Author of Hammer of Fate.

Today, I am pleased to welcome author Geoff Gudgion to talk to us about the Hammer of Fate, the first book in his new epic fantasy Rune Song trilogy which released on June 1st, 2023.

Helen: I love the nod to the Knights Templar and the renaissance feel of the world, reinforced by the naming. And I am so happy this is a trilogy, more books to enjoy! I am assuming that is Adelais on the cover?

Geoff: The fantastic cover art was commissioned from the talented Lance Buckley ( https://www.lancebuckley.com/ ) by Second Sky. I can see elements of my suggestions in the design, though I pictured Adelais as being a little more vulnerable and feminine in the first book; more like Daenarys Targarian in Season 1 of Game of Thrones than Brienne of Tarth in Season 2. By Book 3, Blood of Wolves, her character has evolved through adversity and this image would definitely fit.

Helen: I love the character of Adelais, you have written her so beautifully. She is still feminine under her disguise, so I do agree that the cover does portray her more as boy, which loses the sense of her vulnerability and naivete at the start. But the cover does still suggests an underdog against the powers that be.

Geoff: Adelais is all my agent’s fault. Ian encouraged me to focus on historical fiction ‘with a female protagonist’. I was researching the 14th century at the time, an era when the only empowered women were queens or nuns, but writing a ‘nun on the run’ seemed like a fun idea. ‘What about a kick-ass, cross-dressing nun?’ I asked, and was rewarded with a literary air-punch.

Sadly, publishers did not buy the manuscript as historical fiction, much to Ian’s frustration, so he suggested I keep the characters and the essence of the plot but rewrite it as fantasy. That worked.

I had reservations, at first, being a man writing a female protagonist, but Adelais became very real to me faster than any character before. Sometimes it feels as if we wrote her adventures together. Fortunately I had an excellent lady copy editor who could ensure that masculine thinking did not intrude into a feminine point of view, but she had to make very few changes in that regard.

Helen: You mentioned researching. How much research did you have to do for Hammer of Fate?

Geoff: Masses! Research for the Rune Song series has taken me into the Old Norse language, arcane aspects of Nordic rune lore, the trials of the Knights Templar, the mindset of chivalry, and medieval sword fighting techniques. I could add a few minor diversions such as medieval medicines. (Hot tip; wash wounds with wine and pack them with sphagnum moss; it contains a form of penicillin.)

Helen: Researching can be quite consuming, but these subjects sound really interesting. Let’s talk about your writing process. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Geoff: A bit of both. I’ll always have a premise; the key characters, needs, jeopardies, and resolution. Then I’ll start crafting craft words but stray off track, and write the premise again because I’ve improved on the original idea. That could happen three or four times in the course of a novel. 

Helen: How does your writing fit into your daily life?

Geoff: At the moment the difficulty is fitting everyday life around my writing! I’m a keen amateur horse rider but deadlines mean even my lovely mare is neglected. When Blood of Wolves is out & running I will heave a massive sigh of relief and book a holiday.

Helen: Hammer of Fate is a new genre for you. How easy was it to write in a different genre to your previous books?

Geoff: Remarkably easily. In fact it was liberating. In historical fiction the plot has to fit within the framework of known facts, but a fantasy author can let their imagination rip. Rune Song would only have run for two books as HF, but in fantasy I could give Adelais a character arc that would have put her into the history books. If I want dragons, ‘here be dragons’. There aren’t, by the way. Dragons, that is. Just a little magic that’s based on pre-Christian, Nordic rune lore.

Helen: It was good job you clarified that, otherwise we’d all be asking where are the dragons! Do you have a favorite tool or software that helps your writing?

Geoff: I’m a fan of Scrivener. It keeps all my research in one file, allows me to ‘cork board’ plots, and keep side notes to remind me what to change. I’d be lost without it.

Helen: I have Scrivener, I’ve just never had to time to figure it out! Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Geoff: Don’t give up, just learn to fail better.

Write for yourself, but if you want to reach a wider audience recognise the realities of the market, particularly genre structures. These days, you can have a brilliant manuscript but if you don’t fit into a neat Amazon tick-box, mainstream publishers don’t want to know because they can’t position the book into their primary means of distribution. There can be a huge gap between what people like to read and what the market is prepared to sell them.

Helen: It’s been a pleasure chatting with you, Geoff. I wish you all the best of luck with Hammer of Fate. Any last words you’d like to share?

Geoff: Fifteen years ago I left corporate life and went freelance to release time to write. My mother-in-law was not impressed. When, eventually, my wife rang her and said ‘wonderful news, Mummy – Geoff’s got a publishing deal! He’s going to be a published author,’ the response was ‘that’s nice, dear, but has he got work?’

Helen, thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog. It’s a privilege to be here and in such good company.

About the Author

G.N. Gudgion (‘Geoff’) grew up with his nose in a book, often one featuring knights in armour. These days he prefers tales where women don’t have to be either beautiful damsels or witches. He likes to craft stories with complex, conflicted characters that a reader can bleed with, cry for, and perhaps fall in love with. They live in worlds where you can smell the sweat and the sewers, as well as the roses.

Geoff lives in a leafy corner of England, where he’s a keen amateur equestrian and a very bad pianist. He spends much of his time crafting words in a shed, fifty yards and five hundred years from his house.

He is also the author, as Geoffrey Gudgion, of supernatural thrillers Saxon’s Bane (Solaris, 2020) and Draca (Unbound, 2020)

Web site

Twitter

FaceBook

Instagram

You can purchase Hammer of Fate here:

Link to book on Amazon UK: eBook | Paperback | Audio

Linkt ot book on Amazon US: eBook | Paperback | Audio

As an Amazon Associate I may benefit from purchases made using these links.

If you enjoy fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love SoulBreather, or my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.

Author of Ktieb Tas-Shahar.

Today, I am pleased to welcome Maltese author Rowena Grech to talk to us about her collection of dark fairytale retellings Ktieb Tas-Shahar.

Helen: That is quite an accomplishment, pulling together 19 stories into one book. And I love the twist your photos suggest you have incorporated into your version of the fairytales. How did you decide on the cover for you retellings?

Rowena: The cover is showing a broken castle and red-riding hood staring in front it. I chose it since it represents the dark attributes that adulthood brings with it upon us humans.

Helen: It is a beautiful cover, drawing you in, much like Little red riding hood and very atmospheric. How about the title? You published this collection in Maltese with a Maltese tilte, I believe?

Rowena: The title in English means A book of Fairy / Witch Tales.

Helen: What made you decide to write fairytale retellings? What made you write this particular book?

Rowena: It was a therapeutic way for me to pour my disappointments and bitterness that life had in store for me. I finished during the pandemic, where the first 3 months in Winter were an introvert’s paradise. I could just write and read without any social obligations imposed on me.

Helen: I think Covid stirred many inner creatives, and gave many people the chance to express their ideas. When did you realise you had a passion for writing?

Rowena: Since I was a child I used to invent stories and then I started writing them in narrative essays at schools. My stories were often read in the classroom due to being original and I guess that encouraged me to keep on writing. Then I totally stopped during my teenage years and got back to writing when I was around 30 years and older.  

Helen: Well, I’m glad you returned to writing. Which genre do you prefer to write?

Rowena: Dark fantasy. The pleasure of building allegories in between the lines of what seems a simple story for pleasure.

Helen: Turning to the writing process for a moment, which element of the writing process do you find most challenging?

Rowena: When I need to write dialogue I tend to get a bit stuck. The reason is because the way we speak is very different from the way dialogue is written in a book. And also because I am not the most talkative person on earth thus it gets a bit hard to imagine what other people would say.  

Helen: Every writer experiences self-doubt. How do you overcome the fear and the little voice in your head to keep writing?

Rowena: Even though I have been published, the little voices still torment me when it comes to writing out my new stuff. I guess you have to keep on pushing and ignoring these little voices till they are nothing more than whispers.

Helen: Great advice. What is one of the most useful resources you have found to help you write?

Rowena: Music. It is a must. And other good books that inspire my imagination.

Helen: Authors are typically great readers. What are some of you favourite reads. What would you recommend?

Rowena: The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. It is my favourite book for re-telling of fairy-tale characters. Also, Haruki Murakami Kafka on the Shore, John Boyne All The Broken Places, Lord of The Rings, Stephen Fry Mythos, Verity by Colleen Hoover.

Helen: If you didn’t write Dark Fantasy, what genre would you love to try?

Rowena: Science fiction since I’m a laboratory analyst and I find science very amusing.

Helen: Thnk you so much for joining me today, it was lovey chatting with you. Final question, what is the best piece of advice you’ve recieved?

Rowena: Jan Carson. The use of past and present verbs make a huge difference. She also emphasized on the importance and how to create credible characters.

You can find Rowena’s book blog on:

Instagram

You can purchase Katieb Tas-Shahar here:

Link to book on Midsea Books: Paperback

If you enjoy fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love SoulBreather, or my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.