Happy Wednesday, Booklovers!
Ready to meet a new author and share a little book talk? This week’s guest is urban fantasy author R.L. King, bringing us her featured book, House of Stone (Alastair Stone #18).
Welcome, RL. How do you take your coffee?
RLK: I take my coffee in ice cream! As much as I want to like coffee, I haven’t managed it yet.
Ally: Since it’s never the wrong time for ice cream, I’ll run to the freezer while you introduce yourself to readers.
Ready to meet a new author and share a little book talk? This week’s guest is urban fantasy author R.L. King, bringing us her featured book, House of Stone (Alastair Stone #18).
Welcome, RL. How do you take your coffee?
RLK: I take my coffee in ice cream! As much as I want to like coffee, I haven’t managed it yet.
Ally: Since it’s never the wrong time for ice cream, I’ll run to the freezer while you introduce yourself to readers.
Bio:
R. L. King is the author of the Alastair Stone Chronicles urban fantasy series, as well as the Shadowrun RPG novel Borrowed Time. A full-time indie author since 2017, she lives in the Silicon Valley with a supportive and understanding spouse, four cats, and a crested gecko named Lofwyr. When not writing, she enjoys gaming (video, tabletop RPG, and board), attending conventions, and watching TV. She does not, to be completely honest, enjoy exercising, but she tries to do that occasionally too.
Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “My mother was a genuine psychic—she not only did card readings, but also worked with the local police and located missing people and things. I’m usually fairly skeptical about that kind of thing, to be honest, but I saw her do it enough times that I’m convinced she had some talent in that area.”
Contact links:
Email: rat@magespacepress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlastairStoneChronicles
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/R.-L.-King/e/B0084QBKYC
Web: http://www.alastairstonechronicles.com
Twitter: @dragonwriter11 (but I rarely use Twitter these days)
R. L. King is the author of the Alastair Stone Chronicles urban fantasy series, as well as the Shadowrun RPG novel Borrowed Time. A full-time indie author since 2017, she lives in the Silicon Valley with a supportive and understanding spouse, four cats, and a crested gecko named Lofwyr. When not writing, she enjoys gaming (video, tabletop RPG, and board), attending conventions, and watching TV. She does not, to be completely honest, enjoy exercising, but she tries to do that occasionally too.
Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “My mother was a genuine psychic—she not only did card readings, but also worked with the local police and located missing people and things. I’m usually fairly skeptical about that kind of thing, to be honest, but I saw her do it enough times that I’m convinced she had some talent in that area.”
Contact links:
Email: rat@magespacepress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlastairStoneChronicles
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/R.-L.-King/e/B0084QBKYC
Web: http://www.alastairstonechronicles.com
Twitter: @dragonwriter11 (but I rarely use Twitter these days)
INTERVIEW:
Ally: Where do you get your story ideas?
RLK: I get them everywhere. I’m always on the lookout when I’m watching TV or movies, reading, looking at the news, listening to people talk—I’ve gotten ideas from some of the weirdest places. Usually they’re not fully-formed ideas, because I don’t like using ideas I find in other works. Generally a single line or concept will trigger something in my mind. I keep a file of 3x5 cards with idea snippets on them, and when I’m ready to write the next book I go through the file to see if there’s anything I can use to supplement whatever the main plot is. Sometimes one of these snippets will even give me an idea for a main plotline!
Ally: What do you find most rewarding about a writing career? Most negative or frustrating?
RLK: Most positive thing is a tie: I love being “captain of my own destiny,” having full control over story, release date, cover, and so forth. I also love telling stories, bringing my characters’ adventures to life to entertain readers. Like many authors I’m an introvert, but the idea that there are fans out there who enjoy my work and actually wait for the next book to come out is pretty nifty.
Most negative thing is that if you want to succeed as an indie author, there’s a certain amount of “what have you done for me lately?” attitude. You have to keep swimming, putting out books on a fairly regular schedule, or you sink beneath the tide of books coming out every day. So far I’ve been able to keep up with it, and I’ve got enough ideas that it shouldn’t be a problem for the foreseeable future, but it’s always scary having it hang over my head. I’m also not the best promoter—it’s getting easier for me to put myself out there, but it’s still not easy.
Ally: Talk about the main character of your featured book. Is he likable? Does he have off-putting flaws or beliefs?
RLK: My main character is Dr. Alastair Stone. He’s a British expatriate teaching Occult Studies at Stanford University, and also a powerful mage. He’s attractive and can be very charming and likable when he wants to be, but he can also be quite sarcastic and nasty when he doesn’t like or respect someone. He “doesn’t suffer fools gladly,” and hates bullies, stupid people, and willful incompetence. He never thought of himself as a hero, and at the beginning of the series he tended to avoid problems rather than facing them head-on. As the series progresses, though, he’s become quite the man of action! He’s also getting a lot better about asking for help instead of trying to handle his problems completely on his own.
Ally: How did you choose the title of your featured book?
RLK: Originally, I’d planned to use the same title for Book 1 (which eventually became Stone and a Hard Place). My editor didn’t like it for that book, though, and told me he thought I could come up with something better. I’m glad he did, because this title (House of Stone) works much better for this book. Stone’s ancestral home, a spooky old manor house in Surrey, England, has a major role in the story.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
RLK: I’m working on Book 1 of a spinoff series set in the Stone universe, and a novella featuring one of the secondary characters. I’m also in the middle of Book 19 of the main Stone series. The anticipated release date for that one is September 2019.
Ally: Now it’s quick answer time. Which questions did you choose?
RLK:
Ally: Where do you get your story ideas?
RLK: I get them everywhere. I’m always on the lookout when I’m watching TV or movies, reading, looking at the news, listening to people talk—I’ve gotten ideas from some of the weirdest places. Usually they’re not fully-formed ideas, because I don’t like using ideas I find in other works. Generally a single line or concept will trigger something in my mind. I keep a file of 3x5 cards with idea snippets on them, and when I’m ready to write the next book I go through the file to see if there’s anything I can use to supplement whatever the main plot is. Sometimes one of these snippets will even give me an idea for a main plotline!
Ally: What do you find most rewarding about a writing career? Most negative or frustrating?
RLK: Most positive thing is a tie: I love being “captain of my own destiny,” having full control over story, release date, cover, and so forth. I also love telling stories, bringing my characters’ adventures to life to entertain readers. Like many authors I’m an introvert, but the idea that there are fans out there who enjoy my work and actually wait for the next book to come out is pretty nifty.
Most negative thing is that if you want to succeed as an indie author, there’s a certain amount of “what have you done for me lately?” attitude. You have to keep swimming, putting out books on a fairly regular schedule, or you sink beneath the tide of books coming out every day. So far I’ve been able to keep up with it, and I’ve got enough ideas that it shouldn’t be a problem for the foreseeable future, but it’s always scary having it hang over my head. I’m also not the best promoter—it’s getting easier for me to put myself out there, but it’s still not easy.
Ally: Talk about the main character of your featured book. Is he likable? Does he have off-putting flaws or beliefs?
RLK: My main character is Dr. Alastair Stone. He’s a British expatriate teaching Occult Studies at Stanford University, and also a powerful mage. He’s attractive and can be very charming and likable when he wants to be, but he can also be quite sarcastic and nasty when he doesn’t like or respect someone. He “doesn’t suffer fools gladly,” and hates bullies, stupid people, and willful incompetence. He never thought of himself as a hero, and at the beginning of the series he tended to avoid problems rather than facing them head-on. As the series progresses, though, he’s become quite the man of action! He’s also getting a lot better about asking for help instead of trying to handle his problems completely on his own.
Ally: How did you choose the title of your featured book?
RLK: Originally, I’d planned to use the same title for Book 1 (which eventually became Stone and a Hard Place). My editor didn’t like it for that book, though, and told me he thought I could come up with something better. I’m glad he did, because this title (House of Stone) works much better for this book. Stone’s ancestral home, a spooky old manor house in Surrey, England, has a major role in the story.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
RLK: I’m working on Book 1 of a spinoff series set in the Stone universe, and a novella featuring one of the secondary characters. I’m also in the middle of Book 19 of the main Stone series. The anticipated release date for that one is September 2019.
Ally: Now it’s quick answer time. Which questions did you choose?
RLK:
- a. favorite tv show: It’s a tie between Doctor Who and Lucifer. (Ally note: I love Lucifer!)
- b. favorite quote: Another tie: “The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.” – H. P. Lovecraft and “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” – Albus Dumbledore (J. K. Rowling).
- c. What comes to you first - character or plot? Character, absolutely. For me, plot comes from character.
- d. Your pets: I currently have four cats: a purebred Russian Blue girl named Sonata (or “Fred” as we call her), and three rescue tabbies, Clarice, Nabby, and Tessa (“Bug”).
- e. A guilty pleasure – I like smart cartoons for kids. My current favorites are Milo Murphy’s Law, Phineas and Ferb, and The Loud House.
House of Stone:
Alastair Stone Chronicles Book 18
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Supernatural Thriller/Action
Rating: PG-13
Alastair Stone isn't proud of the dark deeds of his family's past, but he thought they were just that—past.
But when a routine renovation of his ancestral home releases a horde of angry spirits bent on vengeance against anyone of his blood, he soon learns that his family's horrific acts were even worse than he ever could have imagined.
Driven from his home, Stone must rally his most trusted friends and allies to discover the truth and find a way to exorcise the relentless spirits.
But the spirits aren't the only threats unearthed. A powerful enemy from the past—one with forbidden and unspeakable powers—also has a vendetta against the Stone family.
And that doesn't even count the mysterious fiend in the sealed room...
Stone has bested many monstrous enemies in his magical career—but is he strong enough to fight his own past?
BUY Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ST8WR49/
Alastair Stone Chronicles Book 18
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Supernatural Thriller/Action
Rating: PG-13
Alastair Stone isn't proud of the dark deeds of his family's past, but he thought they were just that—past.
But when a routine renovation of his ancestral home releases a horde of angry spirits bent on vengeance against anyone of his blood, he soon learns that his family's horrific acts were even worse than he ever could have imagined.
Driven from his home, Stone must rally his most trusted friends and allies to discover the truth and find a way to exorcise the relentless spirits.
But the spirits aren't the only threats unearthed. A powerful enemy from the past—one with forbidden and unspeakable powers—also has a vendetta against the Stone family.
And that doesn't even count the mysterious fiend in the sealed room...
Stone has bested many monstrous enemies in his magical career—but is he strong enough to fight his own past?
BUY Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ST8WR49/
The full series is available to purchase or read via KindleUnlimited
If you're a fan of the Dresden Files, this might be the series for you.
If you're a fan of the Dresden Files, this might be the series for you.
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