How did the Queen of Hearts come to be?
In 2006, I sold a short story of the same name to Fantasy Magazine; the publisher, Sean Wallace, commissioned me to expand it into a novel. I never intended to write a fantastical/new weird/whatever-you-want-to-call-it-novel, but I thought it was an interesting opportunity and took it. As a kid, I read a lot of fantasy: Tolkein, Terry Brooks, David Eddings, you name it. But as I got older, I lost interest.
Writing The Queen of Hearts was an interesting experience, to be sure. Although there are quite a few disadvantages to setting a novel elsewhere but earth (though TQOH is actually set in/near the middle east–shhh, next book), one advantage is that the unfamiliar setting allowed me to write about the Iraq War and terrorism in general. I chose a somewhat fablish/allegorial style because I thought it suited the subject matter–most of my writing is much different.
Are you going to write a follow-up book?
Maybe. Depends on time and whether people like the book. There’s certainly more to tell, especially concerning Wild Card.
What are you up to now?
A new novel called The Island Builders, set in 15th century Spain. You can read the prologue on this site.
Who drew that spiffy banner?
Adrian Rodriquez. Incredible artist, and you can see more of his work here.
What books do you like?
One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Wind Up Bird Chronicle, Flowers for Algernon, Slaughter House Five, The Power and the Glory, Oryx and Crake, Ender’s Game, Cat’s Cradle, Catch 22, Brighton Rock, Invisible Man, Brave New World, Pale Fire, The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Klay, Wonder Boys, The Things They Carried, In the Lake of the Woods. 1984, Grapes of Wrath, Dune, Beloved, Portnoy’s Complaint, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Catcher in the Rye, The Road.
