What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
The book is named after its main character, Glaive. Originally, he was a supporting character from my epic fantasy seven-book series, Forging of a Knight. Readers really enjoyed Glaive—a cynical, dirty, critical, ever-complaining, magic-hating, streetwise half-orc thief who played off quite nicely against the main hero of that series, an enchanted hero named Qualtan, in his own quest to become a knight and break free of his own inner struggles. I would receive emails or talk to readers at various conventions, asking if Glaive would ever get a story of his own. Well, after completing the Forging of a Knight series, I felt it was high time to give Glaive a chance to shine on his own, and I finally came up with a good story to allow him to do just that!
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
Considering the trouble Glaive always gets into, it would be either a highly dramatic affair, like the theme song "Ride of the Firemares" by composer James Horner from the movie Krull (anyone remember that 1980s fantasy/sci-fi mash-up?), or something incredibly goofy like the theme song "Yakety Sax," used by Benny Hill in his fast-paced running sketches. Yeah, that last one would really fit Glaive since he's usually chasing someone or being chased!
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Oddly enough, I really enjoy Sherlock Holmes tales (Loren Estleman wrote some really fun Holmes tales where he meets Dracula and Dr. Jekyll), Solar Pons (a pastiche of Holmes by writer August Derleth), gothic horror (Algernon Blackwood gave a Blair Witch feel to all of his horror tales—you gotta read his classic short tale, "The Willows," at night, alone, in a quiet room...!), and, of course, some fantasy (the classics, like Tolkien and Robert E. Howard), and a smattering of books covering various legends and myths.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
The Fright Before Christmas by Jeff Belanger, covering a variety of monstrous myths associated with the Yule season (yes, including Krampus). On the opposite side of holiday ghouls and goblins, God, The Science, The Evidence by Michel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies, which is a hefty 500+-page read exploring the latest possible evidence for the existence of a Supreme Being.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
I'll bump that up to three. The first is actually a (to me) comedic scene in which Glaive briefly gets into an argument with a fellow named Greia Dren who steals and uses magic but actually doesn't consider himself to be a wizard. Their back-and-forth banter on whether using magic actually makes you a wizard or not eventually gets a little out of hand until a third person, Greia's daughter Leona, steps in to break things up. It's a slight moment in the book, barely a page in full, but it just felt like such a perfect scene that it still makes me chuckle when I re-read it. The second-best scene was coming up with a sea shanty these pirates/mercenaries sing on their ship—I had to do some research and look up some actual seafaring songs to ensure mine made sense, especially with the rhyming. I was actually singing it out loud while cranking it out! The third and final favorite scene for me to write was the ending...and I won't say anything more on that! 8)
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Not really—I do like to shut myself into my home office and just immerse myself in the world of my writing. I'll blare some soundtracks from various fantasy-based movies, like Krull, and just jump right in...!
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Tough times don't last; tough people do, and steel is forged by fire. Growing up with a lot of hardship/stressors, I learned the value of those tenets and of keeping focused on baby steps taken now to lead you to bigger steps later.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
Glaive is a reluctant hero. He doesn't see himself as such. He's not above snagging someone's apple out of their bag or stealing a quick drink. In fact, he's escaping the "hero life" from the Forging of a Knight series, leaving his newfound friends to figure out just what he should do and where he should fit in. He thinks he isn't cut out to be a hero, that he's not a good enough person, but like many of us, we're our own worst critic, our own worst enemy, and if we give ourselves just a chance to see ourselves optimistically when we look into a mirror, we just might be surprised that there may be a heck of a lot more positives, resolve...and more value...to us than we first thought.
