Character Interview
*Who are you?
I am Aquila of Oyos, the all-king, the
scourge of man. This world is mine and the creatures that scuttle and crawl
across the charred surface do so at my indulgence. I will bear no slight, not
from a dragon, and certainly not from a man. The immortal law is that the
ancient wyrms must not slaughter one another, but I know well that the laws,
even the most ancient laws, were only ever meant as binding to the lesser
creatures.
Where are you from?
This is a young world, still hot from
creation. Rivers of liquid stone pool into glorious and glowing molten ponds.
When I stretch my wings and fly, the night air is hot beneath my wings. The
heavier elements bubble to the surface, and can be taken in claw and set upon
the topmost peaks where they cool into a bed almost worthy of my repose.
*Tell us about dragons in your world.
We are the dominant creatures. It is a
dragon world and I am the king. All other life is there only for my sustenance or
entertainment.
What is the best way to kill a dragon?
Ahhh, that’s the secret isn’t it? Do you
think I am so foolish that I would reveal such a thing here? That, the most
revered knowledge of our species. My official answer is that there is no way to
kill a dragon. We are immortal, we are all-powerful, we are gods. That having
been said, I do know a few tricks which have proven useful when my brothers and
sisters have overstepped their position.
Where do dragons come from?
Dragons pre-date the universe. We are
the fragments of the first creator that took nothing and forged it by force of
will into creation. In the resulting explosion of that first magnificent,
defiant act of creation, the dragon form was instilled into the very fabric of
reality. We are the mirror image of immortality, dominance and perfection. The
darkness of the night is our eternal shadow, the glimmer of the stars is the
reflection of our collective, beating hearts.
Author questions (choose from):
*Who are you?
How do you define a hero?
A hero is a criminal with a good public
relations team.
Heroika: The Dragon Eaters is a dark heroic
fantasy - how do you define that genre?
How much research did you need for your
story?
Have you written for anthologies before?
How does it differ from writing a novel?
Heroika is a little different because
it’s not quite a shared world anthology, although there were a set of very
general ground rules to follow. I was in the middle of writing the sequel to
“The Reader of Acheron” when this anthology opportunity came up. At first I
wasn’t going to participate because I was so busy with “Reader 2,” but I found
myself daydreaming about the project and stumbled upon an idea. It was really
relaxing to take a break from the larger thematic arcs of the novel I was
working on and just crank out a self-contained story. I’m glad that Janet liked
it and included it in Heroika.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I used to be a pantser but I’m moving
more and more towards being a plotter. It’s good to have a general idea where
you want to go in a story, but your chapters have to also have that spontaneous
feel. There always have to be room for movement in case your characters decide
to take you places you hadn’t anticipated. That should happen because it means
you’re being true to how you’ve defined your characters (when that starts
happening, the books write themselves). Sometimes it can be a bit unruly to end
a novel the way you anticipated, but if you can’t find a solution it might mean
that the ending you hoped for isn’t within the make up of your protagonists.
How important is the fantasy genre to our
society?
I think it’s very important because you
can get away with so much. Fantasy also allows you to make social comments that
would be dangerous if you tried to say them in other genres. I’m actually a
strong believer that fantasy is the dominant genre of literature. People don’t
realize how many of the greatest works of literature can actually be labelled
as fantasy (I could apply the label to just about anything).
Tidbit:
Aquila of Oyos contains some characters
with names that might be familiar from Greek and Roman mythology. That’s not an
accident.
Walter Rhein was born in Wisconsin, but moved to Lima, Peru in his twenties. There, he supported himself by writing, teaching, translating and editing. He currently splits his time between Wisconsin and Peru.
Author Links
Books
Book One of the Slaves of Erafor series: Reading is forbidden, and the penalty for non-compliance is a life of slavery enabled by the forcible administration of a mind rotting drug. Yet, there are those possessed of the will to seek illumination. Kikkan, a former slave on the run, and Quillion, a mercenary and self-taught scholar. Together they seek out a small band of rebels living in hiding who offer the promise of a better world. Their leader is a mysterious figure known only as The Reader of Acheron.
Cross-country skiers are hearty folk. The compulsion to race marathon-length distances in subfreezing conditions requires an eternally optimistic and fiercely independent spirit. The fear of blinding snow or paralyzing cold does not deter them, and it has been said that skiers do not merely laugh at adversity; they are completely oblivious to its existence. America's greatest cross-country ski race is the American Birkebeiner or "Birkie" for short. Every year, thousands of people journey from all over the globe to Hayward, Wisconsin, for a world-class celebration of life, winter, and the competitive spirit. Prior to the race, local participants find themselves in the throes of a unique and natural euphoria. They thrill at the prospect of participating shoulder to shoulder with elite international competitors in a wild race through the great Northwoods wilderness. Beyond Birkie Fever is the story of how America's magnificent cross-country ski marathon can expand your horizons and be the gateway to experiences beyond anything you'd ever hoped to imagine!
Nine tales of heroic fantasy by some of the most exciting authors working today. Stories include: Black Sword by Janet Morris and Chris Morris The Act of Sleepless Nights by Walter Rhein To Kill a Myth by Jesse Duckworth No Life Too Small by Douglas R. Brown To Live by Tom Barczak Dozen by Shane Porteous Just One Mistake by A.L. Butcher Witness to Death by Teel James Glenn Through the Sting of Fairy Smoke by R.A. McCandless
Deserter on the Run Malik emerges from the swamps of Plaiden seeking only shelter, food, and the time necessary to take the chill from his bones. But after a barroom brawl lands him in trouble with the local authorities, he flees to the mountains with two orphaned children who have the power to heal.
Pursued by the vicious Father Ivory and his Nightshades, Malik and his charges become the center of a grassroots movement that quickly blossoms into a full-fledged revolution. Their problems are compounded when news of their exploits draws the attention of Malik’s former Captain, a swordsman of legendary prowess who will not stop until Malik and his followers are dead.
As the final battle approaches, Malik must face both his inner demons and his former master in a duel that will determine the fate of the free people of Miscony.
"Heroika 1: Dragon Eaters is an anthology [...] spanning across cultures, centuries, and even the dimensions of time and space, each contribution has its own distinct charm. In essence, this book is a colorful bouquet of bold stories about one of the darkest primal forces in mythological lore. [...] The collection begins with The First Dragon Eater by Janet Morris and Chris Morris, which reads like a classic saga of the Gods form Greek mythology. Having lost his heart and eyes to the dragon Illuyankas long ago, the Storm God Tarhunt capitalizes on the vulnerability and hubris of his own children to get his organs back, and in turn he sets out for revenge on the winged beast who almost killed him.
In the Legacy of the Great Dragon by S.E. Lindberg, readers will discover another use for the dragons in getting one's sight back, but here we cross the fine line between man and god, and see how the twisted significance of the word "legacy" can define both.
Writers Janet Morris and Chris Morris join forces again for Bring Your Rage. But this tome is less about the gods as in their previous entry and more about how raw barbarism can be played out in a poetic quest to slay a dragon and define the true meaning of a hero.
Aquila of Oyos by Walter Rhein is an emotional twist of honor and subservience between two dragons facing each other in a man's world. Just as complex but from a different perspective, The Wyght Wyrm by Cas Peace is an intricate story of dragon magic and the cruelty of man when it is harnessed for war.
Though the ending of the next story was surprising yet thought provoking, The Old Man on a Mountain by Jack William Finley is a fulfilling adventure of one man's quest for revenge and a dragon's acceptance of fate. Of Blood and Scales by A.L Butcher is a story of lies and deceit behind a girl's long journey to the throne while Night Stalkers by Travis Ludvigson is a tale of a man's loyal dedication to serve his Lord, the ruler Charlemagne.
Forged by Tom Barczak is a fairytale adventure with good versus evil, eventually allowing readers to discover the hidden magic of dragons that lies in the soul of a young girl and how "love" works its magic in unexpected ways. And The Rhyme of the Dragon Queen by JP Wilder is another enchanted story following a rhythmic song with prophetic implications and the colorful cast of characters who try to avoid its dark predictions.
Joe Bonadonna's ability to draw on all five senses of the observant reader gives the story The Dragon's Horde a dimension often left to the device of the characters. What this does is let the story of battling mythological creatures unfold with just enough realism to allow the tightly developed characters to act naturally on the stage of such an epic adventure.
Wawindaji Joka (The Dragon Hunters) by Milton Davis is a unique story where the dragon hunters might be as precarious as the dragons they hunt. Just as innovative, M. Harold Page brings a rare Steampunk version of dragon lore in Against the Sky Tomb of the Earth Kings where the battle is taken high into the clouds. Red Rain by William Hiles gives readers a fast paced Civil War perspective in the battling dragons. If the War-Between-the-States can pit brother against brother, what will happen when the mythical creatures are thrown into the mix?
In La Bétaille by Beth W. Patterson, the dragon fight is taken to Cajun country in the south. Yet in Bruce Durham's tense story Arctic Rage, readers find themselves in a frosty post-nuclear apocalypse Inuit setting where the hunter and the hunted play dual roles.
"[...] In what first looks to be the near future and some hard charging marines, we are surprisingly taking way back in time where the modern fight emerges as a bit prehistoric in Sic Semper Draconis by Mark Finn." -- Ricky L. Brown in Amazing Stories Magazine
Megan Carney is an author, geek and amateur photographer living in the Twin Cities. She has ten years of experience in the field of computer security. Her previous short story publications include: ‘Flighty Youth’ in the Raritan, ‘Modern Mayhem’ in the Wayfarer, ‘Swing By Close’ in the Wayfarer, ‘Directions’ in the Bell Tower. ‘Swing By Close’ and ‘Directions’ both won first prize in the fiction sections of that issue. The Christian Science Monitor dubbed her self-published photography book, ‘Signs of My Cities’ as having “youthful zest.”
Megan Carney is an author, geek and amateur photographer living in the Twin Cities. She has ten years of experience in the field of computer security. Her previous short story publications include: ‘Flighty Youth’ in the Raritan, ‘Modern Mayhem’ in the Wayfarer, ‘Swing By Close’ in the Wayfarer, ‘Directions’ in the Bell Tower. ‘Swing By Close’ and ‘Directions’ both won first prize in the fiction sections of that issue. The Christian Science Monitor dubbed her self-published photography book, ‘Signs of My Cities’ as having “youthful zest.”
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