Q: How did you get into Fantasy?

I wish I could remember! I know I wrote my first at school – in an exercise book. I recall being annoyed at having to cut short the ending because I was running out of pages – LOL!

I came across a dog-eared copy of one of Michael Moorcock’s Elric stories in a charity (thrift) shop and devoured the series. The tortured soul of his main character intrigued me, as did his layered use of myth and history. It was rather the same with Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun series. It’s the melding of history with fantasy that I find fascinating.

Q: What is your latest fantasy release?

Pilgrims Of The Pool, Book 3 in the ‘Torc of Moonlight’ trilogy set in northern England where I live. The books follow Nick’s attempts to extract himself and his lover, Alice, from the slow resurrection of a Celtic water goddess. Ever tossed coins into a ‘wishing well’? Who do you expect to answer?

Q: What makes your series stand out?

They’re set in real places readers can visit using the books almost as mapping devices. The trilogy wasn’t meant to be written this way, but research showed reality held a rather creepy, if welcome, undertone. And which writer would ignore that?

Q: Which book have you enjoyed writing the most?

Book 2: The Bull At The Gate – probably because I’m emotionally far enough away from it now. Despite the focus being on the two contemporary characters, there’s a strong but different historical thread running through each of the books. In Pilgrims of the Pool it’s medieval, hence its title. The Bull At The Gate is set in York with a Roman historical thread, and its title refers to the Roman Mithras temple buried beneath a Christian churchyard on Micklegate. York – Eboracum when the Sixth Legio Victrix was stationed there – held 5,000 men within its fortress. Its walls became the foundation for the medieval walls still standing, and its area is huge. There was a large civilian settlement on the opposite bank of the river, and when I laid my hands on an archaeological map of the Roman era set on top of the modern city I knew I had my novel.

Q: How do you come up with your stories?

I fell into this trilogy (pun intended) by accident. I was writing weekend walks for a regional newspaper at the time and kept coming across artesian springs named ‘Lady Well’ on Ordnance Survey maps of the area. Some of these carried tiny offerings hung in nearby bushes (used in Pilgrims of the Pool) and research showed that each spring would have carried a named deity, subsumed into The Lady’s Well when Christianity demonised earlier religious practices. I love maps. The British Ordnance Survey maps carry a shorthand for the history beneath our feet.

Q: Which character have you enjoyed writing the most?

Nicholas Blaketon, though I guess I need to considering he carries the trilogy. He starts off during Torc of Moonlight being an student almost fresh out of home-life, still with the inherent arrogance of youth, but finds himself tested beyond his own belief. Three years separates each novel, and so not only does he have to mature, but his experiences – which he can’t share with anyone for fear of being labelled unhinged – have to affect him. He’s no super-hero; he’s an ordinary man coping with extraordinary circumstances.

Q: Do you have a specific method for developing characters?

None of us are born fully formed. We are nurtured through our experiences and guided (rightly or wrongly) by the experiences of others, so I do a great deal of back-life planning for my characters. How they act comes from this; how they look – body-shape, colour of hair and eyes, etc – develops as the story progresses as other characters notice these outer image markers. But for me, it’s what makes the characters tick that’s important.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Read widely, particularly in your genre and sub-genre. Pay for a line edit on at least the first 50 pages and study the report so you can extrapolate its findings across the entire work/s. It’ll help enormously if you intend to submit to agents/publishers, and will give a good grounding if you intend going indie.

Thank you Linda Acaster for participating in this author interview.

Q: How did you get into fantasy and science fiction?

Fantasy and sci-fi are a great way to explore the big questions in a fun way: the nature of good and evil, what real heroism looks like, the balance of order and chaos, the boundary between man and machine. That is what has always drawn me to these genres.

Q: What is your latest fantasy release?

The most recent pure fantasy story I’ve written is called Rush. It’s part of the Once Upon a Kiss anthology. It’s a twist on Beauty and the Beast. One of my characters from Ragnarok, a Navy SEAL named Rush, is the beast. Rush has problems with women. I really wanted to write a standalone story that showed how he got to that point and write a realistic redemption for him.

I also have a sci-fi short that’s coming out soon in the Explorations: War anthology that fits the description of sci-fantasy. The premise of the anthology is that a distant sentient star is at war with humans. My contribution, Friendly Fire, features a Space Marine who becomes the target of an entity that is trying to help.

Q: What sub-genre of fantasy do your books/series fall under? Is there a different sub-genre of fantasy that you would like to experiment writing in and why?

My I Bring the Fire series is sci-fantasy with a hefty dose of myth. There is a lot of science in it, because I love science. Science and technology are human “magic.” I also love mythologies, especially the way they change from place to place and from time to time. It is very indicative of cultural circumstances. Loki is the hero in my I Bring the Fire series. My Loki isn’t “evil” and he wasn’t evil in every oral tradition either. Hel, in the Germanic tradition was also somewhat benevolent–not like Marvel’s version.
I’m currently branching off and writing sweet (no sex on the virtual page) paranormal romances in my I Bring the Fire universe. I want to play with ideas of soul mates, immortality, what it means to be “good,” and what it means to be powerful … there still is a lot of science in them. Is paranormal sci-fantasy romance a niche? I have four books planned … but I originally had only two books planned, so maybe that number will grow.

Q: Do you have a specific method for developing characters?

Nope. I fly by the seat of my pants and get to meet them as I go along.

Q: What do you think makes a good story?

In fantasy and sci-fi, characters have to be believable in order to suspend the disbelief in unbelievable situations.

Q: What fantasy book are you reading now? Are there any new authors that have caught your attention?

I just beta read a story for Becca Mills that has yet to be named … it was awesome. I found some great indie authors with series that I love and put them into this (currently free) anthology too.

Q: What was the most memorable moment in your publishing journey?

I received a note from a critically ill fan saying how much my books had helped him get through his illness. Delivering someone from pain, even if it’s just for a little while, means that I’ve done something worthwhile.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Find some good beta readers. You need people who like your work, but isn’t afraid to tell you where you go off course.

Also, don’t be afraid of free once you have a series of at least three out–especially if you have an overarching story line. Going permafree with Wolves , the first book in my Loki series, was a game changer for me. I also have a free lead in to my Archangel Project series, called Carl Sagan’s Hunt for Intelligent Life in the Universe. You don’t have to go permafree. Kindle Unlimited free days are a great option too. I do tri-monthly free runs of Archangel Down.

Q: Do you have a favorite character from your books and/or series?

Well, at this point, Loki is sort of my patron saint … or … um … whatever. So I gotta say Loki.

Thank you C. Gockel for participating in this author interview. Connect with C. Gockel’s work here:

Website: http://www.cgockelwrites.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CGockelWrites/

Q: How did you get into fantasy? 

As I was watching Disney’s Sleeping Beauty the other night with my kids, I was reminded all over again why I love the fantasy genre. The magic, the grandness, the awe, the sweeping larger-than-life experiences that are unlike any other genre. Of course, Sleeping Beauty is technically a fairytale, but fairytales and fantasy are closely linked and overlap in many respects. I grew up devouring fairytales in books and movies, and I believe that was the foundation on which my love for fantasy was eventually built. In fact, hints of fairytales tend to find their way into all of my fantasy novels.

Q: What is your latest fantasy release? 

So far, I’ve released my fantasy novella, Amana, followed by my Sunset Lands Beyond trilogy. The third book in this trilogy, Aerisia: Field of Battle, is my latest release, but I have several more books in the works.

Q: What inspired you to write your first fantasy book? How long did it take? 

Basically two things: a love of speculative fiction and a sunset walk down a country road. If you’ve read (or eventually read) Aerisia: Land Beyond the Sunset, you’ll find both influences in the novel. The scene in the opening chapter where Hannah meets the Moonkind elder, Risean Wy’ Curlm, who whisks her away from her Colorado home to Laytrii’s palace in the land of Aerisia, was inspired by an incident in real life.

I used to walk/run country roads at evening when it was cooler, I had a neighbor who raised horses and had a huge, old stump in his pasture, and my overactive imagination sometimes tricked me into thinking that stump was something it wasn’t. Once, it was a bear, once a dog, once a stranger in flowing robes…which got me to thinking. What would happen if I actually ran across a stranger from another time period or world? Put all these factors together, and Aerisia was born. It took me a little over a year to write the rough draft of the entire trilogy, but much longer to revise and revise and revise it.

Q: What makes your series stand out?

I like to think it’s the aforementioned fairytale elements that snuck their way in. Even though it is a fantasy series, fairies, giants, and even unicorns are featured. They simply felt natural at the time, and now I love the fact that I went ahead and included them.

Q: Do you have a favorite character from your books and/or series?

Absolutely. I love all of the Simathe—a race of mysterious, immortal warriors. Little is known about them, and they are feared, in spite of their longstanding service to the land of Aerisia. My favorite of the Simathe is Ilgard, their High-Chief and ruler.

Q: Which of your books do you believe resonated with readers the most? Why do you think it received that attention? 

Book 3 has definitely received the best reviews and highest praise from readers. I was told by several that it made them cry, or that they cried all the way through it. I think this is because Book 3 deals the most with the more human side of a fantasy world: pain and sorrow and loss, but, finally, a glorious happy ending. It’s my favorite of the series, as well.

Q: What fantasy book are you reading now? Are there any new authors that have caught your attention?

Right now, I’m reading Coiled, a new release by H.L. Burke. This is a retelling of the Psyche and Eros myth, or the fairytale East of the Sun and West of the Moon—both of which are two of my favorite stories. I’m loving it so far, and will be reading more of Burke’s works. Before Coiled, I finished The Firethorn Crown, by Lea Doue, which is a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. (I told you like fairytales!) It was great, and I can’t wait to continue the series.

Q: What is the next project you’re working on? When do you hope to have it available?

Currently, I’m polishing a historical fiction novel set in ancient Rome. When I’ve completed that project, I’ll be starting a follow up series to my Aerisia trilogy. Enough readers have asked whether I was planning to continue the story that I have finally decided to do it. My goal is to write the first book during Nanowrimo and release it within the next few months—wish me luck!