The 2nd Part of my interview with Crimson Quill Quarterly

 

Here’s part two and the conclusion of David A. Riley’s Author Interview!

 

On the other hand, what do you think makes a good villain in an S&S or dark fantasy story?

 

They must be powerful enough to pose a genuine threat to the main protagonist. At the same time they should have at least some unique features about them to avoid being just some stock villain, which is not always as easy as it sounds. Preferably they need to be evil enough that the violent end they will almost certainly succumb to at the hands of our hero is justified.

 

Of your published works, do you have a favorite tale?

 

I have a fondness for my Horbeck stories. “Lies and Treachery” is the second of them, the first being “The Demon from Another World” which appeared in Anthology of the Damned: Necromoirrium last year. I also like my Welgar tales, all of which were collected in Welgar the Cursed from Tule Fog Press earlier this year, though I must admit I have been far from kind to him. On the other hand I do have a special liking for “The Storyteller of Koss”, which introduces two of my recurring characters, Nadrain the Storyteller and Ossani the Healer. This was first published in Summer of Sci-Fi and Fantasy in 2022.

 

Can you offer any more advice, wisdom, or guidance to aspiring writers?

 

Study the markets you are writing for and be as unflinchingly critical of what you have written as you would be to anyone else’s stories, so that, hopefully, you can improve. Read as much as you can in the genres in which you intend to write so you fully understand them and can avoid the cliches.

 

What is the best way for readers to keep up with your work? Are you available on any form of social media?

 

https://davidandrewriley.blogspot.com/ is a site in which I talk about my stories and announce any news about them.

https://paralleluniversepublications.blogspot.com/ is my publishing site, which I provide news and details of books from Parallel Universe Publications, which I have run for several decades now.

I also have a couple of Facebook groups:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/799792464049764 which is called “Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Public Group”, which discusses all things sword and sorcery.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002067187340 is my personal Facebook group where I usually announce anything I have being published, etc.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1537345449688760 is my Parallel Universe Publications Group.