Welcome
to this week's guest, K. Caffee. Here's what she has to say about herself:
"I am a habitual tale spinner from a very early age. Even from elementary
school age I’ve been able to captivate an audience, yet it took until the
college years for me to get something “shouting” loud enough at me to actually
write it out for a wider audience to discover. Now, I write because I have to.
When I’m not writing, I’m a real grouch to be around – something I do my best
to not inflict on anyone else."
The Writers’ Lens is about "Bringing fiction
into focus." What brings your writing into focus-- the characters, the
stories, the love of words? For me, what brings everything into focus is knowing where I’m
gong with the story. For some of the books, just knowing where that
installment needed to end was enough. Especially for the first two books.
After that, things got very blurry, and it showed in the drafts – I had to
figure out where the series was going in order to start shaping the plot and
the character development properly. Even when I discovered that I was
actually not writing the story I thought I was, I still needed to understand
where everything was going. I think it is that way with any tale.
You may not know the particulars of the end, but knowing where it is sure does
make it easier to get there.
For me, each story, each character is a gem that has surfaced in
my mind, and waits patiently for me to finally get around to talking with
it. Once we open the discussion, the best I can do is hold on and hope my
fingers can keep up with the torrent of discussion that occurs. Most of
the time, it is tightly focused on the project at hand, but occasionally it
does try to wander off and find others to play with as well. So, the
point above about needing to have an idea of where the end is once more becomes
critical.
What inspired your latest book? Initially what inspired the first book,
and my debut series was an innocent question asked by one of the people in my
role-play group. “Where does he come from?” They asked about my
character. I couldn’t answer right away, but within a week, I did. Those thirty or so pages I wrote in answer to the question for the group waited
for over ten years for me to get back and look at them. I guess they got
tired of languishing out in limbo, because last August they ambushed me. From one book, to two, to five, the series has exploded, and taken me along for
the ride.
Along the way, I also discovered I wasn’t just writing about my character I’d
invented for the game. I also was writing about a set of much deeper
issues. Now, I have to be careful to not stand in the way of the story
because I believe it needs to get out and be read as widely as possible. The more I developed the character concept, the more I realized I was writing
about the issue of feral children and mental illness. Some can be seen in
the support characters, but most of it falls squarely on the shoulders of my
main character.
What do you think readers will like about your book? The extensive character
development. There’s a good action tale woven through it, but I present
the tale through the eyes of my main character. That is until he goes
AWOL on me, and I can get a chance to shift it to the support cast for a while. But, it still comes back to the main. It’s similar to a coming of age,
but not quite. It’s more like a discovery of self.
Would you share a bit about your next project? I’m working on the fourth installment
of the series. I mentioned before that I am writing about mental illness, and
this particular book has that as the central focus. The main character –
Nameless – has his entire self-made reason for existing shattered as this book
opens. His personal religious beliefs are torn away, and his understanding of
just who he is, and how he fits in the world is destroyed by this. The rest of
the book is the journey he must face in order to build a new, healthier
identity. He has help, some of the supporting characters are more
beneficial than others. And, because this is my tale to tell, he also has a
destiny he is being shaped to assume. This is also the key to the series
name: Followers of Torments.
I’m not very far into this project, and this is extremely rough.
However, I’ll be glad to share a snippet from the opening chapter:
“If he wants to die so bad, let
him. That just means we have to deal with his stupidity for a
shorter amount of time. Let him go, and let the taint he clings to
go with him.”
Akantheldama surged to her feet, pinning
the ‘cat against the far wall, her eyes blazing with fury, “Keep talking like
that, and I may take you personally to meet the one he is related
to. Does the name Voras mean anything? Serrache? How
about the Web Mother or the Tormenter?”
Beslynx’ eyes widened at the litany
of Melkreschen deities, and she nodded her head struggling to
breath around the Intuii’s constricted grip.
“Then think again if They will allow one
of Theirs to die. He is related to both, though how none
know. Why do you think when you broke his bond to Voras, Her mark
did not vanish?
He was never Called, though he has provided many
feasts for Her children both before and after his freedom was
won. He holds in his possession that which none here could envision,
even my progenitor has felt the pull he exerts. Some say he is
cursed, others say he is blessed. None wish him
harm. But, you,” Akantheldama halted her snarling
diatribe to slam Beslynx against the wall again, “you! A pitiful
woman, cast from her pack because she bears her own cursed form. You
think you know what is best for him. For us. For
me. I am home, but I am not welcome. The Prince wishes to
see us, but I cannot answer. I am torn, woman,
torn! Never before have I been compelled to not answer my
Prince. It is because of you that this happened. I will
not be given to my death because of you. Not now, not
ever. So, silence, and keep your vile thoughts to yourself.”
Akantheldama drew in her will to slam the
shifter with a mental attack. Before she could unleash it, the room
dipped into a chaotic maelstrom of pitch black with just slightly less dark
whorls to emphasize the darkness. Raw anger, fear, loss, sorrow, and
absolute desolation hammered into the minds of everyone present."
What's your favorite way to interact with fans/readers? Facebook or twitter
What are your top three reasons for writing?
1) Because if I don’t write, the stories become extremely
insistent. Then, if I continue to ignore them, they either seep into everything
I write (and being a student, this is not a good thing) or they wander off and
sulk, leaving me in an emotional mess. I do this to stay sane.
2) Even though this is a fantasy series, it addresses some
serious issues. I want to see this get out, and be discovered so discussions
can be opened about those issues.
3) Because it’s fun. I mean, where else can you torture,
maim, kill, punish, laugh, cry, and generally make someone’s life living misery
and get PAID to do it?
What's the highest compliment someone could make about your
writing? That it
moved them, and they enjoyed it. Spinning a tale is what I do, but hearing
back that someone enjoyed the tale I had to tell is what makes it worth while.
If the readers find the deeper messages, all the better. But, even on the
surface, there is a story to be had.
What tune/music could be the theme song for your book? For Out of the Darkness, Audiomachine’s
“Assassin” embodies so much of the emotions and theme of the tale. Though,
I did discover another song, “Hitman” by Kevin McLeod that captures most of the
book’s themes.
Remember the Shadows was encapsulated with “Five Armies” also by Kevin
McLeod.
I’m still looking for something to serve as a musical template for the
rest. Especially book 4. Not having the right music is proving to
make the writing a little harder. And, open, uplifting, epic music for
what is going on in the story at this point just feels... wrong.
If you could meet one of your characters, who would it be and
where would you meet? Right now, I’d like to meet Beslynx – one of the support
characters. She’s a werecat, and about as independent as a real
cat. It would have to be in a forested area, because she hates wide open
spaces with a passion. She’s definitely a forest creature, and I am
beginning to wonder if I chose the wrong character to fill her position in the
book.
Followers of Torments: Book 1 - Out of the Darkness
Nameless was orphaned at birth in the cells of
the Melkreschen gladiator pits. He struggles to learn the skills
needed to prosper under his trainer, and to survive the bloody combat, where
success means living another day and failure means death. Offered to the dark
goddess of the realm, the Web Mother accepts him as one of Hers. Living by her
sufferance, he strives towards freedom and survival. If he wins his way to
freedom, will he remain Her living avatar or will he seek to become his own
person?
Followers of Torments: Book 2 – Remember the Shadows
Nameless made a mistake with his freedom - he started a war he
could not win. Exiled, this time by the Matriarchs of the Realm, he seeks to
regain the prestige he squandered. To honor his goddess and fulfill the promise
he made to his Silk, he must leverage the wins from his single fighter into a political force that cannot be ignored. The only question: Will this be enough to succeed, or will he be forced to leave the Realm entirely?
Where to buy:
Out of the Darkness:
Remember the Shadows:
