Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Michael, and I’ve spent my whole life being that kid who stubbornly refused to color within the lines.
Growing up in the remote countryside of Northern California’s Sierra Nevada foothills, I spent my childhood looking for bugs and lizards and snakes. Mom hated snakes, which only increased their forbidden allure.
I also daydreamed. A lot.
Normal life was boring. I wanted to escape to exotic parts of the world and see strange animals and ancient ruins.
Then I discovered sci-fi and fantasy, and once I went down that rabbit-hole there was no going back!
Now I live in Oregon with my beautiful fiancée and our puppy Oswald. In addition to writing, my hobbies include fitness, folk metal music, cooking, and game nights with friends.
How many books have I written? At the moment, three, including Book 2 of The Rosteval Saga—and I’m releasing that one in February.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Well, my latest book is Book 2 of The Rosteval Saga, The Spiral of My Destiny, first sequel to The Altar of My Fate. You heard it here first!
When I came to the end of Altar, I knew I had to do something fun and different for Book 2.
If you read Altar, it’s a bit of a *darker* version of a heroic fantasy story. I mean, sure, you have the hero’s journey… but the “hero” is an amoral barbarian seeking power, status, and of course slave-girls (it’s a bit of a theme, you might say). I say “darker,” but from my perspective it’s a more accurate portrayal of heroism and adventurism in a warrior culture.
So, with Spiral I decided to take on the fantasy trope of the “dark lord” figure and try to put my own spin on it. I wanted to give Rosteval and Ghaitta a foe who would challenge the legitimacy of their whole arc in Altar, who would challenge a lot of the things that most people in their world seem to take for granted.
I’m really excited about how it turned out, and after implementing some feedback from my fiancée, who reads and critiques all of my work before it sees the light of day, I’ll look forward to releasing it.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Oh my goodness, yes.
For one thing, I *cannot* write unless I have completed my daily workout and had breakfast. I run three days a week, and on days that I don’t run, I have to take a walk before my mind is at all fit for writing.
The other thing is the music. Despite being a folk metal music fanatic, I listen to progressive house and drum and bass while I write. It keeps me cognitively engaged without distracting me too much.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a tremendous fan of Brandon Sanderson, Jim Butcher, and R. Scott Bakker (The Prince of Nothing series is one of the finest things in print).
Recently I added two more amazing authors to my list of holy canon: Jeff Long, author of “The Descent,” and Scott Hawkins, author of “The Library at Mount Char.” I really can’t believe my luck: I read those last two books back-to-back, and they’re both absolutely god-tier.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on two projects. The first is Book 2 of The Rosteval Saga, “The Spiral of My Destiny,” and the second is book 1 of a new series, an urban fantasy about fighting vampires in Oregon in the future.
I think I actually do better when I’m working on two projects at the same time. Also, once I really get going on a project I can write 6,000+ words of fiction in a day, and I find writing at a faster pace is actually helpful to my state of mind.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m a newbie author, so I don’t have much of a base of experience to draw on here. Let me get back to you on that in a year! 😉
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes! What works best for me is to embrace the struggle of writing and make myself do it, even on days I don’t feel like it—in short, I treat it like my fitness practice.
I work out six days a week, and that includes different combinations of calisthenics, weight-lifting, and running. When you get into fitness your body will rebel at first, but over time it actually becomes easier to do your workouts rather than noping out.
It’s the same way with writing. Make a time to write—preferably when you’re fresh enough and your mind isn’t worn down by the day—and stick it out no matter what. Remember, the magic always comes back.
The other thing is to study the craft of writing. Read “Fiction Unboxed” by Johnny Truant and Sean M. Platt, and “The Fiction Formula” by the same authors. Writing is a craft, just like sculpting, pottery, basket-weaving, etc., and you can get better if you learn from others who have mastered it.
It’s also important to read other people’s stories, and pay attention to what works and what doesn’t work. Read outside your genre. I write fantasy, but I’m not afraid to pick up the occasional thriller—or even a steamy romance novel.
Finally, I think most writers will probably benefit from an interest in at least one non-fiction topic. I’ll put in a good word for history, but maybe you prefer chemistry, or criminology, or (fill in the blank). It’s good to learn more about the world and expand our minds, and it can help us write better stories.
Most importantly, keep writing!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In the writing context, the best advice I have ever heard is to write a series of story beats—bullet points, basically—and then improvise as you write the scenes. My experience is that it really does make for faster and better writing.
Now, in an overall life context, the *very* best advice I’ve ever heard is: “Take responsibility for your life, even the things that aren’t your fault.” I can honestly say that this philosophy is how I saved myself from years of mental illness and failure and built the amazing life I have today.
What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading “Deeper,” the sequel to “The Descent” by Jeff Long. If you like gripping, intelligent science fiction and fantasy (it really does blend the two) with adventure, spookiness, and a fair bit of wonder, this may be the perfect book for you.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, I’m releasing book 2 of the Rosteval Saga, “The Spiral of My Destiny,” in the first half of February. Now, obviously I’m biased, but personally I feel it has a lot of what I really loved about Altar, as well as some really interesting new developments.
What is your favorite book of all time?
I don’t think it gets better than The Prince of Nothing series by R. Scott Bakker… and yes, The Descent series by Jeff Long.
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