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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Crusader: The Complete Series (Books 1 to 4)?

The Crusader Series was born out of my love for historical fiction and epic fantasy. I’ve always been fascinated by the gritty and grand tales of medieval Europe. Add a dash of dark fantasy, and you get a rich, immersive world where faith, duty, and personal redemption play key roles. It's a blend of my obsession with history and my passion for exploring the human psyche during turbulent times.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of The Crusader: The Complete Series (Books 1 to 4), what would they be?

I have a bit of a Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac obsession, so for Edweene the Lych, "Sisters of the Moon" by Fleetwood Mac is perfect. It captures her mysterious and powerful nature. Aaron could have "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits playing in the background, reflecting his loyalty and inner struggles.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

My favorite genres to read are epic fantasy and gothic horror. I love diving into dark, atmospheric tales that pull you into their world. Reading in these genres helps me to create sometimes dark, complex characters and immersive settings that blend heroism, something we seemed to have lost in fiction, with gritty, and dark themes.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Let's get weird with my TBR pile! Every year, I re-read "Dracula" because you can never have too much of the Count. I'm also working through a mountain of pulp favorites like Conan, Lovecraft, and Poe. Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are waiting for another visit, and one of these days, I'm going to tackle the last few books of the behemoth that is the Wheel of Time series. But, what I am really looking for are some indy or small press authors to support.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Probably impossible to say. I like the struggles between Aaron and Edweene in general--their relationship, Aaron's commitment to his faith, and the trouble and complexity that comes with their attachment to each other. From an action standpoint, one of my favorite scenes to write was Edweene's confrontation with the necromancer. The tension was palpable, the stakes were high, and the deep emotional undercurrents allowed me to really delve into her character's complexities and motivations.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Absolutely! As mentioned before, I'm a bit obsessed with Stevie Nicks, so I write to her darker, ethereal stuff. Her voice helps me escape where I am and enter some different, fantastic place. I don’t write in big blocks of time and often multitask between stories. Sometimes I write at work to escape whatever stressor I have at the moment, or during lunch. Writing is a constant draw for me, but it comes in bits and pieces. I can write large swaths of a story in a day, but it will be in little blocks, with cookies, coffee, and roast beef sandwiches in between.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

This is hard. I am not usually a "quotes to live by" person. But there is a line in Bram Stoker's "Dracula" from Van Helsing, when he is encouraging Jonathan, Arthur, Quincy and John, to go after the count with him, where he says: "But we are face to face with duty; and in such case must we shrink? For me, I say, no; but then I am old, and life, with his sunshine, his fair places, his song of birds, his music, and his love, lie far behind. You others are young. Some have seen sorrow; but there are fair days yet in store. What say you?" I think this idea of heroism in the face of darkness, there is risk, and sacrifice, but light will win out if we do our duty (in the moral sense) and face the darkness, is great. So much entertainment today is nihilistic. But hope in the face of challenge and risk is a better message. One can have a dark, gritty story, and not be resolved to misery in the end.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

I hope readers remember the resilience and complexity of the characters. Their struggles with faith, identity, and redemption are central to the story. If readers can take away a sense of inspiration from the characters' journeys to persevere, adapt, and even evolve, when odds are set against them, or their faith and beliefs are challenged, I'd view that as a success.

JP Wilder is the author of the new book The Crusader: The Complete Series (Books 1 to 4)

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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Prisoner (Tales of the Phoenix Titan Book 3)?

Much like the previous entries in the Tales of the Phoenix Titan series, Prisoner is a very different book. Heritage was, at its core, an adventure. Invidious was a heist that evolved into a thriller. Prisoner is a mix of survival, action, and investigation, but it also touches on some dark themes that set it apart from the prior books. That being said, it's still set against the same epic sci-fi backdrop, but everything is a little more grim this time around. For me, this was about writing a story that would place our heroes in a challenging situation, advance the world-building, and provide some big dramatic moments while closing off certain open threads. I guess that was my core inspiration going into this book; I wanted it to feel like a bookend within the wider series and give the reader some closure and a little intrigue as to how it will all progress into volume 4 and beyond.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Prisoner (Tales of the Phoenix Titan Book 3), what would they be?

Like I said, Prisoner is a pretty dark and brooding read. I tried to explore themes of isolation, the morality of choices, betrayal, loss of faith, corruption, and escaping one's demons, so any music that goes with it would need to evoke those somewhat hopeless sentiments. Right now, I'm listening to a bunch of soundtracks while writing, so for that reason, I'll pick "The Night King" by Ramin Djawadi. It's an intense track that captures the gravity of significant actions and has an overall moody feel.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

While I love to write sci-fi, I'm more than happy to branch out into crime, fantasy, comedy, adventure, and all the rest. I've even recently dipped my toe into the cozy genre with Travis Baldree's Legends and Lattes (which is an incredibly well-written yarn). For me, if the characters and world are well-written and not one-dimensional, I'm quite open to exploring various genres.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I'm delighted to be reading my most anticipated book of 2024, The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey. I adored The Expanse and consider that series one of my biggest inspirations for prose. To say I was excited to get my hands on their new book would be an understatement! I then have a backlog of about 30 books on the TBR pile, including but not limited to: The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville, The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne, Shogun by James Clavell, Dark Frontier by Matthew Harffy, and Falling by T.J. Newman. I've also been compelled to finally start Pierce Brown's Red Rising Saga!

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Writing the final 25% of Prisoner was a real highlight for me. It's full of dramatic moments that were incredibly satisfying to get out of my head and down onto paper. There will be significant ramifications from these pivotal character moments that will go on to define future books in the series.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Generally, no... I don't believe so, anyway. At times, I've needed to rely on music to concentrate, and at other times, I've needed pure silence to get through those tough moments.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

So, I'll happily admit that this book was incredibly tough to write at times. There were some hard characters and scenes where I had to psych myself up to get in the zone and push through. During those times, I referred back to my modern get-through-writing handbook, About Writing by Gareth L. Powell. In that book, Powell offers a line of brutal advice, which for me is like motivation in liquid concentrate form: "Just write the f*cking thing."

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Ultimately, I hope readers walk away feeling both satisfied with the journey and eager for what comes next. I hope they experience a deep and engaging story that not only wraps up significant arcs but also sets the stage for exciting new developments for future volumes.

S.M. Warlow is the author of the new book Prisoner (Tales of the Phoenix Titan Book 3)

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