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Welcome to It's Raining Books. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?
Vengeance of Grimbald falls into slipstream—in my book, a combination of speculative, sci-fi, and historical fiction with a fantastic element. My novel edges toward science fiction with what appears to be time travel and yet uses the fantastical element of alchemical ink to transport a character’s consciousness into the mind of someone who has died in the past. It allows me to write speculative historical and future oriented fiction and it puts my characters in contexts similar to our world and yet slightly different. I have to admit that I’m a fan of this type of story that messes with your mind by breaking through barriers of time and space and mind.
What research (or world-building – for fantasy/paranormal/Sci-fi) is required?
The story goes all over the world, past, present, and future such as ancient Egypt; 19th century Alexandria; WWII Belgium; an altered present-day Seattle and Tokelau Atoll in the Pacific; 1940’s Padang, West Sumatra; 17th century Delft, Dutch Republic; and Cromwell’s England. As the story in Book 2 unfolds the time continuum once again shifts, sometimes with subtle changes and sometimes with radical shifts in culture and technology. And my characters have to play on this multi-dimensional chessboard.
In VENGEANCE OF GRIMBALD, among other things, I visited the Washington D.C. for the scene in 1960’s Washington Monument. I read first-hand accounts of Spanish envoys to the the 14th century Mongal warlord, Tamerlane, and researched the Der Delftse Donderslag—when an ammunitions stockpile in the 1654 town of Delft in the Dutch Republic, exploded, destroy a quarter of the town and killing many of its inhabitants. I studied architecture, armor, armaments, cuisine, clothing, among other things from the 15th to the 20th century in the Middle East, Far East, Europe, South America, and North America. So, for example, when Nikki Babineaux inks into the mind of Oliver Cromwell, the buildings and rooms of Whitehall are based on my research of the buildings and surrounding grounds at the time. I found the setting for an alternate world Tempus Refugium portal in Tokelau, by using Google maps to search the Pacific for an isolated atoll. And I researched future thinking to create the speculative futures in the book.
Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.
Courage and perseverance are not for the chosen few. Those are qualities all of us exercise in our lives. When life looks hopeless, when everything seems to be turned upside-down, the people who make a difference are not superheroes, but people like Addison and Jules, people like you and me, who persevere in spite of the odds.
Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?
I know folks who have to be in certain places or eating certain foods or drinking a double latte. I’ve made a conscious effort to write anywhere at any time. I suppose the quirk would be that I will write anywhere at any time. I’ve written on trains, planes, cars, buses; in coffee shops, restaurants, malls, churches, park benches, bathrooms, stadium stands; at all times of day and night. There’s a thing with urban sketching that you always carry a pencil and sketchbook with you so you’re always ready to draw. I try to keep the laptop close. You never know when an idea will come to you.
Are you a plotter or pantser?,br>
I’ve been both and I think it depends on the book. The Alchimeia books, because of the complexity of the plot and the depth of the historical elements, requires some structure and organization. Otherwise, I’d spend several hours just figuring out where I was before I sat down to write each time. The Nick Sibelius crime stories (Kill’t Dead or Worse, Buzzard Bait, All Hat No Cattle) were all written panster style. A sci fi novel I’ve been working on for a number of years started out panster, but then had to be plotted so the story would make some sense. LOL
Look to your right – what’s sitting there?
My dear friend, Jazz. She’s 10 year old Springer Spaniel.
Anything new coming up from you? What?
I’m currently working on the third book in the Alchimeia series—untitled at this point. And I’ve got another project I’ve worked on and off over several years, I mentioned above. It’s a humorous science fiction story along the lines of Tom Holt’s novels, called THE BIFURCATION OF DUNGSTEN CREASE. The initial draft with a different title was selected as best science fiction novel by the Texas Writers League way back in 2010. So, I’ve come back around to it and will publish this year. Hopefully, Book 3 of the Alchimeia will be out in 2021.
Do you have a question for our readers?
What’s the best thing you’ve read in the last twelve months? The book you couldn’t put down and will probably read again.
Thanks for having me on the blog. And thank you readers for being here! I hope you’ll check out DIE BACK and now book 2 of the Alchimeia, VENGEANCE OF GRIMBALD. Both are available on Amazon.
Addison and Jules, members of the League, a secret alchemist society of Inkers who protect the time continuum, believe they defeated their enemy, Cuthbert Grimwald, known to them as Kairos. When he resurfaces filled with vengeance, intent on destroying the League, and acquiring the Alchimeia, a book of such power the League has hidden it for millennia, Grimwald leaves a path of destruction across centuries. As he quests for absolute control of reality, Addison and Jules pursue him through time and death in a desperate struggle to save the world from his vengeance.
Read an Excerpt
The concussive force of the explosion scrambled the pod’s nav system, her pod, wobbling, flipping and twirling out of control. Jules fought to override the navigation controls, but the G-forces whipped her around viscously, her vision narrowing until she finally lost consciousness altogether.
Blackout.
With a start, she took in a deep breath, the ocean moving swiftly toward her. She reached for a manual control, something like a gaming control she once to use in a life that seemed so very far away. She pulled back on the stick, the water still rushing toward her.
“Come on. Come on, dammit.”
Without warning, the pod leveled out.
“Thank god.” Her heart pounded, but she took in another deep breath, grateful to survive. The moment didn’t last.
Like being caught in a Tilt-a-Whirl, the pod spun around as if top heavy, then crashed into the ocean like a stone skipping across a pond. Once, twice, three times, then hitting hard enough to submerge completely under the water. For a moment, disoriented, Jules sat frozen in place. Then survival instincts set in, holding fear back long enough to find a way out, a lever, a release button, something. She knew the pod was in motion, but she wasn’t sure in which direction–floating to the surface and light and life, or sinking to the bottom and darkness and death.
A sudden burst of morning light confirmed the former, the pod bobbing in the ocean. She scanned the surface. Addison. Come on, Addison. Where are you? But she couldn’t find another pod bobbing in the water. Meili had given her life to get them to Tokelau. Against her will she let the possibility enter her mind that Addison may have died as well. Rising and falling with the swells, Jules held her face in her hands and wept.
About the Author:Richard Hacker, lives and writes in Seattle, Washington after living many years in Austin, Texas. In addition to the science fiction/fantasy novels of The Alchimeía Series, his crime novels ride the thin line between fact and fiction in Texas. Along the way, his writing has been recognized by the Writer’s League of Texas and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. As a judge in literary contests shuch as PNWA and ChicLit, and as a freelance development editor, he enjoys the opportunity to work with other writers. In addition, he is the Sci-Fi/Fantasy editor for the Del Sol Review. DIE BACK was his first novel in the Alchimeia series.
Del Sol Press books by Richard Hacker are available at Amazon
The Alchimeía Series
DIEBACK: Book One
VENGEANCE OF GRIMBALD: Book Two
Other books by Richard Hacker:
Nick Sibelius Crime Series
KILL’T DEAD OR WORSE
BUZZARD BAIT
ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE
Follow the author at
http://www.richardhacker.com
Or on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/RWHacker
Amazon buy link:
https://www.amazon.com/Vengeance-Grimbald-Alchime%C3%ADa-Richard-Hacker/dp/0999842595/
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