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Interview: C.M. DeMott

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Greetings all

We continue this series of interviews with another finalist, C.M. DeMott. Many of you will get to meet her at FantaSci. More of you might know her as Morgan Wolfsinger in the SCA, a renowned bard and storyteller.

C.M. DeMott

  1. Why are you here? This includes influences, favorite creators, steps along the way, and dreams down the road.
C.M. DeMott
C.M. DeMott

I am influenced primarily by JRR Tolkein, Ursula K. Le Guin, Michael Moorcock, Rudyard Kipling, Susan Cooper and Rosemary Sutcliff. Also, Peter S. Beagle, Manly Wade Wellman, Neil Gaimon, and Charles DeLint.

I decided to write because stories are a door into a different place. A way to meet new friends and challenges, where you control the outcome. I choose to create because the stories inside me want out.

My goal is to get a series of novels I wrote published.

  1. Describe your great Lab of Creation? This includes where you work, what do you listen to (if anything), things you have to have in your work environment, and stuff you’ve tried that haven’t worked.

I work in my tower. Yes, really. My office is in a tower. I’m surrounded by books, model horses, and my airbrushing stuff.

I usually listen to music, notably Heather Dale, Metallica, Evanescence, Nickleback, Jethro Tull.

I have to have a place where I can’t be easily interrupted.

  1. What are your superpowers? This includes things you like your creations, specific techniques you do well, and some favorite successes.

I want magic, unicorns, dragons, music, and smart characters who can learn from what I throw at them in my creations.

I think I do best with writing poetry and setting a scene.

What are specific techniques you do well? Poetry. Setting a scene.

My biggest successes so far are self-publishing 7 CDs of my own music and getting 2 short stories published.

  1. What will Lex Luthor use to defeat you? This includes challenges you’ve faced that frustrated you, learning experiences, techniques for overcoming creative challenges, things you’d have done differently, and advice for new writers.

My biggest challenge is making time to write.

One of my most productive failures was a really horrible customized model horse. Gave me a better eye for perspective and anatomy.

Whenever I have a slow point, I switch to a more physical activity, like sculpting, or to writing music. Switching to a different character story line also helps.

The biggest thing I’d tell new creators is to keep trying. Analyze what you’re doing that isn’t working, and try to find a way around the road block. For myself, I wish I could go back and pay more attention to grammar and punctuation.

Lightning Round
  • Favorite Muppet? Kermit, of course.
  • Favorite Musical Performer We’ve Never Heard Of? (Ed. Note: I put this here to help us all find cool new things to listen to. She didn’t provide an answer here, so I will point out that she’s got 7 CDs available. Just sayin’)
  • Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall? Winter
  • Favorite Superhero? Dr. Strange
  • Best Game Ever? Circus Maximus
  • Favorite 1970s TV show? Dark Shadows
  • Do You Have Pets? (provide pictures if you want) 3 cats
  • Favorite Weird Color? Dappled silver black.
  • Favorite Historical Period? 450-550 CE British Isles.
  • Steak Temperature? Rare
  • Favorite Chip Dip?  None
  • Beverage(s) of Choice? Black tea

Tell me again where we can find your stuff?

Where can we find you?

  • FantaSci Con this March in NC
  • The Pennsic War (August 2022, PA)

Do you have a creator biography?

C. M. DeMott is a small animal veterinarian living in southwest Virginia. Since discovering the Society for Creative Anachronism in 1976, she has been writing and performing original ballads based on legend, faery tales, and myths under the name Morgan Wolfsinger.

She currently has seven CDs out, and is working on an eighth. “Choices” in Talons and Talismans II was her first published story. “Fluffers” in The Keen Edge of Valor is her second. You can find her music at morganwolfsinger.bandcamp.com.

* * * * *

Thanks to Cathy for hanging out, and I can’t wait to hear her play something at FantaSci.

Interviews

Interview: Jon Osborne

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For the first quarter of 2020, my Wednesday interviews will be with authors who are part of When Valor Must Hold, the upcoming anthology of fantasy stories published by Chris Kennedy Publishing.

This week, the interview is with Jon Osborne, who I think is a rising star. His story in When Valor Must Hold is called “The Errand” and you’ll love it.

Interview: Jon Osborne
Jon Osborne
Jon Osborne

Why are you here?

My early science fiction influences are Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, George Lucas, and Gene Roddenberry. My fantasy influences, which came later, were Charles de Lint, Randall Garrett, Steven Brust, and Gary Gygax. More contemporary inspiration comes from the likes of Eric Flint and Kevin Hearne.

I was a gamer before a writer. I started off as a Dungeon Master because I had the rules, and storytelling became addictive. I learned from an early age that characters will not do what you expect, nor do they care about your pre-conceived plans.

The Milesian Accords wasn’t a story that had been bouncing around for years. It coalesced while I was driving every week between Indianapolis and Chicago to deal with my parents’ estate. The beginning and ending of the story formed right away, and the rest filled in as I wrote the story.

Describe your great Lab of Creation?

I do 95% of my writing in my home office on a sprawling, cluttered desk. When I played MMOs, I spent the bulk of my time parked in front of this corner desk, and when I transitioned to writing, I remained parked here.

I use YouTube for my background music. By and large, I listen to soundtracks. The most notable exception is the Mongolian heavy metal band The HU, and the funk band Here Come The Mummies.

I’m not a coffee drinker, so the coffee shop doesn’t hold an appeal for me. I’d rather have a whisky or beer in the comfort of my home rather than sit in an establishment full of strangers.

What are your superpowers?

Based on feedback, it appears I do dialogue well. Disney, if you’re reading this, I can help you out with that next Star Wars movie – you need it. I like to think I’m good at world-building – although my editors might say I get carried away – another trait from my background as a game master.

One of the things I had to overcome was my training – I majored in journalism in college, so I was taught to keep sentences short and my writing concise. Once I tried my hand at descriptive fiction, I found out I sucked at complex sentences – especially commas use. The way it sounded in my head was the opposite of how I should write. Fortunately, my publisher was a great mentor and patient with me.

What will Lex Luthor use to defeat you?

Superman has kryptonite, and I have squirrels. Staying focused is a huge challenge for me. In fact, I’m filling this out when I should be finishing a book. I’ve found I should keep my phone out of arm’s reach, as a quick checking of e-mail or social media turns into half an hour.

One thing I regret was never learning to type. Despite majoring in journalism in high school and college, I didn’t take typing classes. I mostly use my index fingers. If I typed faster, maybe I could keep up with my brain.

Lightning Round

  • Favorite Muppet? Animal
  • Favorite Musical Performer We’ve Never Heard Of? The Hu
  • Favorite Superhero? Wolverine
  • Favorite 1970s TV show? Battlestar Galactica
  • Favorite Weird Color? 633fcc
  • Favorite Sports Team? The Colts
  • Best Game Ever? D&D
  • Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall? Fall
  • Best Present You’ve Ever Received? When I found my missing cat on Christmas Day
  • What Cartoon Character Are You? Scooby Doo
  • What Do You Secretly Plot? A 6 book RPG Lit series
  • How Will You Conquer the World? Sounds like too much work
  • Best Thing From the 80s? You expect me to pick one? Those were my high school and college years.
  • Favorite Historical Period? It depends on what Wikipedia page I’m looking at.
  • Most Interesting Person In History? See above.
  • Steak Temperature? Medium
  • Favorite Chip Dip?  Nacho cheese
  • Favorite Cereal? Captain Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch (but it’s like eating peanut butter flavored gravel and will shred your mouth)
  • What Do You Eat For Your Last Meal? A bacon-wrapped fillet, french fries, and chili at the Ale Emporium
  • Beverage(s) of Choice? Beer
  • Do You Have Pets? No
  • What Question Should I Add to the Lightning Round? If you wrote under a (different) pen name, what would it be?

What question(s) would you like to ask me? What was the hardest book/story to write and why?

Rob’s Answer: So far, that clearly has to be None Call Me Mother. I’ve been working on it for two years now, and it still isn’t done. I’m getting close, but man this one hasn’t gone smoothly.

Tell me again where we can find your stuff?

And where can we find you?

  • CapriCon Feb 14-16
  • FantaSci Mar 20-22

Do you have a creator biography?

Jon R. Osborne is a veteran gamemaster and journalism major turned science fiction and fantasy author. The second book in the Jon’s The Milesian Accords modern fantasy trilogy, “A Tempered Warrior”, was a 2018 Dragon Awards finalist for Best Fantasy Novel. Jon is also a core author in the military science fiction Four Horseman Universe, where he was first published in 2017.

Jon resides in Indianapolis, where he plays role-playing games, writes science fiction and fantasy, and lives the nerd life. You can find out more at jonrosborne.com and at https://www.facebook.com/jonrosborne. 

Thanks to Jon for taking the time to answer my questions.

If you have any suggestions or comments about this interview format, let me know so I can keep tweaking it.

Also, thanks to you for reading. If you’re interested in any of the other interviews I’ve done, you can find them all here: https://robhowell.org/blog/?cat=326. If you are a creator, especially an independent creator, and you want to be spotlighted in a future interview, email me at rob@robhowell.org.

Finally, if you want to join my mailing list, where I’ll announce every interview, as well as what’s going on in my life, go to www.robhowell.org and fill out the form (Name and Email Address) or drop me an email and I’ll add you.

Have a great day.

Rob Howell