In my previous post, I listed all the indie fantasy I’d read over the last year or so. This time, in honor of the season, I’m covering all the horror – a good portion of which is also indie.
Salem’s Lot, by Stephen King
I was twelve years old when Carrie came out…and I read it with glee, following up with The Shining, The Stand, The Dead Zone, etc. Somehow, I completely jumped over his second novel, but I have just now remedied that. The book imagines, as King says, what might have happened if Dracula had come to a small town in 1970s Maine instead of Victorian London.
Stolen Tongues, by Felix Blackwell
This one came out of a short story in Reddit’s No Sleep forum, and, indeed, the first few chapters made me a little uncomfortable in the darkness of my home at night.
The Rust Maidens, by Gwendolyn Kiste
This is a novel about the horrors of urban blight and decay. It’s an existential kind of terror, in which certain young girls begin to, well, rust…
Kin, by Kealan Patrick Burke
This one reads a bit like vintage Jack Ketchum, except that it was written by an Irish novelist. Butchery, cannibalism, incest. It’s just like Black Friday at the mall.
Penpal, Dathan Auerbach
I never fully understood this tale of obsession, but it definitely has its moments and some of it is quite lyrical.
They Feed, by Jason Parent
This story, The Troop, and The Outsider have a lot in common. If you’re freaked out about things that come out of lakes, this one will scare you.
Tik, Sean E. Britten
If there’s one thing Mr. Britten knows, it’s action. If I were to add a second, it would be gore. This story features Filipino vampires in central Mexico. I know, I know, but it all makes terrific – and terrifying – sense.
Red Creek, Nathan Hystad
A nice tale with some beautiful prose. I enjoyed it, but wish it had found greater emotional impact by the end. I notice he's got a sequel out now, so if you like scary series, this might be your ticket.
The Troop, Nick Cutter
The most frightening thing about this one is that it’s plausible if not inevitable. At times, you’ll be reminded of Stephen King.
Kill Creek, Scott Thomas
Off the haunted house stories on this list, Kill Creek is at once the most innovative and traditional, in the sense that it takes the classic set-up in new directions, but also pays homage to all the necessary tropes. If there’s something you expect to find in such a tale, Mr. Thomas has included it. It’s the story of three horror novelists who spend Halloween night in an infamous haunted house. Big mistake. I read somewhere that it’s being developed into a major motion picture.
Straight Outta Fangton, Charles Phipps
This horror-parody – if it’s fair to call it that – is part of a larger world Mr. Phipps has created, and features vampires and all sorts of were-creatures. If you enjoy snarky dialogue and pop culture references both cheesy and hip, you’ll love this novel.
Gilchrist, by Christian Galacar
This story’s about a haunted town. What it’s haunted by is what makes this one a bit unique.
The Chalk Man, C.J. Tudor
I couldn’t say why, but of all the books on this list, this one stayed with me the longest. I liked it a great deal, and I never saw the ending coming.
The Outsider, Stephen King
A young boy is murdered and mutilated, and concrete evidence points to the most beloved man in town…who wasn’t actually IN town when the crime was committed. Yep, there’s some weird shit going down.
The Cabin at the End of the World, Paul Tremblay
A small group of religious zealots show up at someone’s vacation cabin, making a series of terrifying demands. Very cinematic – and harrowing. I’ll be surprised if someone doesn’t pick up the screenplay option on this. Blumhouse, are you listening?
The Fourth Monkey, J.D. Barker
An ingenious serial-killer who could perhaps give Hannibal Lecter a run for his money.
Canni, by Daniel O’Connor
This apocalyptic tale has elements of Cronenberg’s Rabid, Cronin’s The Passage, and a host of other “My friend suddenly wants to eat my face off” stories.

Over the last two or three years, I’ve had the opportunity to read a lot of independent and small-press fantasy, after decades of reading mainstream stuff, and I thought I’d take a few minutes to share some of my favorite books, series and/or authors. In no particular order, they include:

The Light in the Dark series, by Ulff Lehmann
If you’re Grimdark-curious, check out this sprawling epic by Lehmann – a German citizen who writes better in English than most American authors.  You’ll never think of elves the same way again.


The Blighted City, by Scott Kaelen
A city of undead? Say. No. More!

Literally anything written by Charles Phipps
Phipps has one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary fiction. If you like one of his books, you’ll like all of them, especially if you like snarky, Easter-egg filled novels – ranging from classic fantasy to space opera to Buffy the Vampire Slayer-style tales. Phipps
will win you over.

Paternus, by Dyrk Ashton
This guy knows more about mythology than you know about breathing, and he’s woven it all into a thrilling, action-packed epic you can’t put down. I can easily see this being made into a movie or movies. 

Fallen Empire, by Keith McCardle
Mr. McCardle served in the Australian military, and it shows in his writing. His battles are filled with such confident use of military strategy and authenticity, you’ll feel like you’re there. This book, the first in a series, focuses on a berserker who must share his body with a malevolent nature god.

Blackwing, by Ed McDonald
I’m gonna guess you’ve heard of this one. And it’s well deserved. It’s like the best of Glenn Cook, with the brutality turned up to eleven.

A Wizard’s Forge, by A.M. Justice
A young woman suffers from what is essentially Stockholm Syndrome at the hands of her sadistic lover, until she escapes and becomes someone powerful in her own right. The story combines elements of both fantasy and sci-fi, and I really enjoyed it.  The “bad guy” is probably one of the more three-dimensional and well-drawn villains I’ve come across in years.

Song, The Manhunters #1, by Jesse Teller

This, to me, was a bit more of the traditional D & D type story, but no less compelling for all that. I particularly enjoyed the scenes with the witch, but the whole thing's a great read.

The Goblins of Bellwater, by Molly Ringle
Okay, this one’s by my neighbor (West Seattle Strong!), but she’s a helluva writer, and I LOVE her Pacific Northwest settings. This particular story is a rather dark fairy tale and love story all-in-one. May put you off pastry forever.

The Heresy Within (The Ties that Bind, Book 1)
My favorite thing about this book is the character of Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart. Can't wait to see what he does next.

Master of Chaos (The Harry Stubbs Adventures), by David Hambling
This book is equal parts X-Files, Cthulhu Mythos and late 19th/ Early 20th  century romp through London. And I love David’s elegant turns of phrase.

Vampire Soul, a Heartblaze Novel, by Shay Roberts
Don’t let the cover or genre designation fool you. I was one of the beta readers on this book, and it grabbed me from the get-go and I couldn’t stop reading ‘til I’d finished. It’s chock full of monsters, combat, and mystery. It also has two timelines, one of which is a painstakingly researched American Revolution narrative. Masterfully crafted, it deserves to be read by everyone.

Kill Switch by Sean E. Britten
While technically not fantasy, I had to include this, because Sean’s books are so cinematic in terms of their non-stop action, over-the-top violence, and outlandish characters. And the commercials he inserts into the action are some of the funniest stuff I’ve read in years. Think the original Robocop in both action and humor.

I’ve probably read at least this much indie and small-press horror (not to mention my mainstream faves), but I guess that’s for another day. 

 
Shortly after my mother passed away in 2010, I decided I’d better hurry up and address some of the things on my bucket list. I’d already been a professional actor, a stand-up comedian, I’d performed with Seattle Opera, I’d taken a solo bicycle trip from Seattle to Salt Lake City, I’d been a teacher (and still am), done a fair bit of travelling, met and married my wife, and become a father.  But I still had creative energy to burn. As a much younger person, I’d been into illustrations. I also loved to write.
I decided to write a book, loosely based on my Dungeons & Dragons musings. Almost instantly, I knew who I wanted to write about, and a lifetime’s worth of books, films and television shows began to inform my perceptions of my M.C. I wanted to create a warrior so badass, he would, as one of my readers suggested, “make Conan run home to his mommy,” someone who would not be out of place in Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen, someone who could kill the Bloody Nine.
That someone turned out to be Tarmun Vykers. I didn’t think overlong about his name. I chose ‘Vykers’ because it resonated with ‘Vikings.’ Tarmun just popped into my head, as most of my other characters names do. I wanted him to be as dominating as Achilles, and as fate-marked as Ulysses, as mysterious as Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name, as fast as Bruce Lee. I wanted him to be unaware of his destiny and/or unable to resist what little he did know. And I wanted his story in-progress, with him at his lowest point.
I understood a fair amount about my (first) antagonist and his ‘family.’ I knew there would be the requisite band of ne’er-do-wells. And I knew who ruled the land. I knew the opening scene of the book, and I knew the story’s climax. All the rest came to me as I wrote.
There were many things I had to discover that I might have preplanned, including the sorts and names of deities, the names of currency, the days of the week, the months, etc. I had to come up with holidays, towns, street names, and more. For some folks, that’s the gravy. I was more interested in the dynamic between characters, more interested in action than in minutia. But, as the saying goes, to each his own. It is probably true that almost everything a person comes into contact with has its parallel in a fantasy world. Cellphones are just a means of distance communication. Toilets, in some form, are necessary, when and wherever your story takes place. Propaganda can take place on a posted bill as easily as on a flat screen T.V.
Somewhere over the course of my first draft, I began to realize that I had more to say and explore about my characters than one book would allow, so that, before I’d finished, I was already pondering Book Two. Likewise, I decided early into Book Two that I was writing a five-book series. Why five? It sounds silly, perhaps, but I felt the standard trilogy was too clichéd. But I also knew I wasn’t ready for a ten-book series like Malazan. And I haven’t changed my mind. Vykers’ story has run its course.
So: what advice would I give?

• Know how your story begins and ends.
• Know some of the highlights along the way
• But allow for yourself to be surprised
• It used to be said that not everyone has to live. Now, thanks to the Rains of Castamere, we say not everyone has to die. But some people should die. Some good and some bad, because that’s life, right?
• Political machinations can be more thrilling than swordplay.
• You will never satisfy all the detail geeks. I know some folks who feel there has to be a logical, scientific foundation for magic, for example. But then it’s not magic, is it? At the same time, it should have a cost, a price.
• Your work will never be universally loved; there are those who hate Tolkien and even Shakespeare.
• You will find your audience, people will enjoy your work and read it religiously.
• You will come to loath tropes, even as you’re bound by them.
• You will develop strong friendships with colleague/competitors.
• Be generous; you’re not competing with anyone but yourself.
• Most people will miss half of what you’ve written into your books.
• You will be unfairly panned once in a while.
• You will, someday, get a one-star review.
• Familiarize yourself with Six Trait Writing:
  • Sentence Fluency
    • Vary your sentence length and style
  • Word Choice
    • Don’t write to impress. Write to be clear. Don’t be repetitive.
  • Voice
    • This is where you write like you
  • Organization
  • Ideas
    • This is where YOUR imagination comes into play. Don’t rewrite the Lord of the Rings.
  • Conventions
    • Know the difference between its and it’s, there, their and they’re, etc. Check your spelling and then have ten other people check it.
• Read good and great writers. Read a few terrible ones.
• Have a daily word goal.
• One sentence is better and more progress than no sentences.
• It’s okay to change your mind.
• You’re (probably) not going to make money on your first book. Or your fifth. It’s a body of work you’re creating.
• Use pronouns, nicknames and other titles for your characters. If you write David, David, David over and over, you’ll drive your readers mad.
• Read Stephen King. You can break the rules of good grammar if you know you’re doing it and have a purpose.
• Spread out your exposition. Infer some of it. Make your readers think.
• If you have no combat experience, do your research. A LOT of it.
• Let the princess rescue the daring young knight.
• Let the bad guy be the good one all along.
• Make the dragon cowardly.
• Make your magic useless, occasionally.
• Lastly, don’t be bound by fear.

Of course, these are my own thoughts, and I imagine plenty of other authors would take issue with one or more of them. What we do is subjective, not objective. There is no mathematical formula, no scientific law to writing good fantasy (or horror, or whatever). I can tell from a lifetime of acting, singing, joking, drawing, etc., that what we do is art. Maybe not high art, but art nonetheless. And someday, you’ll find readers who will live in your works even more than your characters do.
And that’s amazing.

Today, I’m chatting with Cover Artist Extraordinaire, Felix Ortiz. First off, thanks for agreeing to this interview! Let me begin by getting the mandatory stuff out of the way first. How did you get started in this business?

My pleasure, you honor me with your interview! My art career has a fuzzy start, but I would say that a major milestone was joining the FB group Grimdark Fiction Readers and Writers and posting my fan art. That got the attention of a few indie authors. I also did a free cover as promo, which helped some more.

How long have you been designing covers?
I’ve been illustrating covers for about 2 or 3 years. I haven’t really designed typography for any except yours.

What would be the height of career achievement for you?
At this point, just being able to pay the rent doing just fantasy illustration. When that happens, I would love to mix this up with game design of some sort.

Who are some of the artists you were/are inspired by?
This is always a very hard question. There’s the giant giants like Frazetta and Paul Bonner. Then there’s the giants like Bisley, Jaime Jones, Richard Anderson, Stephane Martiniere, Simon Goinard, and like a thousand others.

Do you have a favorite genre of story to illustrate (he asked, suspecting the answer is fantasy)?
Fantasy, ha! But I used to love drawing mechs. The only reason I focus on fantasy is that it comes naturally to me and earns me money. But i’ve been itching to do some space/sci-fi related stuff.

Do you have an all-time favorite cover that you’ve done and can share?
I did say the one I did for Jeramy Goble, Eulogy for the Dawn, because it got me the most likes I believe. It also has a dragon!

Do you dabble or outright devote yourself to other media or types of artistic expression? Like, are into sculpture? Landscapes in oil or watercolor? Macramé? (Kidding)
 Not at the moment. But my wife says I could’ve been a dancer. I’ll take it.

What’s the most-common mistake authors make in choosing a cover design and/or artist?
In my experience, trying to cram too much detail into the brief. The cover itself can be complex, but I did rather have more flexibility when it comes to painting or art directing.

Is there anything that doesn’t belong on a cover?
Spoilers? Maybe too much gore.

Are there trends in book cover design, and, if so, where are we now and where do you see us going in the next few years?
Theme wise, I see a lot of authors like their heroes to be looking away, sometimes at an enemy. In terms of technique there’s more acceptance for the use of photography or 3d, and I think this is where the future lies. But illustration will never go away, not for a long time. There’s something about brush strokes (traditional or digital) that is very hard to replace.

As you know, Da Vinci spent a good amount of time studying human anatomy. Has that been part of your process as well?
Yup! I started doing D&D characters, so that was certainly a huge part of my learning.

What is the hardest body part to illustrate?
Hands and feet for me (and many others I think)

Have you considered writing your own book/series?
It’s a fantasy, but I don’t think I’m good enough. What I would love to do is design an RPG and run a game some day.

Do you do a lot of reading in the fantasy genre and, if so, who are some of your favorite authors, or what are some of your favorite books?
Yes! I discovered not long ago that I love dark humor in fantasy. Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames is a big favorite. All the books by Rob Hayes are awesome. The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz is another.
A lot of people compare the first book in my series, Steel, Blood & Fire to Eames. I’m constantly  having to point out  my book was first – by several years!

If you could design for any author living or dead, who would you choose? Tolkien

What the fuck is burnt umber?
According to google, reddish brown.

You have at least one child. Is your hope that child will follow his/her passion or would you discourage a career in the arts as a terrible struggle? (Asking as a lifelong actor…)
I would support her all the way. There’s a living to be made in the (commercial) arts. I had no mentoring or vision till my 40s. If I”m able to do it now, she certainly would, too, with proper direction.

This would be a great time to pontificate about the state of arts education and the way in which it is valued (or not) in our society and particularly by our government…you know, if you wanna.
I’m no expert, but I think the USA is showing the signs of a crumbling empire, or at least crumbling culture. The first thing to go is the arts. Be that as it may, we still have the internet! For the what I do, college is great but not necessary. With proper motivation you could learn all you need online.

Cezanne, Monet, Van Gogh, Serat, or Gaugin? Why?
Monet. Though I appreciate the other artists, I prefer the more figurative styles.

Picasso, Munch, Warhol or M.C. Escher?
Escher, for the same reasons. I’ve never been a huge fan of abstraction.

Da Vinci, Michelangelo, or Botticelli?
Michelangelo. His stuff looks more epic, in my opinion.

Sergio Aragones, R. Crumb, B. Kliban or Gary Larson?
Larson? These other guys I don’t know.

Do you know who John Buscema was? If so, what was his best work?
I know he is comic book artist, but I’m not a huge collector of comics, especially not of that classic style. I prefer stuff like Bisley, if any.

I know: you weren’t expecting a quiz. Just having fun with you. What’s next for you? What’s coming up that excites you?
Ha! I did have to google of a couple of those guys. My art class memory is fuzzy. Recently Tor approached me to do a 2nd cover for a series by Brian Anderson. This is my first big client and so far it’s going great. I consider myself very, very lucky.

Thank you so very much for agreeing to do this. Full disclosure to my readers, Felix has designed the cover for Book Five, which you’ll all be seeing soon. I couldn’t be happier!
My pleasure! Wish I could’ve done the previous 4!
Well, if I ever get the bank, you’ve certainly got the job!

Please check out Felix' work at:

www.artstation.com/felixortiz?fbclid=IwAR1IF6xNKkBN275H8MfBYE-plIAlVxZsTQ7hZ9j8IWNJ4Z6i6wmJ07tvjzI

The Long Wait
Like many of you, I have been critical of George R. R. Martin and Patrick Rothfuss for the impossibly long interval between their last books and whatever is next in their series. Ah, but with ages comes stretch marks – wisdom! I meant wisdom.
I now find myself in a similar predicament. The first four novels in my series came out about once every twelve months or so. This fifth and final book has taken me almost three years…and counting. And I have discovered there is no single reason for this phenomenon but rather a perfect storm of things, ranging from the current political climate in my country which seems to suck the very life from my soul, to fear of letting you down. Allow me to enumerate and elaborate upon some of the issues:

• As I said, the political situation in my country may be amongst the greatest dramas of our age. I get home from my day job and plop myself on the couch, riveted by the latest developments and non-developments. It doesn’t really matter what my own politics are in this case; literally everything that happens is without precedent and therefore historic.
• I think about the end of Erikson’s masterpiece, The Malazan Book of the Fallen, the weakest link of which, I think, was its finale. I should be lucky to write such a brilliant novel, but, as the end to his series, it fell short for me. So, I worry about likewise falling short of my readers’ expectations.
• There is also, I have discovered, a fear of letting go, of saying goodbye to these characters that I will have known for years and years and almost three-quarters of a million words.  And it will be goodbye. Make no mistake about that. This series was my maiden voyage, and I am bound for other lands (and stories) in the future.
• Marketing. The more I have learned about it, and the better I have become at it, the more of my time it seems to take. I am blessed to have a publisher now, but marketing remains largely my own responsibility.
• Being a decent human being. As my works have grown in popularity, I have caught the attention of fellow indie authors, and I have discovered, to my delight, that there is no competition amongst us, but rather a sense of comradery, of fellowship and mutual support. Thus, I spend a fair amount of time reading my colleague’s work and offering positive commentary that may help them along their own journeys. There is, as I once told the great C.T. Phipps, room for all of us, and perhaps no one demonstrates this thinking better than he.
• More writing. As a result of these new friendships, I have been invited to participate in a few short story anthologies, which are great fun, but naturally take time away from working on my series. You can find the first of these anthologies here:https://www.amazon.com/Blackest-Knights-C-T-Phipps/dp/1949914984/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Blackest+Knights&qid=1552261817&s=gateway&sr=8-1 There will also be a sequel coming out shortly, and I’ll be contributing to a third anthology from a different publisher this summer.
• Having a new job. I’ve been teaching for almost thirty years, and, while it was never a dream of mine, I have finally landed in what amounts to my dream teaching job. It is very hard and equally challenging. But I am learning. For the first time in forever, I am learning, and it is thrilling. Anyway, I landed this new job just prior to beginning Book Five.
• Finally, I took my first vacation to Europe in ten years or so last summer (and got heat-stroke. Fun times.), so that I spent my summer “vacation” actually on vacation, instead of writing.

All of this is by way of saying that, in the immortal words of John Lennon, “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” It was easy to judge these other, better, authors until life happened to me. Rest assured, however, the last installment of my series is coming. Just like winter. But, you know, in summer.

For this week's post, I'm just going to share the podcast I got to do with Sean Grigsby on Cosmic Dragon. Enjoy!

​www.seangrigsby.com/cosmicdragon/2018/11/26/episode-18-allan-batchelder?fbclid=IwAR0vsh-7dG52sFJchYbSBT93CJUXDlBP4tGJzB3u-Y5qGh2VOvPA4Bl3L-I

Building on my last blog entry, in which I interviewed the narrator of Steel, Blood & Fire, Christopher Selbie, I thought I’d continue in that vein and hold a Narrators’ Roundtable. Here, my panel discusses characterization, accents, warm-ups, ventriloquism and favorite swords. And – Allan’s editorial comment, here – don’t make too much of their evident humility. They’re all amazing at their jobs!
 
1.       How many times would you say you read a book in its entirety before you’re ready to begin recording?
 
Leah Casey
Usually twice. Once as a reader, just to enjoy the mood of the story, and then another to make my notes. I sometimes make notes during the first read if I’m struck by a very strong voice or passage. Other times, I do a “third” read, by rereading whatever I plan on working on that day.
 
Steve Marvel
There is a wide spectrum of practice on that score among narrators. I know narrators who read a book no less than twice—once for enjoyment, as a “regular” reader, then once to make copious notes. I also know narrators who don’t read the book at all, either because they’ve narrated so many titles they understand the forms so well that they feel they don’t have to, or because they’re so busy that they pay someone to pre-read and prep the book for them. I read a book once through, making notes on everything from character traits to point-of-view to pacing. I’d love to be able to read a book through more than that, but I’m not an especially fast reader, and I do this for a living, so I have to limit the amount of time I spend on each project. I find it an advantage, in fact, to be less familiar with the text than I’d be with a play script (which are far shorter in duration than the average fiction book and which one typically rehearses for four weeks). The element of discovery is vital to a compelling reading, and not knowing every word of a manuscript means I’m discovering some of right along with the reader.
 
Christopher Selbie
I begin by reading the book quickly in order to get a handle on the style. Reading quickly allows me to get a sense of what sticks out initially. Thereafter I read and re-read each chapter slowly making notes.
 
2.       What is the longest amount of time it’s ever taken you to find the “right voice” for a character?
 
Steve
For some characters, I’m still looking. Seriously, I’ve done a character or two I was never happy with. But, generally speaking, it only takes a few minutes to come up with a character voice, once you’ve read and understood the story. If you can calm down and allow yourself to concentrate and trust your body to relax into the character—even though it’s voiceover, you’re still better off feeling the character bodily, rather than strictly mentally—it’s usually a pretty short process to concoct a character.
The hardest ones are the “cameos” that come with little or no description. Those you have to make up completely, out of nothing.
 
Christopher
The longest time I have spent in finding a voice for a character is two days but usually a voice emerges as I read the book.
 
Leah
A few minutes. Or, sometimes, when I’ve gotten a little ways into their voice, I’ll suddenly want to change it, so I’ll stop and go back before I get too far in.
 
3.       What’s the least?
 
Steve
Like I say, it’s a few minutes. Occasionally, you run across a character you missed during your preparatory read, and you just come up with it on the fly. So, seconds. Milliseconds, really.
 
Leah
A couple seconds? For some background or one-off characters, I’ll breeze through them.
 
Christopher
See previous answer.
 
4.       Have you ever been haunted by/obsessed with a character such that you wished he or she was a real person?
 
Steve
No. That’s weird.
I assume you’re asking that from a writer’s perspective. I don’t mean to be arch, but if a character is really satisfying, really exciting to you, he’s real enough in your portrayal. You’ve already experienced him (or her) pretty fully.
 
Leah
Of course! It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I’ll find myself thinking about them for days on end. Very distracting!
 
Christopher
I have never been haunted by a character but I can see the characters in my mind’s eye and so they are “real” people to me.
 
5.       Have you ever been so taken with the world of a story that you wished you were in it?
 
Steve
Is there something you’d like to discuss about your life, Allan?
Again, part of the joy of acting is living through the characters. If a world speaks to you that much, you’ve pretty much already inhabited it. And this one’s interesting enough that I, personally, don’t long for others. Though I could do with a few less Republicans.
 
Christopher
I always want to be part of the world of the book. It helps me treat the story with respect.
 
Leah
Yessss. More than characters. My brain goes off and writes a completely different story. I adore and despise those moments because, again, very distracting, but on a grander scale. I have a lot of practice in daydreaming about this very subject.
 
6.       Who, in your opinion, are some of the great voices of all time – not necessary in audiobooks, but ever (think Orson Welles, etc.)?
 
Leah
Hoo boy. A long time ago (not too long, I’m being dramatic), The Chronicles of Narnia was narrated by…a lot of different people. I think they changed narrators with each book, and I’m quite sorry to say I can’t recall a single one of their names. However, I adored all of them. Listened to those cassette tapes whenever I could, and that’s what started my interest in this, I guess. But! If I have to pick a specific voice, I’m going to say David Paul Scofield, because I grew up listening to him narrate The Chronicles of Narnia when it was redone as a radio drama. Giant cast, sound effects, the works, yet I always marveled at the fact that Mr. Scofield managed to hold my immediate attention with his delivery of the non-dialogue text. He, and the narrators before him, gave me my love for audio-everything.
 
(I also enjoy Cecil Baldwin’s work on Welcome to Nightvale. What a voice.)
 
Steve
Wow. I don’t think about that much. Upon reflection, I’d have to say I really admire Mel Blanc. He not only had a rubber voice, but what he improvised about some of those characters—the things he came up with—were truly inspired. He didn’t just do voices, and he didn’t just create great characters. He created whole psychologies for those creatures.
But I love Orson Welles, too. There was so much behind his speech. Authority, and intelligence, and massive bravado.
 
Christopher
Great voices would include Orson Welles, Ian Holm, Laurence Olivier, Derek Jacobi, John Gielgud, Richard Burton, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith.
 
7.       What are some of the factors you consider when voicing a character – tone, pitch, pacing, accent (dialect), speech impediments, etc.?
 
Steve
Yes, all of those. I rely pretty heavily on accents, because many of them come easily to me. You do learn to explore the other aspects of speech you mentioned, though, because not everyone speaks with a readily-detectable accent.
 
Christopher
The factors that influence my choice of a voice for a character are age, gender, accent, pace and speech impediments (if there are any).
 
Leah
I think it changes for me each time I take on a new project. I’ve come to be less critical of myself when I don’t sound the way I want to sound as I listen to the playback. I focus more on how the character would deliver the words, so dialect and tone first and foremost, I think.
 
8.       Have you ever had to age a character’s voice over the course of a novel? What’s that like?
 
Leah
Yes! I find it to be one of the easier parts of narrating, strangely enough. Starting off as a naïve kid, growing up into a young adult, and then, usually when devastation strikes, something kind of drops into the character’s voice that just feels heavy and world-weary. Listening to that transition is very fun for me.
 
Steve
I don’t recall that I have, but that wouldn’t be hard, assuming you’re comfortable with playing age vocally. It would be mostly a logistical issue, tracking what age the character is at any given point in the book, that would be the toughest part.
 
Christopher
I have never had to “age” a character, but that would be an interesting challenge.
 
9.       Being bold and intrepid fellows, I’m sure there isn’t a genre out that you wouldn’t tackle; however, is there one you feel best-suited to?
 
Steve
It’s a good question, because publishers and fans alike seem to put a lot of emphasis on genre—for obvious reasons, I suppose. From my perspective, though, genre is immaterial in the face of a well-crafted story. Any story well told is a pleasure to narrate, whether it be about a hard-boiled detective or a space explorer or a shape shifter. It really is about the telling, not the subject.
 
That said, I gravitate toward thrillers: God, I love intrigue, and a good action scene. I also happen to like anything with broad characters. I just narrated a vampire romance, believe it or not, which is something I would have never sought out. The characters were so distinct and well-drawn and character-y, I had a blast narrating it.
 
Christopher
I feel I am best suited to either classical novels or fantasy. It allows my imagination full range.
 
Leah
Haven’t quite found my niche yet, sorry to say.
 
10.   How would you like your voice to be thought of by your peers? What would you like the “word” on your work to be? If someone were to compare your voice/readings with one of your peers, what would make your voice stand out?
 
Leah
I have no idea. Soothing? Maybe? I’m not sure what would make my voice stand out.
 
Steve
I hope people think of me as an actor who embodies characters well, who elicits the emotions and feelings the author wants from the listener. I guess the single word I’d like associated with my narration is “deep”. “Arch” might be another one. I love sarcastic humor—the subtler, the better.
 
Christopher
I would hope that my voice would be considered “engaging.” But in all honesty, I feel my voice is not distinctive.
 
11.   Is there a favorite, world-famous author you’d like to read for?
 
Steve
Vince Flynn. If he weren’t gone.
 
Leah
World famous? No. An author? Yup. James Kennedy. He wrote The Order of Odd-Fish, which still stands today as one of my favorite books. Also, M.M. Kaye. And Dianna Wynne Jones.
 
Christopher
I would love to read Dickens.
 
12.   What is a secret about your work that most people misunderstand?
 
Steve
I can give the first impression of being an elitist—which, humorously, in my mind, I am, but only as a parody of myself. I’m really more interested in finding common ground and in letting people be who they are, just being a witness, without judgment. That’s a much more relaxing stance, and I love it. But we’re all in such a rush.
 
Christopher
I suspect that people think I am energetic but actually I am extremely lazy.
 
Leah
Hnnn. I’ve had people say I must have a lot of fun all the time narrating. Not. True. I don’t have fun when I mess up. Bleh.
 
13.   Do you score your work like a musician or do you just take general notes and go from there?
 
Leah
Depends on the book. For the longer, more complicated ones with a lot of characters, I mark up a lot of things in the book, and in the audio file. For shorter projects, general notes are good enough for me.
 
Steve
I note everything said about a character and every “stage direction” the author gives about how anyone says anything. I underline and highlight and draw arrows, all in the service of giving myself as many cues as I need to read the story aloud, accurately, compellingly, without stopping. As actors, you and I have an instinct, I think, for when things are turning dramatic, or tearful, or jocund, so I don’t generally have to make notes on pace or tenor. Many narrators do that, though, I think, so talk to me again in a year.
 
Christopher
I use a combination of techniques, dependent of course on the task. I do treat the book as a score and make copious notes in the margins.  A shorthand if you like that makes no sense to anyone but me.
 
14.   Do you ever hear your own voices in your sleep?
 
Steve
No. I question your psychiatric stability, Allan.
 
Christopher
I have never heard the voices in my sleep only when I am painting or at my desk.
 
Leah
No, thank goodness.
 
15.   Have you ever paid homage to an old acquaintance by doing an impression of him/her in your work?
 
Steve
All the time.
 
Leah
Non.
 
Christopher
I often use the voices of people that I know, but they can hardly be called impersonations.
 
16.   What’s surprisingly hard about what you do?
 
Leah
Consistency of a character voice. I struggle with that.
 
Steve
Honestly, prep. Getting through the book the first time. Not every book fascinates you and, even with those that do, there’s still toil involved in getting through it. You have to use a dual mind when preparing a book, as I suggested before, in that you have to read it as the entertainment it is while, at the same time, picking apart the elements that make it entertaining. You can never fully just be carried away by the story, and you can never stop paying attention to how the narrative is sweeping along. Some narrators do read books more than once, focusing first on enjoyment, then on analysis. I’m just not that fast a reader. Like I said, I just don’t have time.
 
Christopher
The difficult in what I do is ensuring that I read the book for the listener. Creating word pictures, I call it.
 
17.   Who is someone in your field of whom you’re in awe?
 
Steve
George Guidall, Grover Gardner, and Robin Miles are three who spring to mind. Preternatural ability to narrate a book like they wrote it. Fiction or nonfiction—doesn’t matter. As comparatively small as the narrator community is, there are many truly accomplished storytellers out there.
 
Leah
I listen to a lot of different genres and narrators, so I haven’t locked on to someone yet. In one of my other fields, radio drama (I have a lot of fields, man. I’m a very restless person), I’m going to say Zach Valenti. Impressions, accents, he does it all.
 
Christopher
(Pondering the question…)
 
18.   Can you provide a link to something you think of as your best work?
 
Steve
My favorite thing to have done recently, I did under a pseudonym. Besides that, though, there are several things I think are good, clips of which you can listen to here:
 
 http://www.stevemarvel.com/audiobook-narration-demo/
 
Christopher:
 
https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/steel-blood-and-fire-immortal-treachery-book-1/351142
 
Leah
I…don’t know what constitutes as best. We are our own worst critic, after all. I’ll give the one I recently did, that was very fun, because I’ve never narrated in the horror genre before:
http://brickmoonentertainment.com/2018/10/19/instance-68-by-stephanie-jessop/
 
 
19.   Do you do a lot of vocal warm up and articulation stuff, or is your voice just naturally ready-to-rumble?
 
Leah
Weirdly, it depends on the time of day! In the morning? Oh, definitely warm up. But when I narrate late at night, I’m ready to go. Really strange.
 
Steve
Interestingly, the more I narrate, the more indispensable a certain warm-up becomes. Lips and tongue need to be warmed up, for me, though I’ve developed a routine that minimizes the time I have to devote to it. And some material lends itself to speaking slowly enough that you can concentrate more on articulation as you narrate, so you don’t need as rigorous a warm-up. That’s nonfiction, mostly.
 
Christopher
I very rarely do vocal warm-ups…but I do a few raw takes and play it back to myself just to be sure I am centred.
 
20.   How young were you when you started fooling around with silly voices, impressions, etc.?
 
Steve
At the age of four, I was delighting my parents with a JFK impression. I was hooked from there.
 
Christopher
I have always fooled around with silly voices from a very early age. I also listened to a lot of radio (I still do) and often repeat phrases to myself.
 
Leah
Young. My brother and I would put on puppet shows, I’d read from plays, quote characters from my favorite tv shows, movies, cartoons…gosh, I got into this super early.
 
21.   Ever try ventriloquism?
 
Steve
Yes! As a child. I was very much into magic and fooling people and the wonder of those gentle mysteries. I studied ventriloquism ardently for a time but could never get the hang of it.
 
Christopher
I have never tried ventriloquism.
 
Leah
Once. It ended in humiliation.
 
22.   Have you ever listened to a reading or watched a film, heard a voice, and thought, “that just ruined the whole experience for me?” That happened to me with The Polar Express. The actor voicing the fat kid is a middle-aged man who plays a lot of nerds in Hollywood, and his voice was a) instantly recognizable, and b) jarringly familiar in a cast of unknowns playing close to their characters’ ages.
 
Leah
I know exactly who you’re talking about, but it didn’t ruin the experience for me. But yes, I definitely have. It usually happens when I hear a voice that can’t maintain an accent/dialect.
 
Steve
I’m sure I do that all the time, without even thinking of it. I’ve certainly heard some narrations which didn’t serve the story (more in nonfiction, interestingly).
 
Christopher
Inaccuracy with accents always puts me off regardless of the subject matter.
 
23.   How often are you asked or expected to provide foreign accents, and how often do you practice those?
 
Leah
I take on projects that specifically don’t ask me for many accents beyond a few of the ones in my repertoire. Ask me to do an accent on the fly, or on a stage? Not too shabby! Ask me to read it from text for a book? Fail. I don’t understand it.
 
Steve
It happens less often than I’d like because, as I mentioned, I love doing them. I kind of walk around the house doing accents for myself—just saying things that come into my head in this or that voice or accent. I think a lot of entertainers do that, just to entertain themselves. In the case of an accent I have to learn, it’s a couple of days to get it into the system. Once you “feel” it, then it becomes part of what you do, and it’s added to the collection of speakers accompanying you around the house.
 
Christopher
I have several foreign accents in my vocal kitbag but I only practice them if they are needed.
 
24.   Does it ever bother you that, unlike many actors, most people will never see your face or know your name (unless, you know, you become KING of AUDIOBOOKS)?
 
Steve
I guess it does bother me, because I continue to pursue an on-camera career. But, frankly, audiobooks are now so popular, people will listen to anything a given narrator does simply because they like the way he/she narrates (to which I can relate, since I have favorite narrators, too). And everything is now a niche market—we don’t all go see the same blockbuster movies and follow the same universe of stars anymore. So, while it doesn’t happen nearly as often now that everybody knows your name, it’s not so uncommon to develop a certain following.
 
Leah
Nope. But! I’m also an actor, so.
 
Christopher
I am grateful that the listener cannot see me. I enjoy the anonymity and strongly hope that my voice does not get in the way of the listener. The book is all that matters.
 
25.   Are you really just in it for the groupies?
 
Steve
How did you know?
 
Leah
We get groupies?
 
Christopher
I am in it, not in it for the groupies, just a decent bottle of red wine.
 
26.   Unrelated question: you all have experience with swords – stage combat, Aikido, Dungeons & Dragons, etc. Do you have a favorite or dream sword? Why?
 
Steve
I’m trained in both stage combat and Aikido. When I was doing combat a lot, we used these beautiful rapiers crafted by a guy out in Colorado. Deceptively light—they didn’t need to cut anything but had to be sturdy enough to smack against other swords—with these gorgeous, basket hilts and outsized pommels. Just a pleasure to hold and swing around. More recently, and sort of at the opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve been using Japanese katana—“Samurai swords”, as most folks would call them, though they’re modern and never met a samurai. Good God, are those things sharp. I’ve practiced tameshigiri with them—“test cutting” of rolled up tatami mats. Beautiful swords, but lethal. I’d love to have an authentic samurai sword.
 
Christopher
At drama school I trained in combat both armed and unarmed. My acting career has largely been based in classical theatre and so have had to swash and buckle on many occasions. I have also had the opportunity to work with some excellent fight choreographers. I love it! My favourite weapon is and always will be a medieval broadsword.
 
Leah
Ulfbehrt. Had to do a report on swords when I was doing stage combat, and this guy? Was a blade of beauty. Give me that over a katana during the zombie apocalypse any day. Sorry, Michonne.
 
 

So, I’ve known you for thirty years – happy man-i-versary, by the way – but I’ve never heard the story about how you got started in theater. 

Happy maniversary to you, too. We met all those years ago when my hair was my own! How I got started???? Cutting a long story short I did not come from a theatrical background. My father worked at an oil refinery and my mother was a housewife. In fact, my father could barely read or write. From a very early age I indulged in amateur theatricals and school plays but I always wanted to work as an actor. At the age of 18 I gained a place at Birmingham University reading drama but after one year I realised I wanted a training as an actor not an education in theatre and so I gained a place at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and spent two years there before graduating and moving into professional employment as an actor and Director.

All of my directorial jobs were exciting and challenging, be it as the Associate Director at the Old Vic in London, as an Associate Director at the Chichester Festival Theatre or as Artistic Director of Compass Theatre Company in Denver as well as directing "Antony and Cleopatra" and "The Taming of the Shrew" in London's West End. They brought with them highs and lows but I cannot single out one position that brought me most satisfaction. The hardest role I played was Vincent Van Gogh in my one man show "A Certain Vincent." Hard because in a one man show you are out there on your own and it is impossible to hide! As for awards, I am not fond of them. I have been the recipient of "Best New Theatre Company" and "Best Classical Production" (Cyrano de Bergerac) and "Best Actor" (Iago) but have sometimes felt that those do not necessarily reflect what I feel were the best. I am left with an acute feeling of what I didn't do rather than what I did.... One symptom of restless perfectionism.... Something we all endure.

You’ve played a number of the theater’s most iconic roles: Cyrano de Bergerac, Iago, (and…?). And I know you have a special place in your dark little heart for Richard the Third. But what is or was your all-time favorite? I know you’ve mentioned Lear. Is that the one role you’re dying to play or is there another?

I have played many classical roles since I love classical texts. Cyrano de Bergerac, Iago, Richard III, Cassius, Fagin, Smike (in Nicholas Nickleby) Quasimodo and Hamlet. Richard III is and will always be my favourite. Indeed, although I am a rabid supporter of the real Richard I have managed to play the role on three occasions. Lear remains the final mountain to climb but I doubt I will get the chance.

The swordplay in your Cyrano de Bergerac was very impressive. Having played the role myself, I don’t think we ever approached the speed or creativity you did. How much training have you had with swords and/or what is the standard regimen in English drama schools?

I have worked with some extraordinary Fight Directors and Combat both armed and unarmed is standard in training in the UK, as well as horse riding…. It can make the difference between getting cast or not in historical productions or films.
Have you ever been wounded onstage?

I was wounded only once when I played Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet.
Some actors place a sword in their hands and a red mist descends…..They must be avoided for your health’s sake. Stabbed in the ribs… Slight pain and then I got off stage I found I was bleeding and it wasn’t the blood capsule I used. The actor and I have remained firm friends despite his act of lethal insanity.

You’ve crossed paths with a lot of famous folks – Lawrence Olivier, Alan Rickman, etc. – can you shed any new light on these legends? Which of them surprised you the most in private? Who was most down-to-earth and who was most impossible?

Most of the famous actors I have worked with display an enormous ability to observe. Their process is quiet and composed. They approach their work like a very skilled surgeon, delicate, obsessed with the text and self-assured. They all possess extraordinary technique both vocal or physical and they always take huge risks.  It is like feasting with panthers, the danger is half the excitement.

There appears to be more overlap between stage and television in England. Do you have aspirations in that direction?

There is great overlap between those forms and I am longing for the chance to explore that.

We used to talk for hours about Black Adder and, in particular, Baldrick – a character I think you could have played as well as the original actor (whom you’ve met/worked with?) Any stories there?

Regarding Black Adder I have no tales to tell. As Iago says… “I never shall speak word.”

You do a lot of different dialects in Steel, Blood & Fire and once coached me in Yorkshire. Do you have a favorite? Is there one you avoid?

As for accents, there was a lot of emphasis placed on speech and voice in my training. As importantly we were made to train the ear. Once you can listen you can break down an accent into its components. I don’t personally have much difficulty with accents and have no favourite but the hardest is the North-Eastern accent known as “Geordie.”

Have you watched Game of Thrones on TV? If yes, what do you think of the story, the dialect work, etc.? If not, what the hell’s wrong with you?

I have NEVER watched Game of Thrones.  I prefer to sit on one. I feel at home there.
As a child, you were hit on the head with a loaded bedpan and have mistakenly been a Broncos fan ever since. Have you considered corrective surgery?

I was never hit on the bonce with any implement but I did entertain dreams of being a starting Quarterback for the Broncos. But, since I am metrically challenged (5’ 5”) they have never invited me to training camp. Shameless, don’t you think?

Yes, well, enough about that (Go, Seahawks!). What drew you to this project, narrating Steel, Blood & Fire?

The sheer scope and invention of the project was instantly exciting. The books are an amazing accomplishment of imagination and style. I always begin by trying to create a thumbnail picture in my head of the character and usually voice becomes clear. The narrative I just relied on my own voice. Without doubt the hardest voice to invent was "Anders." I did not to want to rely on any melodramatics but once I found him he became the most enjoyable company. Since I have moved on to the next book it is like meeting up with old friends. I just want to engage the listener in one more adventure.
Thank you, sir. You’ve been most generous with your time and energies. The audiobook sounds fantastic, and I look forward to hearing more!

For those interested, you can listen to a sample here:
https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/steel-blood-and-fire-immortal-treachery-book-1/351142

Here, fellow author Ulff Lehmann and I try to out-grimdark each other, one sentence at a time -- his are in plain font, mine, italicized. 

Matthew knew from experience that waking up with a hangover never was fun, even less so if one woke up hungover surrounded by a bunch eviscerated corpse.

But that was how they celebrated a man’s coming of age amongst the Norfii; that, and devouring a lion fetus drenched in wine.

That last bite of lion must have been bad, he decided.

As he got to his feet, he realized they were covered in boots made of human flesh – at least he’d gotten some use out of those corpses.

Kicking in his new treads by kicking the flopping entrails out of his way, he strode out of the cave.

It was night, always and everlastingly, fucking night.

Unless it wasn't fucking night, which boiled down to some 5 days in a moon.

Well, Matthew had work to do, grim work.

Having new boots was but one of the perks of becoming an adult in the eyes of the elders.

And, speaking of eyes, he had a jar full at home that were only missing a blue pair.

Blue eyes were rare, a bitch to find, and people kept them for both sentimental value and working magic -- he just wanted his collection complete.

Where to find, them, though?

Down south and west, the day-dwellers were said to have blue eyes, but they were sex maniacs, so finding virgin blue eyes was a bitch.

Coincidentally, his own mother was also a bitch, but she didn't have blue eyes.

In addition, father did not like mutilating family members, unless he did it -- selfish bastard.

Fortunately, Matthew knew of an orphanage nearby that might have an blue-eyed virgin or two.

The moon hung low on its gallows, damn fucker deserved no less.

Making his way to the orphanage, Matthew passed an ancient pair of vagabonds rutting in the street like rats; well, new vagabonds had to come from somewhere, didn't they?

It was only when he had passed them, he noticed the audience of real rats preparing what looked like score cards.

He considered stomping the life out of the little vermin, but didn't want to scuff his new flesh boots.
Still, he decided he'd settle the score with these rats, eventually.

He was getting distracted; eyes on the prize, Matthew, eyes on the prize!

In this case the prize was eyes, but eyes on the eyes sounded rather silly, even without saying it out loud.

Soon, he spied the orphanage and began to fish the ocular trauma device -- his spork -- out of his pocket.

His people had a few traditions, eviscerated corpses when one came of age, virgins’ scalps on a bad hair day, and a spork on the day they were born -- they wore the spork until receiving the first set of baby teeth on a necklace, then it went into the pocket.

So, the spork wasn't the problem, it was the damned pocket, which, like the pockets of all other Norfii, was magically linked to the those of everyone else in the community, making it fiendishly hard to find what one was looking for, but also to resist the temptation of examining others' possessions, like the dried kitten he was currently fondling.

Pocket communication was rather muffled, and in a night such as this, slipping out of one's pants left one rather dangling in the wind, so he continued to fish around.

Suddenly, something -- or someone -- grabbed his arm, and he felt a violent tug, yanking him into his own pocket, through a universe of unspeakable objects and trash out back out into the semi-fetid air of...where, exactly?

The light shining at him made identification of the place difficult-- a moment later, as his eyes adjusted, he realized the glaring blaze was nothing more than a big candle, flickering off a sword's polished blade.

In a panic, all he could think to do was blurt out, "I didn't do it!"

"Do what?" a voice said, and then added, "Stupid bag of holding, got cross-wired again with the little folk."

Squinting into the gloom, Matthew realized that he was one of the "little folk" in question, as the figure in front of him was easily twice his size.

Twice his size, and that was just the leg... he tilted his head back and saw somewhere in the distance, about as high as his lord's keep walls, the head of... the fucking big folk.

For some odd reason, all Matthew could think was that he was smaller than this giant's penis.
​
Now he thought about how it was to be fucking a big folk woman.

He'd get even more lost in her than he had in that so-called "bag-of-holding."

Maybe not all was lost, he had heard about this tale where one would have to squeeze eyes real hard and tap one's heels and say "Get me the fuck out of here" magic would take one back home, only he had to sacrifice all the eyes in his IBag.

With hope in whatever passed for his heart, he performed said ritual, only to discover that "home" was his mother's house, and he was a pimply, red-headed fat kid with a mouth full of dental hardware.

And a bed which harbored way too many BDSM magazines underneath the mattress.

​Q. How do you feel modern fantasy (by which I mean fantasy written today) jibes with the "Me, Too" movement, if at all, as women are so often portrayed as the objects of action instead of the actors themselves?
 
A: I think the objectification and infantilization of women is something one continues to see throughout literature and other forms of media. The damsel and the shrew are still the most prevalent female archetypes one sees, followed by the female warrior. However, I also think a sea change has been underway for quite a few years, and authors have more awareness that giving their female characters agency is a goal of good writing.
 
What you don't see often, at least in my readings, are female characters who hold positions of power in a routine way. Female leaders (political, military, economic, etc.) are still presented to readers as unusual or special.
 
Q: Can you point out a few authors/books who ARE doing this well?
 
A: I spent some time thinking about an answer to this question. Two authors who receive a lot of flak for their treatment of female characters, but who I think do a good job presenting women:  are GRR Martin and Peter V. Brett. Both include episodes of sexual violence against women (and boys/men) in their work, and both have been criticized for these scenes being gratuitous or sensational and not having any real bearing on the plot or character development. I disagree, and I think Danerys being married to Drogo at 13 (in the book) and having to figure out how to not only survive as a child bride in an arranged marriage to a violent and callous warrior but to thrive and triumph in it, was essential to her development as a woman who can turn every situation to her advantage. Meanwhile, because Brett's work includes polygamous relationships (as well as incest and sexual assault), he's been accused of writing male fantasies. I disagree because his female characters consistently demonstrate they have agency within the constraints of the society they live in. [And, I'll have to finish this later because we're going somewhere.]
 
Q: Haven't read any Brett, but your GRRM answer is interesting. Yes, he is often accused of even hating women, but, as you say, Danerys is triumphant. I do wonder, though, because while I know many women who read GRRM, I've never heard one say, "The sex scenes are so awesome." Don't know that I've ever heard a man say that, either. I mean, are they even necessary?
 
A: Regarding whether the sex scenes are awesome in Martin, I'd ask, do they need to be? In real life, sex in a committed relationship is often perfunctory. It can be nice, but it isn't mind blowing every time. It's not necessarily even romantic. In ASOIAF, the only loving relationship between equal partners in the book is between Ned and Catelyn, and there is a really nice, realistic (to me) scene from Catelyn's POV in the beginning of the first book, which comes in right after they've finished. After that, almost every other sexual encounter is coercive, perverse, or otherwise taboo, which I imagine Martin does deliberately, to show the rottenness of Westeros. One exception is Jon and Ygritte, whose lovemaking was sweet and innocent--but then their relationship, like so many others, is founded on lies, so it's corrupt at its core too. Regarding the gratuity of the sex in Martin’s work, I also think people tend to conflate the sometimes absurdly gratuitous sex in the HBO TV series with Martin’s books. There isn’t anywhere near as much sex in the books as appears on the TV show. There are no brothel scenes with Peter watching his employees “practice” in the book. Tyrion and Shae have a lot of sex in the books, but that’s important to show how Shae hoodwinks Tyrion into falling for her so utterly. And most of the sex scenes between other characters are not explicit—there’s a lot more foreplay and morning after material than there are outright descriptions of the act.
 
 
So, in my view, the sex doesn't have to be "great." Martin isn't writing porn, he's writing fantasy about the struggle for power and resources between different political entities and different species. The sex scenes advance the plot and/or develop characters, and I don't find them gratuitous. In fact, if every sex scene was "hot," I might be more inclined to feel they were there for the sake of sensationalism rather than plot advancement.
 
 
I wanted to finish answering your original question, which was to name some authors who do a "good job" presenting female characters. One little-known indie author whose worldbuilding and storytelling I found really interesting, especially in her first book, is E.P. Clarke. In The Midnight Land, She created a society based on pre-Christian Russia in which women hold all the political and social power. That in itself isn't terribly unusual, but what I found interesting is that she didn't make the women Amazons and the men weaklings, which is what you usually see in books where the women are on top. The men in her world are still bigger and stronger than women, but instead of this being the foundation for their societal power, it's the reason why they lack power, because of a the societal belief is that "men are brutes" and too violent and stupid to be trusted to do anything requiring thought. With this foundation, she goes on to show how female leaders can be just as corrupt (or incorruptible) as male leaders. The Me Too question applies to her work as well, because she shows how women as well as men may use sexual harassment and sexual assault are used as tools of subjugation, which is really what they are. I guess my point is, if women routinely held the reins of power in society, they would be just as likely to do good or evil, as male leaders. We see this really well in Martin's work, as the reigns of Danerys and Cersei develop.
 
Q: Ah, okay, so let's revert to the more-traditional for a moment: who are some of your favorite heroines and villainesses?
 
A: Hmm, well, one of my favorite heroines is Rebecca from Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe. She is stalwart and unflinching in her passive resistance to Brian's designs and desires, and (spoiler) her refusal to yield causes Brian to sacrifice himself to save her. Tenar from the Earthsea Cycle is another heroine I've loved over the years. She's another traditional heroine in the sense that, at least in the Tombs of Atuan, in which she's a teenage girl, she could not or would not have broken free from the Old Gods without Ged's influence and help. In Tehanu, however, the mature, 30- or 40-something Tenar steps into the role of hero (rather than heroine--I see these terms as describing the narrative roles of protagonists rather than being strictly gender-related). In Tehanu, she assumes the role of mother and protector, and she is the primary force in keeping the title character, a young girl named Tehanu, safe from the people who want to use her or hurt her.
 
I can't really name a villain that I "love." I really don't like villains--I love it when authors show me things from the antagonist's point of view and give me some way to identify with them, but then that person really isn't a villain any more, is she/he? I do like Cersei in HBO's GOT, but I hate Cersei in ASOIAF, because in the book she's stupid and boring. In the TV show, she's written as being much more clever and much more interesting.
 
In case it's of interest, here's a blog I wrote describing my ideas about how hero/heroine shouldn't be used to refer to the protagonist's gender, but rather their narrative function in the story. 
​amjusticeauthor.wordpress.com/2016/04/14/heroes-heroines-and-heroism/
 
Q: I think your hero/heroine argument is fascinating, and I understand what you're getting at. I wonder if it isn't just a question of semantics. I have some very strong female characters who are actors -- rather than being acted upon. I also have one notable male character who I suppose would fit your heroine role, but whom I just think of as having less testosterone, less need to show off, and is a great deal more sensitive. He's also a character of fluid sexuality, so I wonder if I'm subconsciously writing to some stereotype, although I see him as a very real person.
 
A: I think it's really hard to write male characters as sensitive souls and not have readers interpret them as weak, because our collective idea of male strength is centered on the courageous fighter/protector/warrior archetype. I suppose it could be to a degree hormonal, and then reinforced by societal bias that rewards males who embrace conflict (whereas females who wade into fights continue to be censured UNLESS they prove themselves twice the combatant of their male competitors). But we all have biases against compassion and empathy in males. Even when stories are about physicians or artists, they're nearly always portrayed as brilliant assholes (more or less). The truly nice guy is rarely the hero of any story (unless it's a comedy), although some of my favorite fantasies do feature kind-hearted males as the main hero (LOTR, the Earthsea Cycle, and the Demon Cycle [though Arlen is very pro-human and not at all compassionate toward the demons who are trying to wipe out humanity]). In A Wizard's Forge, I was playing with tropes and so I gave the prince in that novel all the stereotypical attributes of princesses in fairy tales and fantasies: he's beautiful, kind, and smart, and he sings. But even I couldn't leave him like that, because I too have an internalized bias against heterosexual men that aren't conventional tough guys--so I had to prove Ashel is tough, and I put him through double hell and had him hold tight to his principles and goals to prove it.
 
Q: Well, I suppose improvement starts with awareness, no? We're thinking about these issues, at least, and trying to write better, more well-rounded characters who don't conform to these age-old tropes.
 
A: Exactly. I think we've come much farther with women characters in that they have a broad palette of acceptable roles in stories now, be it queen, serving girl, warrior, merchant, mage, etc. You still see complaints about how all too often the plot puts the "strong female character" in need of rescue by a male character, but at least women can BE anything in stories. In fantasy, it seems like male protagonists still tend to be warriors or fighting magic-wielders. They're rarely peaceable scholars or pacifist healers. Of course, I'd love for your readers to correct me on this. Perhaps I'm just not reading the right books.
 
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