The Lindsay Show: Interview with R.B. Wood!!

It's almost the New Year, lovelies!! Can you believe it?! Where did the time go? I digress lol. Joining me today on The Lindsay Show is the amazing R.B. Wood!! Let's all give him a warm welcome shall we? I promise I don't bite ;)

Interview

Welcome! I'm so glad you could join me today :) So, when did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve loved stories all my life and have written off and on for a very long time. Back in 2007, my children told me they loved the stories I made up for them and that I should write them down. That little kick in the backside was the catalyst to really start plotting out not only a novel but a series.

That's wonderful that your children pushed you to write :) What has been the most difficult part about being a writer?

Being part-time. To be honest, anyone who has ever written knows that this is a tough field that requires a great deal of time and effort to get it right. Writing in my “spare time” can be very frustrating, especially when an idea strikes during ‘the day job.’

Oh yes, it is so hard when you don't have a ton of time to devote to it. Luckily, I'm perfecting the art of covert writing ;) Who are your favorite authors?

H. G. Wells, Neil Gaiman, Caitlín R. Kiernan, J. R. R. Tolkien, Jim Butcher…I could go on.

I adore Jim Butcher! He's one of my all-time favorite authors. What authors inspire you?

See the list above

Haha, fair enough ;) Do you like to plan your scenes out or do you just wing it?

A little of both. When working on a series, the devil is in the details—and I love to sprinkle in hints of “what’s coming.” So I map out scenes, and the over-all arc. But I’m not too strict with it which allows for some creative license. It’s a balance.

That's a wonderful approach. You can't be too rigid in your planning or you start to fight your own characters. What type of books do you like to read?

I love to read most things—for example I have a few books going at the same time at the moment: Cold Days by Jim Butcher, a biography of Neil Armstrong, Subtle Bodies by Peter Dubé, and a beta read for a fellow author.

Ooo I've been meaning to read Cold Days! You're like me, in the middle of a ton of books lol. What do you like to do in your free time?

What is this “free time” of which you speak? Seriously—between my consultancy (‘day job’), writing, my partner and my children, and the pets—not to mention writing—free time is also called five hours of sleep in the evenings.

Lol I know right? I keep hoping one day someone will tell me the secret to obtaining the elusive free time! Where is your favorite place to vacation?
Any place I haven’t visited before. My partner, Tina and I just took our first vacation together in years and we nipped down to Charleston S.C. for a week. It had everything we like to do—historical places to explore, great restaurants, wonderful culture and (of course) was some place we’d never visited.

Love it! Since we just had Christmas so I must ask...do you have any special holiday traditions?

Nothing too extraordinary. Traditional tree, cards and dinner. I tend to like to watch Christmas specials – from Miracle on 34th Street through to A Christmas Story.

I've always been a fan of simpler traditions myself :) Why did you choose to write dark fantasy?

I’m a huge fan of the genre and I just think stories about heroes and monsters are great escapism. It’s such a large palette to paint words on…and it’s enormous fun.

Well since my own book is a dark fantasy romance, I'm definitely interested in your work :) What has been the most fun about working on your books?

Creating a world, building characters and weaving story ideas that I want to tell within a framework I built. Most satisfying.

I find that's one of my favorite parts too! What has been the hardest scene for you to write?
Unfortunately for the fans, not one you’ll be reading for a little while. A sex scene in the next book needed to walk a fine line between erotic and dangerous without coming off like some sort of 50 Shades porn.

Ok now I'm really intrigued LOL. Can't wait to see what you mean ;) Do you have any favorite characters?

Oh, Symon Bryson is my absolute favorite character. I spent a lot of time with him, his back story and where he needs to go development-wise. I also enjoy torturing him a bit.

Haha who doesn't love torturing their characters a little? ;) Tell us about The Prodigal’s Foole. How did you come up with that title?

It stems from the whole The Arcana Chronicles series concept I developed back in 2007-2008. Novels based on the major arcana of the tarot, with short stories based on the minor arcana. Since the Fool card represents Symon, and the book is his return back into the magical fold of the Church, The Prodigal’s Foole just worked. The second in the series—The Young Practitioner—is based on “The Mage” card.

I love Tarot so now I'm even more interested in your books! How did you come up with the premise for The Prodigal’s Foole?
I needed to start the series some place—and believe me there are many versions of “the beginning” I’ve worked through. But starting with “The return” of my main character after a decade-long self-imposed exile lead to a lot of questions—and I liked that.

I can certainly see how that would give you a great opportunity for a starting place. Tell us about the future books and when can we expect the next one?

The next novel will hopefully come out in 2013 and is called The Young Practitioner. Here is the blurb:

Fame is a deadly mistress.

Symon Bryson has rejoined his magic practitioner friends, only to find himself in virtual lockdown after multiple assassination attempts from unknown assailants.

While members of his team are traveling the world in search of Lucifer’s whereabouts, Symon is left to deal with a mother and her young son seeking the sanctuary of the Church. But when the boy shows signs of dangerous and formidable magic, the search for clues to the source of the child's power will take Symon on a dark and deadly journey from the sands of World War II Libya through to the boardrooms of the 21st century.

When all that stands between Heaven and Hell is magic, more than faith will be tested.

A few companion short stories are in the works as well: Portents (based on the Eight of Swords) is a prequel to The Prodigal’s Foole. The next story is from Symon’s ex-lover’s perspective and takes place right after TPF. It’s called Sacrifice and is based on the Ace of Wands. A third short called Outcast is based on the Five of Pentacles and tells the story of an interesting character you’ll meet in The Young Practitioner.

I freaking love that blurb. Write faster so I can have the book! LOL What's next for you?

Writing, working, loving and laughing. Then I’ll wake up and do it all again tomorrow.

There is a short story coming out in an anthology in the first month or two in 2013 that I’m excited about. Next phase of The Arcana Chronicles is in full swing, I have a time travel novel I’ve been playing with for a while now and a collaboration project with a fellow fantasy author in Australia. And a few episodes of my podcast The Word Count.

Well unfortunately we are out of time, but I've loved learning more about you and having yet another book to add to my TBR pile! Thank you so much for joining me!

The Prodigal's Foole...Buy it Now!

A man can run from his past ... but not his future.

Symon Bryson lives in self-imposed exile until Monsignor DuBarry goes missing and not even the most adept of the magic practitioners can determine the reason for the abduction. The clues lie buried in the past amidst epic battles and horrific losses but reliving that failed mission uncovers fresh challenges and fearsome threats that reunite his old team. Symon must deal with his own hidden demons and confront the menace that threatens the delicate balance of power. When the darkest of all evils lures Symon into springing a long-planned trap, an unsuspecting world will confront the unthinkable.

When all that stands between Heaven and Hell is magic, more than faith will be tested.

Meet R.B. Wood!

R. B. Wood is a technology consultant and a writer of Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction and quite frankly anything else that strikes his fancy. His first novel, The Prodigal's Foole, was released to critical acclaim in 2012. Mr. Wood is currently working on the second book of his Arcana Chronicles series called The Young Practitioner, multiple short stories, a graphic novel and a science fiction trilogy that he dusts off every few years. Along with his writing passion,

R. B. is host of The Word Count Podcast – a show that features talent from all around the globe reading original flash-fiction stories. 
R. B. currently lives in Boston with his partner, Tina, his dog Jack, three cats and various other critters that visit from time to time.