SPFBO 9 Author Interview - Alexander Lane
What inspired you to write your SPFBO entry? Is there a particular story, personal experience, or idea that sparked this book?
I wanted to write a book that shows what happens to heroes AFTER the epic war against evil. I read a lot of books where the main character had to cut their way through all sorts of monsters and it occurred to me that we rarely get to read about the psychological consequences of literally coming face to face with horrors, fantastical or otherwise. That was the seed. From there I came up with Ettarian, the aging ex--general haunted by the past, and the rest came pretty naturally.
How would you describe your writing process? How did it evolve during the creation of this book?
I just make stuff up.
Okay, more accurately, I come up with a few basic premise or the idea for a character, and then I just start throwing words down on the page. I do absolutely no planning and make up each chapter as I go. Pantsing, as some people call it. Of course, then I go back and edit and rewrite.
What challenges did you face during the writing or publishing process, and how did you overcome them?
I very rarely rewrite an entire novel from scratch…but I rewrote THE BONE SPEAR twice. The first draft was started when I was…seventeen? Something like that. Naturally, it was bad. I wrote quite a few other books between each rewrite of this one. A lot of editing went into it, too. Just took me quite a while to feel happy with the finished product.
Who are your biggest literary influences and how have they impacted your writing style?
As far as fantasy goes, Joe Abercrombie for sure. The way I write characters and dialogue is heavily influenced by him. Outside of fantasy, Cormac McCarthy is my favorite writer, though I wouldn’t dare try to write like him. Raymond Carver, China Mieville and David Mitchel are all also very important to me, for very different reasons.
How do you approach world-building in your fantasy novel? What elements do you think are essential for a compelling fantasy setting?
I knew that I wanted to write in a world that was destroyed. A world wherein humanity had been enslaved and civilization was in ruins. From there, it was just a matter of thinking about HOW the remnants of mankind would organize themselves.
And then there’s the Flayed Gods, and their legions of horrors. That was the real fun part of the world-building process because I got to spend a lot of time thinking about all of these cool, terrifying creatures. The Ashir are my favorite, because they’re intelligent, even more so than us, but they’re so often blinded by their own cruelty and ambition. The ways in which they shape worlds, our world in particular, is chaotic, beautiful, and very weird. In other words, a lot of fun to write.
To make a fantasy setting compelling, you need a hook. Or at least, it helps to have a hook. In my case, it’s a world post interdimensional invasion. You also need rules. They don’t need to be the rules of OUR world, but you have to establish the boundaries of your world, even if the reader never sees them, and stay consistent.
If you could give a piece of advice to the main character in your book at the start of their journey, what would it be?
Suspicion and mistrust are your allies. That’s what I’d tell him. I doubt he’d listen, though.
As a self-published author, how do you navigate marketing and promoting your work?
It’s tough. I’m constantly working on making my website better, adding more and more content. I try to be as active as I can on Reddit and Twitter. I dabble with Amazon ads but they’re pretty pricey so I’ll likely put that on hold until I have the rest of this series out. But I’m always looking for more ways to market my work.
What made you decide to participate in the SPFBO competition? How do you think this experience will benefit you as an author?
I’ve seen what the SPFBO has done for previous winners. It really can make or break a self-published writer’s career. I want to be counted amongst the winners. I hope the experience will shine a light on my work and show that I’m an upcoming prospect in the genre.
If you were to win SPFBO, what impact do you think this would have on your writing career?
It would be immense. I have a lot of releases lined up, as I plan to be prolific, to winning the SPFBO would give me massive boost to my efforts. I imagine it would help provide me with a solid readership of fans eager for the rest of the series. It might very well make my career-- and I do intend on making writing my career.
What's next for you after SPFBO? Are there any upcoming projects you can share with us?
Well, The BONE SPEAR is the first in a trilogy, so the next two books are upcoming. The sequel, THE RUINOUS HALO, will be out late in 2023. I’m also releasing three novellas set in the same world, the first of which will be released sometime in the next couple of months. Then the third book in the trilog, as well as the other two novellas, will come out in 2024. So, yeah, the next 18 months are pretty stacked in that regard.
