The Writers' Lens: Fantasy Fiction

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Rienspel a new novel by Ryan P. Freeman

Rienspel a new novel by Ryan P. Freeman

Brad R. Cook

To end off the year here on The Writers’ Lens, I wanted to showcase one more great writer and novel. Ryan P. Freeman has created a hi-fantasy epic with his latest novel Rienspel.

Rienspel

The Phoenix of Redd Volume I

by Ryan P. Freeman

What Rien discovers about his past will change his future…
Rien Sucat wiles his days away, bored-stiff in his small backwoods village. But soon gets more than he bargained for after he befriends a magical Phoenix, accidentally witnesses a secret necromantic ritual, and comes face to face with a league of racist, knife-wielding assassins out for his blood. Travel with Rien as he and the Phoenix journey from the unassuming Rillian village of Nyrgen through the enchanting depths of the Great Wood where the unquiet dead lurk, to the high north country of Firehall - elusive sanctuary of the Elves. Launch into an epic quest with consequences farther reaching than Rien could ever possibly imagine.

Rienspel is about heart. It is about family and about how the power of love played out in everyday life often carries lasting consequences. Rien’s tale transcends the dim shadows of our own world by revealing the lingering power we all carry through how we live and treat others. It is a tale about the Story we all reside in which readers both young and young-at-heart will find compelling. As C.S. Lewis once penned for his colleague and friend J.R.R. Tolkien, so it is with Rienspel, ‘here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron. Here is a story which will break your heart”… and re-forge it anew in Phoenix-fire.

Learn more about Rienspel at ryanpfreeman.com

Find Rienspelonline

I sat down with Ryan for a moment and asked him about Rienspel and his writing process.

What brings your writing into focus, the characters, the stories, or the love of crafting words?

Probably the Story.

Why do you say that?

The stories which need to be written are the ones which stick with you, knocking on your doors and tapping at your windows until you finally give in and sit down to write them. Then, after you've pounded your head against the desk and resisted checking social media for the 10th time, the characters poke their heads out, like shy actors on a stage - your own deliberate words come sometime after.

The story is important.

What are your top three reasons for writing?

First, I am writing for myself - for the sheer enjoyment. I wind up getting these story ideas, and I catch myself wondering, ok - what happens next? And so I have to keep writing to find out.

Yes, you have to love what you write.

Second, I'm writing for others. One of thing things I learned from my time in radio was to get a picture of a listener from an event, and then stand it up whenever I would go on-air back at the studio. When I'm writing, I'm talking to this person/people - they're my audience.

Thinking of audience is important, and finally…

Third, I'm writing to explore real, legitimate questions about life, the universe and everything - and while everything I write apparently comes out looking an awful lot like fantasy, I'm deadly-serious about my pursuit for understanding.

What's your favorite way to interact with fans/readers?

Energetically.

Nice! I like it.

I'm looking for others to share common passions, loves, and questions. Usually, this means either face-to-face or through animated Facebook messaging.

How much fact is in your fiction?

I often wonder just how much this distinction is illusory. One of my passions is for pan-mythology - the notion about how many popular myths appear to all be telling similar stories; so in the world of my stories, one of the things I'm trying to do is actively explore how all these parallel myths could weave together into one cohesive tale. In short, just how much fact is in my fiction? All of it (none of it).

An interesting idea.

One last question, which line did you struggle with more, the first or the last?

Honestly, I think I struggled with the first one more. I'm a firm believer in the Law of physics which says 'Objects in motion like to stay in motion'. When I first began Rienspel, neither my story, nor myself were in motion at all! I think I ended up going through three or four different drafts before I finally settled on where in the story I wanted to begin, and how to go about it.

Thank you, Ryan, for answering my questions.

Ryan P. Freeman

Ryan P. Freeman is a fellow adventurer. After miraculously surviving childhood cancer and several near-death experiences, he launched into the world of AM talk radio, hosting his own live program out of Albuquerque. Ryan is a former International Red Cross guest speaker, Pastor, and medieval-enthusiast; loves sampling craft-beers, is an unapologetically proud kilt-wearer, and proud member of the St Louis Writers Guild. Ryan also contributes to The Scribe Literary magazine. In his down time, his interests range from exploring real-world pan-mythology, survivalist camping, and copious video gaming.

To learn more about Ryan Patrick Freeman, his novel Rienspel, or his other works please visit ryanpfreeman.com

GetRienspel here.

Brad R. Cook, author of the YA steampunk series, The Iron Chronicles. Iron Horsemen - http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Horsemen-The-Chronicles/dp/0989207951, Iron Zulu - http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Zulu-Book-Two-Chronicles/dp/0989207978, and Iron Lotus https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Lotus-Chronicles-Brad-Cook/dp/099639012X. A member of SCBWI, he currently serves as Historian of St. Louis Writers Guild after three and half years as its President. Learn more at www.bradrcook.com, on Twitter @bradrcook https://twitter.com/bradrcook, or on his blog Thoughts from Midnight on tumblr http://bradrcook.tumblr.com/

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Zachary Barnes brings you AVENGARDE a new fantasy adventure

Zachary Barnes brings you AVENGARDE a new fantasy adventure

Brad R. Cook

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with author Zachary Barnes about his latest novel AVENGARDE. A fantasy novel that tackles issues of xenophobia and intolerance

AVENGARDE by Zachary Barnes

Avengarde, by author and tutor Zachary Barnes, offers a tale of courage and humanity in the face of racism and genocide. Marking his debut in traditional publishing, Avengarde will be released by PandaMonk Publishing out of Annandale, Virginia. Distinguishing itself among fantasy books through its intimate point of view, Avengarde’s message warns against the seductive power of hate and is particularly timely given the current political climate of division and anger. Because of this, Avengarde is both poignant and fitting to our times.

Avengarde’s protagonist, the maimed and clever Taveol, has found one final place of refuge: a city of ice and blood, perched on the frozen edge of the known world. Here, in Avengarde, he believes he is safe from the ghosts of his mercenary past. But when Taveol harbors Aerwyn—a wounded Fae fugitive—on the eve of an oncoming ethnic cleansing, the two exiles are caught in the middle of a vast racial conflict that is tearing their city apart, stone by stone. And when Taveol’s nemesis arrives at the head of a genocidal warband, the paths to survival and to revenge become that much harder to differentiate.

Encircled by enemies old and new, Taveol must choose to either save himself or risk everything for the culture and people he has grown to love.

Avengarde is available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble online, visit www.zacharybarnes.us for more.

I asked Zachary a few questions about AVENGARDE and his writing process.

What brings your writing into focus, the characters, the stories, or the love of crafting words?

While I love the idea of crafting words, that intensely cerebral kind of writing is actually when I’m at my worst—at least for the first draft. My writing becomes focused when I am in the groove of a storyline or scene and creating at breakneck speeds. Knowing that details can be honed later and that story and content take precedent is very freeing for me, since it allows me to create a raw chunk of story that is, at its core, true to itself and in line with my intent.

What inspired your latest book, and what do you think readers will like about it?

One evening when I was climbing into bed, I suddenly and quite vividly imagined a scene where an innkeeper was thrown out of his own inn by his rowdy patrons.

Ah yes, great scene,

It seemed nicely ironic, but I went to sleep without giving it a second thought. When I woke the next morning, the scene was still rattling around in my brain, so I decided to write it down, if only to keep it from pestering me throughout the day. This was the beginning of Avengarde, and although I eventually removed this particular scene from the final draft, I think it really set the tone from the start, at least for me.

I really liked that scene, but I totally see why you pulled it.

Along similar lines, I hope that readers will appreciate the protagonist’s self-deprecating humor. His internal asides and one-line quips were by far the most enjoyable part of the writing process, and I hope that readers can share some of that joy with me.

How much fact is in your fiction?

I borrow quite a bit from history, which I find serves my goal of analyzing our reality through a distorted lens. So, were you to look at the details of my writing you would notice that many “facts” find a home in my fiction, although some of them change meaning when stripped of their context (which I also find both interesting and important). I steal anything from Balinese graveyard topengs to Vlad III’s penchant for violent foreign diplomacy and wend it into my own stories all with the intention of creating a world that is distinctly familiar, yet mysterious at the same time.

What is your A+, number 1 writing/editing/query-reading snack?

I was recently exposed to the marvel that is Vietnamese coffee and I must say: my life has been irrevocably changed. The potent amount of sugar and the high caffeine content, plus a rapid rate of delivery, ensures my recommended minimum of 3,000 words per minute;

Holy moley! So, it turns you into a super hero… (It’s called humor people, no emails)

also, when I crash into a blubbering pile afterwards, I can conveniently blame my lack of any real writing progress on my physical state. It’s my all-time favorite perfect first draft beverage.

If you could meet one of your characters, who would it be and where would you meet?

As a rule, I choose to write about characters who are dissatisfied if not outright angry with their lot in life. They are in the perfect place to desire change and cause tension, both of which are important components of a gripping story. I’d probably move quickly past most of my characters if I met them walking to work, but the one person I might stop and chat with is Silje Blackeye—a three-hundred-year-old Fae general who, besides being a little too ornery, is a relatively level-headed guy. If I could, I’d take him on a hike through Great Falls and pick his brain with the hopes of learning a thing or two about the art of guerilla warfare.

What are the top three pieces of advice you'd like to give new writers?

First off, if you have the correct tools—i.e. a pocket-sized hydrogen bomb and a can of peanut butter—remove the “backspace” and “delete” keys from your keyboard before you start the first draft. Both of these keys are evil and must be destroyed. If you are doing anything but generating content on the first go-through, you may be overthinking the process.

Good advice.

Secondly, criticism is inevitable, so prepare yourself. When it comes to other writers, their opinions are just that; you should put their ideas in context with what you want to achieve and go from there.

So true, your name is on the book.

Lastly, sit down and write. Right now. Stop reading. I mean it. Go!

*Jumps up, runs to computer, starts writing this blog* Wait. We’re not done.

One final question, which line did you struggle with more, the first or the last?

In the months of writing that led up to finishing Avengarde, I had been mulling over a big choice that would only be appropriately accomplished in the very last chapter. The decision was between true tragedy and a thematically jarring twist, and I knew that this choice would heavily influence the readers’ takeaway message. I ended up writing both endings, swapping them back and forth, and even “testing” them on my alpha readers. So, you might say that the actual lines were easy to write, but I took a long time deciding how cynical I wanted the ending to be.

Check out AVENGARDE by Zachary Barnes

“Avengarde is a refreshing piece of fantasy. From the first-person narrative to the heavy themes of discrimination and genocide, Avengarde feels urgent, but also inviting. Barnes walks a fine line between creating a vast new world for his readers to escape to and explore, and holding up a distorted mirror to teach us something about our own world and our own ways.” – Nathan Moore, author of From the Margins

“Avengarde is a rich and engaging world! Detailed descriptions and immersive characters will draw readers in and keep them enthralled as the Sons of Dawn hunt every last Fae.” – Brad R. Cook, author of Iron Horsemen

Zachary Barnes

Zachary Barnes is a fantasy author who has been self-publishing since 2007. His first novel, Winter’s Throne, debuted in 2010. After attending James Madison University for Music Education, Zachary—originally from Pennsylvania—moved to Northern Virginia where he began his career in education and met his publishers. Avengarde represents Zachary’s first contracted book deal. Currently, Zachary is the assistant manager and lead tutor at the Reading and Writing Center at Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus.