it take you to write a whole book?
It depends on how much the writing is flowing when I'm writing ... sometimes it takes longer than others. As far as the series goes, the first book was written in four months (it was part of an assignment for a college course in the craft of writing); Dinetah Dragon was written (and completed) during NaNoWriMo 2010, so it took a month; The Insurgent's Journal was my NaNo for 2011, but it actually took me about three months to finish; and because of life events going on, this recent book took the longest of any of my books to complete, almost seven months from start to finish.
2. What genres do you like to read.
Primarily I like reading speculative fiction, like sci-fi and fantasy. I have a wide definition of speculative, though, which includes such offshoots as dystopian fiction, alternate history (I love Harry Turtledove!), and other kinds of fiction that uses a weird world to comment on current society.
3. Where were you born?
People are surprised when I say this, but I was born in Japan. When I give the logical explanation ... I came from parents who were both career Navy ... the surprise kind of dies down.
4. How many books have you written so far?
Infernal Eighteen is my fourth novel. I have a fifth one in process, which I'm hoping to release next year, and will finish up my series.
5. What is your hobby/hobbies?
I don't have a lot of time to pursue hobbies right now with my new baby daughter and all, but when I do get the chance, it's primarily puttering around the house, working on mine or my wife's cars, and things like that. ~Happy Reading Everybody~ That is all of the review!
Book Summary: Over the course of history, a team of four supernatural agents has been assembled for a Black Ops team unlike any other.The Guardsman : ageless paladin knight.Cyrus Salem: immortal shrinking wizard.Kitty Lazarus: woman warrior in a cat's body.Ariel Vibria: modern dragon with a tortured soul.Both separately and together, these agents will face down an enemy of immense evil, with the fate of the world itself possibly in the balance, rising above their differences and individual traumas and coming together to face Sheol, a demonic matriarch hiding within one of the holiest sites in Europe.Each agent has his own concerns. Is being the Guardsman worth the sacrifice of childhood Ken Sharpe made to be the paladin? Will Cyrus continue to shrink throughout history? What purpose does the Hindu god Durga have for Kitty? What will happen if the secretive government project that produced Ariel comes to search for their missing experiment?Do they have a chance against Sheol?
Dinetah Dragon by Don Martinez Book Summary:
In 2015, the author discovered by accident a budget accounting for a mysterious Special Forces team operated solely by the CIA. In questioning its origins, he was put in contact with Ariel Sharpe, one of the team's members, who agreed to meet with him in a secret location to share the story of the team, and that of her own life. Ariel's life is one of isolated existence, both physically in the Arizona desert and emotionally from her surrounding peers. The isolation becomes even greater when she volunteers to become among the first wave of the nation's new Super Soldiers, only to wind up bound to a genetically-engineered dragon, complete with the scaly complexion and beastly abilities. When she escapes this sinister project she crosses paths with a Navy man who steers her into Special Forces. This team of professional soldiers, all of which embody legendary archetypes, becomes her new family, a place where she truly feels welcomed among people for the first time. The team's adventures in the shadowy supernatural world, though, hold the fate of the entire world in the balance, culminating in their final mission to stop Armageddon itself from commencing in the place where Ariel's story first began, the deserts and mesas of the American southwest. Through pain and joy, through suicide attempts and vicious fighting, Ariel survived to tell her tale. Learn how she not only reached a peaceful existence ... she truly earned it.
The Insurgent's Journal by Don Martinez Book Summary:
The United States is no more. The New Empire of America holds power now. The people of the former U.S.A now live in the "glory" of President-for-Life Carleton Regent, his wife and Vice President Jennifer, and the immensely powerful Supernatural Suppression Agency. Their goal: eliminate all supernaturals! A victim of the SSA's purges is Alanna Sharpe, now missing her supernatural parents Ariel and Cole. Summoned by her parents' former ally Gabe Francis, she takes the burden of her Sharpe birthright ... the Sword of the Guardsman. Gabe presents Alanna with a quest. To save her parents, she must bring down the New Empire of America! Alanna pushes forth against the SSA and its field commander, General Tyrelius Scolar. But will Alanna be prepared for the haunting secret behind the rise of Scolar, the SSA, and the New Empire?
Infernal Eighteen by Don Martinez Book Summary: Alanna Sharpe is going to Hell. . .In hiding for half a year after discovering her father Cole Sharpe has become General Tyrelius Scolar, her feared enemy, she is brought back into the fold of the insurgency against the New Empire of America by Gabe Francis … a man she distrusts because of his habit of holding back vital information.
Her friends still support her in her mission to reunite her family, but that mission takes an unexpected turn when the insurgents capture Scolar. Gabe reveals to Alanna that Scolar is indeed Cole, but is also simply a body lacking its original soul, that of her father.
In a quiet moment, alone with the comatose body, Alanna catches snippets of a message.
“Find me …”
The search for her father’s soul will cross over many planes of existence, from the world of the living to the mystical realm of Avalon, ultimately leading into the Inferno of Hell. Led through the many circles of damnation by a former family enemy-turned-guide, Alanna must now endure all of Hell’s torments and follow her father’s path if she ever wants to be reunited with him.
To have any chance of reuniting her family, Alanna must bring her father back from damnation’s grasp.
Syi's Summary: So first I would like to thank Don for these four amazing ebook copy of The Advance Guard series. It was really interesting and I really like it. I found the fourth book the best out of the three. Though overall they are all great!
Book Rate: 8.9
Here is a interview about Don Martinez:
1. How long does it take you to write a whole book?
It depends on how much the writing is flowing when I'm writing ... sometimes it takes longer than others. As far as the series goes, the first book was written in four months (it was part of an assignment for a college course in the craft of writing); Dinetah Dragon was written (and completed) during NaNoWriMo 2010, so it took a month; The Insurgent's Journal was my NaNo for 2011, but it actually took me about three months to finish; and because of life events going on, this recent book took the longest of any of my books to complete, almost seven months from start to finish.
2. What genres do you like to read.
Primarily I like reading speculative fiction, like sci-fi and fantasy. I have a wide definition of speculative, though, which includes such offshoots as dystopian fiction, alternate history (I love Harry Turtledove!), and other kinds of fiction that uses a weird world to comment on current society.
3. Where were you born?
People are surprised when I say this, but I was born in Japan. When I give the logical explanation ... I came from parents who were both career Navy ... the surprise kind of dies down.
4. How many books have you written so far?
Infernal Eighteen is my fourth novel. I have a fifth one in process, which I'm hoping to release next year, and will finish up my series.
5. What is your hobby/hobbies?
I don't have a lot of time to pursue hobbies right now with my new baby daughter and all, but when I do get the chance, it's primarily puttering around the house, working on mine or my wife's cars, and things like that. ~Happy Reading Everybody~ That is all of the review!
Desert Coyote Productions Publisher Don Martinez Speaks Out with Author Lynn Hobbs - Desert Coyote Productions DCP News
The son of two 20 year navy vets, Don A. Martinez spent much of his formative years around the Pacific Rim before settling in the continental U.S., first in Michigan and New York before eventually landing in Texas.
He has been writing all of his life, getting his start in elementary school as a two-time Young Authors selection in Oak Harbor, Washington.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in writing and a Master of Arts degree in English from Buffalo State College (SUNY-College at Buffalo), where he wrote his thesis on application of mythic storytelling techniques to the modern media.
Currently, he lives with his wife Stacey, new daughter Kahlan, and four cats in Texas; where he is a college English instructor.
Professor, author of 4 novels, publisher of Desert Coyote Productions, new father - welcome!
LYNN - Don, you are a busy man! After writing 4 novels, what advice do you give other authors who may consider writing a series?
DON - Before you even think about starting to write, have at least an idea of where you want the series to go, and a general path of how to get there. Also, be prepared to spend a lot of time...and I mean A LOT of time...keeping your continuity straight, because one historical hiccup where you misinterpret a past event from one of your previous books will be jumped on quicker than you can imagine. You need to be prepared to face all of that before starting your own series.
LYNN - Your characters have various super natural powers that are helpful to them, and they also show emotions. What traits do they have that readers can relate to?
DON - It seems to be the human side of the characters that appeals to the people the most. These aren't just comic-book or role-playing-game archetype characters...they have distinct personalities, flaws, problems, and unique solutions to those problems. As an example, a recent review of Dinetah Dragon said that Ariel is the "soul" of the team because she feels her emotions the deepest, which appealed to the reviewer a great deal, mainly because she could relate to the human side of the character, as opposed to stopping at the dragon side. Responses like that, to me as a creative individual, are the most rewarding.
LYNN - As a college professor, you must have an amusing story to share. What funny incident have you experienced?
DON - Many times, the stories that seem funny in one context just seem depressing in another. I can say that I've had some unique things happen in my classes. For instance, a student one time lost credit on a paper because they plagiarized their own paper from the previous semester, simply changing minor details, but keeping the structure and much of the language identical. Another time, during a midterm exam a student veered way off the beaten path with their response to a question about Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, taking the time to write their own little story about a woman looking at a bird in a cage while they're imprisoned in their room, which was basically taking the Angelou title as a writing prompt.
LYNN - Your thesis on applying mythic storytelling techniques to the modern world is intriguing. Tell us about it.
DON - It's pretty much as simple as that. I took several pop culture properties from 1992 forward and compared them to mythic patterns presented by Joseph Campbell (the ever-popular monomyth) and Robert Jewitt and John Shelton Lawrence )the "American monomyth" common to superhero comics). You'd be surprised how much these patterns appear in varied media; over the course of the thesis I looked at such diverse sources as children's literature (His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman), sci-fi movies (District 9), and Japanese anime television series (One Piece), finding the mythic pattern in all of them. An unintended side effect, though, is now I can't watch a movie without looking for the benchmarks of the monomyths.
LYNN - What stands out in your mind that a reader has said about one of your books?
DON - I think the things that stand out are the words used to describe Dinetah Dragon, probably because it's more intimate and heartfelt than what people expect from fantasy. I found the quote from the aforementioned review...she described Ariel as "The one who seems to feel the deepest, empathizes the most, and brings emotions (good and bad ones) deepest into her." I've also heard from at least two readers who list Gabe Francis among their favorite characters in the series, which is quite an accomplishment since Gabe is kind of designed to be deeply mysterious and stay out of the way of the action at all costs. I found that interesting, actually, that folks like the character who intentionally avoids action in a fantasy novel.
LYNN - As a recent father, what tasks have you mastered in caring for your new baby?
DON - We figured out the diapering thing right off the bat, and the sleep patterns eventually came once we discovered the wondrous invention that is Velcro swaddle blankets. It also helps that Kahlan is turning into a really cool little girl, and showing a personality that tends to have "fearlessness" as its hallmark. That's troublesome for us, since she has a tendency to knock herself around trying new things ("Oh don't worry, it's just my head, nothing important!"), but I'd rather she be a courageous kid than a coward like I tended to be as a child.
LYNN - Your workload is tremendous, Don. What do you enjoy in your role as publisher?
DON - There's a certain satisfaction to the happiness authors show when they receive their proof copies, and realize their words are going to be in an honest-to-God book. That I can brighten my authors' day by making up their books to their specifications, getting word out on the releases, posting giveaways, and just all in all giving a helping hand is extremely satisfying.
LYNN - I am an animal lover, myself. What are the names of your cats? Do you have a favorite cat? If so, why?
DON - Our cats' names are themed. The two we brought to Texas from our previous home in New York came from the shelter with the names Lilo and Stitch; when we took two more black cats into our household that adopted us when we moved into tour home, we named them Leroy and Cobra Bubbles. As it happens, recently a fifth cat (orange tabby) has started hanging around our back deck and looking in our windows, and we've taken to calling him Reuben. (You kind of have to be a Disney buff to get the connection in the names.) As far as a favorite cat, they're all like children to us, but probably it would have to be Lilo because she's the one who's taken to being almost a "third parent" to Kahlan, and gets along with her the best.
LYNN - 2013 is still new. What are your goals for this year?
DON - To help as many students pass as I can, successfully release Phantom Squadron #4, maybe get into grad school, and be the best daddy to Kahlan and husband to Stacey I can possibly be.
LYNN - Please list your website and links for everyone to locate you, your books, and your publishing company. I have thoroughly enjoyed our interview!
DON - Thank you, too, Lynn!!
Don's books are available here at Desert Coyote Productions, at the Official Phantom Squadron Site, and on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords.
Connect with Don on Twitter (@Desert_Coyote13), at Facebook (Don A. Martinez, Fantasy Author), and on Goodreads.
He has been writing all of his life, getting his start in elementary school as a two-time Young Authors selection in Oak Harbor, Washington.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in writing and a Master of Arts degree in English from Buffalo State College (SUNY-College at Buffalo), where he wrote his thesis on application of mythic storytelling techniques to the modern media.
Currently, he lives with his wife Stacey, new daughter Kahlan, and four cats in Texas; where he is a college English instructor.
Professor, author of 4 novels, publisher of Desert Coyote Productions, new father - welcome!
LYNN - Don, you are a busy man! After writing 4 novels, what advice do you give other authors who may consider writing a series?
DON - Before you even think about starting to write, have at least an idea of where you want the series to go, and a general path of how to get there. Also, be prepared to spend a lot of time...and I mean A LOT of time...keeping your continuity straight, because one historical hiccup where you misinterpret a past event from one of your previous books will be jumped on quicker than you can imagine. You need to be prepared to face all of that before starting your own series.
LYNN - Your characters have various super natural powers that are helpful to them, and they also show emotions. What traits do they have that readers can relate to?
DON - It seems to be the human side of the characters that appeals to the people the most. These aren't just comic-book or role-playing-game archetype characters...they have distinct personalities, flaws, problems, and unique solutions to those problems. As an example, a recent review of Dinetah Dragon said that Ariel is the "soul" of the team because she feels her emotions the deepest, which appealed to the reviewer a great deal, mainly because she could relate to the human side of the character, as opposed to stopping at the dragon side. Responses like that, to me as a creative individual, are the most rewarding.
LYNN - As a college professor, you must have an amusing story to share. What funny incident have you experienced?
DON - Many times, the stories that seem funny in one context just seem depressing in another. I can say that I've had some unique things happen in my classes. For instance, a student one time lost credit on a paper because they plagiarized their own paper from the previous semester, simply changing minor details, but keeping the structure and much of the language identical. Another time, during a midterm exam a student veered way off the beaten path with their response to a question about Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, taking the time to write their own little story about a woman looking at a bird in a cage while they're imprisoned in their room, which was basically taking the Angelou title as a writing prompt.
LYNN - Your thesis on applying mythic storytelling techniques to the modern world is intriguing. Tell us about it.
DON - It's pretty much as simple as that. I took several pop culture properties from 1992 forward and compared them to mythic patterns presented by Joseph Campbell (the ever-popular monomyth) and Robert Jewitt and John Shelton Lawrence )the "American monomyth" common to superhero comics). You'd be surprised how much these patterns appear in varied media; over the course of the thesis I looked at such diverse sources as children's literature (His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman), sci-fi movies (District 9), and Japanese anime television series (One Piece), finding the mythic pattern in all of them. An unintended side effect, though, is now I can't watch a movie without looking for the benchmarks of the monomyths.
LYNN - What stands out in your mind that a reader has said about one of your books?
DON - I think the things that stand out are the words used to describe Dinetah Dragon, probably because it's more intimate and heartfelt than what people expect from fantasy. I found the quote from the aforementioned review...she described Ariel as "The one who seems to feel the deepest, empathizes the most, and brings emotions (good and bad ones) deepest into her." I've also heard from at least two readers who list Gabe Francis among their favorite characters in the series, which is quite an accomplishment since Gabe is kind of designed to be deeply mysterious and stay out of the way of the action at all costs. I found that interesting, actually, that folks like the character who intentionally avoids action in a fantasy novel.
LYNN - As a recent father, what tasks have you mastered in caring for your new baby?
DON - We figured out the diapering thing right off the bat, and the sleep patterns eventually came once we discovered the wondrous invention that is Velcro swaddle blankets. It also helps that Kahlan is turning into a really cool little girl, and showing a personality that tends to have "fearlessness" as its hallmark. That's troublesome for us, since she has a tendency to knock herself around trying new things ("Oh don't worry, it's just my head, nothing important!"), but I'd rather she be a courageous kid than a coward like I tended to be as a child.
LYNN - Your workload is tremendous, Don. What do you enjoy in your role as publisher?
DON - There's a certain satisfaction to the happiness authors show when they receive their proof copies, and realize their words are going to be in an honest-to-God book. That I can brighten my authors' day by making up their books to their specifications, getting word out on the releases, posting giveaways, and just all in all giving a helping hand is extremely satisfying.
LYNN - I am an animal lover, myself. What are the names of your cats? Do you have a favorite cat? If so, why?
DON - Our cats' names are themed. The two we brought to Texas from our previous home in New York came from the shelter with the names Lilo and Stitch; when we took two more black cats into our household that adopted us when we moved into tour home, we named them Leroy and Cobra Bubbles. As it happens, recently a fifth cat (orange tabby) has started hanging around our back deck and looking in our windows, and we've taken to calling him Reuben. (You kind of have to be a Disney buff to get the connection in the names.) As far as a favorite cat, they're all like children to us, but probably it would have to be Lilo because she's the one who's taken to being almost a "third parent" to Kahlan, and gets along with her the best.
LYNN - 2013 is still new. What are your goals for this year?
DON - To help as many students pass as I can, successfully release Phantom Squadron #4, maybe get into grad school, and be the best daddy to Kahlan and husband to Stacey I can possibly be.
LYNN - Please list your website and links for everyone to locate you, your books, and your publishing company. I have thoroughly enjoyed our interview!
DON - Thank you, too, Lynn!!
Don's books are available here at Desert Coyote Productions, at the Official Phantom Squadron Site, and on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords.
Connect with Don on Twitter (@Desert_Coyote13), at Facebook (Don A. Martinez, Fantasy Author), and on Goodreads.
Tour Wrap-Up - The Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch
Well, we’re back from the tour, and while it wasn‘t all smooth sailing, it was good all the same. We got our message out, and a lot more folks are aware now of our plight here.
Incidentally, there’s some other events circling around our tour, not the least of which is a chronicle of some of the events of our struggle, which was just released on the last day. Also, if you go here there’s a site offering a contest in conjunction with the tour.
Now it’s back to our regularly-scheduled fight for our lives.
—Kitty Salem
Incidentally, there’s some other events circling around our tour, not the least of which is a chronicle of some of the events of our struggle, which was just released on the last day. Also, if you go here there’s a site offering a contest in conjunction with the tour.
Now it’s back to our regularly-scheduled fight for our lives.
—Kitty Salem