Today I’ve got an interview with Philip C Quaintrell, author of the Echoes Saga. I read the first book of the series, Rise of the Ranger, as research for my own upcoming ranger-based series, The King’s Ranger <plug: release date is Sept 1st, follow the link to pre-order>, and as soon as I’d turned a few pages of RotR I knew I had to talk to Philip. Despite the fact that we have a TON of overlapping fans and write similar stories, Philip and I had never bumped into each other. This is the rare interview where I’m learning as you are ;)
AC: Hi Philip, thanks for taking the time to chat! To start us off, can you tell us a little bit about you’re the Echoes Saga series?
PCQ: What can I tell you about my books? Well, they’re set firmly in my favourite genre: epic fantasy! The story I’m telling is a big one and it takes place in a big world to boot. I know this because I started out with the idea to write a single fantasy book and it’s turned into 9… The adventure will span around fifty years and introduce you to a host of characters both mortal and immortal - because who doesn’t love a good elf! Anyone who loves LOTR, GOT, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and The Forgotten Realms will love falling into the world of Verda.
AC: I love your characters, particularly your ranger! I’m writing my own ranger-centric series, and when I was doing research for titles, I finally decided to check out Rise of the Ranger: The Echoes Saga Book 1. It’s been hanging out in my Amazon Also Boughts for ages <meaning Philip and I share a ton of fans>, so apologies for how long it took ;) I really enjoyed your ranger, Asher. I picked up some hints of LotR’s Aragorn, but can you talk about what else inspired Asher?
PCQ: Aragorn and his archetype are definitely on the inspirational list when it comes to the Ranger character. In The Echoes Saga, that character type is filled by Asher, though he has his differences from the virtuous Aragorn.
Asher started out life as an Outlander (a savage) before being taken in by an order of assassins. He spent a good couple of decades killing for them, learning the skills that make him such a good ranger.
His darker side definitely has some of Geralt in there from The Witcher (I played the game - never read the books). Aragorn was always such a sweet and gentle man when he wasn’t slaying orcs, while Geralt came across as brash and gruff in all situations which, to me, is far more interesting.
The third strand in my development of Asher actually came from Daredevil (Netflix show). As an assassin of Nightfall, Asher has been given the power to heighten all of his senses when plunged into complete darkness. In fact, the mark of his order is the red blindfold every assassin wears. I just really loved the idea of how menacing a person could be when they could absolutely kick your ass and you knew they were blindfolded…
AC: There’s something about rangers that really connects with people — the idea of facing the wilderness and its monsters all on your own. Is that the character class you’d chose to represent you, or do relate better to something else?
PCQ: I think I would LIKE the ranger character to represent me, but I’m not nearly as skilled or tough enough to survive in the wild. Give me central heating, a warm bed, and a Netflix subscription and I’m like a fish in water. I’d rather be a Dragon Rider and travel around with a WMD by my side!
AC: True on the survival aspect. It cracks me u It cracks me up when people discuss which fantasy world they’d want to live in! I’m always thinking, “None of them!” It rarely works out for everyone in the books I read… So, in our real world, what would your dream career be if you weren’t writing?
PCQ: If I wasn’t writing? That’s a tough one! I’m tempted to cheat your question and say something like script-doctor, but that’s still writing at the end of the day… It’s a really hard question because I absolutely hate work and I can’t think of much else I could do that allows me to live out my imagination every day. Ooo, Maybe acting! It’s very different to what I do now, but it is another form of storytelling and I think I will always be called to that in some way.
AC: In your bio, you mention that you got frustrated reading other people’s books and wanted to get in and do some tweaks. Now that you’re owning this process end to end, what’s your favorite part about writing, and what’s your least favorite?
PCQ: Yeah, I did get frustrated with the fantasy books that were being put out there by traditional publishers. They were starting to feel samey, as if they were all following a formula. I also found that there was a trend emerging that followed characters who were ‘the little guy’ to give a different perspective on events. It bored the crap out of me. Now, I love being able to give my characters their own voice and let them decide what to do next. I love following them through their choices as this process keeps things fresh and exciting for me. I hate editing. I hate it. I really hate it. I spend a lot of time doing it and I have proofreaders etc, but when I’ve written that last sentence in the epilogue, I just want to write the first line in the next prologue.
AC: I feel the same way about Trad Pub sometimes. They put out some great books, but it’s like the movies where everyone immediately goes and copies each other. You get selling seasons that are all chock full of identical styles and themes. Is there anything fresh and different you’d like to recommend my readers (I mean, after our books, of course)?
PCQ: There’s lots of great books out there, both trad pub and self-pub for sure! I’ve always loved the Tales of the Ketty Jay by Chris Wooding, but I’m also a super fan of the show Firefly, which is very similar to Chris’s series, so I was always going to love it. My favourite fantasy series has got to be the Legend of Drizzt Do’Urden by R.A. Salvatore. It was his first book in the series, Homeland, that got me into the fantasy genre. I’m also a sucker for a good sci-fi book. I recently read Gatecrashers by Patrick Tomlinson - very funny considering he writes such a compelling story. I’m currently reading Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio. It’s a massive space opera told in the first person and I am totally envious of his writing style!
AC: You also talk in your bio about how publishing is a bit like jumping straight into the deep end of the pool. As someone who’s made the leap and come up swimming, do you have any advice for new writers who are trying to figure this all out?
PCQ: Firstly, I would say be patient and never lose heart. I started self-publishing in 2016 and wasn’t able to write full time until 2018, but I had been writing since 2013 and received dozens of rejections from agents. We all like to think that the first book we publish is going to change our lives but writing is an art form - it takes time and constant practice to get better. Rise of the Ranger was my third book, after I started a less successful sci-fi series, and two things have helped to propel it over the years: a good blurb and a fantastic cover. The second one requires a real investment. I used a graphic designer in the beginning and switched to an illustrator when I could afford one. We like to say that ‘we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover’ but that is absolutely what people do. Above all though - just keep writing. I know some say that you should spend half your time marketing, but I’ve never spent a penny on marketing or even researched it. My first and only rule is: keep writing.
AC: Outside of writing, tell us some of your hobbies?
PCQ: If my job didn’t give me away I’m a giant nerd! I’m also a big kid who can’t believe he has a kid of his own. I love movies, video games, miniatures, comic books, basically anything that feeds my imagination (it’s a ravenous beast!).
AC: I’ve been asking a lot of people this recently, but as someone who writes full-time — and I’m guessing is used to working from home — do you have any pointers for everyone out there trying to adjust to Covid and remote working arrangements?
PCQ: Working from home with a young family that can’t go out has been frustrating at times. I’ve been torn between writing and spending time with wife and son for sure. Our saviour has been in the form of routine, especially since we have a toddler. I would advise shaping a new routine within the house and sticking to it.
AC: There are 7 books out in the Echoes Saga so far, and I believe it’s scheduled for 9? When can we expect Book 8, and what comes after this series?
PCQ: Book 8: Last of the Dragorn will be out mid September. I’m quite prolific as I believe one of the keys to success in the self-pub world is getting your name and content out there as regularly as possible. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to do until you’re writing full time. At present, I aim to release 2-3 books a year, so the last book in the series will be released in Jan/Feb 2021 (the title’s a secret - sorry). After that, and by popular demand, I will be writing a prequel series about Asher, detailing his life as an assassin/ranger before we meet him in Rise of the Ranger. I’ve got a couple of other series after that, set in Verda still, but they’re hush hush right now - it’s good to be mysterious right?
AC: And we’ll leave it there, because everyone loves a cliffhanger! No… you don’t. Hmph. Well, WRITERS love cliffhangers, so that’s all these two writers have today. Reminder, if you’re interested in more from Philip, you can find his books on Amazon HERE or go straight to the source: https://www.philipcquaintrell.com.