|
TWPT:
You've just recently released your latest book called
Perfect Trust. What's Rowan Gant up to in this latest
book?
MR: I don't want to give too
much away, of course, but those who have been following
the series know that Rowan has been through some fairly
rough times-- especially in Never Burn A Witch. He is,
to say the least, not exactly stable. <Grin>.
Because of this, when he ends up literally sleepwalking
into another murder investigation, he's more that a
bit rattled by it. In truth, he ends up questioning
his own sanity. What I was really wanting to accomplish
was to illustrate that Rowan is just a human being,
and even though he is a practicing Witch, with some
very practiced psychic abilities, he still stumbles
and falls. If I didn't go this route, Rowan would have
ended up being painted almost as a superhero, and I
certainly don't want that impression running about.
He's just an average guy with some above average abilities,
that aren't necessarily within his control. I wanted
to show that he has foibles, problems, and questions
himself. From the reactions I've received, I think I
might have gotten the point across. :-)
TWPT:
For those readers who might not be familiar with
the Rowan Gant series perhaps you could explain the
premise of the series and briefly what ground you've
covered so far.
MR: Rowan Gant is your average,
everyday independent computer consultand who just happens
to be Pagan. His particular path is fairly nondescript
eclectic Wiccan. I, myself, am what you might term as
a fam-trad old school eclectic kitchen witch with some
wiccan leanings, and the majority of the explanations
of Wicca and its related symbology comes from my own
teachings. I'm throwing that out there because there
are a few things that are particular to my path which
have been included and some readers may see them and
say, "What? That's not how I learned it."
That's cool, but it's how I learned it. I've really
only had one person point at me and say, "You're
wrong," and I simply reminded her that being different
doesn't make one wrong. ;-) But, enough editorializing--
Rowan is your average guy. Yes, he has managed to cultivate
some fairly well developed psychic abilities, though
even he doesn't realize just how intense until he accidentally
becomes involved in a murder investigation at the behest
of his friend, a St. Louis City Homicide Detective named
Ben Storm.
In the first tome, Harm None, Ben approaches Rowan
for some information when a pentacle inscribed in blood
is discovered at a grisly murder scene. Rowan recognizes
the words inscribed with it, and quickly deduces that
this is not an isolated incident. He also recognizes
that the killer is either not actually Pagan, or is
a Pagan/Witch who has gone well left of center. Because
his knowledge of alternative religion is crucial to
tracking down a suspect, Rowan is brought into the investigation
as a consultant. True to his original perception, the
body count starts to rise and I'll leave it to your
imagination from there.
The second installment, Never Burn A Witch, picks
up a few months after the end of Harm None. Rowan is
still in pretty good shape, but the things he saw--
and experienced-- in the previous investigation took
a mental toll, which he has yet to repay in full. Once
again, Ben approaches him about an investigation, this
time involving a far different symbol-- the monogram
of Christ. The blatant evidence from the crime scene,
along with the torturous injuries on the corpse tip
Rowan off to the fact that someone is re-enacting the
Witch Trials and executions of the 15th century. Our
mild mannered Witch becomes embroiled in a desperate
race against time to find a serial killer who is hunting
the Pagan population of St. Louis, and before long,
becomes a target himself.
I should mention that Rowan does not go this alone.
He has a spunky, red-headed Irish-American wife named
Felicity, who is an accomplished Witch in her own right.
There is also his friend, Detective Ben Storm, a female
FBI agent with something to prove, and a somewhat fatherly
St. Louis County Homicide Detective named Carl Deckert.
Each of these characters has their own story to tell,
and not only support Rowan, but weave their "humaness"
throughout the stories.
Now, at the risk of being long winded, I'd like to
address something here-- I was once told that someone
out there in the Pagan Community believed I was doing
a disservice by portraying Paganism in conjunction with
grisly suspens-thrillers. I even saw a comment on a
site one time that said something on the order of, 'this
has nothing to do with healing the earth, and peace
and love and yadda yadda, I'm not gonna read it.' To
that I say, fine. Not a problem. I certainly don't expect
everyone out there to love my work and read everything
I write. What a boring world that would be-- But, everyone
need understand a simple point: These books are fiction.
They are for entertainment. They are NOT intended as
a teaching tool for your or your coven. The ONLY teaching
I expect from them is to educate some non-pagan readers
about the realities of Paganism, and I could give you
more examples than I care to count of this happening
already. Still, the fact remains, they are fiction.
Fiction is written to be enjoyed. If these books aren't
your cup of tea, by all means, don't read them. I'd
hate for you to waste your money on something you don't
like. But, if you DO like stories that are on the order
of John Sandford meets Patricia Cornwell meets Stephen
King in a head on collision, with a bit of real life
Paganism thrown in, then you might want to pick these
up.
Egads! You said briefly didn't you? <G>
TWPT:
With any any ongoing series does it get easier
with each new novel to determine where the latest installment
will take you?
MR: In some ways yes, in some
ways no. The real deal is that as the series increases
by one with each passing year, I end up with more and
more history to draw from. Character development is
as much about history as it is about present and future,
so having an established background-- other than the
ones in my head-- helps immensely in bringing the characters
to life. (Not that they have trouble with that anyway--
they tend to have minds of their own.) When I started
the series, I really had only one or two books in mind,
but as I wrote Harm None, ideas started to pop into
my head, and by the time I was writing Never Burn A
Witch, I had a relatively fuzzy idea of where I eventually
wanted to end up. With each volume, that destination
becomes clearer and clearer, which in turn, brings the
road before me into focus. On the flip side, I have
to make sure that these don't become repetetive or stale,
because if they do, there's no reason to continue.
TWPT:
Did Perfect Trust manage to surprise you at times
as to its ultimate direction?
MR: Yes, actually it did. I had
this clearly defined idea of what I wanted to do, where
I wanted to go, and what I wanted to happen. I sat down,
started writing, and before I knew it, I was someplace
completely different with a road map I'd never seen
before. On top of that, the characters ganged up on
me and made me go back to the beginning, whereupon they
insisted that I throw out several pages and re-write
them. Don't get me wrong, the themes and subjects I
wanted to address when I started out are still there--
I just got to them via a different path and addressed
some other issues along the way.
TWPT:
How much control do the character's personalities
exert on you the author as to what they will and won't
do during the course of one of your books?
MR: Absolute. You've heard the
adage, "absolute power corrupts absolutely"?
Well, let me tell you, the power has gone to their heads.
<LOL> They really dictate what they will and won't
do between the pages, and if I try to force them to
do something other than what they agree to, what comes
out of my fingertips is complete garbage. I know this
makes me sound like a poster boy for MPD, but I'm not
unique in this. All of us authors are just a bit off
kilter. <Grin> Seriously though, I know many fiction
authors who are driven by their characters, so I think
this is just a normal part of the creative process.
TWPT:
Perfect Trust has been out a couple of months
now, what kind of reaction has it garnered thus
far from your readers?
MR: Perfect Trust has received
a tremendous reaction so far. I've received a ton of
fan mail from folks who want to tell me how much the
like the direction the series is heading, and they all
have a tendency to end with, "when is the next
one coming out?' <LOL>. I've received several
great reviews, and a couple of lukewarm ones which were
absolutely hilarious. I did get one email from a fan
who felt I'd gone too "commercial" due to
the sexual component contained in Perfect Trust (Did
someone say SEX? <GRIN>) I'm truly sorry she felt
that way, but at the risk of sounding insensitive, I
learned long ago that it is impossible for me to please
every single person out there. The truth is that I write
the same kind of books that I like to read. Fortunately
for me, there are quite a few other folks out there
who like to read the same things that I do.
Anyway, the short answer to your question is that
Perfect Trust has been extremely well received.
TWPT:
Were you expecting the book to take off like it
has or was this a surprise to you?
MR: You know, I, like several
other authors out there, am very anal about the numbers
game when it comes to my books. What I mean is that
I tend to watch, and even track, sales trends within
the genre, and especially my own novels. I was expecting
sales to reach a somewhat higher level than each of
the previous releases due to the simple fact that my
fan base has been constantly growing. It stood to reason
that since I have more fans now than I did one year
ago, initial sales would be stronger on Perfect Trust
than on the previous release, Never Burn A Witch. However,
this book came out of the gates like a thoroughbred.
I have to admit that I was shocked at how high the initial
numbers were-- pleasantly, of course <Grin>. As
usual, its success has helped to 'back sell" the
previous two titles, which will, in turn, increase the
fan base more (hopefully)...Of course, like I said,
I'm anal about this kind of stuff, so here I am getting
all analytical and technical about it.
Once again, the short answer is: I was shocked out
of my socks.
TWPT:
So what's been going on with the promotional side
of Perfect Trust? Have you been out doing the interview
and book signing circuit since the release? What's it
like meeting the readers who have been making this series
so successful?
MR: I have been a little bit
of everywhere since Perfect Trust was released at the
end of July. My travels have actually been confined
to the midwestern corridor, but have expanded greatly
over previous years. I've been a featured speaker at
three Pagan Pride Day celebrations throughout Kansas
and Missouri. I've been to several bookstores and even
a book club discussion. It has been absolutely fabulous
to meet folks and chat with them. In some instances,
even surprising. I was a featured guest at the Joplin,
Missouri PPD recently and I happened to come around
a corner to find a young lady perusing some of my books
which were laid out on a table, along with my mailing
list sign up sheet. I said hello to her, and she started
telling me how wonderful the books were. Within a few
seconds, it became obvious that she didn't know who
I was and that she was trying to sell me on purchasing
and reading the series. I smiled and picked up a copy
of Perfect Trust, opened it to the inside back cover,
and held the picture up next to my face. She proceeded
to let out an earsplitting scream and hugged me, saying
"You're him, you're him!". A few weeks earlier
at the KC PPD, a young lady came up to me (being prodded
by her mother the entire way) and told me how much she
loved my books. She was so nervous I though she was
going to collapse-- fortunately, I was able to convince
her that I'm just your average Pagan. I just happen
to throw words at paper and hope that they stick.
Honestly, these are reactions that I never expected
to get, and I have to admit, they make me feel good--
like I'm accomplishing what I set out to do. But, like
I said, I'm just a guy who throws words at the paper.
I've been lucky, and while I might have some modicum
of talent that plays a part, I really owe it all to
the folks who read my books and recommend them to others.
And getting to meet folks like that is one of the best
parts of the job.
TWPT:
For those readers who might want to meet you face
to face at some point where will you be appearing in
the coming months?
MR: Let's see-- in the lovely
month of October, I will be appearing in the following
places:
4th-6th - Archon 26 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Convention,
Collinsville, IL
12th - New Ages-Other Worlds,
a great little pagan/metaphysical bookstore in Murphysboro,
IL
25th-27th - Salem West's Real Witches Ball in Columbus,
OH.
And in November, I will tentatively be at The Goddess
and the Moon, another wonderful little shop in Nashville,
TN. We just haven't nailed down the exact date
yet.
Other than that, my touring will be over with until
2003. I'm already working on the next installment in
the Rowan Gant saga and I will need all the time I can
get to finish it up before the July '03 release date.
For those who may be wondering, book 4 is tentatively
titled, The Law Of Three: A Rowan Gant Investigation.
TWPT:
As a final question about Perfect Trust, how much
of your own spiritual path finds its way into your novels?
Is this an intentional effort or do your characters
just seem to move in that direction?
MR: Quite a bit. As I mentioned
earlier, Rowan's path very closely mimicks my own, although,
his Wiccan leanings are much stronger than mine. Still,
because of my fam-trad teachings, I tend to write what
feels most comfortable for me, and that is going to
be heavily connected with my own path. Like Rowan, I
myself am a student of various religions, though I will
readily admit that there are many out there far more
well versed than me. Still, I research different practices,
and draw from other paths. Fans of the series thus far
will probably start to notice (if they haven't already)
that while Rowan and his wife, Felicity, practice together,
their paths are not identical by any stretch of the
imagination. This is an aspect I am looking forward
to exploring in more depth throughout future volumes.
M. R. Sellars Author of The Rowan Gant Investigations:
Harm None
Never Burn A Witch
Perfect Trust
The Law Of Three COMING 2003
TWPT:
Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us.
I know just how busy you have been lately so we here
at The Times appreciate your extra efforts in regards
to these questions. Keep up the good work and we'll
be looking for your next book in 2003.
|
