BH: When did you consider yourself a writer? You know what I mean? The time when you realized that you crossed the line from 'want to be a writer' to 'I am a writer'.
Hawk: So, I tried writing when I was 12 and it didn’t appeal to me. Of course, I was only working on a typewriter and it was a hundred degrees in the back room. I tried real hard for about two days, then gave up.
I liked being a storyteller, and I would say that I stuck with that for close on to 30 years. I’ve always had a story around the campfire, or bedtime, or anything. Even now, if you stopped me and asked for a story, I’d probably whip out “Serpent of Connemara,” or “King Peter at the Pass.” I love telling stories.
I had a period of … underemployment … back in 2012 and my wife suggested that I write a book. She picked one of my stories, the Waylaid Ghost Story, and I got to writing. Some years later, it became The Broken Man.
BH: Do you feel you have more than one voice in your writing?
Hawk: Absolutely. I love the jokey – break the 4th wall – fun voice. However, I haven’t actually written a full book in that voice. (Trolls, upcoming someday) I also do serious 3rd person omniscient which has its own flavor. Frankly, I love to find characters who have a voice worth sharing. Then I write in their voices. Purity’s books are basically written by her. I just channel it.
BH: What kept you writing while getting rejection letters or struggling with writer's block?
Hawk: That’s tough. I really hate criticism and rejection. On the other hand, I really don’t get too much of that. Baen keeps rejecting me. A couple agents have rejected me, but usually my editor steers me to someone who’d like my writing and then they publish it.
I do have a secret for writer’s block. Do an outline. (Not while you have the block, silly, but early on in the novel.) Then, if you can’t do anything on chapter 5, you can skip over to 13 and re-read your work. Then…you’ll just start adding to it. Block gone.
BH: Do you use certain tricks that help prevent you from straying from your goal?
Hawk: My wife is a tough boss. When I’m working for her, I’m on target every day. (I don’t want to get fired, ya know? I’ve got a lot of goals, not just writing, so I’ve got a list of tasks that have to get done. Yeah, make lists, get ‘er done.
BH: How did you come to set this goal?
Hawk: For writing, my goals are fairly generous. I just want to tell a story. So I usually look at each month and see how much story I can get written.
BH: Tell me about any workshops you offer?
Hawk: Currently I’m not offering any writing workshops. I’ve thought about it in the past and I really don’t know what I bring to the table. I do teach sword fighting on a weekly basis, so I’m happy to talk about that with anyone.
BH: What inspired you to write The Broken Man?
Hawk: So, I used to play a lot of D&D, and Waylaid was born in one of those games. I also do a lot of historical research. I’ve been digging into ancient religions and the fall of civilization back in 1300 BC for years.
The story started as a bedtime story with my son Nick. Waylaid, Piju, Brea, and Keynan came out of these long stories. I had a few of them, and Nick always asked questions. Piju has more than a bit of Nick in him. Piju, through Nick, has wandered long in the lands of Pywer. When I decided to write this all down, I was surprised at how huge the world had become.
BH: How long will we wait for the next book?
Bone God is the sequel to Broken Man. I have hopes to get Serpent King out in 2023.
How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
Plots are easy. I find a “bad guy” and figure out how he/she wins. Then, I reel back time to … well… that part is secret … and then I set the heroes the task of stopping him…if they can even figure out what is going on.
Some characters are easy. Some aren’t. A quick story:
I was stuck on a scene, and I couldn’t get Waylaid to seem real. I went to the gym, had a hard work out, then sat in the sauna for a while. After about 15 minutes, Waylaid came and sat down with me. He laid out the explanation for himself that I put into his conversation with Brea. (30 minutes in the sauna taking notes. I didn’t die.) After that, he has been in my head. He doesn’t care to talk to me (thankfully) but I write the finale waiting on him to decide what to do.
How do you come up with ideas for your writings and why do you feel you choose some over others?
I can’t stop having ideas about writing. I have a dozen of them written down at any one moment. As for which one I work on next? Well, I ask my wife. I can’t make up my mind.
How much time do you devote to marketing your book and what kind of marketing do you recommend?
Yeah, I got nuthin’. I know nothing about marketing. I talk about my books, I try to get people to buy my books, and … I’ve got no marketing technique that works.
What are your current projects?
I’ve got Castle Brave heading off to Tuscany Bay. I’ve got Court Human on my laptop trying to get edited. I’ve got Serpent King in pieces all over my computer. I’ve got the outline for a Space Opera and a non-fiction about survivability.
Where do you hope to take your writing in the future?
I just want to get my stories in print. I don’t have enough hours in the day to write them all. I don’t have enough hours left in my life to run out my supply of stories. I’ll just keep typing, hoping to do better with each book.
What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing? Any special memories that you would like to share...please, oh, please?
So, this is kind of funny. I love Dragon Con. It’s a Convention in Atlanta for 70,000 of my favorite weirdos. I do panels on Science, Space, Fantasy Writing, Fighting, History, Survivability… in any case
I’m sitting on a panel with John Ringo and we’re arguing about “hit points.” I’m against and he’s for.
He says, “I’ve friends who’ve taken a bullet in the lung and fought. So they have high hit points.
I am about to contradict him, then I realize I’ve fought with a broken rib. “Yeah,” I said. “You win that one.”
Another time, I was sitting on a panel with Peter Beagle. I know, me, on a panel with HIM. I really wanted to crawl back into the audience when he introduced himself. (Last Unicorn, lifetime grandmaster, etc.)
Look, I can’t tell you I did or said or learned anything, except that that man knew how to tell a story. He GRIPPED the audience when he opened his mouth. He had timing for comedy or tragedy with every word and hit every beat. I want to tell stories that well.
You can think that you’re at the top of your craft on one day, and then you meet a true master and realize that you’ve got miles to go.
How do your friends and family feel about your writing venture in general?
My mother wishes I wrote literature. She doesn’t like fantasy or sci fi. My dad wishes I’d finish Serpent King. (He’s my biggest fan.) My wife thinks my plots are too complicated, and my sons wish I’d quit murdering them. My dogs are pretty happy when I’m writing, I stay put in my office and they can lay on my feet.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
I love watching bad anime, reading good novels, and drinking beer. Honestly, my best relaxation is fighting. I’ve been doing martial arts for over 40 years. I just go kill some people, and I feel all better inside. (Yes, everyone lives through my murders…maybe a couple new bruises, but alive.)
If you had to do it over again, would you do anything differently?
Maybe I’d learn marketing, but it sounds boring. I have the greatest difficulty in doing anything boring.
What advice would you give to writers just starting out?
Tell good stories. That is the only thing that matters.
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