Raphael Sohnn

 

 Interview with Raphael Sohnn

Author of

The Captains of Legend

Please tell me a little about your current work in progress. 

The Captains of Legend, my debut novel. A story set in a fictional kingdom around five to seven hundred years ago in what eventually became India. It’s a tale of love, war and intrigue that revolves around two lifelong friends who eventually fall in love. The Princess Meena, heiress to her father’s kingdom and Holasiyan, the young warrior destined to be the protector of the Monarch and leader of his fighting men.  

 

Where did you get the idea for this book or series? 

It was something I’d been contemplating writing for about two decades, having started the original draft in my early/mid-twenties. The book as it is now in no way resembles those very first few scribblings. Yet the similarities are clearly in the setting, both regionally and historically. I had wanted, from very early on, to tell a tale of the warriors of India from many centuries ago. 

 

Do you write in more than one genre? 

I have completed a manuscript for one story set in the future that needs some more work. This manuscript for that very reason has very little in common with my first book, The Captains of Legend, or the following two, as yet unpublished at time of writing, that exist in an almost identical universe – historic India – each of those being unconnected to each other or my debut work. It does however deal with the same sort of themes; valour, and the difficulty in trying to walk the right path or fight the good fight when it’s only the protagonist’s instincts and at times little else that keep them on that journey.  

 

Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention. 

Though I could be wrong, I do not believe anything else has been written telling the stories of the warriors guarding the kingdoms in which they reside in the way that I have, for they and their homes are purely fictional. They are undoubtedly set however, in what we now know as India, and hence borrow from the traditions and rituals of their times. 

 

Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing? 

Quite possibly, I do have a background in martial arts. Not for one moment to suggest that I am any sort of warrior. 

 

What else would be helpful for readers to know about you? 

I love the stories of the foundational heroes and superheroes of the 19^th and 20th centuries. I am also a massive fan of comic book iconography. 

 

           Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why? 

Not sure that it’s fair to regard it as underrated, but Gideon’s Spies by Gordon Thomas is an excellent read. 

 

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why? 

Well, all of them, of course. But only The Captains of Legend has been published, at time of writing. Look out for the second book very soon, because if you like the first, you’ll adore the second. (This interview was submitted in 2022, so Raphael may have more books out by now. Check out his website below).

 

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most? 

The end of my twenty-year involvement in the family business. Being as I was, at a crossroads in my life, I took the opportunity to complete that which I had begun as a much younger man. 

 

What question do you wish you would get asked more often? 

During which period in history would you have liked to live? The answers vary from The Wild West to 19^th century England, amongst others. 

 

Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?  

Not so much a catchphrase or quote, but a poem. If by Rudyard Kipling. To read it is to understand why, and after having then done so is to realize that it is a work of absolute genius.

 

Website:    RaphaelSohnn.com

FaceBook: TheRaphaelSohnn

Instagram: RaphaelSohnn

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Thanks to Raphael for participating. Check out his website and social media. If you're not familiar Kipling's "If" - bow your head in shame and vow to improve yourself by finding and reading that poem now. 

In my writing, I'm having a wonderful time. Saturday morning I signed a contract for my story, "Love under a Purple Sky" to be published in Space Cowboys 6: Fission Chips, which will be available next month. I also just received my copies of this:

The first time my name's been on the cover of an anthology containing one of my stories--or any anthology for that matter. I just finished reading Cursed Canyons, another anthology featuring one of my tales, and found the entire compilation to be of an exceedingly excellent quality. My author copies should be arriving tomorrow. There remains one more story yet out for consideration but it will be another month before contracts go out for it, so I still have some possible good news to anticipate.

My adventure book for boys is nearing the halfway mark. If a boy likes action and adventure, he will love this book. The title remains to be determined. Girls who like adventure will enjoy the book too.

Mordor on my Mind

 

Before we get to our adventure in Sauron's old 'hood:

Cursed Canyon is here - click on the picture to check it out.

This is the second Wyrd Western anthology from Raconteur Press and I'm pleased to say I have stories in both - in addition to stories in the Road Trippin' and the Pin Up Noir 2 anthologies. Go here to check out these anthologies and my other books. Note that the Road Trippin' anthology features a story about my dad's motorcycle trip back in the 50s. He read it last night and called to let me know he liked it. Now I have a question about Russian motorcycles sold in the U.S. during the 50s.

 If you're thinking the landscape above looks like Mordor, you're not far off. We took a little trip to Craters of the Moon because we had a hankerin' for hiking among wreck and ruin of Mordor after Sauron's fall. It was October, after all. 

The Two Watchers at the gate would not take cash but insisted on seizing the credit card temporarily before allowing us to pass. Like good hobbits, we started with second breakfast, or as we called it: Lunch. Wanting to conserve the lembas, we consumed our sandwiches, water, chips, and grapes at a handy picnic table in the sun, but we were still a little cool. Some of us were cooler than others. Nary an orc disturbed us.

Like Frodo and Sam with their guide climbing the stairs of Cirith Ungol, we mounted to the summit of a big cinder mountain for a view of the volcanic devastation.

Our next stop was to see a couple volcanic vents, also known as black holes in the ground. After we saw the first one, we opted to pass on the second. Then we hiked to the caves in search of Shelob's Lair. Although there was a narrow blacktop trail to the caves, the caves themselves have little to no improvement. At Indian Tunnel we took the stairs down a few steps to the boulders and climbed down into the pit. Although we saw orc sign in the form of pigeon feathers, we didn't see any orcs. 

You may notice that the dead Eye of Sauron seemed to be upon us, and we headed right for it. The tunnel proved to be orc free, although we did meet a pair of discount travelers. We hurried through in our effort to find Shelob, stopping only to chat and take photos. We didn't find her. Unfortunately, the other caves, which must have included the lair of that spawn of Ungoliant were closed because the bats were sleeping or maybe it was an orc and troll rehabilitation conference.

We made our retreat, stopping at the Devil's Orchard for a quick stroll. It was the equivalent of a visit to the Shire after Saruman had evicted the hobbits and redecorated in a motif of lava cinders and corpsified Ents.

Ennio Morricone's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly soundtrack carried us home as on wings of eagles, but there weren't any welcoming ceremonies or crowning of new kings.

The Compromise compromised

 "Few things are certain in this life, however shrewdly a man may plan." -- Raphael Sabatini -- The Black Swan

Fun Fact:

Back to 1850 and the Great American Compromise. The matter of Texas in Clay's Omnibus bill was tentatively resolved by the Dawson Proviso, an amendment stipulating that New Mexico would not be allowed to exercise any authority east of the Rio Grande until the boundary commission had drawn a line that satisfied both Congress and the Texas Legislature. In other words, Texas had veto power over the boundary issue. Naturally, this brought Texas in to support the Omnibus. However, Stephen Douglas and others saw that Texas, having a de facto border established at the Rio Grande by the proviso, would never agree to anything less. 

James A. Pearce of Maryland moved to strike the entire Texas and New Mexico section of the Omnibus and reinsert it without the Dawson Proviso, as an unreasonable capitulation to Texas. Henry Clay saw all his hard work would be undone by Pearce. Clay and his friends tried to dissuade him from the maneuver, but Peace carried on. David Yulee seized the occasion for a maneuver of his own, asking if Pearce would consent to allow them to vote separately on the deletion and reinsertion provisions. When Pearce agreed, they voted for the deletion, but before the reinsertion vote, Yulee made a motion to delete everything still in it that related to Texas. His motion passed. With Texas unsatisfied, the Omnibus was critically wounded and leaking blood in shark infested waters. The predators moved to strike the portions relating to New Mexico, and then to California--each passing and leaving the Omnibus a hollow shell, with Utah remaining as the lone passenger. That issue was voted on and passed a few days later with little opposition. 

Defeated, Clay left Washington. Would anyone step up to fill the gap?

The above is summarized from Chapter 23 of Fergus Bordewich's America's Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen Douglas and the Compromise that Preserved the Union.

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 Check out my new book page with also includes magazines and anthologies featuring my short stories. Two more will be added soon.

Cassie Greutman

 Interview with Cassie Greutman

Author of the Penchant for Trouble Series

 

Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.

 Right now I’m working on several things, but the story I can talk about the most is book four in the Penchant for Trouble series. The main character Trish has gone through a lot and learned so much in the last three books, and it really starts to come to a head in book four! So I’m not giving away too many spoilers, I’ll just say book one is about a fae girl being raised in the human foster care system who is blackmailed by the Faerie Council to help capture an escaped fae fugitive. And things only get more crazy from there!

Where did you get the idea for this book or series?

My parents were foster parents even before I was born, so I had many foster siblings over the years. When I got old enough to notice how foster parents are portrayed in movies, books, and TV, I was annoyed. Most foster parents are amazing people trying to help kids. So I decided to write a story where the foster parents are the good guys! But I also love the fantasy genre, and wanted to blend the two things. So that’s how Penchant for Trouble was born!

Do you write in more than one genre?

I mostly write YA urban fantasy with strong themes about the importance of family, whether that’s blood related or not, but I also have a portal series started, which will crossover with the Penchant for Trouble world. It’s called the Arnath Chronicles. I dabble in epic fantasy a bit, with a dragon story coming out soon in an anthology called Dracos.

Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention.

Being a foster sister growing up has given me unique perspectives into relationships. If you like stories with great characters, then you should give my books a try!

Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?

As well as the foster family aspect, I’ve also been in EMS for fifteen years. The emotion that goes with the trauma of some of those runs has made me empathetic to others pain, and has also helped me flesh out my characters.

What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?

Hmmm… I’m extremely into horses. I love everything about them. I like to rescue when I have the time and funds. They are my happy place when I’m not writing.

Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why?

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles are amazing books that I don’t often hear mentioned. I love them, they are magical and humorous, and one of the few series that I continue to read over and over.

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?

I would definitely start with Regen. It’s the first book in Penchant for Trouble. I love the monsters, I love how Trish is learning it’s okay to love and be loved by her foster family even though she has abandonment issues.

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?

I attended a couple small writing conferences as a teen, and I’m not sure that I would have had the confidence to continue writing without them. For anyone who wants to write, finding even a small local conference can be so encouraging.

What question do you wish you would get asked more often?

How many books are you going to have in your series? If people are asking that, they have probably read through what’s there and want more!

Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.
It’s so true, for every aspect of life. Just keep on keeping on, and eventually you’ll get there, even if it isn’t in the time frame you would like.

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Thanks to Cassie for participating.

Road Trippin' is available now in ebook and paperback. Anthology of both fiction and nonfiction travel stories. My nonfiction story about someone's motorcycle trip back in the 50s is the second story in the book. Enjoy it while you can.

I nearly scratched out a new observation about The Lord of the Rings but decided to save that for my newsletter--which you can sign up for at the top of the page.