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:

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 4^th wall – fun voice. However, I haven’t actually written a full book in that voice. (Trolls, upcoming someday) I also do serious 3^rd 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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Mariana's Secret - an unpredictable, action-packed plot

Mariana’s Secret is book 2 in the Katori Chronicles. In it, Author A. D. Lombardo picks right up where book 1, The Half-Light, left off, with 15-year-old Prince Kai of Diu discovering and learning how to use his Katori powers as he approaches his 16^th birthday. He is focused on learning what happened when his mother died 12 years earlier. With Kendra’s help, he uses his powers to relive the memory. What he learns changes the course of his life. His skills, both magical and otherwise, continue to grow. One of those skills includes learning to be a spy. It creates secret connections and places him strategically to learn sensitive information. With each new discovery, he finds things are not as he has been told all his life. He struggles with anger and must learn to navigate his painful emotions as he continues to perform his royal duties. 

When a mysterious stranger threatens the royal family in Diu during the Winter Festival accompanied by Landon Maxwell whom he’d known from childhood, it raises a whole new set of questions. Who is this man and how did he get past security? And why does he want to hurt the King’s family? Kai travels to Albey Estate to talk his aunt and uncle into coming to the safety of Diu, but while he is there, it comes under attack. Men equipped with hand cannons and other new and deadly weapons swarm the estate from the sea. Kai senses a Katori man on one of the ships and is sure it is the same stranger who threatened the palace.

While all this is going on, Kai’s prearranged marriage to Amelia is still moving forward. The problem is that his heart belongs to Rayna and Ameilia loves Tolan. Based on his visions, Kai is certain he meant to be with Rayna and tries to find a way to get out of the prearranged obligation that would make him King of Milnos. To compound things, he learns that when he and Rayna turn 17, as full Katoris, they will become sick and must travel to Katori for the Conhaspriga or risk losing their magical abilities altogether. As their birthdays draw near headaches start followed by fever. Responsibilities seem to make it impossible to get away, and the Katori elders do not want Kai to return to Katori for some reason. This places all kinds of hurdles and obstacles in their way.

Mariana’s Secret is full of more than just Mariana’s secret. With multiple plot threads woven into an unpredictable, action-packed plot with relatable characters, this original story easily earns 5-stars and comes highly recommended to epic fantasy readers. I do recommend reading the Half-Light first, but Mariana’s Secret will be an enjoyable read even if you don’t.

As BookHookup I am a longtime book reviewer and I received Mariana's Secret as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. 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 the Author

Angela Lombardo was born in Akron, Ohio, raised on a farm by her grandparents. Angela loves animals, the country life and is still a tomboy at heart. You can take her off the bobcat, but you’ll never get her to enjoy the city. She dabbled in playing the piano, sports and fishing.

Her love of comics started with Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and Superman. Being a Trekkie and a BMX rider, Angela did not have many girlfriends or time for makeup. She spent most of her time with her older brother crashing dirt bikes and three-wheelers. As a teenager, her grandmother sent her to Barbizon to teach her how to be a proper girl. She is fortunate she had a son.

Angela started writing The Half-Light in fall 2017 after a sleepless night gave her pause about the mother in a made-up story she created for her son. She spent the weekend solving the mystery of where the mother went.

https://www.adlombardo.com/

https://twitter.com/AngLombardo2

https://www.instagram.com/ang.lombardo/

https://www.facebook.com/AngDLombardo

https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-lombardo-9b18325b/

 

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.

Dark Days (The Albatar Chronicles #2) an emotionally riveting fantasy adventure

Dark Days (the Albatar Chronicles #2) by Leonie Rogers picks up with Kazari’s training as a Hunter within the Lady’s service. This time, it requires her to travel throughout Albatar and broadens her scope of the world, introduces her to politics, and strengthens her skills as a Hunter and her understanding of the gorgone danger. The threat is real and worse than anyone realized. The incursion has crept into the heart of Albatar, and for Kaz, it becomes personal when she and her fellow hunters stop by to visit family and friends while gathering intel. She still struggles to face her lingering fears from battling “the changed” and the Greater Gorgone of book 1, Amethyst Pledge, while reliving the horrors through nightmares that rob her of a good night’s sleep.

Dark Days is an emotionally riveting story packed with adventure, action, and characters you can relate to. I didn’t want to put it down. In fact, I confess there were times I read instead of doing other things that required my attention. The author does a great job of bringing the story to conclusion while leaving it wide open for the next book in The Albatar Chronicles series. I count Leonie Rogers among my favorite authors and look forward to book three. I give this book 5 bright shiny stars and would give it more if the ranking went higher. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy, stories of good vs. evil. The only caution I offer is for young readers who might be afraid of demonic-like creatures because Albatar has many.

 

As Book Hookup, I am a long-time book reviewer and I received this book as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. 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.