Please welcome Caiseal Mot author of King of the Blind
Caiseal Mor will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
King Of The Blind
by Caiseal Mor
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GENRE: Fantasy / Historical Fiction
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INTERVIEW:
1. What or who inspired you to start writing?
I started writing quite by chance back in 1994. Through my work as an artist I met a literary agent. She asked me to write eight chapters of a novel to see if I was any good at it. I’d never really considered being a writer but I thought I’d give it a shot. I took three weeks to write those eight chapters. The agent was surprised to say the least. She quietly showed it to a couple of publishers. Random House and Pan Macmillan got into a bidding war over them. Within six weeks of beginning to write I had a three book deal from Random House. I had no idea it was supposed to be difficult to get published until I met Terry Pratchett at WorldCon in 1999 and he explained it to me.
I’ve had 18 books published since then. Now the rights have reverted to me so I’m polishing them all up a bit and re-releasing them, one at a time.
2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?
Well, that’s easy. The story has to be engaging. The characters have to be likeable. It’s the same for any genre. What makes fantasy interesting is the framework around which the story is told. The culture and world of the story has to be convincing. This can mean a lot of research and a lot of world-building, but it’s essential if the readers are going to enjoy immersing themselves in your tale.
3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?
I’ve been a huge fan of the music of Turlough O’Carolan since I was a boy. My mother had an old 78 record of some of Carolan’s music played on the Irish harp and it fascinated me. In my twenties ( early 1980’s ) I was travelling through Ireland listening to stories from traditional storytellers. I heard a few tales about O’Carolan and just started collecting them. I never really intended to write a novel about him. I was just interested in his music, his life and Irish history of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It was a natural progression to write a novel about him, though “King of the Blind” is more than a fantasy biography. It’s a story about storytelling.
4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?
I haven’t trained formally in writing. However, I have a fascination with traditional storytelling. I’ve listened to stories all over the world, from Ireland to Central Australia to Mongolia. Stories and storytelling traditions are my obsession and the gold mine from which I draw my inspiration. I have a degree in theatre practice and performance and, even though I never pursued a career in acting I think my studies in the theatre have been extremely valuable to me as a writer.
5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
I was diagnosed as autistic when I was seven years old. It was assumed I’d never be able to do anything with my life because the doctors thought I was mentally retarded. In those days only 1 in 100 000 were diagnosed autistic. Now it’s 1 in 100. I was placed in school to babysit me and failed every subject from grade one to grade twelve. I just wasn’t interested in school and my teachers weren’t interested in me. Nevertheless, I’ve managed to write 13 novels, 3 non-fiction books and two graphic novels. I really believe that you can achieve anything you want to. Don’t listen to anyone who doesn’t support your dreams and ambitions 1000%. Qualifications mean nothing.
6. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
“King of the Blind” is the first part of a story centred on Red Hugh, the storyteller. I never got around to writing the next part of his tale but I’m planning to do that early next year as there has been some interest from a producer who wants to make a series based on the first novel. I suppose it’d be a cross between Outlander and Pan’s Labyrinth.
Right now, I’m working on writing and illustrating a Sci-Fi graphic novel called “Veil of the Gods”. Chapter One is already out on Kindle and Chapter Two is about to be published.
7. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?
Well, Hugh O’Connor is very much like me, except that I don’t drink. In fact, he’s probably the closest character to me that I’ve ever written. Mischievous, gift of the gab and a generous host all rolled into one. I also have an Irish temper and a desire to control my immediate environment, though I’d never go so far as to manipulate people the way he does. I just don’t have that in me. I love stories so Hugh has a pretty good life from my point of view.
8. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
Here’s a short excerpt…
From long experience of travelling the roads Turlough had learned the trick of sleeping soundly in the saddle. It was late afternoon about an hour before sunset when he suddenly awoke from a deep and restful slumber. He shuddered so violently he almost lost his balance and slipped off the horse.
‘Hugh!’ he called. ‘There’s trouble up ahead.’
‘Is there?’
‘Can’t you hear it?
‘No.’
‘Listen. I hear voices raised and threats of harm.’
Hugh stepped in front of the mare to stop her. He cocked his head but he couldn’t hear anything.
‘Are you sure?’
‘What’s the road like ahead?’
‘There’s a sharp bend just there.’
‘Get the pistols,’ Carolan advised. ‘I have a terrible feeling about this.’
‘I’m sure it’s nothing.’
‘Do as I say!’
Hugh rolled his eyes, sure his master was letting his imagination get the better of him. But to make him happy he went to the saddlebag, rummaged about and pulled out the pistols Squire Jones had loaned him. Quickly, he primed the pans from the little powder flask, closed the frizzens and stuck weapons in his belt. Then with shaking hands he carefully concealed the pistols under his coat.
‘Try not to tremble so much,’ Carolan told him. ‘They’ll think you’re frightened.’
‘There’s nobody on the road ahead, master.’
‘Then why are you shaking so much?’
‘We haven’t had a drink for three days,’ Hugh countered. ‘It’s not fear that’s got me shaking. It’s the Dee-Tees. I need a whiskey to steady my nerves.’
‘What are you talking about? What’s the Dee-Tees anyway?’
‘Doctor Delany explained it to me,’ Hugh explained, as he led the mare on. ‘If a man drinks every day his body gets used to the stuff, so much so that when he’s forced to stop for a few days he’ll get desperately ill yearning for the companionship of the spirit, as the good doctor called it.’
‘I know that feeling well enough,’ Carolan replied.
‘The Dee-Tees is short for delirium tremens,’ Hugh continued. ‘It’ll make your heart beat wildly. A man’s hands will start to shake. Fevers and sweats follow. He’ll act out of character and may take foolish risks. Such a man can become easily distracted.’
‘As I believe you are now,’ Turlough pointed out beginning to lose patience with the discussion. ‘We’ve all been there. I didn’t know there was a word for it. Stop it now. You’re making me thirsty and you need to ready yourself for the danger ahead.’
‘But there’s more,’ Hugh went on. ‘A man suffering this malady will see and hear things that others cannot.’
Carolan was silent but the servant could tell by the way the harper frowned that he was considering the information carefully.
‘Some men go completely mad. Some men die. And there’s no cure for it.’
‘Except a drink,’ Turlough pointed out.
‘I suppose so,’ Hugh agreed. ‘I hadn’t thought of it that way.’
‘Keep your mind on the job at hand,’ the harper snapped, ‘Enough of this talk. You’ve got me worried my life is at risk whenever I go through a bout of sobriety. If you can’t stop shaking at least try to control yourself. There’s trouble on the road ahead and we have to keep our wits about us.’
9. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?
I don’t belong to any critique groups. I rely on my friends to read the drafts of my work. I also have a huge fan base all around the world who I can ask to read first drafts and offer opinions. That helps me immensely.
10. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
The worst advice I ever got was to plan everything in minute detail before beginning to write. That came from a writer who composes fifteen drafts before he’s ready to show it to his editor. That doesn’t work for me. I write one draft and that’s it. Then my editor gets the work and we hammer out the details like a panel beater smoothing the dents.
The best advice I ever got was from Terry Pratchett who told me not to take any notice of what anyone else advised me. He told me to find the way writing worked for me and stick to it.
12. Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I just start writing. Usually I begin at the end and jump around to sections as I’m inspired. The story grows from there. I never plan anything. I may know something about the physical attributes of the characters but I never know what kind of people they are until they emerge from the story. Sometimes it’s quite a surprise.
13. How do you maintain your creativity?
I’m a very focused person. I write a novel in three to four months. I work between 12 to fifteen hours a day until I’m finished. I immerse myself in the world of the story. It’s like stepping through a time portal into another place and period. The world may interrupt this process now and then but I still put in long hours. I absolutely love my work and I’m extremely grateful I get to do this thing I love every day. I’ve also got a lot of stories inside me waiting to be told. I’m very lucky to have a couple of people who drag me out into the sunshine now and then so I don’t die of vitamin D deficiency.
14. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?
Hugh O’Connor is my favourite character for obvious reasons. However, Turlough O’Carolan has always been my hero. He turned his disability into a huge advantage and made a success of his life to a degree that no one could have predicted. He was an amazing composer. I listen to his music quite a bit. Google his name and you’ll be surprised at how many recordings have been made of his work.
15. Are your plotting bunnies, angels or demons?
I actually don’t know what that question means. Hahaha!
BLURB:
In 1688 a plague of smallpox swept through Ireland. Like many others, eighteen year old Turlough O’Carolan was struck down. He was one of the lucky ones to survive. However, the sickness cost him his eyesight. Within two years of being blinded he’d learned to play the harp and taken to the road as a travelling musician. In time he’d be considered the greatest of all the Irish harpers. His music is still played all around the world today.
To the end of his days he always maintained that Otherworldly beings, known in Ireland as the Shee, had granted him the gift of music and were responsible for at least some of his compositions. This is a story from a time when the veil between the worlds was thinner and belief in the mystical “Good People”, was still strong.
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EXCERPT:
‘And you think you can win back her affection by becoming a great harper yourself, do you?’
‘At least she might look at me if I was a musician and dressed in a fine coat and hat.’
‘What would you give for the chance to win her back?’
Turlough didn’t have to think about the answer. ‘I’d give anything, anything at all, to be a great musician and to have Bridget Cruise look on me as she looked on David Murphy this evening.’
‘A harper’s life is hard,’ Crilly warned. ‘I know, for I myself took to the road with harp and horse in days gone by. You might leave your home and not return for years at a time. You might walk the length and breadth of Ireland in twelve months and barely scratch a living in that whole time.’
‘I would suffer any discomfort to learn the craft of music. I don’t care if I never see the McDermott lands or their fat cows and spindly goats again as long as I live.’
Crilly raised his eyebrows and put a hand on the young lad’s shoulder. ‘You don’t know what you’re saying,’ he replied sternly. ‘It’s the excitement of youth that’s guiding your tongue. So, I’ll try to imagine those words never passed your lips.’
‘I truly would not be grieved if I never laid eyes on this parish again,’ Turlough repeated. ‘I mean you no offence, squire, but I want to be as far from this estate and Bridget’s father as possible.’
Crilly squeezed the lad’s upper arm hard. ‘Do not say such a thing. Not here. Not on a hill where the Fair Folk might hear you. Not on a moonless night when they like to wander from their homes.’
‘Would you teach me to play?’ Turlough asked.
‘Would you learn?’ the squire replied, loosening his grip.
‘If I had the chance I’d spend every waking moment behind that instrument. I’d devote myself to study and practise until I became a master. I’d earn the title of Chief Musician of Ireland.’
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Caiseal Mor is an Australian sci-fi and fantasy novelist, artist and musician. Ancient Celtic Folklore has been a major inspiration for his thirteen published Fantasy novels. Mór also composes and records music, having produced seventeen albums since 1995. He is well known for his self-designed book and album covers and his intricate artworks in both traditional and digital mediums. Since 2013 he has been developing a distinctive graphic art style and creating digital sculptures in 3D.
Facebook Fan page
Goodreads Page
Amazon Link:
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
Caiseal Mor will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
thankyou for hosting me on your blog!!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the Angel's blog. I hope you have a great tour.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I enjoyed reading the interview!
ReplyDeleteI loved the interview, this sounds great
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