Raymond Bolton

I met fantasy author Raymond Bolton, in the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network where we are both members. This is a group of authors who write fantasy or sci-fi that’s suitable for the whole family; this means no sex, graphic violence or profanity. Raymond is a real sweetie and the cutest thing about him is the words he has picked up in Greek, seeing that his wife is a compatriot of mine. The first time he wrote ‘makia’ to me, a Greek baby word for ‘kiss-kiss’, I hit the floor laughing. It’s not something you’d pick up in a Google translation. I hope you will enjoy meeting this awesome writer and fine fellow, just as much as I have. Let’s take a look at his books first of all though!

How does a world equipped with bows, arrows and catapults, where steam power is just beginning to replace horses and sailing ships, avert a conquest from beyond the stars?

Prince Regilius has been engineered to combat the Dalthin, a predatory alien species that enslaves worlds telepathically, and to do so he must unite his people. But when his mother murders his father, the land descends into chaos and his task may prove impossible. Faced with slaying the one who gave him life in order to protect his world, he seeks a better way. Set in a vast and varied land where telepaths and those with unusual mental abilities tip the course of events, Awakening goes to the heart of family, friendship and betrayal.

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Everyone who touches you transforms you, if only a little. But if you enter their minds, think what they have thought, in effect do what they have done, how complete will that transformation be?

The warlord, Hath Kael, kidnaps Darva, an opposing warlord’s sister, to force her brother to surrender. When Bedistai, from a tribe of hunters, foils the abduction and undertakes Darva’s return, Kael recruits Peniff, a telepath, to locate the two. Peniff’s talent makes him a fine weapon in anyone’s arsenal, and Kael ensures his cooperation by holding his wife and children hostage. But Peniff, a good man, refuses to play the game and instead comes to the couple’s aid. This is the story of a man, in all other ways ordinary, rising above his fears to do what is morally right. Make no mistake about it, his power is considerable. But can he rescue his family before his betrayal comes to light? Moreover, what will he become before his journey is over?

Thought Gazer, the second volume of The Ydron Saga, is the first book of Awakening’s prequel trilogy.

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Hello Raymond and welcome to my blog!

Thank you Fros, great to be here!

What has inspired you to write the Ydron Saga?

I began writing Awakening in the 1990s. I had always told myself I wanted to write a novel and one day I realized the only way to do that was to sit down and write. I had grown up reading sci-fi and fantasy, so that genre was the obvious way to start. Although I set it aside, I kept returning to it until I felt it was ready to publish.

Thought Gazer grew out of Awakening. In the course of developing a new character, I realized I had too many already. Awakening was starting to read like a Russian novel and I realized I had to can him. But because I liked him so much, I archived the chapter in which I introduced him. After I finished Awakening, I realized I had wrapped it up in such a way that a sequel would be almost impossible, but I had created such a complex world that there could be a prequel, if not many of them, and this character I’d deleted could be at the heart of one of them. So began Thought Gazer.

What other writing have you done? Anything else published?

I’ve written some poetry for which I have received some recognition and an award. I’ve also written two political thrillers. For a while, I thought these would be the primary thrust of my writing. Unfortunately, one of my clients, who was highly placed at Los Alamos National Laboratory and is now the US State Department’s senior scientist in charge of the Middle East, read one and asked that I never publish it. It seems I had touched upon something that, in her words, “a foreign enemy state with unlimited resources could easily produce.” I won’t go into details, but she agreed the central premise would dwarf 9/11. I had to trash it. And while the second one is definitely publishable, I don’t yet have anything to follow it with and readers prefer a series.

You trashed a whole novel on the strength of this advice? Wow! It must have been something huge! I’m very impressed, but sorry too in a way, I don’t mind admitting. Any hobbies or interests that you enjoy in your spare time?

I haven’t had anything resembling leisure time for several years now. For the last two-and-a-half, business has put me on a plane every week. Now that that part of my life is behind me, I’m going to resume certain hobbies I used to enjoy. I’m taking up Tai Chi beginning this evening, March 30, and I have a Martin guitar—a really superb instrument—that I’ve restrung. I hope to bring my musical skills back to where they once were.

It all sounds wonderful! What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).

At the moment, I am almost half way through the first draft of Foreteller, the second volume of Awakening’s prequel trilogy. Like Thought Gazer, I’m trying to draft in such a way it can be enjoyed as a free-standing novel, while directing four sub-plots towards the conclusion that will appear in Telekine, the last book in the series. It isn’t easy, but I think I have a handle on it.

Describe your workstation.

Now that the weather is improving, my favorite workstation has become my garden. Here’s a picture for you and your readers…

Oh wow, love the waterfall! A truly serene setting for writing. Tell us Raymond, which are your favorite authors, and what do you love about them?

I love John Steinbeck for his powerful characters, Ernest Hemingway for introducing compact prose to American literature, Donna Tartt for her vivid scene construction and Martin Cruz Smith for his intricate plot construction. Closer to home, closer that is, to the genre I’m currently involved in—fantasy/sci-fi—I take my hat off to Dean Koontz for his elegant use of language and to George RR Martin and JRR Tolkien for the scope of their works.

What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?

I read everything. Regardless of their genre, accomplished authors have a great deal to teach. My previous reads, however, were all science fiction and fantasy. They were Andy Weir’s The Martian and Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere and I’m currently reading The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Oh, yes! I also recently finished the YA fantasy audiobook, Fledgling, by Natasha Brown, my cover artist.

Tell us about your website/blog. What will readers find there?

Last year, I changed my website’s focus. While I’ll always have pages about myself and my books, I’ve been interviewing both debut and award-winning authors of all genres from around the world, posting a new interview every second Monday on the home page. Naturally, I’m hoping to attract their fans and that some of them will discover my books. But I also believe the publishing world does best when everyone shares.

This is so true! What do you enjoy the most as an indie author that you imagine you wouldn’t if you were traditionally published? If you had a choice would you still go indie?

First and foremost, I enjoy the control I have over content and cover design—the way my work is presented. I also enjoy that when I see a potential marketing opportunity, I don’t have to ask permission or consult with anyone else before jumping in. Sometimes, the ability to act rapidly allows me to participate in events I learn about shortly before closing deadlines.

As for whether I’d still go indie if I had a choice: had I known how many of the myths about traditional publishing were created by publishers and agents to ensure their own survival and are NOT NECESSARILY TRUE, I would have taken the jump years earlier. One example: I have a friend who is dead bent on the traditional route, believing it’s best for her. She finally landed an agent three years ago, but he has yet to find her a publisher. If she ever does find one, it will be one to two years after she signs a contract before her book ever hits a bookstore shelf. Mine already have—and I mean real brick and mortar bookstores. I first published in January last year and I’m already years ahead of her.

I fully agree. I hear so many stories that have put me right off traditional publishers, small ones especially. What are the things in your life that you’re most grateful for?

I am most grateful to have found the woman I married. Life without Toni wouldn’t be nearly as meaningful, nor as much fun. She’s Greek, Effrosyni! So, of course she is fun.

She looks lovely! And thanks for the compliment, my friend. I hear American guys are a blast too! Hey, is it true that your wife is related to the late Greek poet Nikos Kavvadias from the island of Kefalonia?

Yes, that’s true. They were cousins. My wife has an extended family on the island.

I have family connections with Corfu as you know. Oh, I love the Ionian islands, and I’ve been to all seven of them. Kefalonia is stunning – Myrtos beach in particular. I think it’s wonderful that it’s now forever associated with Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.

Oh yes, great beach and great book!

Thank you for being here with us today, Raymond! It’s been a thrill for me! Makia! (*giggles*)

Thank you for inviting me, Fros! Makia, right back at ya!

Raymond Bolton lives near Portland, Oregon with his wife, Toni, and their three cats, Georgie, Sophia & Courtney. His goal is to craft gripping stories about the human condition, whether they are set here or another world. He says this about his life:

“I am of the persuasion life is too short to squander. I enjoy fine food, so I have learned to cook. I am endlessly curious about the world around me, so I read and I travel. I like people—who else is there?—so I talk and listen and try to understand what I hear. Over the years I’ve driven trucks, been an FM disk jockey, produced concerts, served as a mainsail trimmer on racing yachts, piloted gliders, written software, worked as a hair stylist and owned and operated my own business—all with varying degrees of success, but all have imparted a wealth of experience and taught great lessons. In the course of these doings I have had the privilege of meeting very accomplished individuals in the areas of music, movies, sports, technology, industry, finance and politics. Ultimately, all of this background comes together, struggles to find coherence and emerge in my work.”

He has written award-winning poetry and four novels. Two are explorations in fantasy: Awakening, an epic, was released in January, 2014, and Thought Gazer, an adventure and first volume of a prequel trilogy, was released on January 1, 2015. Under its working title, Renunciation, Awakening was one of eight finalists among 950 entries from the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Europe and Australia in the Pacific Northwest Writers Associations Literary Contest. Hailed on BookViral.com http://bit.ly/1nnIlAy as “a grand debut… [that] breathes originality into the genre.” Awakening is averaging 4.7 stars on Amazon and 4.6 on Goodreads. Although just released, Thought Gazer is already earning all 5 star reviews on Amazon UK.

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