Interview with C. Gold
Author of The Summoner and the Seer
Buy this book
What did you enjoy most about writing the book?
- I loved creating Radcliff most of all. He's this magically messed up guy who is just trying to survive and would love a relationship or simple connection to another person, but he gets mind wiped each morning. To top that off, he's got magical infestations of doubt, fear, hate, and various compulsions to make him do or avoid things. There are numerous times where he's arguing with another part of himself which was a blast to write. The best part though is that even though he's got all this going on, he's still able to come up with clever solutions to problems.
What did you enjoy the least?
- Editing! It's like trying to rid your house of insects. You think you've done a great job, but then you look in another corner and EEK!
How did you get started writing?
- I was helping a friend with his book and felt like I should probably know more about writing so I could give him better advice. So I watched Brandon Sanderson's BYU courses on YouTube, read a few books, even slogged through a grammar book, and somewhere in all that I realized I could do this too. So I began writing and haven't stopped.
Which authors do you most admire? Which qualities, in particular, have influenced your writing?
- Brandon Sanderson for his magic systems and speed of finishing. I like his approach to magic, making it feel very real with definite rules and weaknesses.
Janny Wurts and Barbara Hambly for their artistic descriptions. Janny has a way of picking the right phrase that just pops a visual in my head that is so visceral. Barbara's first chapter of The Time of the Dark gave me goosebumps. I felt like I was right there in the dream, feeling what Jil was feeling. I want my writing to do that to others.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
- Read a lot in the genres you wish to write. I've read thousands of books in my life which gave me a good sense of what's out there and has shaped how and what I want to write. You can study story structure but if you never read any books, you won't know how other authors put that all together.
What are you working on now?
- I'm currently working on Summoner 2 and going over the audio for Summoner 1.
