At the level of plot and setting, I was intrigued by a recurring cycle in the history of Europe and Asia where the “civilized” people living at the edges of the Eurasian continent get overrun by barbarian nomads from the inland steppes, and then the barbarians settle down and become civilized, and then the whole cycle repeats again a few hundred years later.
J.S. Bangs – 22 March 2015
The Back Flap
When Saotse rode across the treacherous ocean on an orca at the bidding of Oarsa, Power of the Sea, the blind maiden believed she had been chosen for a great destiny. But she hasn’t heard Oarsa’s voice in decades. Aged now, she has found her place among a peaceful, long-lived people, though her adoptive sister, Uya, still blossoms with youth. Then, pregnant Uya is kidnapped, and the rest of her family is slaughtered when an army of mounted warriors strikes the defenseless capital, leaving Saotse grief stricken and alone.
After Saotse finds refuge with strangers in a distant village, a new Power makes contact. Saotse embraces the opportunity to bury her bloodthirsty enemies in vengeance, but wielding the Power’s bitter magic could cost her everything she is.
As war escalates and allies flock to her side, Saotse believes she finally understands Oarsa’s purpose for her. But the Powers may have set events in motion that even they cannot control, and the fates of gods and men alike hang in the balance.
About the book
What is the book about?
It’s about three people whose lives are turned upside-down by an invasion of barbarian nomads: a young woman pregnant with her first child, an old blind foreigner with an affinity for the spirit world, and the leader of the barbarians.
When did you start writing the book?
In 2011, if my records are right.
How long did it take you to write it?
Hard to say, to be honest! First draft took about a year, and after that it went through revisions and a long-ish submissions process (during which time I worked on other things, as well).
Where did you get the idea from?
A million different things :). On a personal level, this book was written in the period around when my second child was born, and I was very caught up in the process of becoming a parent again. That came through pretty strongly in the character themes of the novel. Plus, I was a little annoyed with the notion that a “strong female character” is necessarily a Warrior Princess, and so I wanted to write some strong female characters who were resolutely feminine, and who could impact the world without ever picking up a weapon.
At the level of plot and setting, I was intrigued by a recurring cycle in the history of Europe and Asia where the “civilized” people living at the edges of the Eurasian continent get overrun by barbarian nomads from the inland steppes, and then the barbarians settle down and become civilized, and then the whole cycle repeats again a few hundred years later. I was also struck by something I learned about the Plains Indians, which is that some of the most iconic “plains” tribes, such as the Dakotah, were actually descended from groups who originally lived much further east. But the arrival of European settlers on the Eastern seaboard created a ripple effect of westward movement. Both of these motifs are present in the history and backstory of the setting
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Believe it or not, getting the number of characters right. There were early stages in which I had four primary characters rather than three, but I didn’t have enough plot for all four of them. Eventually I had to cut one and redistribute her plot points, and after that things worked much better.
What came easily?
The ending. I love endings. Beginnings are hard; endings are awesome.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Pretty much entirely fictitious. I’ve borrowed from certain real-world experiences, but I avoid basing my characters on real people.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Always Coming Home by Ursula K. LeGuin is one of my all-time favorites, and it deeply informs my aesthetics and aspirations. After that, the The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien, which is a pretty obvious choice, but it’s still incredibly influential. Both of these set my preference for complicated settings, and stories which combine epic scope with deep personal choices.
Do you have a target reader?
The semi-jaded fantasy reader. I love the tropes and forms of epic fantasy, but I try to avoid the settings and character types which are most commonly associated with that genre.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
My process is pretty lightweight. I write at night, in bed, with a cup of tea or bottle of water next to me. Other than that, I’m flexible.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I outline obsessively. Every book I write, I create a more detailed outline than the book previous to it. Storm Bride was written with chapter headings and a few sentences per chapter, but the next book after that I wrote with a few paragraphs of summary per chapter. The book I’m starting now has about two pages of summary per chapter.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I always edit at the end, except for sentence-level nits and minor corrections. I am a terrible proofreader.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I absolutely cannot listen to music with lyrics while I’m writing: it gets in the way of hearing the words I’m writing. Instead, I usually listen to this Pandora station, which I’ve carefully tuned for my preferences: http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh2313077681477288423&shareImp=true. It’s mostly “post-rock”: instrumental, quasi-experimental music based on guitars and synth. Sigur Ros, Red Sparowes, This Will Destroy You, Explosions in the Sky, etc.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Half-heartedly. I’d gone through that process before, and I put out some feelers to see if there was any interest, but I didn’t query very thoroughly and didn’t wait long for responses.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Impatience. I was pretty sure that a small press would do better than self-publishing for me, since I was completely clueless about self-pub, but I wasn’t willing to endure the wait times and uncertainty involved with going through agents and big publishers.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
My publisher, RAP, has a plan. I just do what they tell me J.
About You
Where did you grow up?
In northern Colorado, right at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
Where do you live now?
In rural Minnesota. However, later this year I’ll probably be moving to Romania, which is where my wife is from.
What would you like readers to know about you?
– I am bilingual in Romanian and English.
– I once ate an endangered animal. (But it had been legally hunted.)
– I have never been able to break the habit of biting my nails.
What are you working on now?
I’m finishing up revisions on Heir of Iron, a book set in the same world as Storm Bride, but a distant country. That book is the first in the series, and I’m currently in the outlining stage for book two.
End of Interview:
Get your copy of Storm Bride from Amazon US (paper or ebook), Amazon UK (paper or ebook), or Barnes & Noble.
For more from J.S. Bangs, visit his website or follow him on Twitter.
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