Author section
Name: Charles Gramlich
Why did you choose that time period/group of people to write about? I’ve long been fascinated with the Haudenosaunee, the Native American people often referred to as the Iroquois. They were highly advanced both culturally and militarily. They often accepted non-Haudenosaunee people into their tribes. They had a rich history, full of stories and legends. I believe there are many stories to be told of the Haudenosaunee.
What is your usual genre? I consider my genre to be adventure fiction, which is a cross-genre genre. It can take form in tales of fantasy, science fiction, horror, western or historical, and I like to write all of those. Most of my work has been in fantasy and westerns.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? I’m something in between, although probably more of a pantser. I tend to start stories based on a character and situation, without knowing where they’re going. For most stories and books, though, I quickly develop a plan for the ending and then write my way toward it. I don’t do a detailed synopsis, however.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Originally, I wanted to be an astronaut and pro football player. When I started thinking about life a little more realistically, I decided I wanted to be a writer and a teacher. I’ve managed both of those, although I make a lot more money as a teacher than a writer.
Name three things you really love about writing and three things you don’t like. Writing is the closest humans can come to godhood. It is an act of sheer creation, of people and whole worlds. That’s my favorite thing. I also love beautiful language, which, from my point of view, is an important part of the work of writing. I like the task of shaping a rough story idea into its final, polished form. I don’t particularly enjoy the business aspects of writing, of trying to sell one’s work, or the hassle of promotion. I know these things are necessary but they are not joyous to me.
If you could invite anyone from history or literature to dinner who would you choose and why? Literary characters would generally have lived a much more adventure-filled life than any real historical character. Imagine the tales Burroughs’ John Carter could tell, for example, or Howard’s Conan. I think I’d have to pick Karl Edward Wagner’s Kane, though. A scary fellow to have over for dinner, but it would be memorable.
Character Section
Name: Sheaugu
How do you come to be on this adventure? I was away hunting when my people were attacked by beings that I can only describe as monsters. They killed my wife and many of my friends and relatives, and I wanted revenge. But much more than revenge, I wanted to save my young daughter, Genessee. It was love rather than hate that made me take up my weapons and follow those monsters.
Are you brave? I don’t think I’m brave. I was frightened and hid when I first saw the monsters flying on pillars of fire. I was more terrified when I realized they’d killed so many of my people, including my wife. If it had not been that I believed my daughter to be alive and a captive of the monsters, I don’t know if I would have dared pursue them. But I knew her terror had to be even greater than mine.
What do you REALLY think of your author? I think he has empathy for others. He knows what it’s like to lose. He’s clearly a father. He knows the kind of terror parents can feel for their children when they’re in danger. I’m pretty sure he hopes to never have an adventure quite like mine.
Do you have a moral code? I think people have to do things that allow them to live with themselves. For me, that means providing food and shelter for my family, showing them that I love them, and, if necessary, sacrificing my comfort and even my life for them.
What is your favourite thing? To sit in the longhouse by the fire on a cold night, with the day’s work done and meat in my belly, and to watch my daughter growing into a fine young woman.
AUTHOR BIO (short)
Charles Gramlich lives amid the piney woods of southern Louisiana and is the author of the Talera fantasy series, the SF novel Under the Ember Star, and the thriller Cold in the Light. Many of his stories have been collected in the anthologies, Bitter Steel, (fantasy), Midnight in Rosary (Vampires/Werewolves), and In the Language of Scorpions (Horror). Charles also writes westerns under various names. Charles’s work is generally available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Wildside Press. He is on facebook and blogs at: http://charlesgramlich.blogspot.com
Library of Erana 