Author Interview David M. Brown

Today, I’m happy to say I got the honor of interviewing author David M. Brown, the auhor of the epic fantasy series Elenchera, and the first novel in said series, Fezariu’s Epiphany. I really enjoyed reading Fezariu’s Epiphany and am more than happy to host the author on my blog!

Visit David’s Website.

Author Interview

Hey David,
Thanks for taking the time to answer these interview questions and for appearing on my blog!
1) When did you first realize that you wanted to become an author?

I’ve always enjoyed creative writing but I had no inclination to be an author until I left school and began studying at college. I’d just discovered the RPG series Final Fantasy on the Playstation and from there I began reading Norse mythology. Something within me, previously dormant, now awoke and with it came a desire to write and create my own world.

2) I’ve heard of a lot of authors who build their fantasy world first, and then set up adventures inside the world (such as Raymond E. Feist and Robin Hobb). On the other hand, there are also authors who have the story first, and then build a world based on the story. How was it like for you?

The concept of Elenchera came first and I slowly began to build it. Impatient to write a novel I finished four books across a six-year period and ended up scrapping the lot. With the history of Elenchera unfinished, each novel was somewhat maladjusted, missing the crucial background and historical context of the world to ground them and give them substance. I worried this may be the case with Fezariu’s Epiphany but once I had finished the novel I could see a massive difference with the world being developed first.

3) Elenchera is a well-built world with a lot of history and a thoroughly thought-through geography. Was it hard keeping the balance between giving the reader information and not overwhelming them with it? How did you do this? And also, how long did it actually take you to build the world that is Elenchera?

Elenchera started in 1999 and the history developed across a ten year period which included 25 ages of history, known as Shards, spread across 47,000 years, 23 lands and encompassed 500+ maps! It’s still a work in progress but the novels I write can now help flesh out elements of the world. In terms of a balance between narrative and world building, I think it’s a difficult one to level out. I try to write in a simple way rather than hurls pages and pages of description at readers. Trust in your readers and that they have unique imaginations themselves, enough to build images themselves rather having to rely on endless lectures within your work.

4) Who of the characters in your novel do you think you relate to the most?

I feel kinship with the verbose tolderian, Vintaro. Although I’m not gifted in banter the way he is, I do think the two of us are alike in our wit. I wouldn’t call myself a hilarious person but I’ve met few people in my life who I haven’t been able to amuse. I enjoyed writing the character of Vintaro a lot, especially when things get serious in the novel. Vintaro is good for light relief though I do believe in the end he shows the reader that there is a lot of depth to his character.

5) I read on your website that your goals are to keep writing stand-alone novels based in the world of Elenchera. I’m a great fan of this, because I don’t understand why everything has to be a series nowadays. However, can you tell us why you decided to opt for stand-alone novels, although based in the same world?

One of my biggest fears is being locked in a series and being bound by it. It’s not an appealing idea for me in the slightest, writing dozens of books about the same characters. As much as I love my characters, I do need a break from them and they feel the same about me. Elenchera is a vast world with many lands and a lot of history. If I write one series I’m restricting myself to one period of history rather than using individual novels to explore various events in the timeline. In the distant future I do have in mind characters that will probably need more than one novel but the maximum I will commit to is a trilogy, nothing more. I want readers to have a wide choice of books from Elenchera, not just one series.

6) You self-published Fezariu’s Epiphany back in May last year. Looking back on it all, would you go for the self-publishing route again? If so, why, and if not, why not?
I’ll definitely be self-publishing with my next novel. It’s not a route that is for the faint-hearted but you have full control over your work which is never a bad thing. There are many forums for indie authors to gather and you’ll find many fellow writers have a lot of advice and guidance. It’s true that some authors out there are self-serving and only looking to promote themselves but many others go out of their way to support you. I work closely with my wife, Donna, who is the equivalent of my agent, editor, publisher, harshest critic and business partner. If a big publishing house came knocking on my door tomorrow I wouldn’t swap Donna’s support for them. Her contribution to my writing journey has been too great to dismiss or ever forget.

7) What did you find the hardest part about writing and publishing Fezariu’s Epiphany?
Although I write fantasy I have always wanted to do something a little different with the genre. The biggest challenge was making Fezariu’s Epiphany that little bit different. All along I have wanted to make the fantasy genre more accessible to readers who would normally walk past the sci-fi/fantasy section in a bookshop. Novels set in Elenchera give precedence to the characters and their stories rather than the world in which they inhabit. These are stories which wouldn’t necessarily be out of place in our own world, they just happen to take place in Elenchera. I think doing something different made it hard publishing Fezariu’s Epiphany. I was excited and at the same time petrified about whether people would grasp what I was trying to do. Luckily for me, the response has been heartwarmingly good.

8) Do you have any advice for newbie authors?
Embrace the world of blogging. You can write about whatever you wish and it’s a great avenue to keep your writing fresh. I mostly review films and books on my blog but it’s always fun maintaining a blog. They’re a great place to announce upcoming book releases to your readers as well. I would also suggest finding a good critic, not a family member, but a trusted friend or maybe your partner. My wife, Donna, is my critic and she doesn’t mince her words. She’ll often reduce me to tears with her feedback (well, not quite!) but I learn from the criticisms and believe I have become a better writer because of it.

9) Will Fezariu be coming back in any future novels?

I’m sorry to say he won’t be. Fezariu’s story was never meant for any kind of sequels. I believe by the end of the novel he has completed a long and difficult journey through life and that he’s suffered enough. There are other characters such as Vintaro and General Bayard that I would like to see more of but given the history of Elenchera I can’t see how I could branch off into stories about them. For now, I’m content to say none of the characters in Fezariu’s Epiphany will be appearing again and if any should come back it would take a very clever plot to reintroduce them. I’d rather readers cherish the characters in one book than be rolling their eyes as they show up in another.

10) Can you tell us something about what you’re currently working on?
I completed the first draft of my second novel, A World Apart, last month and am currently hard at work on the editing. This novel is set many centuries after the events of Fezariu’s Epiphany and focuses on three friends – Demetrius, Eleyna and Halcyon – who grow up together and find themselves in a love triangle in their teens which only resolves when Demetrius leaves to join the army. Years later the three friends are reunited as enemies! A World Apart will be out in May and I’m hoping to do a cover reveal in April.

Ooooh, love triangles! I’m definitely looking forward to reading A World Apart now!