The Imperative: A Dark Age Historical Fiction Novel (Thrones of Britannia) Book 3

1/9/2023

Award-winning, multi-volume author, Francis Williams introduces us to the third volume in Thrones of Britannia series, “The Imperative”:

In the third and final book set in the world of Thrones of Britannia series, see the world through the eyes of heroes both old and new.

Lord Drysten, now widely considered to be the savior of Britannia despite his past transgressions, is being tested by a new enemy he never knew he would need to face. Kingship. The mantle of responsibility was never something he thought he would bear the weight of, and his enemies, past and present, see this as well.

His tragic story plays out in unexpected ways, possibly turning him from savior to villain.

In addition to witnessing Drysten's trials, there is another man introduced into the series; a reluctant hero who serves the mythic lord of the Britons. His name is Peredur, but simply goes by Thatch. This refugee of Frisian raiders soon finds himself oathed to Drysten as he embarks on a journey of revenge and discovery.
Thatch, as well as other characters new to the series, will soon have their hands full dealing with the full might of The Morrigan's fanatical followers, as well as older enemies that cannot be driven back.

*Please Read*

This novel was once titled He Hunts at Midnight before I realized the reception my past novels received. It was going to be a shorter novel centering on the lesser-known characters I wanted to introduce before the grand finale. The story of The Imperative is NOT different from He Hunts at Midnight, but I have added the book I was using as the finishing touch to Drysten's legacy.

In short, this novel still has the same content as before but has been expanded to finish up the Thrones of Britannia series.

What comes next will be a follow-up trilogy dubbed The Collapse of The Britons, but I don't want to spoil that too much just yet.

An amazing finish to this trilogy! I love this book! It's a great story and caps the series perfectly!
The author has a wonderful grasp of the period and makes you feel you are standing so close to the characters. I was on the edge of my kindle for so much of the story.
If you like action, political intrigue and wild adventure then this is a great story and series for you.
4.9 stars from me!

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Imperative-Historical-Fiction-Thrones-Britannia-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/-the-imperative

You can follow the author:
https://twitter.com/Author_FrancisW
https://www.instagram.com/iamfranciswilliams
https://www.facebook.com/IamFrancisWilliams

I reviewed the first book in the series here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/honor-a-dark-age-historical-fiction-novel We had a nice interview.

I reviewed the second book in the series here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/usurper-thrones-and-soldiers-book-2

tags: action, adventure, ancient military, gods, God

Copyright © 2023 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction

49 Comments

Francis Williams link

1/9/2023 03:00:43 pm

Hey Mark! Thanks for the kind words. I was pretty proud of this one, and I hope your audience enjoys it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Mark

1/9/2023 03:09:18 pm

You are welcome, Francis. I really enjoyed your book. Actually, I have enjoyed all three books and encourage visitors to the interview to read all three.

We last chatted in the promotion for "Honor", your first book in this series. We are going to back up a little bit in this interview.

The first questions.

What is the most important thing you learned from publishing your latest book?

What are three things, that you wish you knew before you wrote your first book?

1/9/2023 03:38:30 pm

My latest book is actually The Test Subject, a science fiction novel written from the point of view of a man recounting the last few years of his life after being illegally experimented on. Bit different than my other stuff!

But as for The Imperative, I learned quite a bit that I've been able to build on. Things that were HUGE helps for The Test Subject, as well as my next fantasy series.

The absolute MOST important thing is to always write what YOU want to write, not what you believe would sell. I didn't realize it, but people are more attracted to a passion project than anything else. In my previous books, I wrote what I thought people would recognize or feel comfortable with, and I didn't do anything new. Drysten is a much different protagonist in The Imperative because I figured out I could do things in a way that was much more interesting to me, making the overall product a bit better. He's much more of a morally gray character, and I think that makes him significantly more interesting to the audience as well.

I also suppose I could count that as the first thing I wish I knew before writing my first book!

The second thing I wish I learned would be the importance of the Merovingians. I would have LOVED to put them into these books in a larger capacity, especially considering just how important to European history they are. Instead, I had the Huns for this book, but I won't go complaining about that. Still a very interesting people to me.

The third thing I wish I knew, would be how to blend genres together. I think I did a slightly better job with The Imperative in this regard. Just because you're writing historical fiction, that doesn't mean there can't be mystery, horror, or a toned down fantastical element. In this book, there's more political intrigue than I initially intended on, but I loved the way it turned out. Laid some wonderful groundwork for the future projects I have coming!

1/9/2023 05:42:45 pm

Sci-fi is my favorite genre to read, followed closely by fantasy and still close by historical fiction.

I think first and third of those discoveries are important to nearly all writers. The second is genre specific and important to you.

Many writers blend genres and that works great for self-publishers. Mixing or mashing genres can be a hazard for writers who use a more traditional publisher. Some publishers won't touch a book if they can't identify a genre that they think will sell.

Just one more reason why I encourage authors to self-publish. Of course, it is hard the first time, but it gets easier like riding a bicycle.

New questions.

Did you use a traditional publisher or did you self-publish?

Was it difficult to choose between self-publishing and traditional publishing?

1/9/2023 06:19:36 pm

I only tried to find a traditional publisher for about two months while writing Honor. I got a handful of responses to my inquiries, but there wasn't much traction at that point. So, with me having a story I wanted to tell, I chose to self-publish instead.

In all honesty, it was a straightforward decision. I wasn't really having any meaningful conversations with traditional publishers, but I wanted to get my book published SOMEHOW. So, I did a quick google search, and here I am!

1/9/2023 06:41:58 pm

I am glad you made that decision. While it is true that you are responsible for all of the costs to publish a book it is also true that you don't have to share a percentage of the profits that a publisher or an agent. Plus, you maintain full control of your intellectual property and all associated rights.

There is a lot to be said for that because there are many ways to license a book. There are many possibilities including audio books, deluxe editions, box sets, graphic novels, screenplays for large screen or video only, video games, foreign publication and translations. I forgot to mention merchandising also. I know one author who has a 3-D printer, he makes figurines of his character and hand paints them.

I want to entertain you with an extreme example of a crowd-funded deluxe edition. https://kriswrites.com/2020/07/22/business-musings-the-kickstarted-game-changer-part-two/

New questions.

You have an audio book of "Honor" the first book in the series. Do you have plans to make or have made audio books of "Usurper" and "Imperative"?

I know that producing a quality audio book is expensive. Have you ever thought of making your own audio book?

1/10/2023 04:18:42 pm

I have a ton of plans! I was lucky enough to find a man named Tony Cleary through ACX. He's the narrator who worked on Honor, and is currently working on Usurper as well. The tentative plans are for him to do The Imperative at some point, but he pours a ton of work into every book he narrates, so it could be a while. I'm happy to wait, because I was thrilled with the work he's done so far. I guess I should have expected good things considering he worked for the BBC and has a radio show.

As for me, I narrated about two chapters of The Test Subject, and they turned out horribly, so I went the ACX route or that one as well. I don't mind splitting royalties if it means the book will sound like it was professionally done, and David Reimer did such an unbelievable job that I was actually kind of floored. He used sound effects and had the perfect tone the whole way through. I listened to it and it didn't even feel like I was hearing by own book. I honestly couldn't have hoped for something this good.

The audiobook actually just released TODAY so I'll leave the link here if anyone is interested:

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Test-Subject-Audiobook/B0BRYLKJGF?qid=1673385365&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=782VEMX1TBWJ8J42ZQD0&pageLoadId=ymSkomAfwRO5gIX8&creativeId=0d6f6720-f41c-457e-a42b-8c8dceb62f2c

1/10/2023 05:35:26 pm

Smart move! Audio books are a preferred form of consumption for many people. I have a friend who is very dyslexic and 'reads' dozens of books every year.

Without good equipment and a proper recording space it is very hard to make a decent product. Good narrators are very necessary, and they are expensive. I like the ACX model of profit sharing.

Artificial Intelligence is catching up to humans in this field. I think that Having AI narrate a book will be available before too long. This will drop the price by a little, at first. Then the price will go down a lot when there is no need for a human to review the work of the computer. The next evolution will involve licensing human voices to AI. Wouldn't you like to have a future book narrated by James Earl Jones? A computer could do that with enough voice sampling. The smart human narrators will license their voice also. Then a customer would have several price points to choose from. The human-narrated books will command a premium price in the future.

I like sound effects in the audiobooks I have read. The effects add a great deal to the experience. But it is hard for me to focus unless I speed the playback up to 1.5X the normal speed. When I was in school, I trained myself to concentrate exclusively on the book I was reading and learned to exclude all extraneous noise.

Thanks for the link. I hope many people buy it.

New questions.

Why and how did you choose this particular time period, the fifth century, as a setting for this series?

What kind of historical research did you do?

1/10/2023 05:54:17 pm

First and foremost, I just loved Roman history. The fall of the Roman Empire was always a topic that attracted me, even though it's sort of tragic at many points. One thing I never knew was just how badly abandoned the people in Britannia were. I knew the empire couldn't sustain an occupation force, but I didn't know until somewhat recently that they pretty much just washed their hands of the place around 410 AD. So, I decided to do a little digging, and I thought how tragic it was that so much must have happened that we will never know about. Because of that, I decided to write a little story of my own.

In all honesty, I thought researching would be a lot harder. I went to all the big named sites and went pretty much every library within driving distance, but there wasn't much concrete evidence to be found. So, I found out I had the privilege of making up quite a bit, so long as I stayed fairly consistent with certain attitudes of certain groups that were around in that time period.

More or less, I just made sure I had a decent grasp of how tribal everyone probably was.

1/10/2023 06:45:20 pm

I suspected that might be the case. That period of time is known as the Dark Ages for a reason, a lack of good information leaves lots of room for creativity.

Your thought process about tribalism is spot on, in my opinion. The breakdown of large-scale social order leaves a vacuum that smaller groups will fill. People naturally gather together for protection and survival.

Multiple times you refer to Roman technology in the buildings and how few knew how to repair the roofs. Having retired from construction, that is a detail that I enjoyed.

New questions.

What kind of Historical Fiction do you prefer?

Real persons in a fictional setting or fictional persons in a real historical setting?

1/10/2023 07:10:50 pm

I would probably have to go with the latter. I'm always looking for an excuse to research a time period I know nothing about. I recently started looking into Khara-Khoto. It was a massive city in the Gobi Desert I had never heard of.

Wouldn't say I know enough about the area to write a historical fiction novel set in the place, but its description has greatly influenced a location in my fantasy novel's sequel.

1/10/2023 07:26:40 pm

I have not heard of that place either. Though I might have forgotten it. I used to regularly visit a website called damninteresting,com. Sorry, it is not clickable. They had such fascinating and unusual stories about history and science. I haven't visited in quite a long time, until now. I discovered an article about AI and voices. Here is a copy-and-paste link: https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-ai-voice-mimic-deepfake-natural-copy-audio-1849969596?utm_source=DamnInteresting.

Research never ends when you are a writer, it seems. Mind you, I am not complaining, I love research. As a boy growing up on a small farm outside of a small town, I read everything I could get my hands on, including a 10-pound dictionary and two sets of encyclopedias.

New questions.

Do you write notes by hand or on the computer?

What is the most valuable piece of advice you have ever received from another writer?

1/11/2023 04:32:38 pm

I actually do a bit of both, but I always type up my handwritten notes at some point. I don't really like having slews of post its hanging around, but sometimes it's somewhat unavoidable. I don't really mind the clutter so much, as I have a weirdly efficient organization method that would probably be a foreign language to anyone else, but clutter can sometimes cloud the mind. So, mostly everything gets put into a google doc or one of my writing programs.

The most valuable piece of information I ever received would 100% have to be the fact you don't really need a coherent first draft. Everyone WANTS one, obviously, but you don't necessarily need one. For my fantasy novel, I threw down a bunch of really cool ideas more than anything else, Then, on the second draft, I made sure they fit together. Then on the third, I got rid of stuff that still didn't quite fit, and now I'm working through the fourth draft of something that's action packed, pulls at some heart strings, and has a satisfying ending (which I wrote before I ever started on the beginning)

1/11/2023 06:23:42 pm

You are not the only one. Many writers start with handwritten notes or a plot outline as short as one page. Some start with Post It notes on a big board to get the rough sequence in place before writing the first draft.

I am a firm believer that the only purpose of a first draft is to get the story out of your head. No one can edit a blank page. I don't think that a first draft has ever been perfect and never will.

Your process for the fantasy novel sounds spot on.

Writing the ending first is another great idea. I have no problem with non-linear writing. One of my guest bloggers, Rick Hall, wrote a great piece about that very topic. Here is a copy-and-paste link or hit the search box below: http://www.wordrefiner.com/guest-blogs/non-linear-writing

New questions.

What has been the biggest surprise in your writing journey?

You have published a number of books. You are writing more. Are you writing anything strictly for your own pleasure, not necessarily planning to publish it?

1/11/2023 06:40:55 pm

Honestly, the biggest surprise is that I'm pretty decent at it. I had pretty low expectations in the beginning, and didn't really think I'd write more than one or two books. Usurper was actually going to be the last one until I saw some of the feedback Honor was getting.

Now, I'm not going to say I can write a masterpiece, but I think I'm pretty darn good for someone doing 100% of the work by myself. I have no outside help from anyone, aside from the occasional beta reader or someone helping me find reviews. It's making me pretty excited for the day I can actually pay someone to help me out a bit.

To answer your last question, yes, I am writing for my own joy right now! I loved working on The Imperative, but I also felt compelled to round out the trilogy, so there was an element of "I really have to get this done" with it.

But before that, The Devil of Nassau came to be because I watched a show called Black Sails and fell in love with pirates. The Test Subject was something I initially wrote and entered into a writing competition, and I found the file a decade or so later. I loved the idea of expanding on and finishing it, so I did. Didn't get far in the competition though...

And now, I'm working on Althalos the Unbreakable, which is going to be the very start of an expansive fantasy series I intend to keep writing, well, as long as possible, really. I always loved fantasy and I really don't know why I didn't just start there. I am VERY excited for this series, and already have six spin offs planned, along with the main book, which is called The Observant Darkness, and it already has a first draft done.

To sum it up, I'll be a happy camper in the book department for a while!

1/11/2023 06:59:36 pm

What a pleasant surprise, indeed! We have untapped talents as we cultivate chosen areas. There is always something new to discover.

I am excited for your writing future also. I love your writing style. I hope you have written those spinoff ideas down. It would be a shame to lose them.

I encourage writers to keep a notebook for ideas. Some writers get their best ideas while asleep. One client told me she gets a visit from her muse almost every night at about 2:30 AM. She has a pad and pen she keeps near her bed and sometimes she can even read her writing in the morning. Another writer lamented that the best ideas came to her in the shower and lost so many of them because she couldn't get out to write them down fast enough. I suggested she get a pad of waterproof paper and a Fisher Space pen because it can write underwater. She was pleased with the results.

New questions.

What are common traps for beginning writers?

Do you think a strong ego is an asset or liability for a writer and why?

1/12/2023 04:37:02 pm

The most common trap I think I've seen is the idea you have to have the whole story mapped out or the setting fully created before you start writing. That is so unbelievably restrictive. The story is going to evolve on its own whether you've mapped it out or not, so I would recommend writing down a few notes to just get you started, then go crazy.

Another trap is being too fine. That sort of goes back to one of my last answers. You don't need to be perfect in the first couple drafts. There's really no reason to even try to be. Just set little goals for yourself to accomplish with each subsequent version of your book, and only strive to improve on those specific areas. Each draft should have a different goal, from the first just vomiting as many ideas as you can, to the last being about structural and nagging grammatical issues you need to fix. I think compartmentalizing each draft is incredibly important.

As for the ego involved, I think there has to be a healthy balance between recognizing the things you need to improve on, and believing what you're writing is good enough to attract readers. You don't want zero confidence, but you'll never grow as an author with an overabundance either.

1/12/2023 05:10:49 pm

I think you nailed that! Both of those can lead a budding author to get discouraged easily. I think many compare what they have written to a published story, the only thing they will see by another writer, and are disgusted by what they have written. The only real competition any writer has is in the mirror.

Bingo! You are right again. Balance is very important. Seeking to always improve your craft is important and believing in your craft equally so.

New questions.

Can you describe the demographic of your ideal reader? Who is the person most likely to buy your book?

Do you have anything you consider to be your writing lucky charm?

1/12/2023 05:25:26 pm

That's actually kind of a difficult question. I'm now writing in multiple genres,, so I can't really say I lean toward a specific group. I've been kind of lucky, in a way, because I get a very different kind of feedback for each book I publish. I think that's really helped me, especially since I started writing Althalos the Unbreakable.

As for a lucky charm, I have this weird thing where I need to play with my dog before I get to business. Sometimes he'll be sleeping and I have to coax him into chasing a ball. It's weird seeing a dog kind of peeved because he has to play, but I write in the middle of the night sometimes. Honestly, I don't know how that started, but I feel off if my dog isn't nearby. Hope he doesn't mind.

1/12/2023 05:55:52 pm

I can understand that. How about the likeliest customer for your hist-fic books?

A dog is a great friend! Yes, they can be irritated by our demands.

New questions.

What is the biggest obstacle you face in writing?

What is your writing Kryptonite and how has it affected you?

1/12/2023 07:10:22 pm

The likeliest customer for me seems to be men 40+ and women between the ages of 35 and 60. That's what my sales data says. I advertise to everyone, but that's the most consistent audience I've had.

The biggest obstacle I face with writing isn't actually writing, it's finding time to write. For a while, I had a set schedule that worked, but life has gotten dramatically different from when I started to now. Not complaining, but I wish I could write a bit more. Hopefully, I can just do this full-time someday. That's still the goal/dream.

My writing kryptonite isn't really all that bad. I always have multiple projects in the works at one time, so I sometimes have trouble focusing on any one of them in particular. But, as I said, it's not really that big of a deal, because I still move the ball forward with at least one of them whenever I get sidetracked.

1/13/2023 08:39:41 am

That demographic is pretty deep, so you won't run out of customers anytime soon.

Almost every author echoes a similar sentiment. Not enough time to write. Between Covid and widespread social and political upheaval the world has changed. Each of us have had to create or find a new normal daily life. many authors found it nearly impossible to maintain a writing schedule and quite a few lost touch with their muse for many months.

You just answered the next question, I was going to ask you about writer's block. Your solution is one of many that I have suggested to writers over the years. Multiple projects are a perfect solution for when progress stops on a manuscript.

New questions.

Do you see an advantage of writing under a pseudonym, why or why not? Many authors use a pseudonym.

You mentioned branching out into other genres, will you use a different name, why or why not?

1/13/2023 03:52:42 pm

I really like having a pseudonym because it allows me to write without having to be judged by people I know. I don't think anyone would belittle me or my work, I just like having a playground free from potential bullies or people who think they know a better way to do things. There's always someone you know that may want to help, but end up being kind of a detriment in some way. Who knows, maybe I'll publish under my real name at some point. But right now, I'm pretty happy with my little setup.

As for writing in other genres, I don't see a need to use any additional pseudonyms for that. I know many people have thought differently, but it's not for me. I have my real name, and I have Francis Williams. Those two seem to be enough for the moment.

1/13/2023 04:32:03 pm

I have heard many reasons why an author would use a pen name yours is as good as any of the others, maybe even better.

Considering the genres you are writing in, I think using the same pen name is a good idea.

New questions.

Are there any issues that are peculiar to writing this genre that might not apply to other genres?

Do you think it important to read books in the genre you write in?

1/13/2023 05:09:51 pm

There is one major issue with writing historical fiction that I'm not sure would apply to other genres. Having to juggle being historically accurate with being entertaining is actually very difficult. You sometimes have to sacrifice something fun and entertaining because it wouldn't fit with certain elements of the time period. That's one reason I'm super lucky I chose to write in a time and place with a whole lot of unknowns. As you said, the Dark Ages were dark for a reason, so my playground is much easier to work with than someone writing a WWII novel with extremely verifiable information. I get to make semi-educated guesses, others don't have that option.

That's not to say you can't just stick it out and forgo historical accuracy. As you probably noticed I may or may not have done that to Bishop Germanus in particular, but I did that because the original villain of Honor made no sense. He was so bad that I can't even remember what his name was. So, I chose to begrudgingly ignore the fact Germanus was likely a pretty decent person, and I made him into... not that...

For your second question, I think reading within the genre you write might actually be the most important thing an author could ever do. That's what inspired me to get into this game from the start. Not only for inspirational factor, but the more someone reads, the sharper their mind is in general. So, if you want to write then I firmly believe you HAVE to read. For me, I read a lot of Bernard Cornwell books. I've learned an enormous amount from him.

1/13/2023 06:11:47 pm

The paucity of hard facts makes your job much easier without a doubt. Mercedes Rochelle, a client, writes about the Plantagenets and contemporaries, there is a lot more information available to her and a considerable amount of controversy as well. You are a lucky dog, wise choice!

Germanus was an amazing look at the cruelty one person can exhibit toward others. Yes, in reality, he might have been a wonderful servant of God, but there are too many instances of wolves sneaking into the flock of sheep and creating carnage, eventually.

I agree that reading in the chosen genre is important.

Several years ago, I asked another author the same question and his answer floored me. He said that he didn't read genre-related books because he was worried about stealing ideas from other authors. He wanted to keep his writing pure from the influence of others. I didn't try to dissuade him from that stance. I hope that he has realized by now that there are only 7 or 12 or 18 different plots, depending on who you talk to. The rest is the author's voice and window dressing. Any number of authors can write different stories from the same prompt.

New questions.

Are there any writing styles or genres that you disliked at first but soon came to like?

Do you think reading, watching movies or listening to music help you be a better writer?

1/13/2023 06:43:05 pm

I actually have pretty diverse interests in terms of what I read. I do read more sci-fi than anything else, but I don't know that people would really be able to tell based on the books I write. I think I've read every Halo novel published by this point, and most Star Wars novels, too. As for historical fiction, I've read TONS from Bernard Cornwell, then most of the classics people would think of. Pillars of the Earth, and books of that type. I also read a lot of fantasy, and certain kinds of biographies as well, but not so much lately.

Yes, I definitely think some of those help with writing. Actually, the Halo games (yes, I'm a nerd) have some of the most amazing soundtracks, so I go onto YouTube and listen to those when I write. I've done that since the start. I'm not sure I can really write without it at this point, so I sure hope the power doesn't go out again.

1/13/2023 07:33:29 pm

You have certainly earned your nerd card! I grew up reading science fiction from the golden age of sci-fi. Asimov, Pohl, and others. I haven't read any Halo or any of the Star Wars universe. My adult son has a bookcase or two with lots of these books, so I know where to find them.

You should have seen us when our son tried to teach me to play Halo. I was so bad at the controls. Next, he tried to teach me to play Lego Star Wars. That was almost as funny. All of the buttons and sticks were beyond me. Now, I watch him when he is playing, and we are both happier.

I hope you never lose power again.

New questions.

Have you ever read a book that changed the way you look at writing?

What hurdle did you face in writing this book and how did you overcome it?

1/13/2023 07:57:27 pm

I have similar memories with my dad. He always grumbled about how bad he was but I didn't care about that at all. I still cherish those memories. Might bring it up to him next time I see him.

I actually wish I had a more interesting answer to your first question, but I really don't think I have a book that fits. A sort of non-answer would be Honor (my first book for anyone not in the know) but not in a conceited way. Rereading that for the first time taught me just how different an image in your head can be compared to the one you put down onto paper. While I'M seeing what I'm writing crystal clear, the reader is only seeing what I put down onto the page. They don't have a little window into that mind's eye of the author. I think when I realized that, I began improving on descriptions of settings, or maybe a character's dialogue. I know there's quite a different feel to The Imperative, and that might be why. One improvement I know I made is with regional dialect, which now comes into play more than it originally had before. The only drawback, is I couldn't really improve it completely, otherwise certain characters wouldn't speak the same from book to book, so I had to keep it all semi-consistent.

I wish I could say my real answer to your second question, but that would give something away! So, as my backup, I'll have to say the second-biggest hurdle was how to introduce the children of the main characters. I didn't want them to be carbon copies of their parents, even though that wouldn't QUITE be unrealistic. We all know someone who is exactly like their mom or dad, and I've even met one woman, who was adopted, that met her birth mother. She came back kind of dumbfounded by how similar they were despite having only just met.

In any case, I needed the children of the core group of characters to have noticeable differences that distinguished them from their parents. I think I did the best job with Galahad, and he got to go on a much more interesting (and darker) journey than Lucan. This is something that I'll probably continue to struggle with, because in the follow-up series, there's a whole lot going on there. I mean, at the end of The Imperative, most of the protagonists are already ancient in terms of life expectancy for that period. What's kind of disappointing is I probably have to just write off a couple people as dying from natural causes. I really wanted more interesting or impacting deaths for some of these people.

1/14/2023 09:07:53 am

Probably like your dad, I couldn't figure out many of the button-and-stick coordinations. So, the character movements and actions were failures or rough much of the time. The next time we visit our son maybe I will try and play again or at least watch him some more.

You are right. I think that is part of the show-don't-tell advice shared by so many. The challenge for the author is getting at least a portion of what they visualize onto the page. It is not an easy task but there are many ways to do it as you have found.

Children strive to be like their parents, especially dads, in different ways.

Galahad did have a torturous journey, but I also like Lucan's adventures especially his relationship with the wolves and one in particular.

New questions.

Would you agree or disagree with the statement: suffering is a requirement to be a good writer, and why?

What was the message you wanted to deliver when you wrote this book? Do you feel you were successful in getting that message across to the reader?

1/14/2023 04:29:08 pm

I'm not sure a person NEEDS to suffer to be a good writer, but there's a good argument to be made that it helps. Kind of strange to say something so grim, but that's just the reality. There are famous authors from all over the world who had mental health issues, addiction issues, and trauma from their past. All of that played into how they craft their narratives. It would be very hard to say Lord of The Rings wasn't heavily influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien's time fighting in WWI. So, a necessity? Maybe not. But a begrudging aid? Probably.

Mainly, the message I wanted to send with this book is there can be an opportunity in failure. Drysten fails and fails, and he does so in ways he didn't know he could. He's not suited to be a good ruler, but he's forced to try to be one. He's outsmarted in certain ways, and even his victories turn into failure. But he always saw opportunity in those situations, even if it's not explicitly said.

Personally, I think that's a pretty important message. Speaking in terms of my writing career, I probably failed with The Devil of Nassau. Pretty depressing to say, but that's the reality. I liked how it was written, but it hasn't resonated with the audience. So, I learned why, and I think I've improved. Still a soft spot though, because of how much passion I put into it.

1/14/2023 05:03:19 pm

Suffering and hardship are good teachers for most people. Though we usually hate the experience at the time. We all want an easy life. Our expectations are frequently unmet and that adds to our frustration. After the fact, we either acknowledge the lesson we learned or we get to repeat the class.

Opportunity in failure is an interesting idea. I like the sound of it. It causes me to think that there is always something to be gained if not immediately then down the road.

I am not surprised that you have a soft spot for Devil, especially if it was your first book. For many authors, the first book has a steep learning curve and the subsequent books are usually better, each one in turn.

New questions.

Do you ever brainstorm with non-writers and if so, is it effective?

What was the best money you ever spent as a writer to enhance your career?

1/14/2023 05:15:29 pm

I actually keep everything pretty close to the chest. The only people who know I write are an ex-girlfriend, my parents, and a few people on my mom's side of the family. I've never brainstormed with anyone, but my dad does offer up the occasional gem. He's probably been the biggest help to me since I started, but most of the suggestions I get are from others who write or the occasional individual who I personally reach out to.

The BEST money I spent is on a program called Atticus. It helps you format your book, and you can even use it as a word processor. It's hard to explain how useful it is, but I can say for certain that every self-published author without many outside resources should definitely look into it. Wasn't very expensive for the quality of the product you get, either.

1/14/2023 05:44:57 pm

You are not the only author I know that doesn't talk about their books to most people. The number is pretty small though. It sounds like your dad is quite an asset to you.

I have seen emails about Atticus, from Kindlepreneur.com, I think. They have a lot of good information on their website, and I have links to many of their blogs on my Highly Regarded Blogs page. It's good to hear how useful the program is for you.

New questions.

With the explosion of different streaming services, these companies are scrambling for content. Writers are going to be sitting on the top of the heap soon, because they are content providers. Have you considered shopping your content to these companies?

Do you subscribe to any magazines, newsletters, blogs or podcasts that enhance your writing career? Feel free to share as many as you would like.

1/14/2023 06:35:42 pm

I have definitely considered it! The only problem is, I have no idea how to start that process. I would assume a person needs some sort of connections, but I don't know where to begin for that. The only part I have a vague idea regarding, would be writing a screenplay, but I've never done it. To boil it down, I'd love to to figure it all out, and I know one day I will definitely shop something around, but now is probably not the time.

I do actually. I have a few different people I like to keep up with. The YouTube channel of Jenna Moreci is a good resource, as are Brandon Sanderson's and Daniel Greene's. I'll leave a link to my websites page on inspiration and resources I've used for those who would be interested. I think I've gotten the most out of Jenna's, but all three of those are crazy in terms of usefulness.

https://www.writingwithfranciswilliams.com/inspiration

1/14/2023 07:27:55 pm

A lot of blogs have been written about that topic. I have links for several on my Highly Regarded Blogs page. Here is one of the links to get you started though you are likely to have more questions after reading it. Copy and paste time: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2019/07/26/turn-your-book-into-a-tv-or-streaming-series or put screenwriting into the search box below.

Thanks for sharing those links. I am sure some will find them useful.

New questions.

An ebook is only one form that writing can be consumed in. Have you considered licensing large print or graphic novels?

What are your favorite reference books or websites for grammar and writing?

1/14/2023 07:38:07 pm

I have spoken to a few people about the possibility of writing a graphic novel in recent months, but I have quite a bit on my plate before I'll have the time to do so. I'm very interested in that medium in particular. I just have to find an artist I can afford and write something down that can be compelling. I'm also trying to do something similar with a children's book, but I'm not sure if that counts as a graphic novel.

As for a large print version of my books, I'm currently exploring that right now. I didn't even know they were a thing until embarrassingly recently.

My all-time favorite and most used website is thesaurus.com. I use it every single time I'm writing and have for a while now. It's invaluable, really. I also use a few different websites that have some historical info, and a few name generator websites. Using these to craft the actual world I'm writing in is almost as fun as writing the story itself.

1/15/2023 08:39:51 am

There seems to be a pretty large market for graphic novels. The inkers and artists are not cheap also. It seems a lot of graphic novels are published using Kickstarter or another crowdfunding program. Crowdfunding might be an answer for affording the production costs. I have participated in several campaigns in a small way because I wanted to learn how they work. Quite a deluge of emails but they are necessary to keep everyone informed.

Many authors use name-generator websites or sites that provide the most popular names by year or decade for different countries. Birth records have been maintained for several hundred years in some countries and those have proven to be a valuable resource for authors of many different genres.

That makes sense to me that you derive pleasure from crafting the world and naming characters. Growing up on a small, non-working farm I read a great deal. When I had to look up a word or concept, I might spend an hour or more in a large dictionary and encyclopedias. Good times.

New questions.

Have you ever created a throw-away character that developed into a major player?

Why do most authors write in 3rd person POV instead of first and second POV?

1/15/2023 06:56:45 pm

Funny you should mention that, but the vast majority of my characters in my upcoming fantasy series started as throwaways. The protagonist, Althalos, is the father of the main character of The Observant Darkness, and he dies of old age in the first couple of chapters. I somehow wrote an entire book about him that's coming out two years before The Observant Darkness. Funny how that worked.

But as for The Thrones of Britannia series, the top two throwaways (to me) would be Diocles and Ceneus. Ceneus originally died VERY early on at the hands of Germanus, who would then take over Ebrauc and start his deformed version of a holy war against everyone else. I liked that storyline, but I it got too dark, and I wasn't comfortable with writing uncomfortable things at that stage in my writing career.

Diocles wasn't even that important. He was just a name of someone on The Fortuna's crew. Then, when I decided I needed Drysten to have a second in command, I didn't even choose him, I initially chose another guy who isn't in the series anymore. One day I just made the snap decision to combine the two, and here we are.

Third person seems to be the easiest POV to use of the three. In third person, I can use the character's thoughts, as well as describe what's happening in a way that makes sense to the reader. I'm pretty sure I remember that being called third person omniscient. I have a vague memory of a teacher explaining that's when the narrator knows everything that's going on in the story. I sometimes teeter between that and the form of third person where the narrator only knows as much as the character you're seeing in that POV.

1/15/2023 07:12:46 pm

I love those tidbits about how characters change, die or disappear in another fashion.

Althalos had a lot he wanted to say, apparently. I have heard from many authors how they are so surprised when a character takes over and runs the show for a chapter or two. Your guy got you to write an entire book about him. It must be good!

I think Diocles was an able lieutenant. I liked his character.

There are different kinds of narrators. They are not all truthful also. You can have one that lies and one that is not reliable also.

New questions.

Were you a plotter or a pantster when you started writing? How about now, has that changed?

Do you think you were born to write or did you have to learn the craft?

1/15/2023 07:25:01 pm

100% I'm a pantser. I do a small amount of preliminary groundwork for things like the setting and the characters' backgrounds, but only very general items. For Honor, I wrote down all the different tribes of Britons I wanted to include, and I researched various places the story would go, but I never went crazy with the planning. There were no massive graphs with little strings linking a thousand pages of information. That would be a bit too much for me. I like to let the story get going before I add any depth to it. Just keeps things simpler.

I think I always had a passion for it. I remember once when I was about twelve, I told someone it would be really fun to write something people would read, and I got called a nerd or something. So, after that, I didn't really try. It wasn't until I was about twenty-five that I decided I should, and I've been doing it ever since. I wish I'd started soon because of all the heaps of information I've had to pick up since then. It feels like I'm behind in a lot of ways.

1/15/2023 07:41:11 pm

A lot of authors are like you. They get an idea, do a little research to determine feasibility and then take off running. Some develop a list of chapters or scenes they don't want to leave out, but many don't.

OTH, plotters love to identify chapters and get them in the order they want. Many decide the scenes in each chapter and work at creating rising tension by getting the main characters in progressively deeper trouble. Then they start writing. Some of them create a character bible with information on each character so things like eye color don't change in mid-story. Sometimes things don't go according to plan and changes must be made. That happens to pantsers also.

Your fans are certainly glad you followed your passion. There is a lot of information, but you started at the right time. You are getting better as a writer.

New questions.

What did you buy with your first royalty check?

How did you celebrate when you published your first book?

1/15/2023 07:54:25 pm

Oh, wow, I'm not sure. My first royalty checks were only about fifteen bucks, so I didn't get to treat myself to anything crazy. If I had to guess, I probably bought another book. At that point in time I think I was listening to the Kilo Five Trilogy of Halo, so I would bet money I nabbed one of them. To this day, those are my three favorite audiobooks I've ever heard. Euan Morton is an incredibly talented narrator. It would be a dream to get him to narrate something I wrote.

After publishing Honor, I went to my favorite restaurant and ate more sushi than I thought was healthy, then ate some more. I worked my butt off on Honor, and even it wasn't perfect, I was enormously proud of myself. Definitely a very good evening.

1/16/2023 08:44:45 am

I have heard similar stories from quite a few authors. Some went to McDonalds others went to a different fast-food joint. The first checks were not very big.

Is Euan Morton on Twitter? I would love to add him to my list of narrators. I took a quick look and didn't see an account that looked like a narrator.

I love sushi also. That was a good night.

New questions.

How many times did you rewrite the first page, the first chapter of this book?

Who are your favorite dead authors?

1/16/2023 04:04:42 pm

I'm not totally sure if he's on Twitter, but I've seen quite a few accounts that COULD be him. The problem with that is now that everyone is able to be verified, I don't know who's who. When you go looking him up, he's the same individual who played the king in Hamilton. He's done some other plays as well, and I'm pretty sure he won an award in the early 2000s.

I actually only rewrote the prologue once, and it was to put in that small monologue of Galahad's. I was surprised by how well I did with that on the first go around. Aside from that, I guess there were some nagging grammar or spelling errors, but I wouldn't necessarily count those fixes as a rewrite.

My favorite deceased authors would have to be Edgar Allan Poe, Frank Herbert, and sadly, as this one was very recent, Greg Bear. Greg Bear in particular made me very sad, because I'd only recently found his books. Looking through his catalogue, I was kind of stunned by how many there were, and I'd somehow never heard of him. Frank Herbert and Edgar Allan Poe are probably pretty obvious as to why I like them. I always thought the way E.A.P. went out was a bit odd, but I suppose that's sort of fitting considering the stories he wrote.

1/16/2023 04:40:10 pm

You are talented. Admit it. Most authors spend a lot of time on the first chapter, it goes through many rewrites to find the best combination of words to get a reader to turn the page.

Those nagging spelling and grammar errors are hard to clear out completely. Our brains don't want to work hard. When our brain sees new material, the errors jump right off the page. So, the question is, how do we trick our brains? There are ways to do that. Change the font style, size and color. Change from portrait mode to landscape mode. Change the background page color from white to something else. These work well when editing. You can also read the story from the end, one paragraph at a time. Read it aloud or have the computer read it to you.

I have not read anything by Bear. I bet I would enjoy his stories. Sci-fi is my favorite genre and fantasy a close second.

Last questions.

How do you balance the demands on your time as a writer with personal relationships?

Do you have a “favorite” filler word or two that you have to keep taking out of a story, like “just” or like “like”? 😉

1/16/2023 04:53:38 pm

Thanks for the kind words, Mark. Those little affirmations are big for people just starting out. Almost the lifeblood of self-publishing, to be honest. It's way easier to get dismayed than encouraged, so thank you.

When balancing my writing with my personal life, I try to favor my writing. It won't be like that forever. I just REALLY want to build my brand. My dream is to have a publishing company at some point, so having books to your name lends a bit of credibility. Not only that, but I just enjoy it. I use it to relax, when I'm not feeling quite right, or when I need to kill some time. Some people read, play video games, go for walks. I write.

The word I use the most is by far, scoff. People scoff a lot, but there's more than one way to say so. I fell into a trap where I used it way too much. Thankfully, I think I've come away from it. Another word is chuckle or walk. I don't know why it's hard for me to think up other words for those actions, but it is. I've gotten much better, but I'm still a work in progress. Like I said, thesaurus.com gets a fair bit of traffic from me, primarily for words such as those.

1/16/2023 05:47:57 pm

You are right, Francis. A little kindness goes a long way and we can all use more of it daily.

Building your brand takes a lot of time, I haven't found a shortcut for that. You are doing the work. The more books you write the more you will sell. You have 61 reviews for this book. I have heard that 50 is a magic number for Amazon's algorithms. Now those algorithms are showing your book to people who have bought similar books before. I hope that is true.

What an unusual filler word, scoff! I love its uniqueness. We all know there can be too much of a good thing. Congratulations for figuring that out and taking corrective action.

I have another promotion starting tomorrow. I must bring our time to a close.

Thank you for writing such marvelous books and for being a fabulous guest on the Word Refiner channel. Keep on writing and take care.

1/16/2023 06:45:21 pm

I appreciate you taking the time to interview me, as well as the resources you provide with your platform. I have used your website on more than one occasion, and I will likely continue to do so.

If anyone wants to get ahold of me, your best bet is probably twitter @Author_FrancisW.

My email is also [email protected]

And of course, for the latest updates on my writing endeavors, you can always go to writingwithfranciswilliams.com to keep up to date.

I hope everyone enjoyed the discussion,

Francis

The Imperative: A Dark Age Historical Fiction Novel (Thrones of Britannia) Book 3

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