JQM PRESENTS A BLOG POST INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR Bruce Nesmith
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF:
I’ve spent most of my life and career in fantasy and science fiction. My first job out of college was at TSR, maker of Dungeons & Dragons. I’m best known for writing the Ravenloft campaign setting. At Bethesda Softworks, I served as a senior designer for The Elder Scrolls and Fallout video game series, including being the lead designer of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. These days I’m an author and gleefully enjoying world building and writing stories set in those worlds.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?
I read voraciously as a child, and still do today, preferring fantasy and science fiction novels. Even at a young age I would dream up new stories and put myself into the books I read. Working in the gaming industry gave me a chance to tell those stories and I loved it. I’ve spent my career telling stories of one sort or another. Now I’m in a position to write my own novels and all those ideas are just begging to be put onto paper.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS? WHY?
Roger Zelazny, who challenged my imagination as a teenager. His books on gods who were men, and the classic Amber series, remain some of my favorites. Iain Banks wrote science fiction at such a high level. His Culture universe captivated me with it’s vision of the future. Adrian Tchiakovsky writes both science fiction and fantasy, and always creates quirky plots that surprise me with such a flamboyant writing style. Seanan McGuire’s amazing October Daye series defined urban fantasy for me and made me want to write in that genre. Every Heart a Doorway elevated her to more than just a writer of serial fiction with it’s unique ideas. I could go on and on.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS? WHY?
Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. He bravely took on Hindu mythology as a fantasy setting in a science fiction story. His take on humans that give themselves special powers and declare themselves to be gods inspired my books. Alastair Reynolds’ Revelation Space is one of the best examples of believable science fiction while still presenting far flung ideas. Patricia McKillip’s Riddle Master of Hed showed my teenage self how different fantasy could be from the standard sword and sorcery plots. And who can deny Patrick Rothfuss’ Name of the Wind. I couldn’t. One of the best written fantasy books of the last few dacades.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE LITERARY CHARACTERS? WHY?
Corwin from the Amber series by Roger Zelazny tops the list. His refusal to surrender and insistence on playing it smart endeared me to him. October Daye by Seanan McGuire walked that tricky tightrope of being emotional but tough, and sympathetic but practical. Michael Moorcock’s Elric is the prototypical anti-hero, and I love him for it. My underdog favorite is Strahd Von Zarovich, Tracy Hickman’s D&D vampire from Ravenloft. A flawed villain with a heart that fails to understand the true selfishness of his love.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR FELLOW AUTHORS AND/OR ASPIRING AUTHORS?
Write what you love. Precious few of us make a decent living at it, let alone get rich. If you aren’t enjoying what you are writing, what’s the point? I’m also a fan of Neil Gaiman’s line, “Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.” If you are new to publishing, do your research. Learn about traditional publishing, independent publishing, self-publishing, audiobooks, and all the rest. Find the niche that is best for you.
IMAGINE ONE OF YOUR BOOKS IS ABOUT TO BECOME A FILM OR TV SHOW. WHO IS YOUR “DREAM CAST?” AND WHO DO YOU ASK TO CREATE THE SOUNDTRACK?
Tim Roth as Loki, a younger Clancy Brown as Thor, Anne Hathaway as Frigg, Salma Hayek as Esme. Ian McKellan would be an amazing narrator for my book.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH POTENTIAL READERS?
We do this for you. Okay, that’s half a lie. We do it for ourselves and for you. We write stories that we hope and pray will thrill and entertain our readers and validate our own desires to be heard. There is nothing more precious to an author than hearing from their readers. Let us know what you think and feel about our books, in whatever manner you feel comfortable.
WHERE CAN WE GO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR LITERARY WORKS?
My Facebook author page:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065304827763
and the link to my book on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B092CJPX2Q
James Quinlan Meservy - Author 