Welcome back! Here is part two of my update with author Charles Phipps.
Since we last chatted, Ragnarok Publications has released Esoterrorism. How has your readership responded to the genre hop from superheroes to spy thriller?
Whenever an author starts a new series, some readers will go with them to see if it’s any good and others will stay because they’re only interested in one. Also, an entirely new band of readers will come to a series who weren’t a part of the original group’s fandom. Those readers who came from The Rules of Supervillainy to Esoterrorism have so far been really entertained by my two snarky fun protagonists–albeit one is a criminal and the other the law.
Will we see the sequel, Eldritch Ops, in the near future?
Ayup. We’ll be releasing ELDRITCH OPS next spring to (hopefully) considerable fanfare. Ragnarok Publications signed a great deal with the Independent Publishing Group, which will bring Derek and his adventures to brick and mortar stores. I’m very excited about that and I think readers will enjoy the middle part of the Red Room Trilogy.
I can’t wait to see your books in my local Barnes and Noble! Maybe you could have fans take a picture with your novels at the bookstore and post them on Facebook. Hint, hint!
Now, without spoiling the story, can you reveal at any new terrors that await Derek in the next book?
Derek is now a member of the Committee and supposedly one of the most powerful people on Earth. However, he’s been given nothing but busy work for the past year and is going bored out of his skull. He’s also suspicious that he’s just holding this position until they can groom someone to murder and replace him. Things all change when Derek’s undead ex-partner, Christopher, comes to him with a warning that there’s a “House within the House” trying to start a war with the only other group capable of challenging it–the vampires. Now Derek must decide whether he is on the side of humanity, peace, or his power-hungry associates. We also get to meet Derek’s demon godmother.
Hehe.
Conniving associates. A war with the vampires. And a demon godmother. Sounds like Derek is juggling burning coals. Good luck, buddy!
Ragnarok is going to release your dark epic fantasy novel, Wraith Knight, on November 8, 2016. Mark your calendars, my friends. Aside from The Lord of the Rings, what other influences went into the creation of your new dark hero, Jacob Riverson?
Wraith Knight is basically my rebuttal to a large portion of fantasy literature. As much as I love the genre, there’s still a lot of D&Disms. There’s Always Chaotic Evil races and the good guys are easily identified as people in black. Admittedly, George R.R. Martin has broken down most of those barriers, but I wanted to do a traditional fantasy world where the “rules” were known but they were just the prejudices and biases of the people who benefited from them.
I was influenced by The Black Company novels by Glenn Cook, Stephen Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant books, and even Rhianna Pratchett’s Overlord games. There’s even a little of Warcraft 3 in there.
Nice! I’ve made it a tradition to listen to Glen Cook’s The Black Company novels on Audible every year. I’m looking forward to seeing how you’ll mesh Cook’s and the rest of these inspirations into your work.
You mentioned the sequel last year, Wraith Lord. How far into production are you with this novel?
Completely done.
Befo
re we go, I have a confession to make. When I read the title of your new book, Straight Out of Fangton, I laughed so hard my dog, Brulee, bolted from the room. Right then, I knew you were onto something great. In a single line, what can you tell me about this novel.
Fangton is awesome.
I have no doubt. And there you have it, folks. Thank you to Charles Phipps once again for taking the time to stop by for an update. As always, I encourage you to check out Charles’ books on Amazon.
You can keep up with Charles on:
The United Federation of Charles: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @Willowhugger