Fantasy
Date Published: 6/30/12
The last of an ancient group of wizards leaves a gift to the newly arrived race of men. It is revered and cared for by a line of priests until it is stolen, and the high priest and his sovereign murdered by a king who believes himself destined to be a great wizard. But from ancient writings the high priest had discovered that the gift is not benevolent as was thought. This forces the son of the high priest, unexpectedly elevated to his father's position, and the young prince who is equally suddenly King, into a race to find the gift before it can be used as that may cause the destruction of the world. Accompanied by the retired captain of the palace guard they hope to speed their journey by crossing the Wasteland, a seeming desert, which is fabled to be populated by monsters, and from which no visitor has ever returned. In the course of their adventures they are hunted by dog faced men and captured by slavers, but the young prince truly becomes a king, and the priest discovers that he has a destiny that goes beyond the bounds of his world.
Interview with Michael
Waller
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in The
Wizard's Gift?
There are seven main characters in the book. Caran Tuith the
prince, Carantor a retired soldier and Bataan the son of the High Priest, and
these are the engine which drives the story and it is their quest which is at
the heart of the narrative. The four others, Serenta a banished princess,
Garnbrort a mercenary, King Prememendis the would be great wizard and Janorin
the Prince's guard captain weave in and out throughout the story. For Caran
Tuith and Bataan there is personal exploration and growth, for King Premendis,
fate, and for the others one could say redemption. To tell you more will spoil
the story.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books, or
what you have planned for the future?
The next book, which is about three quarters written, is a
continuation of Bataan's story. It grew from what could be termed the
"back story" of The Wizard's Gift. As I wrote the first book I found
that I was not happy until I had worked out the reasons for the main premises
of the story. I needed to know what was behind the quest, why it was necessary and
what it would lead to. To some extent that is explained in the book's prologue,
but the further I went the clearer it became that it was a continuing story,
and that at least a second book would be needed. Bataan is very much a pawn and
the second book shows the next moves in the larger game.
How long would you say that it takes you to write a book?
You could say that The Wizard's Gift took almost thirty
years to write. Not because it is such a colossal tome, but because there was a
very long break in the middle. I began to write it when I was unemployed and
writing feature articles to earn some money for my young family. Then family
and a career in the oil industry put it on hold until I retired. When I came
back to the original manuscript I saw it as a much larger story and began
again. In truth I suppose the actual writing took about three years, and
the second book is running at about the same pace. This is greatly due to the
fact that I am very much an inspirational writer, sounds grand but what I mean
is that I cannot just sit down and write. When an idea, a sentence or sometimes
just a word appeals to me I set to and write while it is fresh. The short
stories that I have written were always completed in one sitting.
What is your favourite childhood book?
Wind In The Willows, and that is as a book that I read
myself. Born in 1951 in an England that still had rationing, and where both my
parents had to work hard to give the family any kind of life, I very rarely had
any bedtime stories. But I began to read very early and was not hampered by
teachers etc who tried to make me read age appropriate" books. I read
everything I could get hold of and Wind In The Willows captivated me
completely.
If you could spend the day with one of the characters
from The Wizard's Gift who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this
particular character, and where you would go and what you would do.
Perhaps it is my current stage in life but I very much
associate with Carantor the retired Captain of the Palace Guard. Not because I
see myself as a military type but because his retirement, like mine, took him
from a position of authority and dropped him into obscurity. There is also the
character I have given him. I am an "old fashioned Englishman" who
takes honour, self respect and truth very seriously. He is stalwart and dour
like my Yorkshire ancestors, and further back my Viking ones, and he is
generous when presented with the hardship of others. As he is a fictional
character in a fictional time and place I suppose I would go where he goes and
do what he does in the book. So it is more a case of spending the day as that
character rather than with him.
What was the hardest scene from The Wizard's Gift to
write?
None really stand out because of the way I write. I did not
have a plan for the story, in fact I had to go back several times and insert
pieces in order to make what I was writing make sense. I think in scenes, so I
suppose you could say that it is the continuity between the scenes that poses
the main problems. Having said that the final conflict between Bataan and King
Premendis seemed almost an anti-climax when I wrote it. I kept thinking that
there should be more, but after reading and rereading it I came to the
conclusion that for me it was a case of "less is more".
What made you become a writer?
The need for an income set me off on the feature articles,
but with the novels it is because I am Walter Mitty (anyone under fifty will
have to Google him) and I am writing my memoirs. That is why I think that
Carantor is me, and vice versa.
Just for fun.
Faviourite Song:
Les Morts Dansant (Magnum)
Favourite Book:
Lord of the Rings.
Favourite Movie:
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Favourite TV Show:
Hancock's Half Hour. (More Googling young uns)
Favourite Food:
Black Pudding.
Favourite Drink:
Newcastle Brown Ale.
Favourite Website:
Youtube.
About the Author
Michael Waller is British and was born in the industrial north of Yorkshire. After being asked to leave school by his Headmaster he began a varied work career. This went from Chemist to Dog Catcher with stints as a Bingo Caller and door-to-door Insurance Salesman in between. For twenty years he worked in the oil and chemical industry which took him to the Middle East and finally the USA where he is now retired and living in upstate New York.
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1 comments:
thanks for hosting
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