In this week’s author interview, I meet up with bestselling Irish
author, Brian G. Burke and discuss his novels, The Other of One, a fantasy
trilogy.
What is your book
about?
The Other of One is a dark fantasy based in rural Ireland at
the turn of the 20th century. It’s about a boy named William Muldoon
who gets summoned to a mythical world underground. There he meets a community
of fantasy beings who tell William that he is actually the reincarnation of
Mysun Margyle, the only known guardian in existence that has the power to
confront their eldest nemesis, Drevol Briggun.
Book one follows William, and his merry band, into the heart
of Lythiann’s darklands in search of Mysun’s old sword; the very artefact which
could awaken the hero within. Along the way, they clash with (and befriend) all
sorts of dark and wonderful creatures. Meanwhile, William learns more about his
mysterious past, present, and even his future.
In book two things get much darker. Frightening visions of
William’s future come to light as a shadow of mistrust and betrayal holds sway over
his group. All the while, young William is finding his journey harder and
harder to deal with the closer he gets to Briggun’s lair.
What inspired you to
write this book?
It actually happened by accident. I went travelling for a
year with some friends, and when I was away I started writing a fantasy story
called “Kaddareth”. I was really getting into it, so much so that I cut my trip
short by 6 months to come home and concentrate on it full-time. I even enrolled
in a creative writing course so as I could give it my best shot.
Then, one day we were given a 1,500 word assignment where we
had to write the intro to a novel. So, I started writing this story about a
young boy from Ireland, named William Muldoon, who was suddenly summoned to a
magical kingdom underground.
3,000 words later, there was still no sign of me letting up.
I was enjoying every second of this new story, even more so than Kaddareth. So,
I ended up scrapping Kaddareth in favour of this one, which became The Other of
One. Strange how some things pan out.
Who is your
favourite, and least favourite, character in the book?
That’s a tough one. Not to sound corny, but there’s a place
in my heart for all my characters, in one way or another, good or bad. I don’t
want to go into spoiler territory here either — with book three yet to be
released — but, so far, I’d have to say that Icrick Tum is my favourite
character. He’s a kind little furry chap, whose help is absolutely
unconditional. We need more of that in the world, I think. As for my least
favourite, well, Briggun is the epitome of everything we detest and fear in
this world. He instils despair and sadness just for the sake of it. It thrills
him, you see…no other reason. He doesn’t do it for wealth or cause; just to
fulfil his own sick desires.
What draws you to
this genre? Do you write in any other genre?
Fantasy has always been a huge draw for me because it’s one
of the few genres where you can place multiple categories under one banner. You
can incorporate elements of magic, action, horror, tragedy, comedy, romance,
war and spirituality all in one and get away with it. You can be as weird as
you like and it’ll still work because, well, fantasy is expected to be “out
there”. I can really let my imagination run wild which is why, above all, I
like to write fantasy.
That’s not to say I wouldn’t like to attempt something
outside of the genre. For instance, I have an idea for a story involving the
racial divide in America back in the 70’s, which ends up in murder. I’d really
like to tackle that one, sometime.
Is this a standalone
book, or can we expect more?
The Other of One is a trilogy, part three of which is due
out Christmas 2016. Books one and two are already available on Amazon. As far
as “expecting more” is concerned, all I can really say is that, the more my
world grows, the more ideas I have…and who knows where that could lead (wink-wink).
Tell me about you and
what drew you to writing? Are there any authors who inspired you to become a
writer yourself?
I’ve always loved writing. From as far back as I can
remember. I always found it to be a great release and an ideal way of getting
out of my own head for a bit. It’s like anything creative, or anything you’re
truly passionate about — once you invest yourself in it completely, then nothing
in the outside world really matters.
People automatically assume Tolkien to be the main
inspiration for my stories; for The Other of One, in particular. And he
definitely played a part. But I’d have to say that the likes of Stoker and Hill
are probably my main inspirations. They could spin out an entire paragraph, without
stopping, and make it sound like poetry. Incredible!
Other than your own book,
what is your favourite novel?
Apart from Dracula, I’d have to say The Hobbit. Either that
or The Woman in Black. Love The Woman in Black. I’ve read those multiple times.
You have to love Roald Dahl, too. I mean, who doesn’t love hearing about those
two Twits or George’s concoctions? It’s the kid in me talking, I guess.
Have you written
other books we should know about?
Just this trilogy, so far. That and a few short horror
stories which can be found on my website/blog. Some authors can bang out 4 or 5
books a year, and more power to them. Me, I’m quite a slow writer. Besides,
loose ends, I hate them. I need to figure a story out completely before
pressing ‘publish’, and that takes time. Forcing myself to get something out
there, just for the sake of it, takes all the enjoyment out of it for me.
If you could advise
aspiring writers on only one aspect of authordom, what would your advice be?
Simple. Write first, edit later. If you have a story in your
head, and you know where it needs to go, then you literally need to fire it all
down on paper. Don’t think about it. Forget how it sounds. Then put it away for
a few weeks before returning to it with fresh blood, and start editing. I
learnt this the hard way.
At the end of the day, an author is always learning. Our
styles, however subtle, are ever changing, so we’ll never be completely happy
with how our work reads. We are our own worst critics, and this can be a curse
if we’re not careful.
So jot it down, take a break, review your work, then edit,
and when you’re done editing…publish and forget about it! Otherwise you could
be stuck rewriting the same story over and over again, ‘till you’re old and
grey. Not good.
Where can we find
your book?
Book 2 on Amazon (Free on kindle unlimited)
Where can we find out
more about you?
I'm going to have to check his books out! I'm always looking for a good fantasy book.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great interview! After reading this, I will be sure to get a few of his books for my husband - he will like them.
ReplyDeleteMy son loves this type of fantasy. I will look for this series for him as a holiday gift.
ReplyDeleteLove the fantasy genre and his books sounds fascinating. Will have a look at his books and have a read.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book! I like to read fantasy every now and then!
ReplyDeleteI love books that are set in Ireland! I will definitely have to check this out!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great interview. This is not really my type of book, but my daughter loves reading fantasy. I will have to pass this on to her.
ReplyDeleteA magical kingdom underground? Sounds like a great fantasy book already...
ReplyDeleteHaven't had a lot of time to myself to read lately. However, after the holidays I plan to sit down next to a roaring fire with some mulled wine and read for a whole weekend! Beyond excited and reading your post made me even more excited!
ReplyDeleteAny book that pulls inspiration from Stoker is one that I absolutely want to read! I am going to have to try this one out!
ReplyDeletewhat an interesting interview, although I personally do not read much, I know someone who would love this type of book, I will pass along
ReplyDeleteI love that he cut his trip short so he could finish this book! That's one serious muse. This sounds like a great story :)
ReplyDeleteI love fantasy books! This looks like a great trilogy. I love series much more than single books. I never want a good story to end!
ReplyDeleteI love reading what inspired authors to write their books. It's always so interesting to see how others are inspired.
ReplyDeleteI love reading fantasy books. I will add this to my list.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the interview. I love reading fantasy books. I will look for this book.
ReplyDeleteAnother great interview. Sounds like an interesting book.
ReplyDeleteNice interview, Fantasy isn't really my style of book, but glad to read a little bit about the author.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a cool book! I really enjoy mythical fantasy like this!
ReplyDeletebought them both. the thing that drew me to them is the graphic that was shared on face book by this blog. that graphic is kick ass. Thank you for writing.
ReplyDeleteHey,everyone. Brian G.Burke here. Thank you all for your kind words. Hope you enjoy the book. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool you got to interview an author! Fantasy isn't my cup of tea but it looks interesting!
ReplyDeleteOhhhh Ireland...I'm already intrigued by that story. I've never been, but am totally fascinated by that country. One day!
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool you interview writers!!! Im jealous of your connections haha. How fun!
ReplyDelete