People may not know this, but Goblins don’t get out much and we are kind of shy, But we also Hunger for knowledge so for the sake of any goblins out there who would like to feed that Hunger by learning more about the people that write these great books I review,  I will be doing some author interviews.  First up is Graham Austin-King, author of The Riven Wyrde Saga. Thank you for doing this interview I hope it will be Fulfilling for all of us…

 Q) Have you always wanted to be a writer?

A) Yes and no. I liked the idea of being a writer even when I was a child, but then I also liked the idea of being a wizard. Being an author was something other people did. Authors were special people. Apparently, since then, the entry requirements for the job have become less strict.

Q) What books or authors do you feel have influenced you either in your writing or just in everyday life?

A) I think I’ve been influenced by every book I’ve really enjoyed (or hated). I started with Lloyd Alexander and then on to Tolkien, Feist, Eddings, Weis & Hickman. My writing has definitely been influenced by the likes of Mark Lawrence and Rothfuss – writers who inject a real beauty into their prose. I think I also have been influenced by writers like Hugh Cook and Joe Abercrombie, writers who aren’t afraid to let the grit and dirt show.

Q) What is your favorite quote from your books?

A) I have many favourites but this one stuck with me today:

“He sighed in resignation as he shuffled the last length of the path, performing the final steps of the ritual only to begin again. His was the spider’s web against the hurricane, the hands holding back the tide. His was the task that would fail.” Fae – The Wild Hunt

Q) Any favorite quote by someone else?

“Give a man a fire and he’s warm for a day, but set fire to him and he’s warm for the rest of his life.”  Terry Pratchett

Q)I love that quote I have it as the intro on my Facebook page right now. OK now the hard questions. What is your favorite and least favorite part of the writing process?

A)My favourite part is any point when the story is really flowing. It takes me about half an hour of solid writing to get to this point. That doesn’t sound hard but there are a million distractions out there. The internet… coffee… goblins…

Q) Back in July you and I talked about some audiobook narrators you were thinking about using for your books. Back then you where trying to decide between a few female narrators but you ended with a male doing it. I loved how it worked out but why the change and how did you find Jonny.

A) I think it boils down to the fact that one of my favourite character is the Duchess Selena. She has some of the best lines in the book and I wanted someone to do her justice. I had, at this point, been of the opinion that whilst a woman can do a male voice, the men I’d heard doing female voices were terrible.

I found Jonny by posting an open audition on ACX which is a bit like the kindle self-publishing program but for audiobooks. I was lucky enough to be awarded a stipend for both books one and two of my trilogy which meant that any narrator would be paid directly by ACX for producing the books, and not have to worry about if they would sell well or not. Jonny was one of over a hundred who submitted auditions. I whittled this down to my final five and then had folks on reddit Fantasy and on Facebook vote for their favourites.

For what it’s worth, Jonny does great female voices.

Q) I have really enjoyed the first two books of the Riven Wyrde Saga I would love for you to tell us a little about the books and your main characters? Do they have any Strong Political views, OCD habits, super powers, Homicidal sentient weapons? You know the usual type of things. Or any reason why my Fearsome and Hungry  Goblin army…. UMM… That is, My readers will relate with them?

A) The Riven Wyrde Saga is a trilogy about the return of the fae to a world which has forgotten them and thinks they are nothing more than myths and fables. When the barriers that kept them locked out of the world fail, then they are loosed on an unsuspecting world.

The trilogy is an epic fantasy series told over multiple points of view. As the Bjornmen reavers abandon their tradition of coastal raids and embark on a war of conquest, the challenge becomes whether mankind can recognize the fae as the greater threat.

I have lots of favourite characters in this series. From Kloss the Bjornman reaver, to Selena, the woman sold into a political marriage who has to seize her own power. I wanted to write about relatively ordinary people having to cope with the extraordinary situations. I’ve worked hard to avoid a clash of good vs evil, but instead painted in shades of grey.

When the Bjornmen invade Anlan, although there are brutal battle scenes and some fun politics involved, there are no superpowered characters or magic… except for the fae of course.

The fae draw their power from the moon. The Lady’s Gift can make them stronger, faster, and fuel their magic in any number of ways from simple glamours to…. well you’ll see.

Suffice it to say that any goblins should steer clear.  Either that or read all the books immediately so they know how to cope with the fae. Yeah, that’s a better option. Do that

Q) I agree it is better to know the enemy so you don’t fall in to their traps. What are you working on now? Are there Goblins in it?

A)I’m writing a dark novel called ‘Faithless’. At this point I don’t know if it will be self-published or not but I’d like it be out this year. The working blurb goes like this:

The temples of the Forgefather have fallen. The clerics and defenders that could once be found across the civilised world are no more. Priests huddle in the great temple clinging to the echoes of their lost religion. But the Father has fallen silent. There are none who still hear his voice.

The mines of Aspiration lie far below the marble halls of the great temple. Slaves toil in the black, hoping to prove worthy of acceptance into the church. Wynn has been sold into this fate, traded for a handful of silver. In the depths of the mines, where none dare bring a flame, he must meet the ore tally or die. But there are other things that lurk in that darkness, and still darker places within the hearts of men.

When the souls bound to the great forge are released in a desperate attempt to seek the Father’s voice, one novice is forced to flee down into the black of the mines. The soulwraiths know only hunger, the risen know only hate. In the deepest corners of the mines Kharios must seek a light to combat the darkness which descends.

Q)Sounds pretty awesome I’ll keep my eyes open for that.

Where can my little goblins find out more about you?

A)I lurk in all the usual places. I can be found on Facebook and Twitter or on my website www.GrahamAustin-King.com

Q)Any Final words?

A)Buy my books! I like to eat.

Hey what do you know, us goblins like to eat as well it’s a good thing you came to visit we are starving!!

You can find the talented and (Burp Excuse me)  delicious! Graham Austen King’s books on Amazon and Audible. You can actually get the whole trilogy free with Kindle Unlimited as of this posting.

You can find my review of books 1 and 2 here