Spotlight October 25, 2009
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| All photos used are courtesy of Pat Nelson Childs. |
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| Pat Nelson Childs On Terra Firma A couple of weekends ago, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting author Pat Nelson Childs. I was on a weekend trip to Saugatuck, Michigan, where my friend author Salvatore Sapienza, was hosting myself and Eric Arvin in the cottage at his bed and breakfast (Beechwood Manor Inn & Cottage.) Sal invited Pat to join us and I found him to be an absolutely amazing person. Aside from being the author of the popular fantasy Firma series, Pat is also working on founding his own publishing company, among other ventures as well. He's also in the process of not only completing the third novel in his Firma series but working on other projects that promise to be just as exciting. Pat is a nice guy who's very easy to talk to and we hit it right off. Even though he writes in the fantasy genre, his feet are firmly on terra firma when it comes to what he's into and what he's after. This man is a machine. I'm proud to now call him a friend. |
| CP: Pat, thanks for chatting with me. PNC: My pleasure, Carey. Great to be here. CP: I understand you’re working on a new entry in your Firma series. PNC: Yes. I’m pushing really hard to have Numen’s Trust ready for release at some point this winter. It’s long overdue and my fans have been flatteringly impatient with me. CP: How many books are in the series at present? PNC: Two are in print now. Orphan’s Quest and Scion’s Blood. This one will be the third. CP: Will you be continuing this series or is this the final chapter? PNC: This book will bring the first trilogy to a conclusion. I have ideas for a follow-up rattling around in my head, but it will be a few years away. CP: Are you working on any other projects at the moment? PNC: Well, my next two book projects are a horror novel called Bloodshed, and a sci-fi series called Starlander. I am also developing a graphic novel project with an artist in Indonesia, but that has been put on hold for a little while. CP: I understand you’re also in the process of creating a publishing company. What gave you this idea? PNC: Well, I already own Glynworks Publishing, the imprint that publishes The Chronicles of Firma. I started it because I didn’t care for the idea of doing 99% of the work and getting a 12% royalty. Since I put Orphan’s Quest out, I’ve gotten to know a lot of other authors, and many of them, like me, would like to see the industry evolve. So I decided to start a different kind of company. CP: What do you hope to accomplish with this venture? PNC: Young Offenders Media is going to be a multimedia company with a focus on GLBT and other types of alternative fiction by both established and brand new authors. Our objective is to give authors the tools they need for their books to be successful without taking away all of their control. We’re going to ask them to work hard on their own behalf, just like all small publishers do. The difference is that we’ll support them with lots of promo materials, cooperative advertising and publicity events, plus opportunities to cross- promote with musicians, videographers, artists and other writers to get in touch with a much wider audience. We’re going to be almost exclusively Print to Order, and the money we save by not printing thousands of surplus books (and killing thousands of trees unnecessarily) will all go into better advertising and higher royalties for our authors. It’s the next logical evolution of the publishing industry, which has become something of a dinosaur. CP: Any idea when it will be up and rolling? PNC: Well, I’ll be moving to Port Jervis, NY in April to get our actual headquarters up and running, but I plan to start putting together our first year’s projects over the winter. So I imagine you’ll see the first Young Offenders releases in the spring/summer of 2010. |
| CP: And what’s next for you? PNC: Well, between my writing, and all the publishing and promoting, I think my plate is going to be pretty full for quite awhile, but if I have the chance I want to go over and try to push open a few more European markets for us. CP: Okay…Now a few nosy questions for the fans: Single/Involved? PNC: I recently met the man I intend to marry. I’m busily romancing him now, so wish me luck. CP: Do you have any children? PNC: No, but my cat, Raja has been with me for 12 years, and actually has better name recognition than me I think. I also have two protégés who are like my sons. Matt just started in the Screenwriting program at USC, and Tim just started High School. Both of them are going to do great things, and I’m very proud of them both. CP: What are your hobbies? PNC: (Laughs) A strange mix actually. I love computers, studying history and science, paleontology in particular. I’m also a huge movie buff, and a rabid fan of Japanese anime. I guess that makes me kind of a gay übernerd. CP: Who are your heroes? PNC: Well, I’ve never been one to idolize people, but my biggest writing influence is definitely Mercedes Lackey. She’s the one whose books showed me that there was a place for gay heroes in epic fantasy. If I hadn’t discovered her Last Herald Mage trilogy and Vanyel Ashkevron, a strong, complex hero who just happens to be gay, I’m not sure I would ever have taken on the huge commitment of writing a fantasy trilogy myself – let alone one with gay protagonists. CP: Favorite food? PNC: Hmm. Seafood, chocolate…and chocolate. CP: Favorite place? PNC: Prague. Most beautiful city on Earth. CP: Favorite movie? PNC: It varies with my mood, but I’m an especially huge fan of horror movies. CP: What advice or wisdom can you pass along here? PNC: OMG, no pressure there. (Laughs). I guess the biggest things that life has taught me are to do what you love doing now rather than later, and that nothing is ever more important than the people you love. CP: And what are you most proud of? PNC: I guess I would have to say my writing and my two boys. CP: Pat, thanks again for this great interview. PNC: Thank you. I really enjoyed it. Carey Parrish Back to Home |