Author Guest Post: R. Scot Johns

I am honored to have fantasy author, R. Scot Johns, guest post on The Book Faery Reviews today.  Before we get into Scot’s guest post about Fantasy Digital Art, here’s a tidbit about the author and his new book The Saga of Beowulf.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
R. Scot Johns is a life-long student of ancient and medieval literature, with an enduring fascination for Norse mythology and epic fantasy. He first came to Beowulf through his love of J. R. R. Tolkien, a leading scholar on the subject. As an Honors Medieval Literature major he has given lectures on such topics as the historical King Arthur and the construction of Stonehenge. He owns and operates Fantasy Castle Books, his own publishing imprint, and writes the blog Adventures of an Independent Author, where you can follow his progress as he writes The Jester’s Quest, his second novel.

You can visit his website at www.fantasycastlebooks.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK…
The Saga of Beowulf is the first complete and accurate novelization of the epic Old English poem Beowulf, chronicling the tragic wars of the rising Nordic nations, the endless blood-feuds of their clans, battles with mythic creatures in an ancient heroic age, and the final, futile struggle of one man against the will of Fate that made of him a Legend.

The story follows the young Norse warrior Beowulf as he embarks upon a fateful quest for vengeance against the creature that slew his father, setting in motion a sequence of events that will bring about the downfall of a nation, all the while fleeing from the woman he has sworn to love. Based on extensive historical research and steeped in Nordic myth and lore, the saga unfolds across the frozen fields of Sweden and the fetid fens of Denmark, ranging from the rocky heights of Geatland to the sprawling battlefields of ancient France, as our hero battles men and demons in a quest to conquer his own fears.

“An epic adventure 1500 years in the making,” this classic tale now comes to life once more in a bold new retelling for a modern audience.

Let’s now welcome R. Scot Johns as he talks about Digital Fantasy Art…

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Digital Fantasy Art

Originally I had intended The Saga of Beowulf to be a graphic novel. Not the kind the resembles an overgrown comic book, but one with a heavy dose of illustrations in the manner of those early 1900’s pen and inks by Arthur Rackham or Howard Pyle, with a heavy dose of Frank Frazetta thrown in for good measure. I’ve always loved artwork, almost as much as I love books, and seeing the two together is sheer bliss for me.

But as my composition grew, taking on the epic scale of the story it retells, there was less room left for art and more reliance on the imagination of the reader. Perhaps this is as it should be, for there is much to be said for letting the reader’s own mind fill in the subtle details, allowing them to shape the characters and settings to their own peculiar tastes. So it was that of all the many sketches I had done, intending them to grace the pages of my published novel, in the end only one found its way into print.

I did this pen & ink initially in pencil, which I then scanned into my computer and inked in Corel Painter using a new digital pen tablet I bought for the purpose. I had done one test version in actual pen & ink, but discovered while adding in the text that I needed to alter the size and layout of the composition to make it fit. This proved to be one of the many advantages of digital over actual ink. Each of these elements were created on a separate layer, so that I could move them about and manipulate their size and shape. The manuscript, by the way, is an accurate facsimile of the actual Beowulf manuscript, in its original Old English hand, upon which the novel is based. That document, our sole source for this oldest of English epics, was penned in two different hands, the belief being generally held that the first scribe died before he could complete the tale, hence the ephemeral symbolism of the snuffed out candle and spilled ink jar.

But all books must have at least one major piece of full-color art, that which will grace its cover, and fantasy fiction is not the least conspicuous in this regard. I knew I wanted something fairly bright and bold, and my basic inspiration was drawn from a painting by Frazetta called Kane on the Golden Sea, which featured the muscular hero staring out across the bow of a Viking-style warship as they sail toward some unseen shore.

Starting with a quick rough pencil sketch, again I scanned this into Painter and with my digital pen set to a light graphite I worked out the basic shape and perspective, roughing in the detail taken from the famous Oseberg Viking ship housed in the Oslo Ship Museum. The headstock was based, albeit rather loosely on a 5^th century example found in a Dutch riverbed (see inset image).

After finalizing the details, I started in on the painting, using simulated oils with a fine camel-hair brush, working meticulously over the course of several weeks to build up texture and detail in layers. Again I created each element on a separate layer, ultimately reaching nearly fifty layers, including the background image. The overall process required roughly 300 hours over the course of more than six weeks of long daily sessions. In the end I ran short on both time and energy, as my prospective publication date drew ever nearer and my summer vacation came to an end.

For the titles I had originally created this header plaque, due to the fact that I had initially thought to use the dragon battle scene for the cover, with the fire-drake emerging from its cave. The logo lettering was drawn and inked by hand, in both a solid fill and outline version, then scanned into Photoshop, where I modeled it with over forty layers to create the jewel-inlaid-in-gold appearance. At this point you can see I was still considering it as an illustrated novel.

However, for the final layout I dropped the faux-stone background and only used the letters, in order to balance the composition and show the background better. Here I’ve added a variation of the lettering for the spine, my publisher’s logo, and a blurb on the back, although the final ISBN block has not yet been comped in on this image.

Fantasy art has always played a major role in the initial impact a fantasy novel makes upon the reader, from prompting them to pick up the book in the first place to establishing the tone and imagery which sets them off upon their voyage. It was with that in mind that I decided upon the image of Beowulf and his men setting out across the roiling sea beneath a thunderous, brooding sky. It is my hope that in viewing the cover, the reader will know they’re headed for an adventure.

For higher resolution versions of these and other images, please visit www.fantasycastlebooks.com, where you can also read and download the first two chapters of The Saga of Beowulf and view two promotional video trailers featuring this art.

Save the Best for Last with Author Interview

FROM THE AUTHOR’S SITE…”Zwick lamps, a Secret admirer to Whitney Barnes got targeted by a genius son of the past evil family that had lived in green oasis town. However, it was once before that zwick had finally discovered his supernatural powers that were only known by the isolated old woman Tabitha, a misfortuned lady whose husband died on their wedding day.

In the aftermath of a fire rampage, zwick lamps is framed and prosecuted while Karl Hamilton got convicted and beheaded as per the capital punishment for misdemeanors in the town. Though All along elites had thought that their town was safe. Unfortunately they realized the evil bangle was using Karl’s body which raised people tension and eye brows as the entity haunted the town. Screaming with frustration, it seemed unstoppable, untouchable and above all powers as the bicentenary day of its ancestors was nearing closer to the sacrifice.

But zwick driven by pain of his own past experiences, He was determined to save Rai Evans this time due to the fact that he had realized how much crazy he was about her. But the dateline had to be met in the midst of the eclipse in order to get possession of all his abilities to save Rai while getting rid of the guiltiness of Whitney’s death on his heart. Though, he knew he will never reunite with Madam Tabitha if he does save the girl.”

THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS INTERVIEW W/ THE AUTHOR…

The Book Faery: What was your inspiration to this book?

Kim Hanks: In fact it was a day dream that led me to initiate into the world of save the best for last. This Idea settled quickly in my head than any other sub plots I had had before it. It was amazing to me because the story was imaginary more visual to me. I wasn’t a writing diva by then, but I knew the next thing was to bring that epic fantasy tale to life.

TBF: How did you go about creating the characters and places? Are any of the characters or places you wrote about significant to you?

KH: They became significant to me after creating them and giving them total life. They’re not related to me or anybody in the real world.

TBF: Who was your favorite character to write?

KH: Sincerely Zwick lamps, was my favorite character to write about because not only that I have great knowledge about him. But he was so much fun to create him.

TBF: What was the most challenging part of writing the book?

KH: I can’t say that there was a challenging part in writing this novel apart from my courage not to give up, many people get discouraged and get off writing with nothing other than five pages.

So it was a challenge to me that I loved and enjoyed every minute working on save the best for last.

TBF: How long did it take to finish this novel?

KH: Three months

TBF: If your book was being discussed by a book club, or a few friends meeting over coffee, what about the book do you think would drive the most discussion? (a particular character, event, theme)?

KH: Obviously, Zwick lamps draw the most discussion because his life is always in trouble, mostly in the theme of supernatural.

TBF: If your book was made into a movie, what actors/actresses would you like playing the main roles?

KH: Zac Efron, Scarlett Johansson and Vanessa Hudgens can make it a great blockbuster of all time.

TBF: Do you write during set hours of the day or do you write when the mood hits?

KH: I don’t have set hours for writing at the moment; I mostly write during nights but when I begin, I write until I can’t take it anymore.

TBF: What types of books do you most enjoy reading? Who are your favorite authors?

KH: I read a variety of different genres from various authors and I enjoy all the good books, I don’t think that I can stick on something being my favorite, because there so many new things that comes daily in the literary world.

TBF: Do you have any advice to those working on their first novels?

KH: Believing in your work is vital to any author, if you don’t trust it, nobody will. Keeping reading and don’t forget to write something every day. It will help you to recognize advancements in your writing craft as you writing career goes on.

TBF: Are you currently working on another novel and if so could you give us a sneak peek?

KH: Currently, I’m working on the sequel of save the best for last with other two single title projects. And at the core of the second book, the fate continues and we have one character who’s not coming back in book two.

Thank you Kim Hanks for taking the time out for an interview and thanks to Pump Up Your Books Promotion group for giving me the opportunity to help promote books!

Now and Forever…Somewhere a Band Playing

FROM THE AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:  Now and Forever is a bold new work from an incomparable artist whose stories have reshaped America’s literary landscape; two bewitching novellas that have never before appeared in print-each distinctly different, yet uniquely Bradbury-demonstrating the breathtaking range of the master’s talent and the irrepressible vitality of his mind, spirit, and heart.  In Somewhere a Band Is Playing, a writer is drawn by poetry and dreams to tiny Summerton, Arizona, a community hidden in plain view, where no small children play, and where the residents never seem to age. Enchanted by its powerful rural magic-and by a beautiful, enigmatic lady who bears the name of an Egyptian queen-the writer sets out to uncover Summerton’s mysteries before the inevitable arrival of a ruthless destruction.  More than a half century into his remarkable career, Ray Bradbury continues to delight and astound with grand visions, lyrical prose, and provocative thought. Rich in poetry, wonder, imagination, and truth, here is proof positive that the words and stories of the inimitable Bradbury will live on . . . Now and Forever.”

THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS: I FINALLY completed the FIRST short novel within Now and Forever titled Somewhere a Band is Playing.  I enjoyed Bradbury’s imaginative descriptions but I have to say it took me “forever” to understand the meanings of the various parts of the story.  Once I finally was able to comprehend the meaning, I felt that the story just dropped and I felt a bit disappointed. 

There is a second short novel found within the pages of Now and Forever…Leviathan ’99; to be honest, I don’t think I’ll be reading this short novel.  I prefer reading stories that don’t require me to read a segment over and over again to comprehend so I doubt I’ll be picking up the book again anytime soon.  Does this mean I won’t be picking up another Bradbury classic?  Nah…it’s just time to move on to another story for now…