Today I am very pleased to be able to present a Q and A session with Mike Phillips, a very highly regarded writer in the fantasy genre. In addition to answering a few questions, Mike has provided us with a lot of interesting information on his book. I think we can gain insight into the creativity behind the creation of literary works about alternative worlds through Mike's guest posts.
The World Below by Mike Phillips author bio data
Hello everyone, and thank you for reading my guest post. My name is Mike Phillips and my new book is The World Below. I was asked to share a little something about my personal life. I know lots of you have pets, so I thought I’d talk about that. I grew up on a farm in West Michigan. We grew most of our own food and heated our house with wood, and even made our own furniture. For me, the best part of growing up on a farm was the animals. In addition to the livestock, we always had a dog and an abundance of barn cats. My absolute favorite, however, was my pet duck, Peeper. The poor thing didn’t get off to a good start. I remember that the mother and father duck had a nest of eggs, and we knew that it was about time for them to hatch. I had gone into the barn just before bed and been rewarded with the sound of little duck voices. Well, I didn’t want to disturb their momma, so I let them be and came back excited the next morning. What I found was a tragedy. A weasel had come in the night. Mother and father duck and about three ducklings lay dead on the ground. The dog caught up with weasel. It too met an unfortunate end. I was sick and in tears as I looked at it all, but heard a little voice behind me. A single duckling was left. I took it inside and raised it under a light bulb. All the while, I “peeped” at her so she would feel at home. That was a mistake, because even as an adult, Peeper never quite learned to quack just right. Thank you so much for joining me. I hope you enjoy The World Below. Please visit me at mikephillipsfantasy.com.
Tell us about your writing routine please.
MP. Two hours at a time. Rather than listen to music or a recorded book, I think about my writing. When I finally get a chance to sit down, I can usually knock off a thousand words in an hour or so. Then again, there are days when I go to the computer with my mind a blank and have just as much success. Like every other writer, there are days when nothing works.
Solitude when writing is certainly best for me. It helps me focus on what I’m doing. If I have music or TV on or if I’m in a public place, the distractions keep me from my best work.
B. if you could give your eighteen year old self one suggestion, what would it be?
MP: What a great question. When I was eighteen, I never listened to anyone. If I knew the advice was coming from some future self, even if I somehow got past the suspicion that it really wasn’t me, I probably would listen to that either. That makes me bull headed, I know. Make up your own mind. Own your mistakes. That’s the best any of us can do.
MP: Whether it is dance or sculpture or painting or music, what makes the most compelling works of art is the ability to touch others in some way, evoke a thought or emotion. At a gallery or museum, I study the work from every angle. I try to appreciate the technique, the intent, the story that is being told. If others spend the same sort of effort with my work, I would be most flattered.
F. It seems more and more writers have MAs in creative writing, some PhDs. Education is a great thing but is there a negative side to this, will it produce in few years a literary culture where lacking this degree will make it hard to get published?. Is it homogenizing writing styles? Will the day of the amateur writer who comes from nowhere and changes everything be over because of this? Does it give you pause to know the University of Iowa M A in writing scholarships for students from outside the USA, were for years funded by the C. I. A?
MP: When it comes to a creative work, refinement of technique only takes the artist so far. What makes an artist stand out is as much about having a unique perspective, pushing boundaries, being able to share a vision of the world or relate a story. Musicians, sculptors, painters, and yes writers, share this trait. Do I think the true art comes out of nowhere? Sometimes it does.
G. How important is seeing different parts of the world to you in terms of stimulating your creativity?
MP: Travel, seeing new things, meeting new people, is one of my passions. Reading about history in a book is important, but until you’ve walked the meadows of Appomattox Courthouse or scaled the walls of Fort Sumter, it’s hard to understand exactly what the people were facing. It puts into perspective how the people of history didn’t do great things because they were somehow different from the rest of us. They were people too. The first time I toured Ephesus, I couldn’t get over how ordinary life there must have been. There was the famous library, of course, but also bakeries and shops not all that different from modern times.
For someone from the United States, I think mission work is important. US citizens are so very fortunate, something that is hard to appreciate unless you’ve experienced firsthand how people in other parts of the world live their lives. Travel, to me, teaches perspective and compassion, lessons that are as important as learning about cultural differences.
H. Where can we find you online?
MP: Find me at mikephillipsfantasy.com
I. Besides reading and writing, what are some of your hobbies or interests. ?
MP: We already talked about travel and walking, which are the biggest two, so I’ll take a stab at my gardening. Even though I grew up on a farm, I’m not very good at it. Pulling weeds from a row of beans is nothing like making flowers bloom all summer. Spring appeals to me in a strange way, it makes me want to get my hands dirty. As a result, I dig up large portions of my suburban yard and plant things that usually wither and die.
1. how and when did you begin to write?
MP: Writing was never anything I intentionally pursued. I work as a safety engineer. I’ve traveled all over the United States consulting with and educating people on the benefits of risk management and loss prevention. I believe in what I’m doing and it’s important work, but safety is a job that leaves little room for creativity. Shortly after graduating college, I became bored with my new career. To occupy an overactive imagination, I started writing stories. One led to the next and I thought writing a novel might be fun to try. That first manuscript was a crime novel, tucked safely away in the darkest recesses of my hard drive, but it fueled my desire to do more. I now have three novels and over a hundred stories in print and there is no end in sight. Life is so weird.
2. How long did you have the world of your series in your mind before you began to write?
MP: The World Below takes place in a real city. It is Traverse City, Michigan, USA. Though I don’t live there, I’m a short drive away and I often have the opportunity to visit for business and pleasure. If you or your readers have never been, Traverse City or TC to us locals, is set on Grand Traverse Bay, which is a part of Lake Michigan. There is a strip of public land that stretches between the City and the lakeshore that is over a mile long. The beaches are white sand and the water is blue and clear. The artist community is thriving. Theatre, music, dance and the arts are a part of everyday life in the summer. There is always something happening, even if you are just taking a walk on Front Street. I paint an idyllic picture, I’m sure, but isn’t that a part of fiction too?
Anyway, I had been planning an Urban Fantasy for some time and thought TC would be a perfect place for it. I began scouting out areas for the book. The beach was a natural, as much a part of the city as the buildings and the people. The old cottonwood and the organic foods market and gallery row are actual places. I don’t think I ever named the pizza bar in the book, but if you ever find yourself there, have a slice of Pangea’s best. You’ll love it. Unfortunately for the ladies, Lars doesn’t run the hot dog cart at the bank. The guy who does isn’t exactly a supermodel, but seems like a good guy.
The hero of our story, Mitch Hardy, finds himself flat broke and physically deformed after suffering an industrial accident. He moves to TC to start a new life. What he doesn’t realize that this is one of the last refuges for all the magical creatures of legend. After an act of kindness, he is adopted by a crew of goblins. They bring him into the World Below, a sort of refugee camp, a place that lies beneath the city, a place where the enchanted creatures can live in safety. Here, dwarves and fauns and centaurs and orcs live from the cast-offs of human society, making their way the best they can.
Anchoring a story in a real place, at least in my mind, makes it more authentic. Wait, that doesn’t explain it very well. I like to have my feet on the ground, so to speak. By using a real place as setting, it disciplines the work, brings it more into reality. Let’s try that another way. I observed sword play and fought with swords so my action sequences would be all the more real. I have spent time working in foundries and know the job and the people. I find it important to draw upon the world for my writing. Though I write fiction, and the more fantastical the better, the non-fantasy parts of what I do are ever the more important. Without the reality, the fantasy doesn’t have impact, it just doesn’t work. Otherwise, you end up with comic book literature, dull and uninteresting. That’s not what I do. So to answer your question, it took a long time.
3. I sometimes wonder why such a disproportionate amount of the regarded as great literature of the world is written in the colder temperate zones rather than in the tropics. How big a factor do you think the Irish Weather is in shaping the literary output of its writers.? I cannot imagine The Brothers Karamazov being written on tropical island, for example.
MP: Here in Michigan, we had one of the coldest, snowiest, winters on record. We had over a hundred and twenty-five inches of snow where I live. There was even more in other parts of the state. It was around zero Fahrenheit for almost two months. You pose an interesting theory about climate and creativity. Personally, I didn’t get anything done.
4. Many cultures are permeated with references to seemingly supernatural creatures, some kind some manavolent. Do you feel any sense of these entities in the world you look out on in your daily life or in your writings? Do you sense a continuity between the natural and supernatural worlds. Is a belief in the supernatural just escapism and wishful thinking? Is the believe in occult systems the refuge of the powerless?
MP: I have always found myself drawn to stories of the supernatural. Since The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, my introduction to the world of fantasy beyond the basic fairy tales, I have sought evidence of other worldly creatures in both literature and in life. That is why it has become such a central aspect of my work. I won’t quote Shakespeare at you and say how many things in heaven and earth are yet unknown to man, but I try to keep an open mind. I’ve never seen any evidence that would suggest pink unicorns or purple hydra are hiding out in the backrooms of Walmart, but you never know. Stranger things have happened. The basis of the World Below is that these creatures exist. Once they were common, but with the spread of humanity over the planet, they were all but erased from existence. Like in my book, maybe the faerie folk are hiding out from us, or maybe it was all just drug induced hallucinations that dreamt them up in the first place.
5. These are loaded question coming from me, but with the decline of print reviews, are book blogs becoming more important? Professional critics have denigrated book bloggers as reviewers without credentials,book bloggers have replied professional reviewers just don't like bloggers doing for free what they ask money for doing? Reviewers do it for money, bloggers for love. What is your reaction to this? Do you join book tours or send bulk mailings out asking for reviews?
MP: I love blogs. All the people I’ve had a chance to work with have been so good to me. I owe them so much of my success. Frankly, there is no better way for a writer to communicate with people. It’s great to be able to talk to people about writing, share insight, and even encourage those that might have a story or two of their own.
6.. When you write, do you picture and audience or do you just write?
MP: I just write. I have been fortunate that people like what I do. It supports my publisher and I get a kick out of seeing my work in print. But I write for myself, for the pure pleasure of the experience and the satisfaction of completing a project.
7. Assuming this applies to you, how do you get past creative "dry spells", periods when you have a hard time coming up with ideas or when things seem futile?
MP: Every writer needs a break now and then. I look forward to those times. It allows me to look over what I have done and perhaps catch up on my interviews and other correspondence. After a few days, I return to the computer refreshed and ready to go.
8. . If someone says to you, "I prefer to live life, not just read about it " what is your reaction inside? (Besides cringing!)
MP: Do it all! I fill my life with art. I go to galleries and museums. I read books. I listen to all kinds of music. I go to shows of every stripe. I cook. I explore nature. Reading is as much about living life as hitting the clubs or climbing a mountain. Everything in its own time and place.
Quick Pick Questions
A. tablets or laptops or smart phones? MP: All of the above, but I work on a laptop.
B. E readers or traditional books? MP: Traditional book, absolutely.
C. American Fast Food- love it, hate it, or once and a while? MP: I avoid fast food at all cost. In my travels, finding “Mom and Pop” restaurants is half the fun.
D. Cats or dogs? MP: Both! I love animals. Unfortunately, my wife is allergic to dogs and cats. I have a pet rat. Yuck! I know. Here’s the thing. They are great pets. Sassy is both intelligent and affectionate. She lives in a three level cage with a soft bed and ample food. I let her run around the house in a ball whenever I’m home. It’s a long way from the sewer. The tail, I admit, takes a little getting used to.
E. best city to inspire a writer- Paris, London, Dublin, or? MP: I’ve not yet made it to Paris, London, or Dublin. Chicago and Detroit are fine but I find them less than inspiring. I grew up on a farm. I’m a small town guy. I find more to write about in a forest or a stream than in skyscrapers and traffic.
F. Walt Whitman or Willam Butler Yeats? MP: Not Fair! YB Yeats is one of my all-time
G. Winter or Summer? Day or Night? MP: After this winter, I can’t wait for summer. I used to love the night, but I’ve strangely become a morning person. I love the peacefulness.
I. Would you rather witness opening night for Waiting for Godot, King Lear, Playboy of the Western World or Ubo Roi? MP:
I’m open to anything, but new productions of Shakespeare will always top my list.
The World Below by Mike Phillips author bio data
Hello everyone, and thank you for reading my guest post. My name is Mike Phillips and my new book is The World Below. I was asked to share a little something about my personal life. I know lots of you have pets, so I thought I’d talk about that. I grew up on a farm in West Michigan. We grew most of our own food and heated our house with wood, and even made our own furniture. For me, the best part of growing up on a farm was the animals. In addition to the livestock, we always had a dog and an abundance of barn cats. My absolute favorite, however, was my pet duck, Peeper. The poor thing didn’t get off to a good start. I remember that the mother and father duck had a nest of eggs, and we knew that it was about time for them to hatch. I had gone into the barn just before bed and been rewarded with the sound of little duck voices. Well, I didn’t want to disturb their momma, so I let them be and came back excited the next morning. What I found was a tragedy. A weasel had come in the night. Mother and father duck and about three ducklings lay dead on the ground. The dog caught up with weasel. It too met an unfortunate end. I was sick and in tears as I looked at it all, but heard a little voice behind me. A single duckling was left. I took it inside and raised it under a light bulb. All the while, I “peeped” at her so she would feel at home. That was a mistake, because even as an adult, Peeper never quite learned to quack just right. Thank you so much for joining me. I hope you enjoy The World Below. Please visit me at mikephillipsfantasy.com.
. I was asked to talk a little about the characters in the book, so I thought it might be fun to discuss some of the lesser known weirdoes that make an appearance. An important part of the book is that all the fairy tale creatures of legend still exist, hiding in a place known as the World Below, a sort of refugee camp for those creatures that don’t have enough magic to blend into modern society. As a result, the book is absolutely packed with an abundance of odd-ball characters.
When our hero, Mitch Hardy, becomes involved with Lady Elizabeth, herself one of the Faerie Folk and a little offbeat, he has no idea what strange people he is bound to meet. The first and most prominent, of course, is Puttygut and the other goblins. After an act of kindness, the goblins adopt Mitch as one of their own. As it turns out, goblins aren’t as all bad as they are made out to be in myth and legend. They are a fun bunch of guys to be around, if they smell bad and behave like fifth grade boys.
The first creatures Mitch encounters after he meets Puttygut and his crew are the goblin’s mortal enemies, the Ferikrakneh Imps. The Ferikrakneh have been trying to take over the landfill and get rid of the goblins for as long as either can remember. The Imps are tiny little creatures, vaguely human-shaped, but tough. When Mitch accidentally reveals the location of the goblin hideout, the Ferikrakneh are ready to attack. There are so many of the little buggers, that Mitch and the Goblins are soon overwhelmed, and have to resort to drastic measures to escape their wrath.
Later in the story, desperate to find Elizabeth (describing the circumstances surrounding it would be a terrible spoiler) Mitch asks the goblins for help. There are many strange and wondrous creatures in the World Below, but only one that has the information they need. The Mulak is a sorceress and seer of great power. The goblins all fear her, but they know she can be bought. The Mulak has a weakness they can exploit, a serious drug addiction. A case of heroine is her price. After a taste, she tells them what they need to know, changes herself into a spider, and continues her sad decline into oblivion.
Baron Finkbeiner is the despotic ruler of the World Below. His dungeon is filled with all sorts of dangerous creatures. To keep them in line, the guard must be equally as formidable. The Baron’s jailer is just such a person, though you wouldn’t know it by looking at him. The jailer is a squat, funny little man. Like many of the inhabitants of the World Below, the jailer is possessed of unusual powers. When the Baron’s henchman throws a tantrum and obliterates part of the dungeon, we find out that the jailer is nearly invincible to physical attack. His body is homogenous, all made up of the same stuff, like a Gollum of clay. Picking debris from his body, he explains to the henchman the importance of being able to get along with others.
Inside Finkbeiner’s dungeon, there is a creature known only as the Blackness. It has no shape or form. It looks like a cloud of black dust. Though it as no physical body, the creature seems to have all the senses that people do. It can even talk. The Blackness is held in prison by an enchanted collar made of silver. The creature has fallen in love with Lady Elizabeth, and when the Baron’s henchman comes to do her harm, it does everything it can to protect her.
We end this discussion with one of the strangest creatures of all, the Gooch. It is a shape shifting, pan-dimensional being that is drawn to supernatural creatures as a food source. When it can’t get that, any road kill will do. As the Gooch first appears, it takes the form of a mailbox. People with magical ability may be able to see it, but normal humans can’t. The Gooch is so good at hiding itself from the general public that there must be some sort of magical influence involved. Later on the Gooch takes the form of a basketball, and then a garbage dumpster. Characters in the book often have questions about the Gooch, the typical answer to most of those questions being, “no one really knows what that thing is.” As a writer, it’s fun sometimes to leave things up in the air, allow the reader to fill in the gaps, maybe even give yourself some room for the character to play a wider role in future projects. That is my hope for the Gooch. As I write the sequel to The World Below, the Gooch is already making trouble for our hero, Mitch Hardy. That, however, is a story for another time.
Hello everyone, and thank you for reading my guest post. My name is Mike Phillips and my new book is The World Below. I have been asked to talk about a few of the characters in the novel, so I thought it might be interesting to discuss the major players, the heroes and the villains. Our hero is Mitch Hardy, just an average guy trying to work his way through college and make something out of himself. While working in a foundry, he suffers a terrible accident. A chain snaps on a crucible of iron and he is burned over half his body. He survives, but with no family and few friends, he struggles to put his life back together. On the advice of a friend, he decides to move to a new town to start his life over. That is where he meets Elizabeth. She is more than she seems, and soon Mitch is pulled into a world of magic and mystery he never dreamed of. Lady Elizabeth is looking for a father she never knew. Finding him is somehow tied up with the Blade of Caro. She steals the Blade from its keeper, the despotic ruler of the World Below, Baron Finkbeiner, and sets into motion a series of events that brings Mitch into a place where magical creatures still exist. That brings us to the despotic rule or the World Below, Dragon of Worms, Baron Finbeiner. He is an ancient creature, very secretive about his abilities, hiding his true face from even the citizens of the World Below. As the story begins, the Blade of Caro is stolen from the Baron. It is the only weapon known to be able to destroy him. It turns out that that the Blade was taken by Lady Elizabeth, the Baron’s most hated enemy. Unable to recover the blade on his own, the Baron tricks a sorcerer, Jason Hume, into helping him get the Blade of Caro back. Jason Hume is an interesting guy. He has magical talent, amongst which is the ability to cast lightning bolts. That makes him a formidable opponent, and he likes to throw his weight around. At the beginning of the novel, Baron Finkbeiner tricks Jason into helping him against Lady Elizabeth by kidnapping his sister. As they work together, Jason begins to see how good it is to have someone as powerful as the Baron by his side. Before long, Jason gives into temptation, and begins to see what spoils he can find for himself. Thank you so much for joining me. I hope you enjoy The World Below. Please visit me at mikephillipsfantasy.com.
Thank you so much for joining me. I hope you check out all the strange characters in The World Below. Please visit me at mikephillipsfantasy.com.
General Information:
Title:The World Below
Author:Mike Phillips
Author Website:http://mikephillipsfantasy.com
Print ISBN: 978-1-61572-886-2
Digital ISBN:978-1-61572-885-5
Amazon Link:http://www.amazon.com/The-World-Below-ebook/dp/B00BODP3YU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381515184&sr=1-1&keywords=world+below+mike+phillips
Damnation Books Link:http://damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615728855
Damnation Books Coupon Code:50worldbelow
Video Trailer:http://youtu.be/k8o6lq1ieLk
Video Trailer Embed Code:http://www.youtube.com/embed/k8o6lq1ieLk?rel=0
Synopsis:
In ancient times, magical creatures inhabited the earth. They lived on mountaintops, in trees, at the bottom of lakes and rivers. But that was long ago, before the human race declared war on the creatures they feared and hated. Now the enchanted peoples are all but gone. Those few that remain fear being stretched out on an examination table in some secret, governmental facility. The only place they can hide from the ever increasing number of satellites and smart phones is in the World Below.
Mitch Hardy is going through a hard time in his life. In his early twenties, he was working his way through college when he suffered an accident that left him flat broke and physically deformed. When Mitch decides to make a fresh start in a new town, things start looking up. He finds a place to live, a decent job, good friends. He even meets a nice girl. Unknown to Mitch, his new girlfriend is one of the Elder Race, what some call the Faerie Folk. Mitch doesn’t know that Elizabeth is looking for a father she never knew. The key to finding him is somehow tied up with the mysterious Blade of Caro. Desperate, she steals the Blade from its protector, the despotic ruler of the World Below, the Dragon of Worms, Baron Finkbeiner. When Elizabeth is kidnapped by the Baron, Mitch is pulled into a world or magic and monsters he never imagined.
Writing about goblins was a riot! Goblins live on the fringes of human society. They make their homes in junk yards, abandoned buildings, sewer systems, and anywhere else people try to avoid. Once they find a likely spot, the get to work. Goblins are clever with tools and machinery. They will use and repurpose anything they can get their hands on, so many of their dwellings look like they were designed by frat-boys. Not always the best of neighbors, goblins have to take security seriously. They construct elaborate pitfalls to keep themselves safe from enemies like collapsing tunnels, pongee pits, and mechanical traps.
Goblins, like their human counterparts, each have a unique personality. They live in what they call crews, a sort of family, a lot like college dorm-mates. Each goblin has a special skill. One might be a bully (a most desirable skill in the goblin world). Another might be crafty at making traps. Some use sorcery or poison. Others are good at machinery. Some just eat a lot (another desirable skill). Goblins, in general, have a loose sense of morality. If it doesn’t hurt another member of the crew, with the obvious exception of fighting, then it’s usually okay. Fighting is always acceptable behavior, though if an enemy is around, a goblin is expected to stop fighting the other crew member and start fighting the enemy. Common sense rules like that are the cornerstone of goblin society.
That brings us to the topic of goblin social structure. Goblin society is feudal. They organize in crews, bound by familial ties or friendship. These associations are loosely formed, and if a goblin wants to go it alone, no one holds a grudge. A crew may have two or three leaders at a time. It is not unusual for goblins to disagree, so sometimes they have no real leader at all. Though they fight with each other like crazy, but they are deeply loyal in times of trouble and would do anything for the other members of their crew. No female goblins appear in The World Below, but that is a topic for another time.
Thank you so much for joining me. I hope you enjoy The World Below. Please visit me at mikephillipsfantasy.com.
End
My thanks to Mike for his answers and his interesting guest post
Mel u
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