Title: Figurehead Book 3: Pact of the Ages
Author: Rock Lambert
Publisher: Createspace
ISBN: 1541216601
Pages: 135
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author Interview with Rock Lambert
Today we are talking with Rock Lambert author of “Figurehead Book 3: Pact of the Ages.”
PBR: When did you first realize that the writing life was for you, and what was your first successfully published work?
I would have to say during the winter of 2013. I was immersed in writing the pirate attack sequence in the first part of the trilogy, Figurehead: Book 1 – Rise of a Legend. I had reached a point where I truly felt to be in my element – the words were flowing, and the story almost seemed to be writing itself as I went along. I was happy and excited about what I was doing, and writing the story seemed effortless.
Figurehead: Book 1 – Rise of a Legend was my first published work, and heralded the start of my journey into writing. When you speak of successful publishing, to me, that’s a matter of perspective. On one hand, I could say that I’ve successfully published my first trilogy, and hold up the three copies of the books in my hand…and to me, that’s HUGE. It’s the fulfillment of a dream. But if you’re speaking in terms of financial success, where the sales numbers are above the investment costs…well, I’m confident that will come in time.
PBR: What drove you to delve into creating the powerful romantic elements of the Figurehead?
There were several factors involved here. Primarily, it was the old adage that I patterned the story around – “With enough love, anything is possible.” Pike and Francine’s love is made plain in the very first chapter of the trilogy, and everything deepens from that point. Though I began the idea of the story with two kids finding the figurehead buried in the sand, I wanted to put a romantic element into it…so I made the figurehead haunted, containing the spirit of a woman who now after 330 years has returned to reunite with her Captain, the man she loves. This was where the creation of a second storyline (from the 1600’s) became necessary in order to explain the history and tragic events that led to the figurehead becoming enchanted and how she arrived in Carter’s Point.
I also used another adage, that “Love is never perfect” in writing Book 3. When Pike’s love is restored to him through the figurehead, she is much larger than he is (a reversal of when her towered over her in mortal life), and though he is the only one to see her as flesh and bone, she is made of wood…Pike knows this, and yet, he’s unaffected by this, and is satisfied beyond his expectations.
PBR: The Figurehead embodies a strong theme of the romantic especially, self sacrifice for the one you love, how far would you go to be with the one you love?
Well, to put an honest answer to that, I AM with the one I love, and there is nothing that I wouldn’t do to be with her always. I’d go however deep, as long or as far as I had to…and then I’d go some more. As long as I knew that she would be at the end of it and waiting for me, I know that I’d make it.
PBR: Your books contain a great deal of detail surrounding pirates and seafaring lore, have you ever wanted to be a sailor?
I was. I served in the U.S. Navy for a time, and it allowed me to witness firsthand the true power, beauty, and fury of the open sea. But ever since I was little, I’ve always been drawn to stories of the old sailing ships and pirate legends. Choosing the subject for my story was easy; I knew it would be a story that involved the sea and the ships of old. But adding a large wooden figurehead that was haunted and then building the entire story around it? That was something I found that made the story really interesting and unique.
PBR: The characters in your books are so well defined, is there anyone in everyday life that you fashion any particular character after?
Sort of. When I started writing the story, I already had it in mind how I wanted the characters to look…but there was nobody in my daily life that I could pattern them after. So, what I did was cast the characters in my story to actors and actresses from past and present. This enabled me to add a certain element to the characters in the story, and also help to shape its direction.
By the way, the cast list is really interesting…
PBR: As the final installment in a trilogy what was the most difficult aspect of writing was Figurehead 3?
Without a doubt, the hardest part was connecting everything together. There were two separate story line from two different time periods that needed to be connected together, so I chose the figurehead to be the object (or character) to do it. I also had to dedicate a chapter to creating the confrontation British Naval forces that is mentioned in Book 1. This was a pivotal point in the story where some of the figurehead’s history was discovered. This chapter serves as another link between past and present.
PBR: They say hindsight is 20/20 vision, If you could, is there any element that you would change within the books?
Looking back over the trilogy now, I can’t really say if there would be any elements that I would change…but I would say that there are definitely several places in the story that I would expand. As with anything, there is always room to improve, and the are some holes in the story that I could fill in. But there are also some gaps I have purposely left in the story so that the reader is free to use their imagination as to what happened.
PBR: As a published author what is a trade secret that you have learned that, you would you like to divulge to other writers?
I have two. First – Keep a notepad and pen handy wherever you go, because you never know when you’ll get a great idea about your book.
Write it down before you forget it. With a written account, you’ll be able to recall it later and really think it over. A pen and paper on your nightstand might sound funny, but it can make a world of difference.
Second – Seek opinions and viewpoints from others. This is valuable data that can be used to gain a broader perspective and perhaps bring out something you may not have even thought of. Friends, family, and random people are your greatest resource for valuable feedback. You might not agree with what some people say, but listen anyway. Know and understand that you are never going to be able to please everybody…but the more opinions you hear, you gain a greater perspective to help you to make better choices with writing your book.
PBR: Do you have new projects that you are working on?
Yes. I am currently working on a second trilogy as a continuation of the story. However, unlike this first trilogy, the second trilogy will take place entirely in the present day…no more leapfrogging through time. So far, I have the framework for the two books that will conclude the story, and then the plan for the last book – a prequel, which predates the first trilogy and takes place when Silas Pike is still a young boy. I have a working title for the first book and am about 40 pages into it so far, but I’ve made the decision to hold off on it for a few months so that I can work on getting the first trilogy more recognized.
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