What inspired you to write in the fantasy/sci-fi genre, and how does that inspiration reflect in your stories?

I've always been a avid reader of fantasy and to a lesser extent science fiction, so I impressed on the genre early. I did read a lot of history, and a lot of adventure stories, like Treasure Island and The Three Musketeers, but fantasy was always my biggest draw.

I really like the freedom it gives me. I was never very much a fan of a limited palette. Fantasy is open enough that you can go pretty much any direction you want.

Why did you choose the indie author route to publication?

Because of all the horror stories I heard from traditionally published authors.

That's not exactly true. But it's a little true.

I did try the whole submission to agents and publishers route with my first novel. And it was a ton of work and promotion and time writing cover letters and synopses and elevator pitches and doing research.

All so I could get a contract, make changes the publisher wanted, work on a deadline, hope to earn out my advance or get dropped, and then have to still do promotion anyway.

Or, I could write my book the way I wanted, and spend all,those submission and query letter writing hours and put them into the promotion I was going to have to do anyway.

In short, traditional publishing didn't seem to offer much benefit.

Can you share a bit about the world-building process in your series or novel? How do you balance creativity with consistency?

I am not much of a world builder. I know that's a shocking take from a fantasy author, but I'm far more interested in character than world. I prefer the broad stroke world building of the old pulps. I keep my focus fairly tight, so big world issues are only discussed at arms' length.

And I do a bit of urban fantasy where most f the world is just a version of our world with some fantastic elements added.

My latest work is an alternative Victorian era steampunk adventure Imagine 1880 with dirigibles, a bit of mad science in the form of limb grafts and prostheses and a band of mad cultists trying to bring back the Elder Gods. So I like to take a setting people are already largely familiar with and tweak it. That way I can spend my time and word count on swordfights and witty banter.

What unique challenges do you face as an indie author in the fantasy/sci-fi genre, and how do you overcome them?

I think the challenges for indie authors is that we have to wear all the hats, or pay somebody with the right hat. There is no marketing department, or cover design department, or accounting department or copy editor. We have to do all those jobs ourselves or contract them out.

That and finding an audience. There are so many options out there and the audience is so fragmented, finding your particular demographic is tough.

Who are your favorite fantasy/sci-fi authors or works, and in what ways have they influenced your writing?

Steven Brust for his Vlad Taltos stories, which and a big influence on my author voice. He's writing crime fiction in a fantasy world, really, which I enjoy.

Roger Zelazny's Amber series, again for his voice and a wonderful Machiavellian family political drama.

Fritz Leiber for his pulpy Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser tales. The idea of a pair of buddy adventurers in an ancient decadent city was just too much fun. It's sword and sorcery done right, with action, magic, wonder and a hefty dose of humor. I took that feeling and ran with it in my own pulpy sword and sorcery series, Broken Crossroads.

Terry Pratchett for his humor that acts as a Trojan Horse for scathing social commentary, and for the way he plays with language.

Outside of traditional fantasy I like Poe for his dark evocative imagery, Dorothy Parker for her wit and snark, George MacDonald Fraser for his ability to make us feel his love of history, even as he shows us its wart, and how he can make us root for a scoundrel.

How do you develop your characters, and who is your favorite character from your works? Why?

The characters come to me. I like to say they spring fully formed, like Athena from the head of Zeus.

But that's a lie.

I usually have an idea, and then I think of their background. How it affected them. And I put them in a situation, see how that personality and past and values influence their decisions.

My favorite right now is Count Roderick von Szeben. He's an Austrian noblemen, but he's new nobilty. His father was a Wild Goose, and Irish mercenary who gained a title by service in battle, and then squandered the fortune with a mercenary's love of booze, women and gambling, leaving Roderick entitled but broke, trying to save the estate. A gifted swordsman and horseman, with an air of command, he's now a captain in a Hussar regiment, but he feels “cursed to be born in a time of peace” where his abilities won't earn him the fortune he needs. So he's been forced to work for the bad guys.

He's still witty, charming and charismatic, and he isn't really evil, just trying to keep his family estate out of hock and his servants fed. I think of him as the Dread Pirate Roberts if he didn't have Buttercup's true love to check his worst impulses.

Could you discuss the role of magic/science or fantastical/sci-fi elements in your stories? How do you create rules and limitations for them?

It varies from series to series, but I like to keep it on the lower end of the spectrum. Much like the pulps I grew up on, it's seldom the heroes with the magic. The villains may be powerful sorcerers, but my protagonists tend to be skilled swordsmen and cunning thieves.

My urban fantasy is pretty much centered around the idea that some humans have supernatural powers. There's no magic per se. It's closer to Highlander than Dresden Files.

The Beckoning Void is Jules Verne level science fiction. Well that and a dose of Lovecraftian mythos, with a cult trying to summon the Elder Gods.

I don;t really like to write high magic systems. I like to work with stories where magic isn't something my characters have at their fingertips, it's more something they have to deal with.

How do you approach the plotting and planning of your series or novels? Do you prefer to map everything out beforehand or let the story evolve as you write?

I don't plan at all. I start with an idea. Usually a character, sometimes just a situation. Then I write a scene, and usually that makes me think about what came before it. What led to it, And where would it go form there. I discover the story as I write it. It keeps my creative flow. Outlining just kills my drive.

Then I clean it all up in post.

I call it my Blitzkrieg approach. I just push to the sea and bypass the tough spots. Those will get mopped up by the second wave.

Once I have a halfway decent draft, I read it and make a sort of outline to see how the pacing and plot points work out. That's useful to see what should be moved or expanded or trimmed. But the initial composition is all free form.

What is a theme or message you hope readers take away from your work?

The one overarching them throughout my books is that characters are all outsiders. Underdogs. Outcasts. The heroes, at least. They all have to find their own way forward, and it often involves making a choice to be true to themselves, and what they think is right, rather than to some outwardly imposed fealty.

The band of misfits out to save the world in The Beckoning Void include a woman who started out as a laundress and used her talent for imitating her social superiors to become an actress and then a spy, a formerly enslaved airship captain who won his freedom by stealing a Confederate airship, an old soldier of fortune who developed a conscience, and the sword wielding daughter of a British diplomat and an Afghan brigand, who understandably doesn't feel she fits well in either world and has to forge her own path.

Even the main antagonist, Count Roderick, isn't really accepted by the old aristocracy, as the son of a foreign mercenary. The difference is that Roderick is willing to bed his morals to gain the fortune that will let him join the ranks of polite society, while the heroes are happy to keep their principles and content themselves with, well, impolite society I suppose.

So I guess the question is do you sell out for comfort and acceptance or do you rely on your convictions to keep you warm?

In what ways do you connect with your readers, and how has their feedback influenced your writing?

This is a big advantage we have today in social media. While it can clearly be a double edges sword, it allows creators and audience connect more easily than ever before.

It can be surprising. After my debut EMS themed urban fantasy “Out of Nowhere” made the finals in SPFBO 4, I got raked over the coals in the final reviews. It came as a shock, because all my prior feedback had been overwhelmingly positive. I think that's largely down to it being a niche offering when it came out, mostly read by EMTs who all get the vibe,. Once it reached the larger audience of judges, well... it just hit different.

I get that. Emergency Medical people are kind of broken individuals. It's a high stress, very macho job and the kind of dark humor and congenial abuse we throw at one another can be off putting. This was a lesson.

Anyway, I learned a truth about mass market appeal, and I have learned to balance authenticity with trying not to alienate half my audience. Or scare them away from calling the ambulance in an emergency.

As an indie author, what advice would you give to aspiring writers wanting to publish in the fantasy/sci-fi genre?

Run.

Seriously though, just write what you want to read. Fantasy and sci fi are so broad that you can find your niche. But it will be niche. Don;t go into it thinking you'll make millions and write the next Harry Potter. The field is fragmented. If you want to do it, do it because you have a story that cries out to be told.

What are the biggest challenges you face as an indie author?

Marketing.

Just getting your work in front of readers is a challenge.

Links here –

Steampunk horror filled with witty banter

The Beckoning Void : https://www.amazon.com/Beckoning-Void-Patrick-LeClerc-ebook/dp/B09GCLXTB8

Pulpy Sword and Sorcery filled with witty banter:

Broken Crossroads: https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Crossroads-Knights-Shadows-Book-ebook/dp/B019PA29C2/

Urban Fantasy with witty banter (and SPFBO finalist):

Out of Nowhere: https://www.amazon.com/Nowhere-Immortal-Vagabond-Healer-Book-ebook/dp/B01JBNRK9A?

Military Science Fiction with witty banter:
In Every Clime and Place: https://www.amazon.com/Every-Clime-Place-Patrick-LeClerc-ebook/dp/B01NAUB3UI?

My author page (with witty banter): http://www.inkandbourbon.com/