What can you tell us about your new release, Akiri: The Scepter Of Xarbaal?
Brian: Akiri was conceived as antidote to the grimdark leanings of current fantasy, harking back to the wild adventure of the classics that older fantasy fans grew up reading. The thing is, the world has moved on, so it needed the same hard edge of modern fantasy and the sensibilities of today's best adventure novels.
We're fans of the Lone Ranger/Jack Reacher archetype of the stranger riding into town, saving the day and moving on. It's a classic for a reason; that stranger is dangerous. He's a rogue element in the status quo. He isn't beholden to anyone. He can take risks a family man wouldn't. He's the kind of guy the women of his world want to experience and the men want to be.
Akiri is a proper bastard. He’d kill you in a heartbeat and not lose a moment of sleep over it if needed to happen. He's pragmatic, but at heart is essentially a good guy. That's not to say he's two-dimensional. Killing isn't always his first solution to a problem. Indeed, sometimes he'll go a long way to avoid it, using his smarts (both book and street) to find another way. It was important to us that Akiri be more than just a killing machine--that wears thin pretty fast.
Compared to our other works, Akiri is a lot more action based. Both Steve and I concentrated on bringing the best out of each other and challenging each other to write outside of our comfort zones. That's how you get the best out of a story. Scarcely a chapter goes by where something major doesn’t happen. We wanted this to be a real adventure novel, an epic page turner. We were also focused on each book being a stand-alone novel rather than a long epic quest spread out through several volumes. There are four novels under contract so far, with some continuous threads written into each installment, but the plan is that they can be read in any order without detracting from the experience.
Who is your favorite fictional character from literature?
Brian: For me, Conan. How can anyone not love Conan? He simple, brutish, and the ultimate badass. I utterly devoured the series when I was a kid. In fact, he was my original inspiration for Akiri when I pitched it to Steve. After two previous epics, I was ready to return to my roots and write a good old fashioned slash and burn adventure.
Steven: Waylander the Slayer from David Gemmell's novels. Waylander's lost, a single event in his life sets him on a path that eventually turns him into an assassin who kills a king, but without that seemingly heinous act the good guys could never win a century later... there's a twisted nobility in him, and given the chance to change the past he's wise enough to know that he'd just take up his weapon somewhere else along the line because that's who he is.
You’re hosting a literary dinner party. Which three writers are invited?
Brian's party: Homer – How could I not take advantage of a chance to learn the source of his stories? Twain – His wit would keep things light and fun. Tolkien – Because…well…he’s Tolkien.
Steven's party: David Gemmell, David Eddings and Hugh Cook, the three writers of my youth, all sadly no longer with us, so one last chance to savor their collective wisdom and hear talk of the adventures they never got to write would be everything to this young reader.
What’s the last book you read?
Brian: I recently reread The Riders of the Sidhe by Kenneth C. Flint. I picked it up when I was a teen and absolutely loved it. I didn’t live near a library, and the nearest large bookstore was quite a drive. Fortunately, the drugstore across the street had a decent book section. That’s where I originally found it. I remember waiting months and months for the next installment. I must say that I found it to be every bit as good as I did back then.
Steven: When it comes to reading I've been struggling of late, not being engaged, putting books down half way, but the last novel I read was David Gemmell's final Rigante novel. I'd been saving it because it was the only one of his I'd not read, and over the decade since his death it had become something of a comfort just knowing there was one story left to experience for the first time. This summer it was the tenth anniversary of Dave's death. It felt like the right time to read it. And, if you've read it, you'll know how appropriate the resolution was as everything played out. I couldn't have chosen a better book to say goodbye to one of my favorite writers.
If you had an extra hour each day, how would you spend it?
Brian: Napping.
Steven: I should probably say something wise now to make me look good, but Brian's answer is pretty good.
BAM. You're a superhero. What's your power?
Brian: Omnipotence. Yeah…. I want to be the Beyonder.
Steven: I'd hate to know everything. I struggle enough just knowing some things... so no, not for me that curse. I think it would have to be something small. Something that didn't affect others or change the world in any noticeable way. It'd be nice to simply have the ability to put a smile on someone's face by being in their company, even if only for a few seconds as you pass in the street. That'd be a great superpower, to make others feel good about themselves. A world where we all feel good about who we are and the life we're living would be a nice place, I think.
What scene in Akiri: The Scepter Of Xarbaal was your favorite to write?
Brian: I think it would have to be the prologue. I began writing it after going over a scene in my head one morning while having coffee on my porch. I had been struggling for several weeks to get my writing back on track. New ideas and fresh starts are difficult when you’re neck deep in a long series. I had just released the second book in Dragonvein and was already slogging halfway through the third when I hit a wall. Nothing I came up with rang true. I was as stuck as I had ever been and was spending most of my time staring at a blank screen. So in a fit of desperation, I decided to step back and write something new. I'd love to say that it all came easily and in no time I'd pounded out the first draft of Akiri. But that’s not how it happened. Sure, I hammered out page after page, but it was pure crap. Nothing I was writing made the least bit of sense. It was as if I had forgotten everything I'd ever learned all the way back to basic story structure. But here's something you should probably know about me, I'm a stubborn ass. I kept going. And kept going. Eventually, my thoughts cleared and the idea for Akiri slowly came into focus. After the prologue was finished I returned to working on Dragonvein Book Three, and writing the first draft of Akiri at the same time. I had been working with Steve on another project, and asked him if he wanted to take my rough first draft and help me find what was missing. Steve rewrote that first draft into a tight second draft, polishing it in ways I would have never thought of and taking the story in directions that pushed it on to the next level. It was a great way of collaborating, keeping a single voice throughout the story. You'll not see any joins, because there aren't any. We're a great fit and Akiri is stronger because it represents the best of both of us.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Brian: Everything happens for a reason. More often than not, the reason is you’re stupid and make poor choices. I’m kidding, of course. There are several quotes and insights that I think about during hard times. But one, in particular, has seen me through the worst of it. I was in a very dark place when I was a young man and a friend and mentor of mine told me something that made it possible for me to endure. He said, “Brian. Nothing is forever. Nothing good – and that sucks. But nothing bad is forever either – and that’s great.” It gave me the strength to see things to the end. Because he was right. Regardless of how horrible things in your life may appear, it won’t last forever. Though it may seem like they won’t, eventually the hard times end.
