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Fictionbytes interviews fantasy author
Before we begin the interview, I would like to tell you a bit about how I met Richard. When I had written my first ebook, Dirty Little Secrets of Magic, I posted it for sale on eBookAd.com. I noticed one of Richard's books listed there as well. Instantly I found myself drawn to his stories and his titles. So I did the unthinkable. I sent Richard an e-mail introducing myself as a new author. From that moment I found a friend. Someone who has always offered to give free advice and assist me in anyway his computer and the thousands of miles between us would allow. Since I asked Richard to do an interview, he has beaten three hurricanes and still was able to answer my questions. There aren't many folks out there with as much class as this guy. So please enjoy an interview with Richard S. Tuttle. Then I urge to go out and grab of few of his books. You won't be sorry. FB: What is your most current work out on the market? RST: My latest release is Winged Warrior. FB: What is your latest story about? RST: In ancient days, the mightiest of dragons were fearless in battle against the foes of Kaltara. Those special dragons were called Winged Warriors. As the world races to the brink of the prophesized final war, a Winged Warrior comes forward to become Marak’s battlesteed. Myka’s appearance is a small ray of hope in an otherwise dreary world. The elven nation is in turmoil as many elves are determined to stay out of the coming conflict. Marak’s spy on the Island of Darkness is discovered, and Khadoran lords are conspiring to overthrow the emperor. The Star of Sakova’s inner circle has been infiltrated, and Vand is poised to strike with a massive invasion while the rest of the world is in chaos. Winged Warrior is a tale of struggle on a worldwide stage. It is a story of might and magic, intrigue and deceit, personal struggle and global chaos. Winged Warrior is the seventh volume of the eight-volume Forgotten Legacy series. FB: What genre do you usually write? Have you written other genres? RST: I write epic fantasy. While I would not shy away from another genre, I still have stories untold in the fantasy genre. The final volume of Forgotten Legacy is almost complete, and I already have plans for my next series, The Demonstone Chronicles. FB: How many books do you have published? Where can we purchase them? (add links) RST: Seventeen of my novels have been published so far. The eighteenth novel and final volume of the Forgotten Legacy is almost complete. Print editions are available at:
EBook editions are available at most eBookstores including:
FB: What is your favorite story? Why? RST: Chuckle. An impossible question to answer. A good story is a unique portal to one’s own imagination, and each story has its own impact. Even applying this question to my own works is impossible to answer, and I basically have only two stories within the eighteen novels that I have written. One story is the Targa Trilogy/Sword of Heavens series that comprises ten novels; the other is the Forgotten Legacy of eight volumes. They are different stories, but I cannot bring myself to favor one over the other. FB: Who is your favorite author? RST: I admire and enjoy many authors, but there are a few that I seem to gravitate towards with greater excitement. James P. Hogan’s science fiction novels always cause me to ponder on the fate of man. In the fantasy genre, Raymond E. Feist is always a delight, but there are so many excellent authors that I never think in terms of favorite. FB: Where did you grow up? Did your childhood have any effect on your writing today? RST: I grew up in New Jersey and have lived in numerous places in the United States. I have traveled the world and each and every place visited has added to my writing. While childhood experiences add to a person, I think travel adds even more. The more varied the travel, the greater exposure to different cultures and geography. I write my stories as if I am a participant in the drama. It is only after the story is written that I sometimes notice the influence of a past experience in my own work. I think that everything the author has experienced in life will eventually make an impact on his writing, although it is most often on a subconscious level. FB: When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer? RST: I never had a desire to be a writer until after I became one. I was the president of a consulting firm when I wrote my first story. I did not write the story to publish it, but I wrote it because of a challenge from my youngest daughter. I have two daughters and at the time they were sixteen and fourteen. We use to have some lively discussions over books, and I had gotten into a discussion with my eldest daughter, Alexandra, over a fantasy novel that we had both just read. It was a story without much of a plot and a cast of wooden characters, although the descriptions were vivid and beautiful. My youngest daughter, Jennifer, was studying and became annoyed with our bashing of the book. She interrupted our discussion with the taunt, “If you can do better, why don’t you write your own novel?” Alexandra and I laughed, but we got the message and took our disrupting conversation elsewhere. I was surprised when two weeks later Jennifer reissued the challenge when she asked if I had started my novel yet. As a father who had taught his daughters that they could do whatever they set their minds to, I accepted the challenge. I set out to write a fantasy novel, which soon evolved into the Targa Trilogy. The most amazing thing that came out of the challenge is that I discovered that I love to write. The feeling of creativity was every bit as satisfying as the consulting profession that I loved. More importantly, it validated my advice to my daughters. Both have since grown up and graduated summa cum laude from a prestigious college. FB: When did you write your very first story? What was it about? RST: My first story is the Targa Trilogy, and it was written in 1997. Origin Scroll is about three seemingly normal youngsters in a coming-of-age tale of might and magic. Young Alexander Tork is the son of a lumberman. Jenneva Roth is an orphan in the care of a dying uncle, and Oscar Dalek is a poor boy living with his widowed mother in a dusty border town. Unbeknownst to them, an evil sorcerer, Sarac, is about to shake the world in his quest for power, and it fall on the shoulders of the three young heroes to stop him. Dark Quest continues the Targa Trilogy as Mordac, assistant to the evil Sarac, seeks to find the Book of the Beginning to release his master from a magical imprisonment. Once again our trio of heroes are called upon to halt the murders and magical treachery that threatens to overthrow all of the legal powers in the world. In Ancient Prophecy, Alex and Jenneva journey to an alternate Universe in a quest to establish peace between the dwarves and the elves. What they discover is more shocking than anyone could have imagined. An ancient prophecy begins to unfold as the Great Demon, Alutar, is released to create destruction upon the world. Knowing that they cannot alter the prophecy, Alex and Jenneva struggle to contain the damage and imprison the Evil One. FB: Is your book available in eBook and paperback? RST: All of my books are available in paperback and various ebook formats including MS Reader, Adobe, Palm, Hiebook, and Mobipocket. FB: With digital publishing on the rise, which direction do you feel the publishing industry will go within the next three years? RST: I am a firm believer in the ebook market. As an avid reader and a frequent traveler, I find carrying an electronic ebook reader the only way to travel. Gone are the days of carting dozens of paperbacks along on a trip. These devices carry forty books or more and have features that cannot be found in a paperback, such as the ability to click on a word and get its definition, or the ability to search forward and backwards through a book for a phrase or character. You can bookmark and annotate with ease, and they are backlit to facilitate reading in the dark. Perhaps the most significant selling point of ebooks though is the instant gratification. One can search for ebooks online and instantly download the book and begin reading. I do not expect printed books to ever go out of style, but the electronic age is upon us. I have fans that read my books on their cell phones while commuting or waiting for appointments. One reader humorously reports that waiting for his wife in the mall is no longer a chore as he merely opens an ebook on his handheld and enjoys the break.
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Richard S. Tuttle