Fantasy is by far one of my favourite genres, the endless possibilities, different worlds to my own, they really do offer an escape. This is no different in R. J. Parker’s novel, Requiem, Changing Times which I’m writing about in this blog post ad.
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I’ll be interviewing author R. J. Parker to find out his struggles and highlights of writing for the fantasy genre. His book Requiem, Changing Times is out now and you can read the blurb below.
Clint and Corbin are having a weird day. Best friends for life, things are getting a little strange around their town, and at school. When they’re followed by a strange man looking for Clint and later attacked by an imp, it makes sense to retreat to the safety of home. But when strangers from another world, Banks and O’Neil, arrive with their medley of allies, things get even weirder. Why are they here? What do they want? And what is The Requiem that everyone keeps talking about? As Clint and his friends and family are drawn deeper into a thrilling adventure, only one thing is for sure. They may not be getting out alive. And class with Mrs Christenson will seem like a walk in the park after this.
This book covers multiple worlds and many different types of characters from orcs and trolls to spies! I can imagine it was quite an adventure to write, so I’ll be interviewing R. J. Parker about how he wrote this detailed fantasy.
What gave you the inspiration for Requiem, Changing Times?
I was asked by a teacher to write a story for a contest in the sixth grade and won. Ever since then I wrote a little here and there, until work took over. Turned out I worked to much and everything changed when I had an accident. After a few operations I was bed ridden for months. After watched so much television and reading, I wanted to write me own story again. I wanted to write a story that I wish I could have read.
I loved reading about the spy gadgets used by Mr. Laszio, did you make these up yourself or are they real gadgets?
I placed myself in the place of someone who had to get past security and what they would need. Ever since I was young, I loved that kind of stuff.
This book starts off with a few different plot paths, did you find it challenging to write the story starting from multiple perspectives?
Not really. When I started writing this story, I was told by those who read the first drafts that they found it difficult. So I kept going back and changing it until it is today.
How did you find the writing process of cutting between our world and a very different fantasy one?
In the stories that I liked to read, I liked to have it believable. I wanted to write a story that you could see happening out your own front door. I loved that about writing. It was great to make the fantasy become believable and even something of a possibility for the future.
Who was your favourite character to write about in this book and why?
This is a hard one. I loved the comedy relief of life and I also wanted to have that in my books. For Requiem, I loved O’Neil and Corbin. Writing for them was the most fun as it something I would have said having been in their place. Those around me know that I put it as a little voice I have that sometimes makes it past my filter. I can’t help it.
What was your process when writing the order of this book? Was it written chronologically or fitted together later?
For this book, the beginning has changed several times and the order of the chapters were switched as to make it flow easier for the reader. The rest has stayed the same. There were times that I wish I could write faster as I couldn’t wait to get some of the idea’s out on paper.
What advice would you give to any hopeful fantasy writers?
Find out what works for you and do it. In the class’s I have been into they each give advice and what has worked for them. What I would advise is to find something that works for you and go with it. For some, it is to sit down and map out the entire book and know each character before beginning to write the story. Others should just put pen to paper and let it flow. Whatever works for you, the best thing that will bring the story to life is time and education. Get help where needed and keep at it until you got it if its what you want.
