Author Interview with Paul Barrett
Tell us a few things about yourself that our readers would like to know.
That I am an avid board gamer and try to play games every weekend if I don’t have something else scheduled. In fact, I’m such a gamer that, I’m going to randomly determine which of the questions you sent I should answer by rolling dice.
What are your writing plans for the future?
I am currently finishing the final draft on “A Cry of Decay” which is the second novel in the Necromancer Saga. Steve Murphy and I are working on the second book in the Knights of the Flaming Star series. I’m coming up with the idea for the next Spade Case Files novel (writing noir mysteries is tough) and Steve and I are working on a couple of screenplays, and another comedy fantasy idea. The problem is we have more ideas than we have time in the day to write them. Someone needs to invent a machine that pulls the words right out of your head, so you don’t have to spend time typing.
Did any of your books get rejected by publishers?
Oh yes. My books, short stories, screenplays, recipe lists (okay, maybe not one.) I have a box of rejection slips dating back 30+ years. Many of the stories I look at now and see why they were rejected, but others I still don’t get. But publishing is a hard nut to crack. Anybody who doesn’t have some rejection slips is either incredibly lucky or talented, or they aren’t trying hard enough.
Which book would you want adapted for the silver screen?
I would love to see Knight Errant done as a movie. It’s a fun story that could easily be done given today’s technical capabilities, and it has a lot of action and humor in it that would translate very well to screenplay format. And just to see what I think are some pretty cool characters brought to life would be incredibly exciting.
How long do you take to write a book?
This is a tough one, because it depends on what’s going on in my life in the “real world.” My goal when I’m not doing my day job (working in the film industry) is 1,000 words a day, so I can theoretically have a book done in three months. When I’m working, I shoot for 500 a day, but that doesn’t always happen. And I work on several different projects at a time, so that factors into it also. Realistically, I’d say if I concentrate on one project, I can be done with a first draft in four months. Which of course doesn’t explain why it’s taken me three years to get the second Necromancer Saga novel done.
How important is research to you when writing a book?
I am incredibly lazy when it comes to research and will do the minimum amount necessary to get the job done. Fortunately, I gained a fair amount of knowledge, at least on the fantasy end, from role-playing games. There are a surprising number of resources about weaponry, armor, and medieval life available in connection with RPGs that make research fun instead of a slog. I wished I enjoyed research more, but I’ve always hated it, which made doing research papers in school a joy. That said, I don’t want to look stupid in what I write, so if I’m uncertain about something, or don’t think I can fake it well enough, I will look things up. Working on the next Spade novel, I’ve begun to learn a lot about medieval city demographics.
What do you do in your free time?
I have a number of hobbies I enjoy, but the bulk of my time is in playing board games or video games. I’m also an avid TV and movie fanatic, and there are a number of shows I enjoy. Great stories are being told on TV now, especially on the cable channels and things like Netflix. I recently got back into painting miniatures for war games. Although I don’t think the master painters have anything to worry about, I do okay. And hopefully I’ll get better as I keep at it.
Which of your books took you the most time to write?
I would say, all told, it was probably Knight Errant, which was 25 years in the making. Now obviously we didn’t spend 25 years on it. Real life got in the way several times, but it still was probably a couple of years, between writing, rewriting, editing, and then getting it to print. It was a book that we wrote a lot by the seat of the pants, so it hit a few dead ends and detours before the story truly emerged. Hopefully, the second one doesn’t take nearly as long.
Do you often project your own habits onto your characters?
I think every writer does that to a certain extent. I don’t consciously try to do so, but it happens anyway. In many ways, Erick (from A Whisper of Death) is me as a teenager, although he turns out much braver than I ever would be. The thing that carries most over to some of my characters is my sarcasm and dry humor. Marcus and, to a lesser extent, Blink (both from a Whisper of Death) have that trait, as does Ashron in Knight Errant. Spade in The Malaise Falchion is nothing but walking sarcasm, although that has as much to do with the detective archetype from noir stories as it does my influence. The only other real trait is Ashron’s love of mustard. That’s me through and through.
Did you ever think you would be unable to finish your first novel?
I never doubted I would be able to finish it, but I did often doubt if, once I did finish, it would be any good. In truth, I never did finish my first novel, which was called The Powerstaff Operation. I still have the unfinished manuscript in a binder. Maybe someday I’ll polish it off, make it better (because it certainly needs that) and finish it. But as for A Whisper of Death, which was my first published novel, once I decided to turn the short story into a novel, I never doubted it would get done.
Order Your Copy Today!
The Malaise Falchion by Paul Barrett
Fantasy
The Spade Case Files (Book 1)
Publisher: Fiery Seas Publishing, LLC
November 15, 2016
Disgraced during the Demon War, Dwarf investigator Snazdaggin Kundarik (Spade to his friends) wants nothing more than a desk to sleep on, a bottle of grog to drink, and the occasional easy case for quick pay.
Then a mysterious female Elf from the posh side of town shows up and offers him exoneration for his past sins and lots of gold. All he has to do is follow her brother and report his activities. Simple, right?
He should have known better. The simple job soon spirals out of control. Spade finds himself sucked into intrigue, powerful magic, and the hunt for a weapon powerful enough to end the world. Ill-prepared, Spade forges on with the aid of his hapless sidekick and a reluctant female warrior.
Will he survive long enough to save the world and get his grog?
About the Author:
Paul has lived a varied life full of excitement and adventure. Not really, but it sounds good as an opening line.
Paul’s multiple careers have included: rock and roll roadie, children’s theater stage manager, television camera operator, mortgage banker, and support specialist for Microsoft Excel.
This eclectic mix prepared him to go into his true love: motion picture production. He has produced two motion pictures and two documentaries: His film Night Feeders released on DVD in 2007, and Cold Storage was released by Lionsgate in 2010.
Amidst all this, Paul has worked on his writing, starting with his first short story, about Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, at age 8. Paul has written and produced numerous commercial and industrial video scripts in his tenure with his forcreative agency, Indievision. He has two published short stories (As You Sow and Double Cross) and one self-published novel (Godchild). He lives with his filmmaker/graphic artist partner and their three cats.
Social Media:
