N.S. Dolkart Book Deal and Interview

We’re happy to join forces with Angry Robot in this announcement of a two book deal for N.S. Dolkart’s debut Silent Hall and second book Chariots of Laarna. Silent Hall is due for publication in June 2016.

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Scroll down for more details of the deal, but first our interview with N.S. Dolkart.

First of all congratulations on the deal with Angry Robot.

Thanks!

How would you describe Silent Hall in your own words? What do you feel is unique about your story?

It’s character-driven fantasy from the old school, but in a non-European setting. A group of young wanderers grow into themselves while trying to survive and find their place in a world full of hostile gods. What makes these characters different is that they are coping with having lost their place in the world, rather than rising from obscurity. I grew up reading Lloyd Alexander and Diana Wynne Jones, so my story has a Dalemark sort of vibe to it. A bit less dark than a lot of modern fantasy, though you wouldn’t know it from the setting. I’ve chosen different tropes to subvert.

I think one of the unique elements is that my characters don’t know any more about their world than we do about ours. I have a character whose ambition in life is to discover how the world works and how the gods operate, and to answer all these big why questions. Fantasy doesn’t usually delve too deeply into religious philosophy, at least not in the stories I’ve read.

What are your expectations now that your books are going to be published?

I expect to write more and sleep less. I’ll probably catch cold as a result.

I’m sure many would like to know how to actually get a deal with a publisher such as Angry Robot. Can you tell us a bit about what led up to the deal? How involved were you in process yourself?

My agent, Evan Gregory, did all the negotiating, for which I am eternally grateful. As a first-time author, you really don’t know how to negotiate a book deal all by yourself. The terms of the final deal are noticeably improved from the initial offer, which I don’t think would have happened otherwise. I’d definitely recommend getting an agent if you mean to publish traditionally.

In terms of my own involvement in the deal, I just made sure to read the contract thoroughly and ask any questions I had before signing. I was glad I did, because the first draft did not end up being the one I signed.

It’s still some time until Silent Hall will be published. How are you going to spend the wait? Do you have more stories that are just waiting to be written?

I’m going to be working on the sequel! I’m also anticipating the birth of my second child this fall, so I won’t lack for things to do.

What is it with fantasy you find fascinating?

Some of the earliest stories humanity told itself are what you might call fantasy. Fantasy stories tap into a deeper part of our imaginations, I think. I grew up reading the Torah and to a lesser extent the rest of the Hebrew Bible too, and it’s full of fantastic elements. The Egyptian wizards and so-called “false gods” are treated as having significant supernatural powers, and the reason I put “false gods” in quotes is that the Bible treats them as being one hundred per cent real. The word “false” here means something other than “not real,” maybe something more along the lines of “not deserving of worship.” My fantasy taps into that view of the world, where gods are real and terrifying and need to be appeased — including the One True God. The older version of “God works in mysterious ways” is “we don’t know what will make God happy, and we’re pretty sure we’re toast if we guess wrong.”

What are your hopes and dreams for the future? Do you now have a grand plan for your writing career?

I hope to be able to write for a living so that I can spend more time with my children before they grow up. I don’t know if that counts as a master plan, but I feel like it’s a fairly ambitious goal. I don’t know many authors who have no day job. But to some degree, I’m already living the dream. I’m getting published! I especially look forward to the first time I spot a stranger reading my book.

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Silent Hall synopsis: After their homeland is struck with a deadly plague, five refugees cross the continent searching for answers. Instead they find Psander, a wizard whose fortress is invisible to the gods, and who is willing to sacrifice anything – and anyone – to keep the knowledge of the wizards safe. With Psander as their patron, the refugees cross the mountains, brave the territory of their sworn enemies, confront a hostile ocean and even traverse the world of the fairies in search of magic powerful enough to save themselves – and Psander’s library – from the wrath of the gods. All they need to do is to rescue an imprisoned dragon and unleash a primordial monster upon the world. How hard could it be?

About N.S. Dolkart: By day he works in a nursing home and is somewhat of an expert in dementia (to the point of training other staff on it). When not at work he loves singing bass, cooking, and Israeli Folk Dancing. Silent Hall is his first novel.

Angry Robot Consultant Editor, Phil Jourdan: “You’ve got to love a fantasy writer who’s so focused on bringing amazing characters to life. N.S. Dolkart’s created a beautiful world, with an epic mythology, that still manages to feel low-key and personal. I look forward to getting this fine novel into the hands of our readers!”

N.S. Dolkart: “I am dangerously excited to be publishing with Angry Robot. If I get any more excited, they may have to terminate me. I feel like I’ve won an Oscar, and if I don’t restrain myself I’ll end up thanking God and my parents and every friend I have until my time runs out and they play me off. I am so glad to have the robot army at my back so that now, together, we may continue our inexorable march to glory.”