We recently caught up with debut author James Bennett, and were very pleased to be asked to be part of his Blog Tour! We were asked for five questions to test James, and here’s his replies!
Q: Welcome to SFFWorld, James! Your new book, Chasing Embers, has a dragon as one of the main characters. Where does your own interest in dragons come from?
Fairy tales. The Hobbit. Mythology. And later on, Dungeons & Dragons. Remember the Players Handbook with Larry Elmore’s red dragon on the cover? (Editor: Yes. Picture included!) Well, that dragon certainly played a part.
Q: It is your debut novel – congratulations! How did it come about?
Thank you. I’d written 2 novels and both got roundly rejected. Chasing Embers was my ‘sod it’ attempt. The darkest hour really is before the dawn.
Q: Though the story of Chasing Embers is contemporary, the book’s backstory suggests a great deal of research was involved. Was that the case?
Yes, but it was mainly research in areas I already had a lot of interest in, so I knew where to look. I enjoy research because it turns the writing into a learning process (aside from writing). Plus, I like the idea of reviving old and half-forgotten myths like the Mordiford Dragon and plonking them firmly in the modern age.
Q: What are your inspirations and influences in writing?
Too many to list. I’ll try. Moorcock, Le Guin, Chandler, Lovecraft, McCaffrey, Tolkien, Dick, Banks… Also travelling. A million movies. And mythology.
Q: Are you a full-time writer? If not, what else do you do and was it useful in the writing process?
For now, I’m a full-time writer. I take the odd part time job as and when required. Writing is an up and down business, financially. I’m used to living by my wits. The only cool job was working under London Bridge, to be honest. Most of the others probably only inspired my rendition of villains. I don’t miss it!
Many thanks, James.
James’ debut novel, Chasing Embers, is out now from Orbit UK. The SFFWorld review is HERE.
