Author Interview with A. L. Collins
Bastion, Prequel to War
Interviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert for Pacific Book
Review
January,
2012
PBR: Today we
have the pleasure of being with emerging author A. L. Collins, author of Bastion, Prequel to War. Thank you for sharing some time with us.
ALC: Of
course, thanks to you as well.
PBR: First, tell us please did you always want to
be a writer?
ALC: A lack
of excitement in my community gave me quite an active imagination. I’ve been
telling stories for the better part of my life. So once I thought hard about
what I enjoyed doing it just hit me that writing was what I was meant to do. It
wasn’t long before it became my passion.
PBR: So once
you decided writing was for you, what then prompted you to write in the fantasy
genre?
ALC: Well a
lot of movies, books and games had to do with it. I always enjoyed limitless
boundaries and a fantasy world is influenced only by the scope of your own
imagination. Nothing is impossible. I liked that feeling of freedom in my
writing.
PBR: How did you come up with the story of Bastion Prequel to War?
ALC: It felt
like I was just sitting at home writing the main characters down and then all
of a sudden I had a timeline and twenty sheets of lore written on paper. It was
just a flood of good ideas coming at once and it was practically out of the
blue!
PBR: How hard was it for you to get through
writing the first chapter of Bastion?
ALC: Almost
impossible because I’m so bad at beginnings. I want to get right into the meat
of the story. But so much lore can’t be rushed into so I started with back
story. It was a risk, but that first chapter will be rehashed in every sequel.
So it’s actually very important to the series. I was proud of myself. Usually I
like to jump into a story and then explain the beginning as the book moves on.
PBR: Bastion
Prequel to War is currently being promoted as a series, how will you
continue the tale of Bastion?
ALC: I have
so much lore that I’ll need to be careful and make sure things stay smooth and
cohesive. I’ve already learned from the couple things I would change in the
first book so the second, I think, is already ten times better than its
brother. I want to just grow as an author and see what my mind can really do.
I’m already a much better writer than I was yesterday, so to feel like I’m
growing at this rate is just amazing.
PBR: When do you expect to complete your next book
in the series?
ALC: Well
I’m actually working on the beginnings of several other series. Once the word
of Bastion circulates and I market it even more, hopefully the fan base will
have grown by then. Then I’ll focus on a second book for Bastion once all
others are established. I do have a rough outline of the direction of the
second book though.
PBR: As a young writer how do you find time to
manage to devote time to your writing and manage the other aspects of your
life?
ALC: It’s
hectic. I’m always darting off to work in the middle of my writing. Sometimes I
take my laptop to my work and just write after my shift until midnight. I’m
always on the go and it’s hard. Thank goodness I’m out of school now. I can’t
imagine how I would have balanced schoolwork with this. But sometimes things
get so crazy that I’d love to be able to just sit in a comfy room and write my heart
out. The book eats up the social life too. My friends wonder why I haven’t
resurfaced after so many weeks. I’m just that busy.
PBR: How supportive are your friends and family of
your desire to be a writer?
ALC: My
parents actually shocked me. I just graduated from high school two years ago,
I’m only nineteen. And my mom was especially floored that I was putting off
college for this, but they’ve both been incredibly supportive… and excited.
I’ve actually been getting a lot of help promoting the book from my friends. I
want to be able to give them and everyone around me a better life with what I’m
doing. And the scary thing is that everyone is starting to believe in me too.
It puts a bit of pressure on me. However that’s the goal of this. I want to give
back more than I’ve taken.
PBR: What sage advice would you give to a young
person that desires to be a published writer, like yourself?
ALC: I’ve
learned a lot in such short time. The key components I’ve found are creating,
editing and marketing. Create a great story, edit it like crazy and then spread
the word as far as possible. You need to be determined and occasionally clever
in order to do this. Not to mention resourceful. I’ve even made homemade
candles with my book cover on it just to get the word out. But just write what
you like and see what happens. You’ll be amazed at how things unravel when you
try to push your work into the world. It’s all about dreams, it really is. But
definitely stay humble and don’t forget where you came from.
PBR: Would you like to explore other genres with
your writing skills, if so what other genres would like to get into?
ALC: Yes I
would. I’ll always be fiction. However I’ve got plans for a young adult
motivational, a zombie book, a thriller and a sci-fi. I’m fishing with
different hooks and seeing what I catch. I want to know what I’m best at. Of
course I’ll always pump out a magical fantasy book in between so I don’t
confuse readers too much, but I’d like to be diverse. Most people say it’s the
kiss of death to go outside your genre. I want to give it a go. Life’s too
short, you know?
PBR: This has all been very interesting. We certainly wish you the best of success
with your new book, and your writing career.
Thank you once again for sharing some time with us today.
ALC: Of
course. Hey, I like to talk.
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