Sci-fi and fantasy author Paul Yoder joins me today to chat about his new high fantasy, Shadow of the Arisen.
Bio:
Paul Yoder is the acclaimed fantasy author of the Lands of Wanderlust series. His epic fantasy adventure novels are a mix of high-impact battle scenes with a healthy portion of sobering moments of personal revelations. His books are recommended for readers who enjoy Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Dragonlance, or D&D.
When he’s not writing fantasy, he’s bladesmithing, taking seasonal work as a game developer, enjoying a beverage (coffee, wine, or rum are at the top of the list), cultivating a healthy lifestyle, walking the beach, playing D&D, tabletop games with friends, enjoying a lovely anime with his sweetheart, and in general doing his best to live a cozy, happy life.
Welcome, Paul. Please tell us about your current release.
Shadow of the Arisen is an epic fantasy adventure featuring a wandering samurai, a small, eccentric alchemist, and a strict female knight, along with her friends, journeying into dangerous territory. They are searching for answers concerning rumors that the undead are walking amongst the living.
During their travels and investigation into true evil, these companions have laughs, tears, hardships, and grow to respect and love each other.
What inspired you to write this book?
Actually, a Dungeons and Dragons campaign that I ran for a few years. After writing so much for this campaign I created, I started to write the first few chapters of Shadow of the Arisen. From there, after the first act or two, I realized I was in love with the characters I had introduced. I wanted to see them grow and become more than what they were when I first found them. I just had to keep writing.
Excerpt from Shadow of the Arisen:
Nomad clutched his sword’s hilt, the blade instantly lighting, white flames licking the air around it.
“I will hunt you and your evil kind to the ends of time,” Nomad spat. He jolted to a low stance, yelling as he turned and swung his blade towards the robed abomination.
“Beyond death you will fear me!”
What exciting story are you working on next?
I just finished the first book in my next trilogy and am plotting book 2. I’m planning on centering it around two of the characters that are introduced in my first trilogy, Reza and Nomad. It’s coming together nicely!
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
In my early teens I was writing my first book. I didn’t end up publishing it, but I suppose I considered myself a writer as soon as I picked up the pen and started storytelling.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I do write full-time, but I take breaks to do things I love. One hobby of mine is blacksmithing! I’ve recently created a few knives and am working on improving each time.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Plotlining is always a part of the process, but generally speaking, I let my intuition lead once I’m writing a book. If it strays from the general path of the plot, I don’t force it to fit. I’ve changed beginnings, middles, and ends in the middle of writing a novel before.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer. 🙂 I started reading heavily around 10. By 14, I was writing a book. I’ve been writing ever since and went to school to earn an English degree. Not sure how much that helped as I think the best thing to help you learn your craft is by actually doing it (there’s a lot of irrelevant courses in the lifespan of a degree), but after college is when I really buckled down and started publishing novels.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Fantasy fiction is special to me. There’s a feeling I get when reading, writing, playing, or just imagining fantasy realms, creatures, peoples, and places. There’s a mysticism that enchants and enthralls me. I’d daydream about living in a fantasy world 24/7 if I could. The closest thing I found that allows me to do that for a living is being a fantasy writer, so here I am. 🙂