The Slayer, the Sphinx and the Adam Bolander Interview

The Slayer is on the left and the sphinx is
on the right. In case you wondered.

I keep asking myself why I was surprised that I enjoyed The Slayer and the Sphinx as much as I did. Were my expectations low? I had no reason for them to be. In any case, I really enjoyed the book. Author Adam Bolander, whom I had the privilege of sitting down with for a chat recently, did a nice job. The book was exciting, I liked the characters instantly and got sucked into the fictional world that the author created.

The story begins with one of the most promising young Slayers, Porter, doing what he does best: killing a legendary creature called a Mythic. The Slayers are horrible racists, out to purge all nonhumans from the world. Porter is soon sent to slaughter a family of sphinxes, including young Sarah, but something goes wrong. Sarah transports herself away from the danger but accidentally takes Porter, who now has amnesia, with her. All of a sudden, these two mortal enemies (even if Porter doesn’t know it), find themselves teamed up to survive. This story is their journey.

Like I said, I genuinely enjoyed it. It was a quick, easy read and lots of fun. I think that, in particular, fans of the Percy Jackson series would really have a blast. Teens and adults who like a lot of action and adventure could do a lot worse, that’s for sure.

Now, the version of The Slayer and the Sphinx that is currently available is actually an updated edition. The first printing was about half the length, but now this book is split into two consecutive parts, Book One: Destinies Collide and Book Two: The Historian’s Tower. I am very glad that I got my hands on the book after the addition because it would have really annoyed me to have a copy that only contained the first half. Not only would that be a very short novel, but it didn’t have any sort of an ending. It simply stopped in the middle of the story. Things are a bit better with The Historian’s Tower included, since that part centers around the tower itself as a major set piece and the adventurers leave it behind at the end, but the author still doesn’t seem to have much interest in closing this section of the journey in any real way. I understand that this is the first book in a planned trilogy, but I’m of the opinion that, when you release a book to the public, it should have a clear beginning, middle and end even if it’s part of a series that has its own story beats. This book doesn’t do a great job providing a clear ending for this part of the story, so it seems kind of arbitrary when the book just ends in the middle.

Speaking of things that have no
discernible purpose...

My other quibble with the book (have you ever noticed that flaws of books you enjoy seem  more pronounced that those of books you’re indifferent toward—or is that just me?) really didn’t bother me much while reading it, but has pestered me as I’ve thought about the book since. You’ll see some of this in our interview but I felt like thinking too much about certain aspects of this world sort of fall apart if you poke them at all. The Historian’s Tower itself is one such example. It’s a secret tower in the middle of nowhere that  most people don’t believe exists. It’s full of historians who are willing to give their life to protect the histories they spend all of their time chronicling, but it’s difficult to see why. I got to ask the author about it, and you can read our exchange below, but I honestly didn’t buy his explanation. If that sort of thing bothers you, you might want to steer clear; however, if you’d like a fun, action-packed read that you don’t need to think about too much, this is a great choice. I certainly intend to read the sequels!

And I’m glad Adam joined me today to be poked and prodded a bit. You can find more about him at his Amazon.com author page.

Brad: Thanks for hanging out today, Adam. I enjoyed reading your book and I’m glad we’ve got the chance to talk about it now. Let’s begin by you telling us a bit about yourself. How long have you been writing? Why did you become an author?

Adam: Hey, Brad!  Thanks for having me here.  That’s a bit of a two sided question.  Technically, I could say that I started writing when I was about seven or eight.  I saw the commercials for the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie on TV and desperately wanted to go see it.  Living in a very Christian

Then there was the scene where Terry Traxter's
ginger and ghost shared that tender smooch.

household, though, my parents had strictly forbidden any and all contact with Harry Potter (which is ironic, because now it is my mother’s favorite story of all time!).  So, what was I to do?  I began writing my own blatant ripoff called “Terry Traxter and the secret of the Dragon’s Nose.”  All I had to work with was what I could see on the commercials, though, so my story tended to go something like, “Terry took two steps and fought a giant.  He took another step and fought a knight.  Then he turned around and fought a giant snake.”  Yes, may that wad of filth fester for all eternity in whatever godforsaken landfill that old computer ended up in.

"The Winter King had better ho-ho-hide!"

Though there were several other attempts to write stories after that, I never really started taking the whole thing seriously until my junior year of high school, when I made a spur of the moment decision to write a story instead of paying attention in agriculture class.  It was a story about an orphan boy who was taken by Santa Claus to the North Pole to help him fight a war against the Winter King.  I can’t exactly say what it was that was different that time, but I became hooked and I’ve been writing stories ever since.  While it wasn’t very good, as most writers’ first attempts are, that story still holds a special place in my heart, and I’d like to revisit it again sometime.

Brad: Stories that have all the depth of a movie trailer? So you evolved from Dan Brown? Nevermind. So tell us about the world where The Slayer and the Sphinx takes place.

Adam: The Slayer and the Sphinx takes place in our world.  On the surface, everything is exactly as we know it, but if you were to know what to look for, you’d begin to see signs that we are not alone.  There is another society living alongside us, made up of almost every mythical creature and fairy tale monster we’ve ever heard of.  They’ve always been there, living in secret, never revealing themselves for fear of the Slayers that hunt them down and purge the world of nonhuman blood.  It’s similar to the worlds of Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

No offense to Porter, but he is not
the most attractive Slayer out there.

Brad: I’ve started keeping an eye out and I actually found a giant sphinx! It’s in Egypt! And it’s made of stone! And it’s missing a nose! So I guess you’re right. Now, what can you tell me about Porter? Is he of any relation to Buffy, the most famous Slayer of all time?

Adam: Haha, no, no relation to Buffy.  To be honest, I’ve never seen an episode of her show.  I actually don’t think that anyone really inspired Porter.  Not directly, at least.  I pretty much made him from scratch.  He starts out as the mean, battle-hardened Slayer, but I think it’s who he becomes that’s so much more interesting.  In a time when all of our heroes seem to have to be strong lone wolves, it’s been refreshing to write one who is weak and vulnerable, genuinely needing the guidance and support of another character while still keeping the bravery and strength that defines what makes a hero.

Honestly, he's not the second most
attractive Slayer either. It's a pretty
long list.

Brad: You have the unmitigated gall to throw around the term Slayer without ever even watching Buffy?! You’d better start mitigating that gall of yours, boy! But what about Sarah? Why did you choose a sphinx? I don’t think she asks a single riddle in the book.

Adam: Well, I can honestly say that Sarah is most likely the least original part of my story.  I wanted to use a creature that was semi-human, but not in the typical way. We’ve got so many stories nowadays about werewolves, vampires, angels, and demons that I thought it would be cool to try something that didn’t naturally look human.  I was stumped for a while, but then I stumbled across an awesome webcomic called Skin Deep, drawn by the amazing Kory Bing, that had a very similar premise to my story, minus the Slayers, and it featured a sphinx as the main character.  A sphinx…well known, but not commonly used, with an interesting history and several attributes that could easily be used in a story.  Nobody will notice if I just swipe that one little idea… right?

Brad: But—what about the riddles? How can a sphinx not ask riddles!? She could be all like, “Riddle me this, Porter...!” Ah well. Missed opportunity. I know you’ve covered these, but can you identify any other influences—other books, film, TV, music, rock operas, whatever—that inspired you in the writing of The Slayer and the Sphinx?

Adam: I think the two biggest contributors to The Slayer and the Sphinx were Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.  As I’ve said before, the worlds they take place in are very similar.  Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven

The orchestra helped him orchestrate scenes!
Get it?!

series was also quite influential, giving me ideas as to how mythical creatures could exist in our present day world. And as for music, I can attribute that to Two Steps From Hell, my favorite orchestra!  Their songs have helped me orchestrate so many scenes that I almost feel I should pay them royalties…Yeah, I’ll expect the bills morning, okay?

Brad: I mentioned earlier how I thought fans of young Perseus Jackson would enjoy this book, so that  makes sense, although I don’t feel like it’s derivative at all. When I first saw the original book cover, with art by Kory Bing, the webcomic artist you mentioned earlier, I thought the book was likely aimed toward middle schoolers or tweens. However, some might argue that, with decapitations and stuff, the book may be too violent for them. Who do you consider to be your ideal reader?

The new cover design is much grittier.

Adam: When I first started The Slayer and the Sphinx, I believed it would be appropriate for all ages, similar to (again) Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.  I thought it was serious enough to warrant older readers, but tame enough to be okay for younger ones as well.  I began to change my mind when I started getting reviews stating that people thought the story was too violent and dark for their children.  Besides that, I’ve been noticing that the farther I get in the story, the more explicitly violent it becomes.  At the point I’m on right now in the sequel, I can’t help but agree that the story is no longer appropriate for young readers.  Now I would place it firmly in the YA category, appropriate for 14 years or older.  While never gory, it does have its fair share of decapitations and other means of violent death.  And to reflect this, I am currently

having an artist draw me a new cover for it, one that looks less childish and more mature.

Brad: I’ve always said that there aren’t enough decapitations in children’s literature. It rarely happens in Winnie the Pooh, even when Owl totally deserves it. As Sarah and Porter get thrown together, they begin making their way toward a sanctuary for Mythics where they will be safe. If there are areas of safety like this, why do Mythics live anywhere else?

Adam: Because the Sanctuaries are a double edged sword.  They provide safety from the Slayers and the privacy needed to be themselves, but they also cut the Mythics off from the real world.  If one lives in a Sanctuary, there is little to no opportunity to leave.  That’s why some Mythics have deemed it worthwhile to live their lives in the human world, despite the risks.  Just because a prison protects you from outside threats

It's just like Disney World!

doesn’t mean that it’s not still a prison.

Brad: So why not make the sanctuaries nicer? Do they get all that much out of being in the real world? It doesn’t seem like Sarah, for instance, has a lot of interaction with humans as it is.

Adam: The sanctuaries are rather nice. As you'll find out in the second book, they're basically like human towns, except they're full of Mythics. The thing that makes them prisons isn't the fact that they're rotten places (because they're not), it's the fact that they can't leave.  Not because they're not allowed to, but because the fear the Slayers have over them is so overpowering.  After all, all they need to do is force one captured Mythic to talk and the entire Sanctuary would be doomed.

Brad: Now let me point out that, at the beginning of this book, Sarah is on her own because her parents go off to a Sanctuary to do business, and of course they intend to leave when they are done. The second half of the book centers around the Historian’s Tower, which most of the world considers to be mythical and which very few have access to. The historians believe it’s important to remember the past—every single detail of every moment!—to learn from it and not to repeat its mistakes. However, the historians are far too busy chronicling the present and recent past to study the past and very few people know about the tower so...who does this benefit exactly? What’s the point?

Adam: As Father Lucius said, they don’t discourage visitors, but they don’t encourage them either.  The last thing they want is for the tower to become a tourist hotspot.  If a traveler is crafty enough to discover the tower on their own, they are welcome and all the information inside is theirs to discover.

"So you want me to give you detailed instructions
so you can do precisely what I told you not
to do? Okay! Sounds fun!"

Brad: Hmmmm. Honestly, it all seems weak to me, especially when someone mentions that the historians are willing to give their lives for their closely-guarded research! But I do have one more question about the Historian’s Tower. The lead historian, Father Lucius, happily gives Sarah all the information she needs to illicitly gain access to the Keeper’s Fire without his permission. Did you intentionally set out to write the biggest idiot in the world—maybe drawing an ironic comparison between book knowledge and genuine

intelligence—or did he just turn out that way?

Adam: I don’t think he’s an idiot at all.  He gave her the password, that’s true, but in the end, would she have ever discovered the secret if not for Albie Koob?  Lucius’ scheme was to put the truth right in front of people, because that’s the last place they’ll think to look for it.  If you’re searching for the series of words that will open the door to almost infinite knowledge, how many people will think to say, “A turkey pickled in olive juice, a flying cucumber plant, and a quarter the size of Kentucky?”

Brad: No, she wouldn’t have learned anything without the help of Albie Koob—but Lucius pointed her in his direction! If he honestly did not intend for her to access the forbidden information on her own, then I still must contend he’s a bit of an idiot...and, given that she does indeed access that info in the book, the evidence is on my side! But let’s move away from the book and take a look at you, Sir. What do you perceive to be your greatest strength as an author? Your greatest weakness?

Adam: My greatest strength?  Everything!  Just kidding.  Honestly, I think it’s the way I put detail into my stories.  I don’t do a huge amount of world building before beginning the story (I prefer to do it as I go) because my focus is on the characters.  What’s going on in their heads?  Their hearts?  What do they think of the other characters?  How do they feel?  My goal is to make you feel a connection with the characters.  The world they’re in comes second.  The detail is also apparent in my fight scenes.  While lots of authors will gloss over parts of the battle to make it seem longer, my fights tend to be short simply because I provide a moment by moment description of what’s going on.  I don’t want the reader to just know they’re fighting, I want them to see the fight!  My main way of doing this is to ask myself, “How would I describe a fight scene in The Matrix?”  That’s the kind of detail I want in my fights.  Because of this, people have often told me that my fight scenes are like reading a comic book.

Every time a chipmunk ran by outside while
we were talking, Adam stopped to bark at it
for six or seven minutes.

As for my greatest weakness, it's definitely how easily distracted I am.  A lot of my writer friends complain about how hard it is for them to come up with new ideas to write, but I'm the exact opposite.  I can pluck awesome story ideas from thin air at almost any time.  The problem with this, though, is that it makes it very hard for me to focus on any one story.  I'll start one, get a few chapters in, and then suddenly have an even BETTER idea!  I'll abandon the first idea in favor of the second one, and then the process just repeats itself.  I'll tell people about my ideas all the time, but I always make sure they understand that the only time, and I do mean the ONLY time, you can be sure that I'll finish a story is if it's the sequel to a story I already have out.

Brad: You know writers who have a difficult time coming up with ideas? Wow. Are you sure you don’t mean clowns or veterinarians or something? Most of the writers I know have too many ideas like you! Now permit me to take a moment to address my beloved readers. Readers, I first became aware of Adam’s existence through a Facebook community of independent Christian authors. So I’m outing him here as a follower of Jesus Christ, even though The Slayer and the Sphinx is not a Christian book (although there isn’t any profanity or Slayer/Sphinx sex). Adam, do you feel any responsibility as a believer to explore spiritual themes in your work at all? Are there themes in this book that subtly point to God? Talk to us about what connection your faith has to your writing, if any.

Adam: I’m not a big fan of putting an obvious Christian message in my stories.  I did that in my previous story, Legends of the Saloli, and ended up beating the reader over the head with it.  I’m a firm believer that every story has a message, and that your beliefs and ideals will make themselves known throughout it.  There’s no need to meditate beforehand on how you’re going to incorporate [Christian message 1] and [Bible message 2] into your story, just let the story tell itself.

Brad: Yikes! Well, don’t read any of my books. You won’t like them! What are you working on right now? Give us details! Hold on, actually. If I know Adam, there will be about five thousand answers here. What about if you tell us what you’re working for that you intend to publish, and maybe also throw in your favorite

These are Adam's works-in-progress.

extra project and how your readers can experience it?

Adam: Haha, you’re right!  I’ve got so many ideas that I am working on/want to work on that we’d be here until the Second Coming if you had me explain them all.  Well, first and foremost I am working on The Convict and the Captive, the second book in the Slayer/Sphinx Trilogy.  I’m not entirely sure where I’ll go after that story is complete, but for now I am also working on a new venture with my new website, The Happy Hat Dump, where I plan on uploading novellas and short stories that people can read and enjoy for free. 

Brad: Ah yes, The Happy Hat Dump. For all your jovial headgear needs. Adam, I’m sure you recognize these individuals on either side of me. This is Shadow on my left and Drake Mortoph on my right. Both, as you know, are master assassins, two of the most powerful Slayers to ever walk the earth. The reason they’re here, of course, is that I have convinced them that you are a Mythic, and have shown them your writings of their own lives as proof. But they will not attack unless I give the order, and I will not give the order unless you refuse to name for me your favorite book as a reader. Of course, you’ll also have to tell  me why.

Picture: Not a Redwall clone.

Adam: Well, permit me a few moments to think about this question.  Hmm...I’d have to say M.I. McAllister’s series, The Mistmantle Chronicles.  Not too many people have heard about them, and half of those that have heard of them write them off as nothing more than a Redwall clone—which is a crying shame, because I think McAllister did a much better job than Brian Jacques did.

Brad: Hence the stories about squirrels, huh? Oh crap! Where did Shadow go? He likes to disappear. Better tell me your favorite author really quickly before he kills you! Sorry about that!

Adam: Dang It, Brad!  I can’t trust you with anything, can I?  Okay, I’d better talk fast. My favorite author has got to be Ted Dekker.  My life has never been moved by a Christian author’s books like it has for his.  Not to mention that his stories are AWESOME.  They all tie in together the same way that all the DC or Marvel comics take place in the same universe, and that takes talent, man!  Yeah, Team Dekker forever!

Brad: You know, I’ve tried out Dekker twice, always thinking he would be my kind of author, and I’ve never been able to get into any of his stories. I don’t know why. Oh well. Glad you enjoy him! And hey. Look at that. You’re still alive (for now). Perfect time for a final question. If readers check out The Slayer and the Sphinx—which I did genuinely enjoy!—and want to support you as a self-published author, how can they best do that?

"HEY! DID YOU HEAR ABOUT
THE SLAYER AND THE SPHINX!?!?"

Adam: The very best thing anyone can do for me is tell people about The Slayer and the Sphinx.  Show them the book, tell them why you liked it, where they can buy it, lend them your copy, whatever it takes—just make sure EVERYONE you know who might enjoy the story hears about it!

And there you go. Me, Brad, again. Hi, guys. Interview’s over and Adam would like you to rush out and scream about his book from the rooftops.

Seriously, though, I recommend the book. It’s a little secret of mine that I sometimes schedule these interviews because I want to read the books and it’s easier to make the time for it if I’m doing it for the blog. Then it’s official writer work, I mean. So thanks for joining me on my latest journey to read something that interested me! And feel free to support Adam by picking up a copy of his book and lending it to all your friends!

Michael Findley Interview, LLC

So, this is the book cover now. When I first
got my mitts on a copy, it featured the same
girl but a DIFFERENT guy! Pretty fishy if you
ask me. Do you think the guy is the Doctor?

I read Nehemiah, LLC based on a recommendation from author Mary C. Findley. She happens to be married to the author, Michael Findley. This is actually the second interview I’ve conducted with someone close to Mary, as Sophronia Belle Lyon, the author of the very enjoyable steampunk literary tribute A Dodge, A Twist and a Tobacconist, whom I once traveled years into the past to interview, is Mary’s grandmother. What I’m trying to say is that there is some serious nepotism at play here, and we should all be very suspicious. At the end of the day, I didn’t pick a Michael Findley novel because he’s the author of books such as Empire Saga, Sojourner or Antidisestablishmentarianism: Disestablishing America’s Established Religion (a title I need to send off to my old theatre professor so he can use it as a tongue twister with his students). I didn’t pick it up because I enjoy the Elk Jerky for the Soul blog, which he runs with his honey bear. These would have been perfectly legitimate reasons, but, no, I read Nehemiah, LLC because Michael’s beaming bride suggested it to me. It’s like I said. It’s suspicious.

So I started reading this book and, let me tell you the truth, at first I wondered if I had made a mistake. The foreword scared me, as the author explained that this was the third book in a series of six (currently), and that “there is no attempt to explain things in Nehemiah, LLC which are explained in detail in other works.” It works even better if you imagine it in a grumpy voice and follow it up with, “And get off my lawn!” So I was nervous. I retorted that I was recommended this book by your wife, Michael Findley, and she knew I hadn’t read the first two! Don’t yell at me!

This was the author's reaction when I offered to interview him.
Or maybe this was the time I bumped into Clint Eastwood and told him
I didn't care for Million Dollar Baby.

So I was pleasantly surprised when the only disorientation I felt was the normal amount for entering into a new world, especially in a science fiction book. Sure I didn’t understand everything right away, but that’s okay; I knew enough to get by and I learned as I read. That’s pretty normal. But I wanted to preface this interview by saying this because I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the opening note scared other readers away when glimpsed in an Amazon sample, for instance. You don’t need to be scared. We can get through this. Together. And we can ask the author any questions we have when we interview him on our blog!

In this scene that has nothing to do with Nehemiah, LLC,
Troi uses her special powers to sense that Data is angry.

As I mentioned, Nehemiah, LCC is sci-fi. It’s talky Star Trek: The Next Generation sci-fi more than action-packed space cowboy Firefly sci-fi (or Star Trek reboot sci-fi...or, y’know, Star Wars sci-fi). I don’t know about you, but I’ve got no problem with that. We’re thrown into a world that’s both reminiscent of but also beyond our own, and it was very clear that the author put a lot of thought into the world, the technology and the characters. It’s very easy to get the sense that we are seeing just a slice of daily life for these characters, that the world continues and their lives continue even when they’re not on the page. The environment lives and breathes and that’s great for immersion.

But daily life isn’t always terribly exciting. The main plot—the Life Support Division of Nehemiah, LLC needs to prepare balloon ships for a mission to collect gas from the moon Titan—felt anticlimactic and less engaging than I would have liked. Sometimes there would be the hint of something else—for example, whether or not there was a saboteur—and I would think, Okay! That’s going to be the main plot thread for the book, but then it would be easily dealt with and I finally realized that, no, this is the book: the team troubleshooting a dozen little problems and preparing for the launch. At first, I thought a blossoming romance might provide more  of a hook, but it didn’t get enough attention to be a strong focus.

So I just want to make this point so that you can judge whether this is a book for you. It’s very well written and I enjoyed my time spent in that world. If you’re on the fence, we can spend some time with the author, Michael Findley himself, and that should really make you want to read it!       

Brad: Thanks for swinging by, Michael. I read you and your wife’s blog from time to time, so it’s only appropriate that you visit over here, I think. Now, I realize that this may go against your personal philosophy, but Nehemiah, LLC puts us in the middle of a world that you’ve already been building for a couple books. If this is the book that your wife recommends we read, what should we know going in to it?

To summarize, Nehemiah is to this series
what Revenge of the Sith is to Star Wars.

Michael: This is the last of the first three books. City on a Hill sets up the reason why the people are in space. Next comes Sojourner, a short story of less than 50 pages, deals with events that come immediately before Nehemiah, LLC begins. It establishes most of the technology. Nehemiah, LLC was designed to make people want to read the other books. Therefore I assume people would not know about the other books, so the technology is, hopefully, still understandable to those who have not read the other books. The Space Empire Trilogy follows Nehemiah, LLC and that time frame is decades, maybe centuries, after Nehemiah, LLC, since the balloon ships were new "back then", and in the Empire trilogy they are very common.

Brad: Thanks for clearing that up! If you want to want to read the other books, tap into Nehemiah and prepare to want! Even having read the book, I’m not sure about this. If you had to choose a central protagonist, who would it be? Or is this truly an ensemble?

Michael: Joan is really the protagonist. Things are almost entirely from her point of view, or omniscient, and Tony remains somewhat of a mystery until very near as the end, whereas there are few surprises about Joan that aren't cleared up pretty quickly.

Cher, incidentally, is never referenced
with her last name.

Brad: Okay, well, sure yeah, now that you’ve gone and said it’s Joan, that makes sense. It just seemed to me that Joab or Zacharias might get almost as much attention, sometimes. Okay, so this next question is oddly specific. There was some dialogue at one point in the book about surnames. It seems like there are a number of characters who are very frequently referred to by both their first and last names. For example, looking at the first hundred mentions of Anthony in the book (thanks,  Kindle PC app!), he is called Anthony Lewis by characters and the narrator about 70% of the time (instead of simply Anthony). I wasn’t quite clear on the rationale for that, and one of the benefits of chatting with the author is the ability to ask about things I don’t understand. Can you explain it to me?

Michael: The issue with surnames is an attempt to show cultural differences, but ones that don't really matter in a "right and wrong" sense. Joan's people don't use surnames but many others in the story do, and it's a preference, not a hard and fast dogma of Joan's culture. 

Brad: If it takes longer to ask a question than to answer it, does that make me a bad interviewer? Don’t answer that. It’s my blog. I always like to ask about love in books that aren’t flat-out romance. From the first time a certain two characters meet, it seems like you’re going to pair them together, and that’s precisely what you do! Did you have this romance planned out from the beginning, or did it develop as you wrote and learned about the characters?

Not pictured: A scene from this book.

Michael: I don't think through everything ahead of time. Often my characters are based on real people I know, or the way I perceive them. Then I establish the setting, then the circumstances surrounding the characters. It's more like real life, not planning every circumstance and the response to it ahead of time. Shakespeare had very realistic people, though sometimes in odd situations, but still reacting in expected ways. Near the end of the book I was wondering myself if the romance would happen, or if they would get angry and never speak again. 

Brad: Well, no spoilers here! But I am glad they didn’t get angry and never speak again. That would have made my heart make a frowny face. I made a reference to Star Trek: The Next Generation in my introduction. So I’ve got to ask: what’s your favorite Trek? And you can’t possibly write in this genre and not be able to weigh on this subject, Sir.

According to some fanfic, Beverly Crusher left her
husband after he became an indie author.

Michael: #1, STNG, with Data as a favorite character. #2, McCoy from STOS, though they are very much opposites. Also Riker and Dr. Crusher (don't tell my wife, but I did have a "Crush" on her). Dr. Crusher's single mom success with Wesley was admirable.

Brad: Well, this will be awkward. Your wife is always kind enough to share and tweet my blog posts for me. So I have to choose between more readers and destroying your marriage. Well, you guys are getting up there. You’ve had a good run. And, anyway, by failing to mention anyone from Deep Space 9, I do fear you’ve failed the interview. But, come on—who doesn’t love Data? So you might get a C- after all. Sci-fi or not, were there any specific influences—book, film, television, whatever—that may have helped inspire or guide Nehemiah (or the whole series) at all?

Michael: The entire series is inspired by the Pilgrims and others coming to America but in a technological setting. Many characters in the series are even named after those people. Jonathan Edwards is one example. The blend of the technology is mine and I take credit, responsibility, or blame, for it being correct or incorrect, but each piece is based on something that already exists. The tubes to transfer around Mars are based on the Chunnel, for example. Many of the life-support problems were discovered through the

This is Arizona, but it could totally be somewhere on Mars too.

Biosphere Project in Arizona.

Brad: Wow! I’ve never have an interviewee use so many words I didn’t understand in one answer before! You get the Much Smarter Than Brad award! Yay! Here’s one of my standard questions that I wasn’t asking yet when I interviewed your wife’s ancestor...so if you bump into her, ask her for me and let me know what she says, okay? For now, I’ll just ask you. What do you perceive is your greatest strength as an author? And your greatest weakness?

Michael: My greatest weakness is the lack of time and ability to edit well and thoroughly. My greatest strength is family members who do a lot of editing for me and help me fix things. Daughter and wife are my two best editors.

Sophronia says to tell you that her greatest weaknesses are a fondness for tea and crumpets. Seriously, she laments that readers sometimes say her story beginnings are a bit disorganized, and take time to come
together. Her greatest strength she believes is that she has read with love and attention to detail the stories of great authors from whom her characters are taken, She and strives to be faithful to the spirit of classic Victorian literature and help revive interest in these great stories.  

Brad: Check that out. Two answers for the price of one. You are some lucky blog visitors today, aren’t you, dear readers? Okay, it gets confusing if I’m talking to my readers and then to Michael so, back to the author: Many of the works that you and your wife write are attacks or defenses against secular humanism. First of all, does that battle come into Nehemiah, LLC at all?

The flip side of this humanist holiday ad is that
if there is a God, these people actually have
a bit of a problem.

Michael: Less than anything else I have written. This story is more of a personal story, Joan trying to figure out what she's supposed to be doing within her society, just as we as believers try to figure our our place within the church. This is also a promotional book for the rest of the Empire series. Clashes over Secular Humanism tend to antagonize people and the characters and story here are, hopefully, likeable, to draw people in and create a favorable atmosphere for them to accept the heavier messages of other books in the series.

Brad: Secondly, and on a related note, your blog and this book make it pretty clear that you’re a follower of Jesus Christ. As a believer, do you feel any sort of Christian duty or obligation to incorporate spiritual themes into your work? I suppose I’m mostly interested in fiction here, since that’s what we do on this blog, and I think your nonfiction is pretty overt on the topic.

Michael: I am very disturbed by other authors who claim to be Christian and who write material that is contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As believers we are commanded in the Word of God to limit ourselves to forms of writing that exalt the Lord Jesus Christ [Super Blogger Extraordinaire Note: I asked Michael to clarify what passage he was referring to here, telling him that all I was familiar with that might work was 1 Cor. 10:31. He told me to go ahead and use that one, so I'm not sure of the exact reference he intended here]. I am not claiming to be perfect but am trying to uphold a standard of Christ and the Old Testament, where they used parables, fiction, to get across important points. We also need to keep in mind that these are works of fiction, not lose ourselves in a fantasy world. We do need to present sin as sin, and it must have serious consequences. Sin seems to be something to play with in too many works that call themselves fiction.

Brad: Hey, you won’t see anything that doesn’t aim to glorify God and point to Him come from this guy! Are you working on anything you’d like to share with us right now?

As the saying goes, the family that
writes together, fights together.
No, that can't be it...but it rhymes...

Michael: We are trying to create a multi-part homeschool curriculum. Our book Antidisestablishmentarianism was the introductory work, explaining our foundational beliefs and historical The Conflict of the Ages project has two published modules now [Blog-Writer-Master’s note: here’s one and two] and is an attempt to create an accurate picture of history, science, and literature, combining elements of all of them at times and splitting into separate studies at other times. The focus is to prepare Christians to "give an answer" to the secular world about the truth and authority of the Scriptures, to explain the origin of the universe, to tell how sin entered the world and its continuing effects, and to give an accurate historical timeline.
and scientific perspectives. It's about as long as a few doctoral dissertations.

Brad: Pretty ambitious, huh? Check it out, homeschooling parents! It’s no secret by now that these little interviews tend to get a bit violent. I suppose it’s a testament to how hungry us starving authors are for a bit of publicity that they still risk their lives coming to talk to me. I know I’ve never turned an interview down! But, reckless and illegal or not, my methods have gotten results, so I’m going to keep using them. I invited some ninjas to the party. They’re in the next room. In the spirit of your book, they’re actually space ninjas. Pretty cool, huh? Well, those space ninjas are going to turn you into a Michael Findley shish kebob if you don’t answer my questions, buddy. The first under-duress question is what your favorite book is. And don’t say the Bible—that’s cheating. And don’t say Biblical Studies: Student Edition—that’s narcissistic.

I used to go for Dr. Seuss myself.

Michael: My favorite book is War and Peace. Tolstoy has a very lengthy section at the end that explains what history should be and how it should be told. I don't agree with every part but it's the best description out there. The Gulag Archipelago by Alexander Solzhenitsyn is my second favorite work because that is where we are headed. In response to the threat ... What threat? If they attack, I will tickle them to death.

Brad: Those ninjas were really hoping you would refuse to answer, possibly on noble authorial grounds. They love to skewer. So who’s your favorite author? And, no, you cannot choose Mary C. Findley just because the two of you share a bed. Although that probably would net you some nice brownie points.

Michael: Shakespeare. Not one particular work, but in totality he definitely is the best. I've patterned my

"THANK YOU FOR LIKING MY SHAKESPEARE MOVIES!"

character development after him, and I love the movie adaptations of Kenneth Branagh.

Brad: Ah, the Bard himself. If you’re trying to butter up the guy with the theatre degree, it’s working. You now have a straight B on this interview! Now, let’s get down to business. You’re an indie author with a pretty decent catalog of books, especially if we include the ones penned by your other half (and given the “one flesh” rule [Gen. 2:24], we probably should). Other than buying Michael Findley books for all their family members and their postal delivery person, how can our readers best support you if they scoop up Nehemiah, LLC (or start with the first in the series, City on a Hill) and become huge fans?

Michael: As general advice for readers, I say, don't watch television. Brain cells die every time you turn it on.

A Google Image search for "TV kills brain cells" brought
up this screenshot, so I decided to go with it.

Know what you are looking for and how to find it. Learn how to really use search engines. Some of the best scientific articles/books I've found in the last five years are indie published. I have been given book titles or authors to look up, not ones available on Amazon, and Google did not find them. I searched on Bing and they came up. 

But that doesn’t—Michael, how does that support you? Ah, he’s gone home already, or possibly off to take the Bing it On Challenge. Anyway, this seems like a good time to plug my theofictionology blog posts about television shows The Following (which has gotten so much sillier since I wrote about it) and Last Resort (which, okay, had a few silly moments itself over its truncated run as well)! I don’t think you’ll lose brain cells just by reading about them, and I would make the case that I have gained many wrinkly cells by watching The Wire but, um, remember when Michael was smarter than me? Ah, nevermind.

Thank you very much to Michael Findley, our special guest! The book we’ve been focusing, if you’ve forgotten, is called Nehemiah, LLC and I think it’s worth a read. You certainly should have enough information after this interview to decide whether you’d like to try it or not. But, if it sounds good, be forewarned: it may make you want to read the rest of the series. But, um, since Michael wouldn’t tell us how he wants to be best supported, maybe you should go ahead and do just that.

Dave King and the Interview of Betrovia

I really like the cover art.
You can judge a good book
by its cover, I always say.

Good heavens. If I had known that Dave King would be the sassiest interviewee since Sophronia Belle Lyon, I’d have brought out the heavy arsenal much sooner in the interview. Dave is the author of the Land of Betrovia trilogy, which begins with Betrovia and continues with Lycentia: Harrak’s Scrolls, which are both currently available. The third and final novel in the trilogy is in its final stages right now and should be out this spring. He has also written a number of short stories, including a series with overlapping characters set in the Seventies: Pizza Surprise, A Game of HORSE and That Hoosiers Cap.

In preparation for this interview, I’ve been reading Betrovia, the first book in the series. If you love authors who build vivid, rich fantasy worlds, these books may be right up your proverbial alley. I felt like Dave really loves the world he created and the characters in it. That affection shows through on the page (or the e-reader, as the case may be) and, as a reader, I want to get in there and discover what the author loves so much about these characters and the land of Betrovia.

But there can be a downside to this affection as well. Without a firm and sometimes merciless editing hand, it can be easy to get a bit lost in the world you love and spend too much time fleshing out minutiae that’s not relevant to the plot and may bore readers who aren’t yet in love with the characters. Trust me, this is something that I, and probably most authors, know about, and it’s a problem that I feel plagues Betrovia too often, especially in the first half of the book. I was waiting for something a bit more compelling than the everyday lives of an innkeeper and his family, and long discussions about trade agreements reminded me a bit of The Phantom Menace. The good news, however, is that things do pick up and the plot—especially involving a young soldier who rises through the ranks quickly—grows more interesting and more urgent. At the halfway point, I probably wouldn’t have wanted to visit Betrovia again; by the end, however, I fully intended to read the sequel, and still intend to. So Dave won me over.

We rent and we're not allowed to have pets
so Peeves has to stay outside.

Except for one little pet peeve I didn’t even realize I had. Initially, it seemed like everyone was glib. I felt like the word glib was constantly thrown around, except that it seemed to be used as a synonym for “talkative.” Research indicates that the word is actually only used four times in the first 29% of the book. That’s probably not as excessive as I felt. I was vigilantly looking for more glibness but it disappeared at that point. Why am I rambling on? Let’s get to the interview!

Brad: Thank you for joining us, Dave. It’s always nice to feature a fellow indie author—and a fantasy author at that. Betrovia has been on my to-read list for a while so it was nice to be able to sit down and get into it. First of all, why don’t you tell us a bit about the land of Betrovia, and about the series.

Dave: I hope you don't mind if I preface my response by saying "Thanks!" for offering me the privilege of being a part of your stupendous blog! I have been looking forward to this interview since the day you bribed. . .oops. . .you asked me to be a part of it.

It's sort of like hanging out at a renaissance fair.
If you like renaissance fairs as much as I do,
that's no problem at all!

Technologically, Betrovia is a place much like pre-medieval Europe, a land struggling to exit the iron age and to move, full-steam-ahead, into the steel age. Politically, it is like pre-Civil War America, thoroughly blessed with the potential for across-the-board unification but at the same time plagued with infantile prejudice and bias. And (to save the most-interesting for last), morally/religiously, it is like the Middle East before the birth of Jesus, enlightened to the true nature of the Creator but at the same time misunderstanding his omniscience, his holiness, his love. And stuck in the middle of all this is a lonely innkeeper struggling to be the best possible father for his two nearly-grown daughters.     

Brad: See what I mean, readers, about him getting sassy? If you think indie authors have to be bribed to cash in on some free publicity, I daresay you don’t know too many. Now, Dave, were there any specific influences on this series? Maybe from other books, movie, TV, whatever?

Dave: Influences? What might you been insinuating? Betrovia is a completely-unique world! Seriously, growing up I enjoyed JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, even though I didn't spend much time developing an appreciation for the "deeper meanings" of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Narnia series. Now, and this may shock some of your readers, but when I was in high school, I "discovered" HP Lovecraft. As I gorged myself with his nightmarish tales of the Cthulhu mythos, I became intrigued with the concept of Ancient Evil. 

Upon seeing this sign, I
might recommend running
for dear life.

It ate Hello Kitty.

Brad: I am so glad that you brought up Cthulhu because it gives me a wonderful excuse to post some very amusing pictures. Try to focus on both the pictures and the interview, dear readers. At first, it seemed like the story was going to focus solely on the innkeeper Patrik, his daughter and their inn. With the exception of one chapter, the first 35% of the book all focus on the residents of The Lonely Fox Inn. By the time we reach the last quarter, however, we check in with Patrik and the initial characters only rarely. My question is to what extent was this by design, versus the story taking on a life of its own?

Dave: Beginning the story with Patrik and his daughters then branching out to discover the folk (common and otherwise) who would impact their lives later in the trilogy was all part of the original plan. The outline for the trilogy was drafted late 2005. Once Betrovia, book one of the trilogy, was finally shoved out the door in August 2011, I began to tinker with and tweak the last 2/3rd of the outline.

Brad: Along those same lines, if I asked you to pick one central protagonist of the Betrovia series (without divulging too much from subsequent volumes), who would it be? Why?

Dave: In Betrovia (Book One), and then in Lycentia: Harrak's Scrolls (Book Two), Patrik should be seen as the main character. Why? Because the Creator directs him to deliver Harrak's scrolls to Oliver III, the Netherene high priest. The gist of the scrolls is much like the Jewish prophecies that predicted the coming of the Messiah. The Netherenes, similar to the society of the Jewish priesthood before Jesus' birth, have developed their own ways to relate to the Creator, even though those ways have been something less than successful.

Brad: Having studied a bit of Intertestamental Judaism in seminary, that’s interesting. And it might be more interesting if it were cloudy with a 76% chance of rain, don’t you think? The Narrator pays quite a bit of attention to the weather. It is not unusual for crucial moments to be punctuated by a bolt of lightning, or at least torrential downpour. Would it be appropriate to look for symbolism in all sun and the clouds, or do you simply provide the information to give a fuller picture?

This was Dave's best friend until she questioned
all the weather references. Now look at her.

Dave: Oh, so you noticed the meteorological detail I've included in the novel? Sweet! Believe it or not, more than a few "friends" have commented that I may have gone overboard with it. Without going into a "boring" dissertation, I wanted to add weather details to show how, for a few of the major characters, the weather affected their mood and even behavior. Does that make sense? To use rain, cloudy skies, snow/ice, etc. to aid in characterization? By the way, I continued to do that with Lycentia and with Ahnak.

Brad: Sure, makes sense to me. Lots of people in the land of Betrovia suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Now it’s time to talk about you. What do you perceive to be your greatest strength as an author? Your greatest weakness?

Dave: My greatest strength as an author? Strange, but I seem to have drawn a blank on this question. Oh, now I know! It must be my ability to successfully manipulate the irritating idiosyncrasies of the English language! No, I'm not a great lover of English grammar, but I feel that I can throw together long (tedious) sentences with the best of them!

Just to be clear, rushing off to buy
this romantic comedy is not the appropriate
move right now. Finish the interview first.

As to my greatest weakness as an author, I suppose that would be my unwillingness to write what friends and family want me to write. One person very close and dear wonders why I won't try my hand at writing romantic comedies since romantic comedies seem to sell rather well. It's funny how those who love us want us to do whatever we can to make more money!

Brad: Of course, you could set a romantic comedy in the land of Betrovia and make everybody happy! I first met Dave through a Facebook group for indie Christian authors. Now, I wouldn’t call Betrovia a Christian book. The characters are generally religious—in fact, there is a strong religious subplot that I would suspect gains more attention in subsequent books—but theirs is a religion unique to the land of Betrovia. So, Dave, as a follower of Jesus Christ, do you feel any responsibility to point to Christ at all through your writing? Why or why not?

Dave: Another excellent question! Book one of the trilogy presents this problem: the religious leaders of the day have fallen into the trap of [believing that] true fellowship with and ultimately pleasing the Creator can only be achieved by following a rigid set of rules. But their system has failed miserably. I hope that readers would then see how books two and three spring-board off that problem into the solution: man cannot reach God by following a bunch of laws. The Creator wants/demands people to crave a personal relationship with him and his plan to please him is based on purity and love and not trying to obey rules.

Brad: What can you tell us about what you’re working on now? I believe it’s related to Betrovia, isn’t it?

Coming soon to an Amazon.com
near you!

Dave: Ahnak: Edelin's Revelation, book three of the trilogy, is nearly drafted and should be ready for public consumption in a month or so. Right now, it is longer than Lycentia: Harrak's Scrolls and may be even longer than Betrovia when it's finished. And what do I have up my sleeve once the trilogy is done? There are more than a few short stories based on the Betrovia universe as well as a "prequel" which might only be a novella (30K words or less). I also would like to kick out a few more stories that are a part of the contemporary series that I have already published [Blogger-in-Chief’s Note: the books set during the Seventies that I mentioned in the introduction are the “contemporary” series Dave is referring to; when you get to be an author of a certain age, even a decade over 30 years past can feel contemporary to you]. And who knows! There might even be some sci-fi. . .someday.

Brad: Now that I’ve conducted a few of these interviews, I figure if the author doesn’t know that their life will be threatened at some point, it’s their fault for not having done their homework. You probably didn’t know, Dave, that my wife was a Patriot Missile launcher in Army back in the day. Why is this relevant? Because we’ve acquired one of those bad boys and have it pointed at you right now. The threat of imminent violence is to help persuade you to tell me your favorite book. Quickly, please. The wife has an itchy trigger finger.

I don't know if it's about makeup
or construction and forgot to ask.

Dave: Oh no! Now you've got me shaking in my boots! (You do realize, of course, the collateral damage one of those babies can cause, don't you?) The only book that I continue to read over and over again is the Bible. (Now how's that for a predictable answer!) If you're actually looking for what I have read and enjoyed for entertainment purposes, I'd have to say Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy. Yes, you can pick yourself off the floor now. I read way too much sci-fi (pulp and otherwise) in my formative years but did not discover those three books until I was a junior in college. How I missed latching onto those books before then I may never know!

Brad: To answer your question, I have no idea how much collateral damage the Patriot Missile can cause. It’s classified information and my wife won’t tell me because I don’t have “clearance.” In any case, as a backup, I’ve asked President Obama to target you with one of those drones that that loquacious senator is such a fan of. The drone has orders to strike—unless you tell me your favorite author! I’m serious! I’m quite insane! I post death threats publicly on my blog!

"Okay, Drone. Make it look like an accident."

Dave: It's funny how you've brought up that topic. I find it humorously ironic that President Obama, a man who has worked hard to present himself as a "down-to-earth," easy-to-connect with kind of guy, can be such a fan of those highly-impersonal, "above-the-earth" unmanned aerial vehicles. Now, to answer your question. . .maybe I already answered that question with my previous answer? Or did I? Or maybe I should just expect the drone to come crashing down on me at any moment?

Brad: Hey now. No politics. And no you didn’t answer it! Is God your favorite author? Is Isaac Asimov? See why I have to resort to death threats, dear readers? Authors are horrible at giving straight answers! Anyway, I like to host other indie authors here, being an indie myself. As a self-published author, how can readers who enjoy your work best support you?

Dave: How can readers best support me? Can I be so bold as to say: neatly wrapped, non-sequential $100 bills mailed to PO Box (oh, sorry, that just slipped out). Buy my books! Buy a bunch of my books! Keep me from having to hear that if I would only write romantic comedies that I would be a much-better provider for my family!

From the cover for Betrovia 4:
Netherene in Love.

You heard it here first folks (unless, of course, you go to the same hair salon as Dave’s wife, in which case you may have heard it already): if you don’t buy a copy of Betrovia, he’s going to have to write rom-coms. And they’ll have to star Matthew McConaughey and Katherine Heigl—and nothing good has ever come of that, has it?

Thank you very much to Dave King for swinging by the old blog. If you think the book sounds good, go ahead and pick up a copy to help us thank him. If you think the book sounds like it’s not your thing, you can still pick up a copy. Really. He won’t mind. You can visit Dave on the web and learn more about him and his work over at his blog, where he’s recently started stealing my past interviewees. So the man has good taste! Thanks again, Dave!