Interview with Christopher D. Williams, Author of Gralmar’s Staff

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Gralmar’s Staff?

In 2022, I asked readers what book I should write next. They voted for “urban fantasy,” which I had never done before. It took a year, but I published “The Stiamaq Emerald” after that. Months later, I was struggling with a sequel to a post-apocalyptic novel I’d written a few years prior. Couldn’t get the plot to line up right, so I took a break from writing that book, and cast about for something else. One day, while my mind wandered (it likes to do that), I started to think about “Stiamaq” again. Before I knew it, I’d scrawled out half of a sequel plot into a little spiral notepad. And here we are.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Gralmar’s Staff, what would they be?

Hah! Oh, that’s hilarious. Here are a few:
1. Adrian – Enter by The Birthday Massacre.
2. Meilianna/”Mei” – POP STARS by K/DA.
3. Oghren Vignor – Mein Herz Brent by Rammstein.
4. Drifa Skadisdottir – Maidjan by Heilung.
5. Lord Glanbrin – One Night in Tokyo by Beast in Black. 6. Pynn – Bark at the Moon by Ozzy Osbourne.

More characters exist, of course. But you’ll have to read the book to figure out a good theme song for them. (I’d love to hear your ideas.)

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

To read? Horror. I very much enjoy good spine-tingling horror. Have I written horror? Yes, but this book is definitely not. It’s a good romp through a modern-day-with-magic world. Weird creatures chasing you through magic-based cities, ancient cultural rivalries played out with yelling and swords, techno-spells making people speak in dead languages…you know, fun!

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

A book on website development, the newest Dwarves books from Markus Heitz, a book on Sasquatch, and a book on reading human behavior. I’m something of an eccentric eclectic.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

At the beginning of Chapter 9, we meet Lord Glanbrin. His introduction includes chaotic magic, bizarre behavior, and several snort-worthy lines all at once. His very presence takes the story and throws it in a different direction. Can you figure out what he’s up to?

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

I use an old digital typewriter, set on a lectern, facing a blank wall, to write. This way I stand while writing, have no distractions, and can occasionally pontificate aloud without people looking at me funny. (I prefer the funny looks to come when I do something deliberate.)

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

I suppose a good one here would be, “The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”

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

I write my books to be enjoyable reads. But I also include easter eggs. There are connections, hidden surprises, and “ah-ha” worthy moments throughout Gralmar’s Staff and Stiamaq Emerald. Go hunting!

Chris Williams is the author of the new book Gralmar’s Staff

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