Fantasy Author. Long Doggo Enthusiast. Snoot Booper. Shouter of Profanities. Drinker of Whiskey. These are all titles. I’m the Khaleesi nobody wanted and the one they certainly didn’t deserve, but here we are.
CONNECT WITH LUKE
Welcome to SPFM, Luke! Since we already have your bio, describe yourself in three words.
Weird, whiskey, dogs.
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If you could recommend three self-published books, which would you choose and why?
Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar, Of Honey and Wildfires by Sarah Chorn, and The Obsidian Psalm by Clayton Snyder. All three are dark and moody, very atmospheric, and are absolute top-notch displays of character.
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What is your favorite part, and your least favorite part of self-publishing?
My favorite part(s) are being able to present my work the way I want to, and interacting with the community. Least favorite? Marketing.
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How do you approach worldbuilding?
Sparsely. I note small things when I’m jotting ideas down, but I don’t really put shape to things until I start writing. I like going into it with a vague idea; it’s fun to discover as I go, and I think it makes the worldbuilding feel more fluid. It’s sort of the same approach I take to cover art, the idea that less is more.
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What’s your writing ritual/routine like?
At the moment, chaos. I’m in the middle of moving house as I write this. I’ve got twin toddlers and a full-time job, so my routine is pretty much grab several minutes where I can and hope to shit I can get some words down.
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If you were to write a spin-off about a side character, which would you pick and what would it be about?
I feel like I’ve already done and am continuing to do this with Cailean, starting first with the novelette The Laughing Heart and continuing into the second Shadow Twins book, House of Muir. Cailean initially started out as a side character in Vultures, but I realized he was much more integral part of the story than I had first realized. The Laughing Heart focuses on some of Cailean’s past, and House of Muir will take an even deeper look at how Cailean became the man he is today.
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What’s your social media platform of choice, and why?
Despite it being an absolute shitshow half the time, Twitter has done a lot of good for me as far as connecting with fellow authors and bloggers. It’s where the publishing industry lives. Plus, I can torment the every loving Christ out of people with my questionable selection of GIFS.
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If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play your MC(s)?
Dylan O’Brien as Theailys An, Luke Evans as Cailean Catil, Zoe Kravitz as Serece, and Tom Hiddleston as Behtréal Dov’an.
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What did you want to be when you grew up?
Before I took an interest in writing, I really thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. I love animals and I used to watch those TV shows about vets on Animal Planet.
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Tell us what lies ahead for you.
I’m in the middle of three projects simultaneously right now. Depending on how things go, there’s a chance I have two new books out the latter part of 2021, both of which fall under the Adjacent Monsters series banner. 2022 should hopefully see the release of House of Muir.
About Vultures (Shadow Twins #1)
An enemy slain is not a conflict won…
After decades of war the demon Te Mirkvahíl is dead. But its progeny endure, spilling from the Heart of Mirkúr, sowing death across the land of Ariath. If the people are to finally know peace, the Heart must be destroyed. Theailys An believes he can do just that with The Keepers’ Wrath, an infamous power focus wrought in Ariath’s yesteryears–but the weapon first must be reforged.
War spares no one…
Serece never intended to get involved in Ariath’s war. But history and demons have a way of pulling strings. When she learns Theailys An, a man whom she abhors, bears striking similarity to the first creator of The Keepers’ Wrath, Serece departs her mountain world for Ariath to ascertain the truth.
From patience, hope…
For millennia Behtréal has walked the world alone. Rewriting history to resurrect his people is easier said than done. But Ariath holds the key–soon The Keepers’ Wrath will be remade.
Truth from madness…
As paths converge and a shadow falls across Ariath, one thing becomes increasingly and horrifyingly clear–these events have played out many times before.
