For those of you that may not know him, I’d like to
introduce Paul Freeman, author of the epic fantasy novel Tribesman. Paul is
from Dublin , Ireland Germany
and America
Q: As your bio says, you've lived a lot of places. Have
you incorporated your travels into your writing?
There
haven’t been that many places, but they have been pretty far apart, and very
different. So yeah, I think everything you experience in life is reflected in
your writing. Living in different places and experiencing other cultures is
something I’m really glad I did, I wish I’d done more. It has not only helped
me in writing, but in life in general. It’s a real eye-opener to see how
differently things are done everywhere, and how attitudes can be so different.
Q: I love the blend of myth and lore in Tribesman. Can
you tell us a bit about the world that you have created and the characters that
inhabit that world?
A lot of my
characters are based on Celtic Myth, and history. Culainn is a warrior from the
Northern Clans, a land of lush forests and snow-peaked mountains. I think he
would feel quite at home in ancient Ireland
or Gaul , or any northern European country. I
wanted a Celtic feel to the story, I grew up on the myths of Tír
na nÓg, and Fionn MacChumahill and Na Fianna, Cú Chulainn and Queen Maedbh. My
world is full of druids and dark gods. But the story is set to the south, in a
land very different to his own. He has been banished from his homeland, from
his clan, and finds himself in a dry, dusty country. I remember reading about a
band of Viking mercenaries who were employed as elite bodyguards in Constantinople , and thought, they must have felt like
they were on a different planet. I tried to capture a little of that in
Tribesman, with Culainn feeling like a fish out of water.
Q: Is Tribesman part of a series? And if so, what are
you plans for it?
I am
currently writing a second book. I think it is something that could go on
further if it is well received. Culainn has some unfinished business from the
first book. After that I haven’t planned anything, but like I said if there is
a call for it, and I’m enjoying it I’ll keep going.
Q: I've talked to a lot of writers about when they knew
they wanted to write. Most of them will say there was never a time when they didn't want to be a writer. What is the very first thing that you wrote? What
is it about?
The very
first thing I remember writing of any worth, although I’ve lost it now, was
about a soldier, a warrior. He was paraded through the streets of his city as a
hero, rewarded by his king with titles and riches, all the while the cheering
crowd were oblivious to his insecurities and unhappiness. In the end he fell on
his sword under a cloud of loneliness.
Q: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I could
never make up my mind. My problem was that no one told me you could work at
something you loved, so I spent my time searching for the wrong things.
Q: What inspires you to write?
Guilt.
Q: Who is your favorite character that you have
written. Why?
Oh that’s so
difficult to answer. I wrote a short story about an Irish pirate reminiscing on
his life, and the very poor and abusive background he came from. As a boy he
was press-ganged into the Royal Navy. He felt the sting of the lash on his
first day on-board ship, cowered in the corner during his first battle, but
eventually led a mutiny and became captain of the ship. He was certainly an
interesting character. I’ll pick him, if there can be only one.
Q: Thinking of all the books you have read, who is your
favorite character and why?
The
questions don’t get any easier, I should have studied for this. The character
that has stuck with me even twenty years after reading the book is Thomas
Covenant, from The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever. I like my
heroes flawed, even tainted. Thomas Covenant is deeply flawed, both physically
and mentally, he is a reluctant hero. A sufferer of leprosy, he is transported
to a fantasy world he does not believe exists. Which is sort of unfortunate as
he is the only one who can save it, it’s a great story examining the darker
side of a hero.
Q: Is there a particular topic or genre that you want
to tackle but haven’t yet?
I’ve tried
my hand at a lot of genres while writing short stories, in books I’ve written
fantasy, horror, and general fiction. It’s enough to be getting on with, for
the moment anyway.
Q: I’ve read several of your short stories. You seem to
have a gift for encapsulating all the elements that pull a reader in. What are
some of your favorite short stories? Have you considered making any of them
full length novels?
The aging
pirate I discussed earlier I think would be well worth examining in more depth.
I have already expanded a couple of short flash pieces into longer short
stories, though none have made it to novel or even novella length yet. It is
definitely something I would like to do. I enjoy writing short stories, there
is something rewarding in sitting down and finishing an entire story in one
sitting.
Q: What are you currently working on?
I’m over
halfway through the sequel to Tribesman, and am in the planning stages of the
second Season of the Dead book.
Q: Tribesman is your first published work. Do you have
any other works that have been published or are about to be?
Yes I have a
short story in the recently published steampunk anthology from Kristell Ink.
And a zombie apocalypse book I wrote with three other really talented writers
will be published by Spore Press in spring 2013, it’s called Season of the
Dead… you may have heard of it…
Q: Woody Allen once said that “80% of life is just
showing up”. Writing is a bit like that, the more you do it, the better you
become. What one piece of advice would you give a writer who has yet to put pen
to paper?
Just do it
for fun, and choose wisely who you listen to.
To purchase your copy of Tribesman"
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