Tell us about your latest
book, who are the main character’s and what can we
expect when we pick it up?
This is the second book in
a darkly-humorous fantasy series about Essimore Darkenchyl, a young woman who’s
trying to find her place in the oppressive bureaucracy where she works. But
this is the first book where she feels like her place isn’t in the, you
know, evil bureaucracy. So it’s a pretty typical new adult story about
navigating your job, your family, and your magical powers. Also Essie’s a
devil.
This book starts when one
of her people is murdered and she brings the bones home. Along the way she
learns of a terrible plot to kill the god of death … which sounds like a good
thing but isn’t, I swear.
Although my books are dark
humor, they’re all hopeful in the end, and Essie might not get through this
completely unscathed mentally, but she’ll be okay enough to appear in the third
book.
Do you come up with the
hook first, or do you create characters first and then dig
through until you find a
hook?
This work was all about
the character. My wife Érica created her for a D&D game that never
happened. Since Érica got pregnant, we couldn’t play D&D, so I told her
stories about the character, and they coalesced into these novels.
I like starting with the
character first because it helps keep the story focused around the character.
In fantasy, where infodumping and tangential side-quests can be a drag on
narratives, keeping focused on the character is essential.
Which of your own
characters would you like to have lunch with?
Well, my main character is
based on my wife, so I think she’d be pissed if I said anyone but her! And
Essie is the most compelling of my characters for a lot of people who’ve read
my work. She’s got a bit of the Doctor Who vibe, in that she’s so energetic
she’s probably got ADHD, and if she sees injustice, she will leap in and ask
questions later. She gets herself into and out of problems with her words, and
she’s described condescendingly as a “word wizard” by one of her enemies, so I
have no doubt she’d be fun to talk to--but maybe hard to follow from time to
time.
Tell us about what you are
reading at the moment or anticipate reading in the future? Any favorite authors
you enjoy reading in your spare time?
I’m reading T.A. Barron’s
first Merlin book. It’s so lovely. I read Barron when I was a young kid and
enjoyed him but didn’t latch onto him. Recently I found his Instagram, and he’s
aged into this super cute old man who talks about nature with a big smile and
hangs out with Jane Goodall and Harrison Ford. I highly recommend his
account.
I figured I’d give the
book another read now that I’m older, and I see his love of nature in his
prose. It makes it more than another Arthur retelling, but something that’s
really special in a poetic way. Probably as a little kid, I didn’t think there
was enough goblin-stabbing. But I’m really enjoying reading it this time.
Which of your own books
would you like to live in?
Oh, man. Nope. None. I’ve
been considering writing a cozy fantasy for a long time, but it would have to
be in a totally new world, because the world I typically write in is definitely
not cozy. I mean, there’s a species of poisonous marmot. It’s not a safe place
to be.
What do you do when you
have free time?
I’m a parent, so Not
Applicable.
How do you approach
character development in your stories? Do you have any
specific techniques or
methods that you find particularly effective?
I try to let it flow
naturally. I’m a long time Dungeons and Dragons DM (always the DM, never the
player [cries in orc]) so I try to approach writing that way. I propose a
situation for the characters, and I don’t always know the best outcome when I
start to write it. The characters sort of choose for themselves.
I said this online to
someone once--you know the internet--and they were like “THE CHARACTERS DON’T
CHOOSE, THEY’RE FICTIONAL.” Yes, I realize that I’m the one doing the choosing,
kind internet stranger. What I mean is, I know where characters are at the
beginning of a scene, and I have a general skeleton of where they need to go,
but whenever I create a challenge for the character, I figure out the response
the character would have on the spot. I’m not always sure what that response
will be until I sit down and start writing it--and when the response is
drastically different than I expect, it might take the story in unexpected
directions.
One of my favorite
situations with this is Merritt, who is a young half-elf who has been assigned
ship’s security guard despite being terrified of his own shadow. But he is
a good fighter. He’s scrappy. He’s been trained a little, too. When the
characters are captured by the villain in the first book, Merritt attacks him
out of nowhere. I didn’t expect it, I had to deal with the consequences, and
yet, obviously, I chose to have him do that. I got to that moment in the
story and it just seemed like the best option for him.
The funny thing is, this
simple action put Merritt in a bigger role in the second book, which led to him
having an even bigger role in the third book, where he might even be the
deuteragonist, all because he chose to be bold without my cajoling.
What do you believe sets
your writing apart from others in your genre, and why
should readers choose to
read your books?
Well, first, I want to
possibly offend my readers and compare y’all to alcoholics. And what I mean by
that is, the majority of alcohol in the world is consumed by a minority of
people--the big drinkers. And the majority of fiction books are bought by the
big readers. In other words, if you haven’t read a book in ten years, you’re
probably not going to start with my silly fantasy book.
I suspect if you’re the
kind of person who loves to read fantasy novels, you’ve also had a personal
contest with yourself to see how many you could read in a year. Or something
similar. If you’re reading this blog, I bet you read more books than the average
person. So if you’re going to read ten fantasy books this year anyway, why not
make mine one?
You can read my books and
someone else’s. Read ‘em all! My books aren’t special. They’re entertaining, in
my opinion. They go places. They get weird. I loved writing them, and most
people who have read them love reading them. To once again awkwardly compare
books to alcohol, my trilogy is like a mojito. It’s sharp, a little tropical,
and not exactly the classiest beverage but certainly not bathtub gin. Just put
it on that ol’ Amazon wishlist; I know you’ve already got one for books.
Can you discuss any
upcoming projects or books that you’re currently working
on? What can readers
expect from your future works?
The immediate future is
more Essie. Her story is a trilogy, so the first step is resolving that. The
third book will come out in December. By the third book, Essie isn’t defined by
anyone but herself--she’s taken control of her own life, and no longer works
for the evil bureaucrats. I think it’s a nice message for a generation that’s
been exploited by the corporate world, forced to frame their whole identity on
their job, that sort of thing. There’s a lot of catharsis in the third book,
although things are also pretty tough for her since she’s on the run for most
of it.
After that, I have other stories in the same world. One I’m excited about
is a YA progression fantasy set a few hundred years after Essie’s time, in a
psychedelic version of Cancun. It’s got some inspiration from The Incal, and
it includes a hero who is kind of dopey but lovable (in my opinion) on a quest
to save her sister. It was fun to write a sort of Mad Max-style linear plot.
Start at point A, go to point B, beat up everyone in between. Once she realizes
her sister’s gone, the story takes off and doesn’t really let up. It’s good
fun, with a lot of stuff getting wrecked, and bad guys getting their just
desserts. It’ll be out in mid-2025.
CARGO OF BONES
Z. Lindsey
GENRE: Fantasy
|
Devil bureaucrat
Essie Darkenchyl and her friends barely survived the jungle, but now they're
going straight to Hell--AKA her hometown! |
Excerpt One:
“What’s
happening now?” Two Rabbit shouted.
“Looks like
some kind of sheep,” Merritt said.
Essie’s eyes
shot open.
“Sheep?” Two
Rabbit asked.
She still
couldn’t move. She was staring at the sky again. Purple storm clouds.
“Essie?” the
doctor asked. “Are you awake? You hear me? You’re bleeding to death! For Aro’s
sake, let down that shield or aura or whatever you’re projecting.”
He was just out
of sight. They were all out of sight. Essie desperately tried to sit, but it
only made the storm clouds choke in on her faster.
“Whoa!” Connie
said. “Those are some mean sheep.”
“Sand sheep?”
Boon asked.
Their voices
made her head throb. She tried to follow, but couldn’t. It sounded like
nonsense.
“By Aro—the
sheep stepped on that guy’s crotch!” Merritt shouted. “Please don’t say we’re
being rescued by sheep.”
“That’s if they
don’t attack us, too,” Boon said.
“Holy Mother,”
Two Rabbit said. “I’ve never seen a sheep spit like that.”
“Ohhhh.” Essie
smiled as much as she could. “Llamas.”
Then she passed
out.
Amazon link to the first book: https://www.amazon.com/River-Against-Sea-Z-Lindsey-ebook/dp/B0CH3TW3YD/ref=sr_1_1
B&N link to the first book (for paperback):
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-river-against-the-sea-z-lindsey/1144077772
GIVEAWAY
Z.
Lindsey will award a randomly drawn winner a $25 Amazon/BN gift card + a
digital copy of the book via Rafflecopter.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Zac Lindsey is an anthropologist and a linguist who focuses on the Maya people of Quintana Roo. Since childhood, he's had a not-so-secret love of weird, silly, and well-structured fantasy. When other people's parents were reading them picture books, his mom was reading him Terry Brooks. He typically writes hopeful and character-driven fantasy.
Today, he lives in Quintana Roo, Mexico with his wife, daughter, and various stray cats.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/z.lindsey_fiction/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550498257222
3 comments:
Thank you so much for hosting CARGO OF BONES and interviews its author.
I like the cover art. Looks great.
This sounds like such a good read.
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