Christian A. Brown has released Feast of Fates, the first book in the Four Feasts Till Darkness series.
First of all can you tell us a bit about your latest novel, Feast of Fates?
I’m going to cheat and give you the blurb from the Kirkus starred review: “In this rousing epic-fantasy debut, two unlikely lovers forge a bond in the midst of a war between immortal kings. An unmissable fantasy tale that marries gorgeous prose to a lavishly detailed plot.”
Romantic love, familial love, love when twisted to hate are set against a broader backdrop of a brewing war between two advanced, technomagikal* societies. While these two world powers plot against one another, another, more horrific force seeks to unmake both. The Black Queen—who I’m quite pleased with as the real villain—definitely lives up to that reputation.
*Engines and apparatuses fueled by will (sorcery).
Can you give us some insight into your main character, Morigan?
Morigan is not your typical firecracker archetype. She’s older, nearing thirty. She’s a mature, independent woman with no wish for children. She’s had a tough upbringing, and lost her mother (her only known parent) at a young age; as a result she’s learned to rely on herself and her good judgments. If we’re looking for faults, you could say that Morigan is a bit too independent and strong-headed. Her comfortable existence changes when she meets The Wolf: the man who is not quite a man. I think it’s important to note that their relationship is not one of that submits to traditional roles. In fact, Morigan challenges this ancient creature to examine himself just as much as she herself is changed by their encounters. Not only that, but every choice she makes to further their relationship is a decision she makes herself, contrasted with the Wolf being quite chivalrous and “old school” about his pursuit, as compared to today’s modern romances.
What goals might you have set for yourself when writing Feast of Fates and how do you feel about the end result?
I wanted to create a rich, believable world. I wanted to create characters with depth that experience the gamut of emotions: love and hate, pain, sorrow and hope. From the response to the novel, both critically and with readers, I feel that I have been successful in achieving that goal.
What is it with the Fantasy genre you find fascinating?
I’m going to answer that question in two separate parts. First and foremost, I treat Fantasy the same way I would Science Fiction. I think that when you are building Fantasy worlds, you are building alternate realities, much the way Science Fiction builds universes. Certainly, the scope of a Fantasy world could be smaller and less technologically developed, but the end results should be similar.
Now, the second part of my response would be that now that I have created this world, with a convincing set of rules and convincing citizens, I am able to mirror nearly any social, political or environmental turmoil that we face here in our own civilizations. I think that Fantasy and Science Fiction allow us, and our readers, to view divisive challenging questions from afar. Sometimes it is even easier to understand conflict when we see it taking place with aliens, dragons, whatever, rather than in our own backyards. In Feast of Fates, I directly tackle issues of classism, racism, sexism and abuse.
How did you start writing? Was there a particular book or moment in your life that spurned you on?
I have always been a writer, ever since I was a young child filling notepads with my scribbling. Later in life, my mother became seriously ill with cancer and I quit my job to care for her. During her treatment, I found plenty of downtime where she was sleeping, away for tests, or whatever, and I used those moments to write. We get chances in life, we arrive crossroads that define us, and I knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to focus on my manuscript. I also wanted my mother to read my story in case the unthinkable happened. The unthinkable did happen, though she was able to read the first, very rough, draft before she passed away.
Have you ever struggled between what you would like to happen to a character and what you considered more sensible to occur? Can you tell us when and what did you do at last?
I guess I’m a bit of a “pantser” in that while I plot major milestones, all of my planning tends to go to ruin once my characters start to move through the tale. They’re chaotic, unpredictable and driven by their own whims and desires. I truly believe that they do whatever they want.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
For myself, I would say making time for PR. In an ideal world, writers would write and the whole world would magically know about our work and flock to read it. In the real world, however, we (authors) need to push for visibility, regardless of how “good” we think our work is or what praise it rightly/wrongly deserves. If you’re not willing to promote your work these days, you probably won’t have much of a career as an author.
How do you market your book?
I have various editorial contacts that I’ve worked hard to establish over the years. I have two separate PR agents with whom I work, that cover everything from traditional radio/newspaper/television interviews to internet and social media exposure.
Can you tell us a bit about the process that led to the book being published?
Well, I had this manuscript that I’d completed while my mother was in cancer care and I’d decided to do something with it. Now, as any writer can tell you, a first draft is a first draft, meaning there will be several more. A total of seven in my case. First I connected with a freelance, ex-senior editor from Penguin, Barbara Berson, who is the most ruthless and wonderful critic you could ever know. Every writer needs that one professional who can eviscerate their work and then help them build something better from the scraps. After meeting Barbara I wrote, and wrote, and wrote some more. Together, she and I went through three different periods of Geadhain’s history until we finally settled on the era where the story takes place. After that, I connected with my publisher, and went through another four drafts—copy and line editing—then a proofreading and beta-reading phase. The process of publishing took about two years, all in all. I’m happy to say that the process is certainly smoother and faster the second time around, and Feast of Dreams will hit the shelves in another month or two.
What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?
As Terry Pratchett said (and I’m paraphrasing): “It’s not worth doing unless someone, somewhere, would rather you didn’t.” I believe that. I write about some contentious, difficult issues in my own work. I’m delighted that I appear to have written them with the finesse and grace necessary to not offend the general public. That said, there are always exceptions. There will always be people who are turned off at the very thought of contemplating dark issues, real issues. In the end, so long as you (the writer) are making 90% of your audience happy, that’s all that matters. You’ll never, ever, please everyone. Just write the most glorious prose imaginable, treat your audience with respect, and suck it up if someone doesn’t like your work.
On the other hand, if there is an abundance of criticism and it’s all saying the same thing, then you probably need to pay attention to what is being said and think about whether you need to change your approach and style. Hopefully, a good structural editor would have caught anything like that beforehand.
How do you define success as an author?
Being able to support yourself from your craft. I’ve moved over 5000 copies of Feast of Fates in five months, and that number seems to be snowballing. I never imagined that sort of response and it gives me the encouragement to continue. Thank you to all those who have enjoyed and supported the novel. I love you all, and I mean that.
For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?
I’ll always be a paperback fellow, although I find my Kindle App via iPad growing cluttered with books. The convenience and price of digital content is simply too tempting at times.
What kind of books do you read, any favourite authors?
Funnily enough, I don’t read much in the way of Fiction and Science Fiction. The only titles that come to mind lately have been a reread of the Earthsea Trilogy, and a reread of the Hyperion Series. LeGuin and Simmons are each brilliant authors. When it comes to non-“genre” or just standard fiction, I read a lot of character-based dramas, simply because the dialog and characterization is so superb. Stuff by the late Timothy Findley comes to mind. I believe he was a stage writer at one point and his dialog is spot on, totally believable. Pilgrim is a great book for those that haven’t read it, and it has some interesting metaphysical and supernatural elements.
What do you do when you’re not writing, any hobbies?
I am a fitness freak. Five to six days at the gym, heavy routines: plyo, lifting, cardio, circuits. I find that a strong body and physical discipline has been a boon for my writing. Exercise also kept me sane when my mother was ill. We need to do something “good” for ourselves in times of stress. Aside from physical activity, I travel at every opportunity I can get, even if it’s just somewhere local. As a writer, I think it’s important to see as much of our world and its cultures and beliefs.
What’s next, what are you working on now?
Feast of Dreams, the second novel in the series, is in the final production stages. It should be with the proof reader and beta-readers next month. I’m very excited about it. I feel that it’s my best work. In the meantime, I’m plugging away at manuscript three and four of the Four Feasts Till Darkness series. I’ve decided to overwhelm my primary editor by writing the two manuscripts in full, then breaking up that massive story for two quick releases. If you’ve read my work, you’ll know that I do love a good climax or two or three, and the series should have the most impressive finale you’ve ever read. Four Feast Till Darkness ends with a bang, and not a whimper.
Thank you for the interview.
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Interview by Dag Rambraut – SFFWorld.com © 2015
