It has admittedly been far too long since I featured another author or ran an author interview here. So let’s start off 2015 fixing that!
I’m happy to have an interview with author P.H. Solomon. He too writes epic fantasy and has quite the series planned. If you get a chance, I highly recommend checking out his blog Archer’s Aim, which has great writing tips, author interviews (including mine!), and more! And now I’ll let him tell you about his writing…
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What’s your upcoming novel about?
The Bow of Destiny is the first book of a series entitled, The Bow of Hart Saga. In many ways it is a traditional epic fantasy but told with far more twists. The main character, Athson, is caught up in a quest in search of a bow prophesied to be a weapon against the dragon, Magdronu. But Athson isn’t along willingly and finds that there many secrets – some being his own – as well as dangers from friends and foes alike. It’s set in a complex world replete with elves, dwarves, giants, dragons, mystics as well as mystery and intrigue.
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How did you choose the genre you write in?
I grew up reading Tolkien. From there I continued reading other fantasy authors such as Ursala K. LeGuin, Patricia McKillip, Anne McCafferey, Terry Brooks and many others. When I began to have ideas for writing it was only natural to choose fantasy for story-telling.
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What are you working on at the minute?
My main project is The Bow of Destiny and completing the outstanding editing phases. I’m also working on completing the second book of the series, An Arrow Against the Wind. Additionally, I’m regularly working on a steady stream of short stories.
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How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?
Living life changes your perspectives as you age but it also gives you a depth of experience to draw from as an author. Regularly writing provides me the space to draw out aspects of memories and inject them into stories. When I was younger I just didn’t understand how to infuse life into writing so my creativity languished.
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What is the hardest thing about writing?
I would say distractions and balancing time for everything. The internet is a HUGE distraction but there are so many other things that come up too. Then there are all the many tasks required to build an author brand – social media, blogging, etc. Honestly, writing is often the easy part not to mention fun.
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Did you format your own book?
I formatted my short story e-book, The Black Bag. It wasn’t such a terrible experience and I gain valuable knowledge about the process. I’m open to doing the same on my novel should the need arise but I hope to contract someone to handle this on such a larger piece. Additionally, I’m working on a shorter, parallel series to The Bow of Hart Saga of which the first draft is largely complete. This series is about a humble monk who has gotten himself into a rather personal and dangerous quest in opposition to the goddess whom he formerly served. I also have several other books in different settings planned for future development.
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What advice would you give to your younger self?
Write regularly, network with other writers, attend writing conferences regularly and spend time learning the craft. When I was younger I wrote sporadically and had a number of years when I wrote nothing at all. Likewise, I didn’t seek out other authors and didn’t seriously consider attending conferences. If I had pursued writing when I was younger like I am now I would be much further along.
P.H. Solomon lives in the greater Birmingham, AL area where he strongly dislikes yard work and sanding the deck rail. However, he performs these duties to maintain a nice home for his loved ones as well as the family’s German Shepherds. In his spare time, P. H. rides herd as a Computer Whisperer on large computers called servers (harmonica not required). Additionally, he enjoys reading, running, most sports and fantasy football. Having a degree in Anthropology, he also has a wide array of more “serious” interests in addition to working regularly to hone his writing. He is currently finishing the first book of a fantasy series entitled The Bow of Destiny and hopes to see it in print later this year.
Website/Author Blog: http://www.phsolomon.com/
Twitter: @ph_solomon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorP.H.Solomon?ref=hl
Pinterest: P. H. Solomon
Email/Google+: ph@phsolomon.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/phsolmon
Amazon Page: http://amzn.to/1AhmAmS