Rave Reviews Book Club features an author each week. This week’s Spotlight Author is Craig S. Boyack. I am pleased to present him here on Fiction Favorites. Craig has a new book out called “The Cock of the South.” This is his first attempt at writing fantasy. It involves a group of conquered peoples banding together to ensure they have a place in the world. It is set in a Greco-Roman environment, rife with everything fans of those stories might expect. In his words then:
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I wanted to read a good dwarf story at one point. I found some really good ones, and a few that didn’t quite measure up. I returned to this theme occasionally over the course of a few years. The idea stuck with me and I decided I wanted to write one myself. Why should elves get all the love?
I stewed about a plot and characters and ultimately decided I had to bring something new to the table. I didn’t want to write another story about Nordic style dwarves. I fussed about this for months.
About this time, the television show Spartacus was winding down. I enjoyed it, and an older one called Rome. I was sad to see the Greco-Roman setting disappear back into the Hollywood vault.
That’s how I arrived at the setting for The Cock of the South. Humans inhabit the entire world. Any special peoples would certainly fill more than one valley or kingdom. They might have different styles and mannerisms, just like us, but they would spread fairly wide to be a viable species.
I still needed a plot. I stirred the sediments in my brain once more and came up with one. The story is a scoop of Exodus, spiced with a bit of “hang together or hang separately.”
I wanted to change-up a few things from standard history. It’s a fantasy after all. I decided that Remus killed Romulus and founded the nation of Remus. Things progressed in a similar manner, but not exactly the same as Ancient Rome.
The main character is one of the Southern Dwarves, who was raised in the house of a prominent Remsian citizen. He is shorter and broader than his contemporaries, so the locals nicknamed him Cobby.
Cobby’s world gets turned upside down and he must flee his home. He becomes a great point of view for readers to learn about this world they’ve stepped into.
I hope you’ll give The Cock of the South a chance. There is a pretty cool dwarf movie making the rounds right now. If you’d like more dwarves please consider my story.
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How writers go about producing a story is always an interesting topic. I love reading about the process of others. Rather than just lurk, I decided to talk about my own machinations as I wrote The Cock of the South.
I keep quick notes in an app on my phone. These are just a line or two to remind me of stray thoughts. When I keep dwelling on an idea I take out a notebook and fountain pen and expand the idea a bit. If it really sticks with me I start a storyboard.
This is my first fantasy story. Being true to the genre was important to me. I actually did mountains of research into mythology to spark my imagination. I didn’t want to rewrite one of those tales, so I stole bits and pieces to weave into my stories. I made small piles of index cards. These didn’t all get used, but I like to have notes to refresh my imagination.
It was equally important to me that I was true to the setting. Ancient Rome and Greek mythology are something readers are used to, and I wanted to use this to ground the story. I find that building fences with plot and setting serve as a governor to my imagination. The imagination flows and focuses in a different direction. My storyboard was covered with sticky notes to include more marble columns and bath houses at one point.
When it comes to characters I try to be a bit different. Hercules might be the best hero, but what if someone less qualified had to solve all the problems? I found a lost member of the Southern Dwarves who was raised by humans. His dwarven heritage has been hidden from him, and he lives as a short broad human. Because of his physical makeup the people around him nicknamed him Cobby.
I also wanted the freedom to vary some of the historical parts of the story. I stewed on this for a long time, but in fantasy the world ought to be different. It was a delicate balance to preserve the setting and believably change some elements. I dug deep into mythology and decided that Remus killed Romulus. Rome never got built and the nation of Remus took its place. This allowed me to modify weapons, change trade routes, and still keep some familiarity in the story.
I always try to challenge myself to try something new with each story. This isn’t obvious to the reader, but it’s important for my growth. In The Cock of the South, I wanted to use fairytale structure. This is a great way of telling a story, but casual readers might not pick up on everything.
Since this post is likely to be read by as many authors as readers here are some things I included. Cobby is the outsider of three brothers. Each brother represents one facet of the father. Cobby will have to master all three of these elements before he can succeed. There is a scene involving magical gifts from a friend. If you pay very careful attention, there are even seven dwarves together on one adventure. I included more elements, but this is a blog post and you’ll have to watch for others as you read the story.
I love this story, but readers will be the ultimate judge. I hope you’ll give The Cock of the South a chance. I had a great time writing it and hope you’ll enjoy reading it.
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You can follow Craig at the following places:
His blog, Entertaining Stories. http://coldhandboyack.wordpress.com
On Twitter. https://mobile.twitter.com/Virgilante
You can pick up a copy of The Cock of the South at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P4H37WC
