Showing posts with label Hawkings Austin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hawkings Austin. Show all posts

Thursday, June 30, 2022

BookHookup interview with author Hawkings Austin

Book Hookup had the pleasure of sitting down with Author Hawkings Austin, a published author in history, science, and fantasy. Of his works, I've read the The Broken Man: A Fantasy Novel (The Rise of the Fisher King Book 1) and look forward to The Bone God (The Rise of the Fisher King Book 2). Hawk is currently Director of Radiation Effects for a spacecraft company, but he’s had a number of other careers including: survivability engineer (DoD) and environmental scientist (NASA). He has also been a fight instructor for both self-defense and stage which brings his fight scenes to life. You can find him on twitter @sablehawkBook. Here's what he had to say:

By The Broken Man

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.

Buy The Bone God

 

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.

Buy Pure Poison a Purity Wellman Story

 

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.

Buy Immaculate Corpse (A Purity Wellman Story Book 2)

 

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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Monday, June 27, 2022

The Broken Man: A Fantasy Novel by Hawkings Austin - Unpredicatable fantasy with a who-dun-it

 

The Broken Man: A Fantasy Novel (The Rise of the Fisher King Book 1) by Hawkings Austin unfolds slowly. The first three chapters, while interesting, on the first read seemed disjointed. Turns out that wasn’t the case. Within these foundational chapters lay the introduction to this world of Pywer with perspectives from three cultures that converge into an epic fantasy when Ruad children show up murdered with their eyes burned from the inside out.


Unlikely allies from divergent cultures are thrust together to catch the murderer of these children and solve the mystery of how they were killed. Each character carries enough baggage and backstory to make them unique, interesting, and cared about by the reader. Their strengths and weaknesses come into play to save the day. My favorite characters include the giant Fomor ex-sorcerer/prince, Waylaid, his orphaned Bolg apprentice who lost his family to the sea when very young, and the widowed Daen Judge and warrior, Brea, equipped with her sword Answerer.

Farmers want something done about the death of their children Some report seeing a ghost or evil spirit known as Shadow Man. Legends say sorcerers have sent out such spirits to kill their enemies. When a handful of children witness the headless Shadow Man, and little Ella is killed, her mother believes the ex-sorcerer, Waylaid, is the monster who killed her baby. When he is brought in to help solve the mystery of the girl’s death, it ratchets up the conflict and breeds a multitude of questions.

Austin’s characters are complex and flawed making them believable and relatable. He does a great job making me care about each one. While an unlikely hero, I found myself cheering for the physically and emotionally broken Fomor giant, Waylaid.

This fantasy/mystery is well crafted and I’m happy to give it five stars. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy with a who-dun-it feel. I wasn’t able to figure it out until the last details unfolded. The end is  totally satisfying and answers all the questions and leaves things wide open for the continued growth of the characters on their next adventure. The one word of caution I offer is that the book does have some violent scenes and the Shadow Man may be a little too scary for 

younger readers. I recommend parents read the book first if they have any questions in this regard.

As BookHookup I am a longtime book reviewer and I received The Broken Man: A Fantasy Novel as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. This review is posted in collaboration with #BookTasters. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites. 

 


About Author Hawkings Austin

Hawk’s current supervillain title is “Director of Radiation Effects.” In his quest to take over the world, Hawk has landed a series of jobs with NASA, DoD, and Missile Defense. Currently, he’s testing spacecraft for the rigors of the natural (and unnatural) environments that only he can conquer. The recent loss of his sidekick, Vlad (to a paying job) has been painful, but he’s managed to work through the loss to conquer large swaths of Colorado.

Hawk has a number of professional publications in engineering, science, history, and fantasy. He has been performing as a Mad Scientist for many years and is very close, at this point, to taking over (or destroying) the Earth. He can be found blogging on Urban-Fantasy.com, Madsci.us, and tweeting as @Sablehawk. He loves to speak at Science Fiction Conventions, such as Dragon Con, and will be happy – over a beer - to talk about any of these things for hours.

Hawk currently lives in Denver CO and is enjoying the heck out of spoiling his wife and current baby girl with all of his ill-gotten gains.