Novelist James Calbraith joins me today to chat about his new historical fantasy, The Flying Barons of Negriponte.
Bio:
James Calbraith is a Poland-born Scottish writer of history-adjacent novels, coffee drinker, Steely Dan fan and avid traveller.
Growing up in communist Poland on a diet of powdered milk, “Lord of the Rings” and soviet science-fiction, he had his first story published at the ripe age of eight. After years of bouncing around Polish universities, he moved to London in 2007 and started writing in English. Now lives in Edinburgh, hoping for an independent Scotland.
His debut historical fantasy novel, The Shadow of Black Wings, has reached Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semi-finals in 2012. “The Year of the Dragon” saga sold over 30,000 copies worldwide.
His new historical fiction saga, “The Song of Ash” has been on top of Amazon’s Bestseller lists in UK for months.
Welcome, James. Please tell us a little bit about your new release.
They killed her father. They took her ship. But nothing will stop Ikaria’s vengeance.
Forty years since Constantinople fell to the Venetian flying citadels, high-altitude Aether racing is the favoured pastime of bored, wealthy Latin nobles. Ikaria, proud daughter of a legendary Aether engineer and one of the best racing pilots in the Aegean, is determined to uncover the truth behind her father’s mysterious disappearance at the end of the last Grande Regatta of Negriponte.
Driven by the thirst of vengeance and pursuit of engineering excellence in equal measures, Ikaria vows to win the next Regatta herself – and to find out what really happened to her father. But there’s a catch: a new Imperial edict bars her, and anyone not of noble blood, from taking part in Aether races. To her rescue comes Sire Mikhael of Chiarenza – an enigmatic handsome young Greek turncoat in the service of new Latin masters. His motivations unclear, the source of his funds and supplies a secret, Ikaria nonetheless agrees to accept his help: together, they set out to challenge the supremacy of the six Hexarchs, the infamous Flying Barons of Negriponte.
What inspired you to write this book?
I was inspired by the true story of the Hexarchy of Negroponte, and of the Latin Empire of which the Hexarchy was a part of. A fascinating period in medieval history, when the Western Crusaders took control of the Byzantine Empire and carved it among themselves, only to then descend into internecine conflicts, leaving them vulnerable to reconquest by the Byzantine remnants.
What exciting project are you working on next?
The sequel to the Flying Barons – further adventures of Ikaria and Mikhael, as they continue their fight against the Latin oppression.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I had my short stories published in a sci-fi magazine when I was in high school. That’s when I first believed I could make a living from writing. It wasn’t until I published my first novel, back in 2008, that I truly started calling myself a writer
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I wake up, drink coffee, catch up with news of the day. When the coffee starts working, I move to my writing desk. Two hours in the morning, from 8 to 10, then two hours in the evening, from 6pm to 8pm, is a minimum. If I have stamina, I keep writing past 8pm until I fall asleep.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Some say my books read more like travelogues than novels – I do like to focus on the characters travelling from one cool place to another, sometimes more than on the plot itself… It could be the influence of Lord of the Rings, which has always been my main inspiration as a writer, or it could be because I really would like to travel to all those times and places myself!
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Actually, I always wanted to be a writer! I don’t think I ever had any other plan for the future. Any other job I had along the way was just to get me going until my writing career took off in earnest.
Links:
Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Bookbub
