Interview : Darrell Drake - Author of A Star-Reckoner's Lot

Today, we are in the company of an author that has chosen the brave path of self-publication. Darrell Drake is the author of The Flameforged Saga, a fantastical adventure set in the magical world of EverAutumn. He's now set to publish his next novel - A Star-Reckoner's Lot. The tale is set in a world analogous to 6th Century Sassanian-Iran and is filled with drama, magic and adventure, with great attention paid to historical accuracy. Darrell Drake was kind enough to sit down with us and discuss his new book and the hardships of self-publication.

Declan : Thanks for taking time away from working on your novel. I know you're busy so let's get right to the questions! First up, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself.

Darrell : Thanks for having me. Well, I'm a Canadian by choice, not birth. I've never been fond of hot weather—you can only take so many clothes off. Most of my days are wiled away playing games, watching the birds I've coaxed onto my balcony (which is now covered in a fine sheet of seeds), and reading of course. But nothing comes close to sleeping. As far as I'm concerned, that's the ultimate past time.

Declan : We can both agree on that! So where does writing fit into your life? Is it something you always enjoyed?

Darrell : It's been around for a while. Reading is great, and it without it writing hardly has a spine to stand on. But I think I'm more disposed to bringing characters to life than getting caught up in someone else's. Not that I'm at all averse to it or avoid it. I'm reading A Promise of Blood at the moment, and it's truly captivating. There's something about realizing a world of your own, though: a drive to do so once it's taken shape in your head. It's nagging at times, almost frustratingly so, as if you're compelled to get it out before something catastrophic occurs.

Declan : Ah! The Powder Mage Trilogy! I'm not long after reading it myself. It's a great story, and a great example of a unique world brought to life. Using the great analogy of Brandon Sanderson - There are two types of writers in the world: There's The Gardener that plants the seeds, lets their flowers grow themselves and picks out the weeds, and then there's the Architect that plans everything in meticulous detail and only changes their plans once they're forced to do so. Would you consider yourself a Gardener or an Architect? Or if you don't identify with either, how do you go about crafting your characters and the worlds they inhabit?

Darrell : Yeah, I'm looking forward to the next two books and I haven't even finished the first. I've answered this as "archener" in the past, meaning somewhere in between. Generally, I spend a great deal of time visualizing what's going to happen before I put it to paper, but still letting characters do as they will. While that definitely had its part in A Star-Reckoner's Lot, I'd say this one was written much more from an architect's perspective. Weaving the fantastical characters into history called for a more precise approach than I'm accustomed to.

Declan : That makes for a good segue into discussing your latest novel and the approach you took with it. On the Kickstarter page for the novel, you say that you spent a significant portion of time on researching Iranian/Sassanian history and lore. Did this change your original outline much? What drew you to that particular region and history?

Darrell : Going in I mainly had the idea of the character, her lot in life, and where I wanted it to take her (in addition to some secondary roles). What Sasanian Iran, One Thousand and One Nights, and the Shahnameh did was help bring clarity to the details. The core of the story was the same, but through the history and legends I was able to forge something . . . better. Ashtadukht's character was rounded out, and her path was illuminated. This was mainly a result of the national epic, the Shahnameh. With its wonderfully fantastical account of history, it set me on the path to Sasanian Iran. Not solely through the narrative, but because I discovered the supernatural elements best suited where I wanted to take Ashtadukht's role as a star-reckoner.

Declan : Tell us a little about the story of A Star-Reckoner's Lot. Who is Ashtadukht and what makes her a star-reckoner?

Darrell : Ashtadukht's the daughter of a nobleman, a decorated general, who's been having quite a rough time of it. Her husband was murdered by a div (an otherworldly, mischievous, often evil creature). She's brooked a debilitating illness since birth. What's more, she's looked down on by her peers for her unusually unpredictable star-reckoning. A Star-Reckoner's Lot is told through glimpses of her trials as a star-reckoner, and what becomes of her after that path becomes something more.
As far as star-reckoners are concerned, that's more complicated than it might seem. I did a write up on it here , but for the sake of an answer . . . Star-reckoners are trained to attune themselves to the war of the luminaries. Up there, the planets and the stars wage endless battles, and star-reckoners are taught to redirect portion of the glory exuded from those battles to performing feats of magic. They use star-reckoning in many ways, but their prime objective if so rid the world of the divs mentioned earlier.

Declan : It sounds like Ashtadukht's world can be a dangerous place to live. What sort of experience can reader's expect from A Star Reckoner's Lot? Would you recommend it to younger readers or would the content be more suited to a mature reader?

Don't let the themes of a book, whether through maturity or unseemliness, turn you away from a good story.

Darrell : It's a grim world. Not grimdark by any means, but Ashtadukht's role as a star-reckoner inevitably takes her to some of the darker places. As servants of the lie, divs seek to spread chaos and corruption, so in her dealings with the creatures it is unavoidable. At the same time, it's regularly magical—don't mistake divs for the demons of the West, as they're much more varied in their methods.
As far as the audience is concerned, I've always thought younger readers should have unlimited access to books. But there are a few mature scenes that may classify A Star-Reckoner's Lot as unsuitable for younger readers.

Declan : I believe I'm of the same mind. Granted, I don't think that a young reader should be reading Fifty Shades ( for more reasons than just its content) but stories like Malazan, Book of the Fallen are so superbly written and insightful that the more mature content within is overshadowed by the richness of the world Erikson created.
Speaking of which, I'd mark Stephen Erikson out as an influence in my own writing with his ability to handle multiple characters and realize each one. From where and who do you draw you influence from?

Darrell : Maybe I'm a bit more liberal where books are concerned. Good or bad, let them go at it. I agree with the overall sentiment, though. Don't let the themes of a book, whether through maturity or unseemliness, turn you away from a good story.
Erikson is without question a beast. I believe it's nearly impossible to pick out any one person. We're all affected in some way by everything we've read, even if we didn't particularly care for it. I will go as far as saying Lewis Carroll is one of the first to come to mind. His imagination is wonderful, and surely seated deep in my mind. The same goes for Nabokov and Sapkowski.

Declan : They're noble influences to draw from. Nabokov has a great way of luring the reader into a story while both Sapkowski and Carroll are masters of skewing reality and making the fantastical seem commonplace. As you rightly say however, we're affected by everything we've read, so with that in mind, what's on your reading list at the moment aside from A Promise of Blood?

Darrell : Lots and lots of Pratchett. Working on Men at Arms at the moment. I put that down for Promise of Blood, but I'll get back to it afterward. I should have mentioned Pratchett in my last answer. His creativity knows no bounds. Also some academic papers relating to Sasanian Iran. I tend to follow what's new on that front through Twitter. Hoshruba was suggested during my AMA on r/fantasy, so I need to pick that up at some point.

Declan : I never heard of Hoshruba until now. A quick search has piqued my interest - the world's longest fantasy? I do like an epic!
All your novels so far have been self-published. What made you decide to go this route and how has it served you?

Darrell : While traditional publishing certainly has its benefits, I don't like the idea of kowtowing to a publisher or literary agent in hopes of being represented, much less the odds of not getting lost in the slush pile.
Self-publishing gives you so much more freedom. Unfortunately, that's at the cost of connections, clout, and acceptance by all sides of the literary community. Unless you're one of the fortunate few they've embraced, it's tough goings.

Declan : Sticking with the topic of self-publication, you've chosen to use the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to help cover the costs to get A Star-Reckoner's Lot published. What made you decide to try it?

Darrell : A simple answer to that one. An author and game designer friend of mine who's had some success on Kickstarter convinced me.
I wasn't really leaning that way until he did.

it's a matter of having an established following beforehand. And not setting your goals too high.

Declan : How do you feel about it now? Was it the right choice? At the least, do you think it's increased your exposre?

Darrell : At this point it certainly seems like the wrong choice. I guess I overestimated the support I'd receive from a few pivotal communities. As far as exposure is concerned, it's hard to tell. Maybe. Marginally. If the current state of the campaign is any indication, then not by much.

Declan : That must be disheartening. Have you any advice for anyone else thinking of turning to kickstarter to fund projects? Is there anything you would have done differently?

Darrell : My advice would be to seed yourself in as many relevant communities as possible. I followed the suggestions of authors who ran successful Kickstarters before me, and that certainly helped, but I should've worked my way into some communities. It may sound disingenuous, but it needs to be done. And that's what I would have done differently.

Declan : I suppose it shows that crowd-funding isn't the guaranteed success that it's sometimes made out to be - the run-away successes are few and far between.

Darrell : Yeah, I think it's a matter of having an established following beforehand. And not setting your goals too high.

Declan : Nevertheless, your Kickstarter campaign isn't over yet so there's there's still time to drive it home. Here's you chance to convince our readers on pledging their support - Give us your most unmodest, unabashed sales pitch. Why should we pledge?

Darrell : Because you aren't small-minded scum who hate other natio—I mean because it's a great chance to get to learn about the rich history of a country that just happens to be topical without poring over history books. It's a bracingly tragic journey of fantasy inspired by Arabian Nights and the Shahnameh that doesn't get so caught up in its own tragedy to explore the wonder of the time or have a laugh along the way.

Declan : Finally, what's next for Darrel Drake? Anything else in the making? Can readers expect more from Ashtadukht in the future?

Darrell : While there is room for a short story here or there covering her many travels, A Star-Reckoner's Lot covers Ashtadukht's tale in its entirety. I've been so focused on getting this book research and written, then getting the Kickstarter prepared and off the ground, that I haven't really considered much of what's next beyond perhaps a short story starring Tirdad, one of the secondary characters who travels with Ashtadukht. But there's always something on the horizon whether I know it or not, and I'm sure it'll come out once I've given A Star-Reckoner's Lot its due attention.

Declan : And right you should! I'm looking forward to reading my hard-cover edition of A Star-Reckoner's Lot in the near future - Knowing your focusing all your efforts on it is comforting.
That just about wraps it up, I think. Is there anything else you'd like to add before we part ways?

Darrell : I'd just like to say thanks for having me. I hope I can get A Star-Reckoner's Lot in your hands, and the hands of anyone who'd enjoy it.

Declan : Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Best of luck with the remainder of the Kickstart campaign and all the best with anything else you put your pen to!

There you have it, folks! Darrell Drake, author of The Flameforged Saga and the upcoming A Star-Reckoner's Lot. I hope you enjoyed reading the interview as much as I enjoyed conducting it!

Before we go however, I'd like to ask you all to visit the Kickstarter page for A Star-Reckoner's Lot and make a pledge. It only costs you if the campaign is a success and in such an event, you'll get a copy of the finished novel and whatever else your kind donation to the project grants you. Personally, I'd recommend the EARLY BIRD CORVUS tier which nets you a hard cover copy of the book, complete with dust jacket - Just look at the sweet mock-up!
For anyone interested in learning a bit more about Sassanian-Iran, Darrel did a picture-filled write-up on it here.

Also, don't forget to like and share this interview across your social network and help Darrell become the Kickstarter success he deserves to be!