The Vardoger Boy (Forerunner Series Book 2) by Jay Veloso Batista

7/2/2022

Multi-volume author Jay Veloso Batista introduces us to the second volume of his paranormal historical fiction in The Forerunner Series: “The Vardoger Boy”:
A 2020 WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS RED RIBBON WINNER! Vikings war with the last Saxon Kingdom, blood feuds stalk the family, the werebear takes revenge and our forerunner hero must face trolls, a kelp man and his nuggles, and a dark elf… The epic adventures of the Agneson Clan continue! The year is 878… Danish forces assemble for war on Wessex and the loyal Agneson Clan heeds the call to join the Great Viking Horde, but while honorable men gather in the midlands, a blood feud draws mercenaries to their undefended homestead for murderous revenge. Sailing his Viking crew to fulfil their oath, Karl harbors suspicions over strange occurrences that bedevil his nephew Thorfinn, while far to the north their sworn enemy the werebear and his dark elf master strike back… And the young forerunner Thorfinn learns the Nine Realms are full of surprising hidden folk, but to earn his place aboard the Viking’s ship he must accept a mast troll’s quest…. Will the family escape the despicable vendetta? Can Thorfinn face the evils prowling the bottom of the Humber Estuary? Does Cub battle to victory against King Alfred’s men? How can Karl and his Vikings find and defeat a mysterious lair of were-beasts? The epic saga of Thorfinn the forerunner and his clan in Danelaw England continues…. Don’t miss The Vardoger Boy, second book of The Forerunner Series by Jay Veloso Batista, historical fantasy and supernatural suspense! if you love the work of Bernard Cornwall, Susanna Clarke or Elizabeth May, then this will have you turning the pages!

I love this book; I love the series! The author has crafted a wonderful continuation of the first book. He has some wonderful dialogue; it rings so true to each character's station in life. The action is glorious at times and easy to read. I am enjoying learning about the Viking myths and lore regarding their gods and supernatural beings.
Jay is so good at weaving in lots of details about everyday life for people of this age along with the paranormal elements which they easily accepted as a part of their lives.
Following multiple plot threads, the story of the Agneson family continues. I can hardly wait to read the next book!
4.9 stars!

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Vardoger-Boy-Forerunner-Book-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/book/-the-vardoger-boy

My review of the first book, "Thorfinn and the Witch's Curse":
www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/thorfinn-and-the-witchs-curse
My review of the third book, “On Viking Seas”: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/on-viking-seas
My review of the fourth book, "Kara, Shieldmaiden of Eire": http://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/kara-shieldmaiden-of-eire

You can follow the author:
https://twitter.com/JayVBatista
https://www.jayvelosobatista.com
http://www.amazon.com/author/jayvelosobatista
http://www.facebook.com/jayvelosobatista
http://www.instagram.com/jayvelosobatista
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jay-veloso-batista
https://www.goodreads.com/JayVelosoBatista

Copyright © 2022 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction

49 Comments

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/6/2022 02:18:45 pm

Thanks for the great review. I am sincerely glad you are enjoying the series. Lots of history and legends, and the pace increases with each novel.

Mark

7/6/2022 02:56:41 pm

I am enjoying the series a lot! You have a great balance of action, dialogue and narration. I am a big fan of historical fiction and have been reading quite a few books about the Middle Ages in the British Isles. Your books are providing an interesting point of view for that era. We both know that history is written by the victor. But historical fiction can be written by anyone. Thus, more truth can be told.

We started our interview in the review of "Thorfinn and the Witch's Curse" and we are continuing the interview here. See the link above or use the search box below.

New questions.

Do you have other writers you connect with, as in a critique group or support group?

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

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/6/2022 04:58:51 pm

While I belong to a number of author and writer groups, I would say that I am active in a Facebook Group called “200 Rogues” which is restricted to 200 writers and a Twitter “Self-publishing Group” which I was invited to join and have found very supportive and a good source of information. I also subscribe to the Facebook group “20Booksto50K” and I have found it to be an excellent resource—I found my cover artist through that group. I am not too active in the latter.

My latest book was the first time I did my own edit passes and employed a professional editor. In the past I have relied on beta reader input for previous book edits, but this year many of my author friends were too busy in their personal life to assist. I gave the book 2 edit passes—one to remove “crutch words” and one to “read aloud,” and then I sent the manuscript to Word Refiner which was an excellent experience and highly recommended.

Mark

7/6/2022 05:36:51 pm

Those sound like great groups. The 200 Rogues sounds almost too large, though considering the hundreds of thousands of indie writers maybe that is just about right.

Self-editing is hard, it requires a particular mental rigor and a bunch of tricks to fool the brain. Those tricks can include changing the font style and size, changing the background color of the page on the screen, switching to landscape mode, read the manuscript aloud, read it from the end one paragraph at a time are a few of the ways the brain can be tricked into thinking the material is new. Utilizing the 'fresh eyes' of other writers is a pretty good idea also until they are unavailable. The more sets of eyes on a manuscript the better chance of ferreting out the spelling errors including missing words. Thank you for that brief testimony. Your full testimony is located on the Acclaim From Authors page elsewhere on my website. I enjoyed working on your book.

New questions. We are going to take a slight detour for a short while and talk about your book and some of the history behind it.

This book features a major battle—what was it and why is it important?

The book describes Viking combat techniques—What are these? Where did you learn about them?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/6/2022 07:17:23 pm

When I chose the time period for ‘Thorfinn and the Witch’s Curse’, I purposely selected a year after a period of relative calm in the history books. The year after Thorfinn has his accident and is made into a ‘vardoger,’ the “Great Heathen Army” led by the Dane Guthrum of East Anglia was defeated by Alfred of Wessex. Historians place the battle in the modern village of Edington in Wiltshire, and it was known as the Battle of Ethandun in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.

Lindisfarne was sacked in 793. Viking raids were sporadic until the 830s, when they grew in frequency and intensity. By 838, flotillas of ships arrived with armies. The historical records of the time list the battles in Wessex with 35 ships, and later armies with Vikings and Cornishmen. Between 860 and 870, the three Ragnarsson brothers stopped the tactic of raids for pillage and spoils and began a series of “conquest and residence” incursions, bringing homesteaders in their wake to populate the land. This is the period the Alfenson Clan arrives in Northumbria—Alf “Ironfist” and his three sons, Alf, Agne and Karl joined the Great Heathen Army and fought under Ivar.

By 870, Ivar the Boneless, Ubba and Halfdan had conquered the kingdoms of Northumbria and East Anglia and moved on Mercia. In 874, Mercia collapsed, and a puppet government was installed. This period was called the Danelaw because most of the British Isle was ruled or controlled by Danish leaders. After the fall of Mercia, the three brothers went their separate ways—Halfdan to face the Picts and the Welsh, Ivar is thought to leave for Dublin in Ireland where he became known as “Imar,” and Ubbe continued raiding the southlands with the remnants of the army until he was stopped at the Battle of Cynwit. Many of the former army simply settled in the land and began “ploughing and making a living for themselves.” The formidable Danish force melted away into the green hills and rich farmlands of Britain.

On the other hand, Guthrum of East Anglia continued to harass the forces of Wessex: Alfred had succeeded his brother Ethelred when he died in the battle of Merton and for years he dodged Guthrum’s armies. An intense effort to unseat Alfred started in 875 and Alfred was almost captured in his fortress in Chippenham that year. By the year 878, Guthrum conscripted a new force and, despite a setback at Ashdown, he continued to march on Wessex.

Guthrum collected his forces and called in his favors from across Northumbria, and chased Alfred to force a showdown. Alfred was cornered in a fortress in Athelney, and barely escaped disaster. However, in early May, Alfred called for a levy at “Egbert’s Stone” and rallied the men of the surrounding counties, Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire to join his forces. Approximately one week later the two armies collided. Asser’s ‘Life Of Alfred’ chronicled the battle this way:

"Fighting ferociously, forming a dense shield-wall against the whole army of the Pagans, and striving long and bravely...at last he [Alfred] gained the victory. He overthrew the Pagans with great slaughter, and smiting the fugitives, he pursued them as far as the fortress."

There is evidence that Guthrum believed Ivar would join the battle, but in the end the overwhelming numbers of Saxons defeated the Danish forces. If we can believe the annals, it was a rout. The defeated Danes hid in a local fortress for a few weeks until they were starved out and sued for peace. Guthrum was forced into a Christian baptism and swore an oath of fealty to Alfred. This was the first major loss for the Danish invaders and marked a turning point in the Danelaw, as Alfred quickly supplanted the puppet king of Mercia with his own family and by the time of his grandson the petty kingdoms were united as “England.”

The Anglo-Saxons knew the Roman arts of war and in particular the use of defensive shield walls. However, modern historians believe that the Danes fought in a different battle style, called a Svinfylking. This is an Old Norse word for 'Swine Array' or 'Boar Snout', and it was a wedge formation first used in Iron Age Scandinavia and later effectively employed by the Vikings. Medieval Danes and Scandinavians attributed the array to the god Odin.

It was designed to pierce a defensive wall. The formation consisted of heavily armed, presumably hand-to-hand warriors and less-armored archers grouped in a triangle formation with the warriors in the front lines protecting the archers in center or rear. To describe it, an apex was composed of a single file of the bravest warriors. The number of warriors is increased in each rank back to its base, forming a blunt triangle with its tip pointed at the opponents. Families and tribesmen were ranked side by side to add moral cohesion. The tactic was excellent for an advance against a line or column, but it

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/6/2022 07:19:02 pm

...collapsed in retreats.

Cavalry charging a group in Svinfylking formation were attacked and held at bay by the outer warriors with spears, which often caused complete chaos among the horses. Frequently the swine array would be used as a wedge to break through an enemy shield wall. Several Boar’s snout formations would be grouped side by side like a zig-zag, to hammer or pierce the opposition's ranks. Primarily it provided a monumental shock and was a tactic to break a line and introduce chaos, something the AllFather Odin and his berserk followers would embrace. The downside of the swine array was it was easily outflanked and if the swine array did not break the enemy lines immediately, then the formation would crumble and the warriors would be stranded before a shield wall, easy targets.

Mark

7/6/2022 07:49:06 pm

For a detail-oriented guy like me that is fascinating information, and it makes a lot of sense. However, for the sake of the story you trimmed it down quite well.

The cavalry charge had to be scary for all in the wedge formation. Would the spears hold the horses back? Those hooves were deadly!

New questions.

The “great heathen horde” features real historical characters.
Who were they?

How do they fit into the story?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/7/2022 07:33:24 am

The Danish invaders were described as “heathen” by the victors, and they were pagan trespassers in a newly converted Christian land, following the Norse gods and beliefs. Most important of the real historical characters were the three sons of Ragnar, Ivar the “Boneless,” Ubbe and Halfdan, who led the invading armies from 865 to 871. Guthrum the Danish king of East Anglia picked up the mantle of the army in 875 and tried to conquer Alfred of Wessex, the last remaining Anglo-Saxon regent.

If you have read Bernard Cornwall’s “The Last Kingdom” Series, he focused his series on Alfred and a desposed Northumbrian lord raised by his Danish conquerors, and actually describes the battle where Ubbe Ragnarsson lost the Raven Banner at Cynwit. The banner was an important sigil and among the superstitious Danes was rumored to have mystical powers.

Of these historical characters, Alfred and Ivar are mentioned in ‘The Vardoger Boy’ and Guthrum is a main character, leading the “heathen” army in preparation for the battle of Ethandun. Both Ivar and Guthrum continue to have minor, recurring roles as the series progresses, and associates and family members of Alfred the king of Wessex become important later in the series.

Mark

7/7/2022 08:28:01 am

Religion has always played a pivotal role throughout history. Woe to those who ignore that history. Whether it is a negative or positive influence depends upon the perspective of the historians. Most warriors are willing to pay the final price for their religion, family and land.

New questions.

There is a lot of Norse lore in this book. The Vikings play a game: What is Hnefetafl and why is it important?

You use a lot of Norse mythology and reference the 9 realms…what is that all about?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/7/2022 09:00:05 am

Hnefetafl (pronounced “Ne-fa-te-fl”) games are ancient Nordic and Celtic strategy board games played on a checkered or latticed gameboard with two armies. It was also called “capture the king.” It was a way to teach and hone strategic skills necessary in the Viking Age. There were lots of variants, including a version played by the Sami people, tablut, which was still played until at least the 1700s.

Hnefatafl is considered the Viking version of chess and was the most popular game in medieval Scandinavia, mentioned in several of the Norse sagas. There is some controversy about the games because the saga references seem to indicate the possible use of dice in playing hnefatafl. We are not really sure today how the game was played in the ninth century because the rules were never explicitly recorded. Archeologists have unearthed playing pieces and fragmentary boards. Hnefatafl literally translates to "fist table", from the Old Norse hnef, 'fist', and tafl, 'table'.

In modern times many different versions of hnefatafl are available and you can buy a physical set online as well as play virtually on software. One interesting tournament variant is “Copenhagen hnefatafl,” which features a "shield wall" that captures several soldiers at once, and an "exit fort" rule that enables the king to escape on the edge while otherwise being limited to escape in the corners.

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/7/2022 09:32:33 am

Norse cosmology is much more than comic book depictions. I read the Icelandic sagas and a number of scholarly reference books to get a picture of the mythology as background for my stories. The myths and legends are complicated, and different documents provide varying points of view—most of the data we have is from secondhand sources and 12th Century poetry, most notably Snorii Sturluson. Often the sources contradict each other or employ different names, descriptions, and interpretations.

Norse peoples believed mankind had bodies and spirits, they called them lich and hug, and a “hug” could astral travel between the nine realms of existence. Those 9 realms were:
Asgard—the home of the gods
Vanaheim—the home of the Vanir, old gods and three types of dark elves
Alfheim—the home of the light elves
Midgard—the lands of humankind (Earth)
Niflheim—the land of mist and fog
Muspelheim—the land of fire
Jotunheim—the home of the giants
Svartalfheim—the home of the Dwarves
Hel—the land of the dishonorable dead

These worlds were held apart by the branches of an immense tree called Yggdrasil that sprang forth from the primordial void and unified the nine realms in its branches. The massive tree sprang from well and springs in the lowest realms and the three Norns, or fates, drew water from the wells to nourish its roots. Four immortal stags feed on the tree and a great evil serpent gnaws at its roots. A squirrel called Ratatoskr runs up and down the tree carrying insults and messages between the realms.

In the Forerunner Series the characters travel in the space between the nine realms and ultimately leave Midgard on quests across the nine realms.

Mark

7/7/2022 09:50:06 am

That henafatfl sounds interesting, especially if dice were involved to include a random element in the play. War does have random elements that can be critical for either side.

I have played the Japanese game of strategy, Go. It is far less complicated to move players on the field than in chess. In fact, the players are not moved on or off the board, after initial placement, unless they are captured by the opposing side. Simple to learn how to play, a lifetime to master.

Interesting cosmology. I love the squirrel! He has an important job to keep everyone else on their toes.

New questions.

Young Thorfinn faces many strange creatures in this book: What is a Klabautermann?

You have a list of new creatures that I had not heard of, for example, what is a Nuggle? What is a Tangie?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/7/2022 10:51:18 am

I wanted to resurrect some of the old myths that have been forgotten in our modern age of vampires, werewolves and walking dead. Today the Danish still remember the legends of the “hidden folk,” and I wanted to bring these legends back to life in real characters in my books.

Norsemen, predominantly from the west coast of Norway, began to settle in Shetland around the beginning of the 9th century and the Norsemen's influence has a large impact on the folklore of the Orkney and Shetland islands. In the tales of the Orkney Islands, sailors would often be joined on their ship by a Klabautermann, a “mast troll” which was a water kobold that assists sailors and fishermen on the Baltic and North Sea. A merry and diligent creature with an expert understanding of most watercraft, they are frequently found with an irrepressible musical talent—and I make use of that skill in book 3 of the Forerunner Series. These trolls were believed to rescue sailors washed overboard. Sometimes superstitious sailors would carve its likeness and attached to the mast as a symbol of good luck. The creature was offered a share in meals and was considered to have positive attributes, however there is one omen associated with a Klabautermann: no member of a ship blessed by his presence shall ever set eyes on him. He only becomes visible to the crew of a doomed ship.

Sometimes the Klabautermann is described as a sinister stow-away and blamed for things that go wrong. More goblin-like, these sorts are prone to play pranks and doom the ship and her crew.

The nuggle is found in Shetland folk lore, and occasionally mentioned in Orkney tales—it is a mythical water horse, a nocturnal creature of male gender with a distinctive wheel-like tail and prone to pranks and mischief. If a nuggle successfully tricked an unsuspecting passer-by into mounting him, usually by pretending to be tame and standing tranquilly at the side of a path, he would immediately make for the nearest deep water.

Usually described as being covered with seaweed or made of seaweed, the Tangie is a malicious, shape-shifting sea spirit in the folklore of the Orkney and Shetland Islands. A sea horse or merman, it takes on the appearance of either a horse or an aged man and it is known for terrorizing lonely travelers, especially young women on roads at night, whom it will abduct and devour under the water. A nuggle was full of mischief but a Tangie was evil and extremely dangerous, to be avoided at all costs.

Mark

7/7/2022 12:29:14 pm

The mast troll is an interesting character in your book. I was surprised when he wouldn't let Finn's hug on the ship without paying a fee. That was a nice plot point including the negotiation and all that followed.

The nuggle is another story. It seems to be evil and deceptive, bring harm to those who would rely on it. I did find it interesting that it had a mechanical device on its body. Paddle-wheeled boats didn't come into existence until the 18th century, if Wikipedia is to be trusted. That was hundreds of years after the nuggles were described.

The tangie sounds very scary. Shapeshifting proves you can't trust your eyes. It would certainly be worth your life to steer far away from the tangie.

New questions.

What is a “terp" and a "kelpie"?

Why “were” creatures?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/7/2022 01:02:47 pm

Paddle wheel on a nuggle? Actually, it was more like a grist mill’s water-wheel which were in use during the medieval period. This was the basis of the original creature’s descriptions from the 8th and 9th century.

A “terp" or crannog is a man-made island with a narrow bridge or walkway that is easily defensible when under attack. Typically a partially or entirely artificial island, they are built in lakes and estuarine waters of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Terps were used as dwellings over five millennia, from the European Neolithic Period to as late as the 17th/early 18th century. Crannogs have been built as free-standing wooden structures, although more commonly they are composed of brush, stone or timber mounds that can be revetted with timber piles. Today, crannogs typically appear as small, circular islets, often 130 to 100 ft in diameter, covered in dense trees and brush due to their inaccessibility to grazing livestock.

A "kelpie” is the most common water spirit in Scotish folklore and is similar to other shape-shifting creatures who deceive people by imitating a horse. In the 'Vardoger Boy' the Tangie is considered a “kelpie” type of creature.

“Were” creatures, especially bears and wolves were a part of Norse legends. Stories of shape shifting abound in the Norse pantheon, with gods like Loki changing into animals and Giants changing into beautiful creatures. Odin the All Father was the god of battle rage, and his holy berserkers were seen as “bear men.” They would "don the hair shirt" to become battle crazed.

Siedr is name of the folk magic of the Scandinavian medieval peoples. Often wandering witches or volvas would move from farm to farm to bless celebrations and drive out hidden folks who caused troubles. The darker forms of this Siedr magic could change a person into a beast. This would have been considered a sacred act by the Norse gods and some would encourage it. This is why I chose the were-creatures as antagonists in ‘The Vardoger Boy.’

Mark

7/7/2022 03:45:20 pm

A mill waterwheel makes so much more sense. Thanks for clarifying.

The terps have been around for a long time. I'm not surprised. Security is so important. If you can't sleep and live in moderate amount of safety, you are not going to last long. Predators, two- or four-legged, look for easy targets.

The hair shirt worn by the berserkers makes more sense now, imitating a bear. It seems that shapeshifting has been around for a long time and exists in many different cultures.

New questions.

Revenge plays a big part in this story: What is the Viking idea of wergild?

Do you enjoy the history or the fantasy more?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/7/2022 04:52:25 pm

Wergild, spelled different ways in different cultures, was also known as man price or blood money. It was a common practice in medieval times, based on archaic legal codes where a monetary value was established for a person's life, to be paid as a fine or as compensation to a person's family if that person was killed or injured by another. The defined value placed on every man was graded according to their rank, used as a basis of a fine or compensation for murder, disablement, or injury against that person. It was assessed on the guilty party, payable as restitution to the victim's family.

Scandinavian concepts of Wergild followed the Germanic notion, which established Wergild payments as an important legal mechanism in early society; the other common form of legal reparation in medieval times was blood revenge. A payment for a wrongful death was made to the family or to the clan. Similar to the way a payment was made to family, it was expected that a family or kin group had responsibility to ensure the payment for the wrong, especially if the offender is unable to cover the cost of the offense himself.

The payment of a wergild settlement was to offset the requirement for a blood feud. The payments were made but hard feelings and hankerings for revenge still were common.

Thralls and slaves legally commanded no wergild, but it was commonplace to make a nominal payment in the case of a thrall and the value of the slave in such a case. Technically this amount cannot be called a wergild, because it was actually a reimbursement to the owner for lost or damaged property.

On the question of whether I enjoy history or fantasy more, in my current series I would say I try to balance the two to reach a wider audience and attempt to keep the books authentically grounded in a recognizable world. As I contemplate writing new books, I think I may write a set of pure fantasy novels or pure historical fiction as both interest me.

Mark

7/7/2022 06:12:11 pm

The concept of blood money goes back a long way. It is mentioned more than once in the Bible. It has not left us in our modern day and age. Insurance recognizes that losing an arm is worth more than losing a hand.

I love both genres also. Combining the two is genius as far as I am concerned.

New questions.

This is volume two or five or six volumes, I don't recall for certain. You are building a major story arc—do you have it planned out?

Why the multiple points of view?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/8/2022 09:55:13 am

There are 6 volumes planned in this series: ‘Thorfinn and the Witch’s Curse’ is book 1 followed by ‘The Vardoger Boy.’ The third novel is ‘On Viking Seas’ which was released in 2021. In less than a month (Yay!) I will publish ‘Kara Shiledmaiden of Eire,’ and I have begun work on the fifth installment, ‘Marauders in Jotunheim’ which I hope to release in 2023. The final segment of this story arc has a working title of ‘Voyage to Cordova’ and I hope to complete it by 2024. In each novel the fantasy elements grow until book 5 where 80% of the novel takes place in the 9 realms of Norse Mythology.

Why the multiple points of view? There are many approaches to narration, including the omniscient narrator who knows all and sees all. I prefer having narration told by individual characters—by doing this I can have main protagonists who experience the same events from a different perspective. They don’t know the same facts or understand the issues in the same way as other characters which can lead to tension, suspense and conflict. For example, in the final chapter of The Witch’s Curse, Thorfinn and the readers know that Gani Magnusson intends to sneak into the Agneson compound after the wedding celebrations and murder Uncle Karl, but… no one else believes him! This creates tension and as the wedding celebration drags on, the reader turns each page wondering how it will be resolved.

I also like POV characters that self-deceive and are less than aware of their own motivations or the thoughts and feelings of those around them. This also leads to confusion and story conflict. I have had reviewers that find it difficult to follow many different character arcs, and I understand the difficulty, but for this particular series, soon Thorfinn’s escapades in the realm between realms will overlap with characters in Midgard and lead to humor as well as problem resolution.

Mark

7/8/2022 10:14:31 am

Six volumes are great. Your fans will be happy for some time to come.

I like the multiple points of view, you keep the sections short so it's easier to recall the past episode for each character. I agree, the changing points of view help maintain intimacy and excitement.

New questions.

These are self-published novels. You have been published by traditional publishers too. Why go with self-publish for these stories?

What have you learned most recently about the self-publishing “business?”

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/8/2022 10:39:42 am

I had not followed the changes in the publishing industry for the past decade due to a focus on my fulltime work. Frankly, I misunderstood that self-publishing was akin to vanity press which I had avoided for decades. I had missed the immense impact that Amazon Publishing Services had on the market, and a friend brought me up to speed on the immediacy and personal control that could be maintained through self-publishing via the KDP platform. I do post my work to Kindle Unlimited. While some of my author friends have suggested that I take the works “wide,” I am not considering that option because I am still working a fulltime job and Amazon has provided the most reliable platform for my needs.

The self-publishing business has become crowded in the last 3 years. With people churning out thousands of ‘Na-No-Wri-Mo’ novels and pushing to build a library to “make a living” from their work, there are more options for readers than ever before, and some writers do not maintain a high caliber of work, especially with grammar and typos littered throughout their works, and this reflects poorly on other independent writers. I have read some of these works and did not leave a review—in some cases I didn’t even finish the book.

Additionally, some “tried and true” marketing tools are no longer delivering, and some nefarious readers have learned they can buy, read, and return an eBook for credit which really hurts small, independent authors. Social media has become desperately important to maintaining an image and a presence, but it doesn’t sell books and is very fad driven, and more important, it takes time away from writing and honing a craft.

In the future I will pitch book ideas to agents and traditional publishers, but I value the freedom of the self-publishing route and will continue to publish books on my own to manage and control my own marketing. I have several author friends who do both and I feel they have the most rewarding writing career.

Mark

7/8/2022 01:25:23 pm

I understand that focus, work is pretty important. It puts ink and paper in the printer.

The traditional publishing world has been turned upside-down by Amazon. We are privileged to watch one of the slowest train wrecks in history. That industry has been contracting for over 20 years now and is barely scraping by on very slim profit margins. Most of those publishers can't take a chance on anything less than a sure bet. They aren't concerned about what the book is about as much as how it will sell.

I encourage authors to abandon querying and focus on self-publishing. As you know, the self-published author maintains control of their intellectual property and can profit from all of the forms the story can take and there are many forms. E-book, audio book, graphic novel, paperback, hardback, screenplay, serialized, deluxe edition, illustrated edition, and large print to name a few. Then you can add in translations of the above. Each version is a different licensing opportunity. I forgot merchandising, loads of licensing opportunities there also as the story becomes popular.

1.6 million books published in the last year is the most recent number I have seen. For quite a few years, at least 1 million books have been published each year. Many writers are trying to make a living from their writing. The tricks and fads come and go. When someone strikes it rich, they get copied by many and most are too late to the party. That bus has left the station. The old adage is so true, 'change is the only constant' in this business.

I read a lot, 40 to 50 or more books a year. I find spelling errors in all of them. Except one. Once a year, for the last seven years or so, I read a book without spelling errors. My reading self has a party!

Social media can take as much time as you give it. There is never an end. Yes, it can take away from writing and the business side of writing. That is something every author struggles with, and each has to find their equilibrium.

New questions.

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

Do you have a hero, real or fictional?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/8/2022 01:39:12 pm

The three things I wish I had known before I published my first book are:

1. If you are writing a series, write most or all of it before you hit that publish button. I did not know this and rushed to get my first story into print. In the waiting period between my releases, readers tend to “fade away….” This is something called “rapid release” and I have watched it make a big difference for book sales.
2. Find good beta readers and cultivate a strong relationship with them. Or a critique group if you are lucky enough to find a local group that is interested in your genre and is at the same level of writing as yourself. They can help at all stages of your writing.
3. Editing is much more important than writing the initial draft. And despite using professional editors and numerous advanced copy readers, errors still worm their way into the final manuscript, so expect it and leap to correct any fault as it is reported….

Heroes are difficult to find in today’s society—the Internet has debunked the status of many former heroes, and even the best have issues that haunt their leadership. I am very proud of my father and what he accomplished in life, and I have always measured myself against his path in life—sometimes I measure up and other times I don’t. I have also had the opportunity to work with true leaders and their counterparts as well. There are opportunities in the business world to do great things and I am glad to have been a part of a few great companies.

Mark

7/8/2022 03:04:02 pm

You chose well. Those three things are very important. I have heard that rapid release works well, so writing ahead is a good solution. Of course, editing! I am all about editing. As so many writers know, you can't edit a blank page. The first draft has but one purpose, in my mind, and that is to exist. A well-seasoned writer can write a decent first draft but that is not what the writer will publish. A famous writer said, "a good book is not written it is rewritten many times." this is my paraphrase.

A lot of people are disappointed when they discover their heroes are human and have feet of clay. I held my father in too-high esteem as a little boy, and maintained that attitude, unawares, until my middle age. I was crushed and angry for a period of time, so disappointed in him and myself.

New questions.

What are some challenges to writing Historical Fiction?

What happens when your historical sources don’t agree?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/8/2022 03:58:13 pm

History is often more contentious than we realize! Who said history was dull, eh? Especially when one is working in a period where records were scant or piece-meal, like during the “Dark Ages.” Scholarship on Viking Age Scandinavian and Danelaw England is sometimes contradictory which leads to interesting argumentative situations where a reader takes umbrage to my depiction of a setting, location or historical “fact.” The reality is we really don’t know a lot about the common, average people and beliefs of the middle ages and while that provides an opening for imagination, new discoveries can render a previous tale incorrect.

Another issue that plagues the historical writer is the occasional linguistic anachronism that creeps into the text. For example, I use the word “OK” daily to indicate affirmative, but that phrase is a 19th Century innovation. I must not use it in a book set a thousand years prior to when it was first coined. Add to that the “Neo-paganism” movement, where ancient symbols, runes and mythological pantheons have been coopted by non-historians for modern mystical or quasi-religious purposes. Their application of the “facts” is generally looser than a historian would feel comfortable defending, while they are quite adamant and aggressive in their defense of new age. I don’t want to get into arguments with people about the value of witchcraft in today’s society versus my depiction in a novel, or the correct interpretation of the gods of Asgard. To avoid such controversies, I keep a list of my sources and if anyone wants to take offence, I can send them to the original historian or website. In this way, Wikipedia is my best defense, right?

The fact is that a lot of historical sources on the 9th Century do not agree, or one source has additional data on a particular subject than another. As I am an author not a historian, I simply choose the source that best fits my requirements, make a note of it for my records and use the data as background information for my novels.

Mark

7/8/2022 05:18:01 pm

History is not boring! Until someone tries to teach it. Then it can be worse than watching grass grow. Take the old, dry bones of some ancient event, wrap some flesh on the bones and breathe a little life into it, then it seems like Bill and Ted had a good idea.

They weren't called the Dark Ages without a good reason. As you say, there is not a lot of source material to work with. The scholars have gone over each little bit of evidence with a fine-tooth comb and proceeded to write scholarly reports. Within those dusty pages there are bits of lovely and interesting stuff, and you ferreted out so much for us. Thanks.

Modern paganism is a thing. I hadn't even thought about that. When I was a sheet metal apprentice, one of the other apprentices claimed to be an Odinist. We had some interesting conversations. Referring the contentious people to an internet source such as Wikipedia is smart. They can argue with them and leave you alone to write in peace.

New questions.

Other than measuring the value of your sources did you encounter any other controversies in the course of researching and writing your book?

What kind of Historical Fiction do you prefer to read? Real persons or fictional persons in a historical setting?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/8/2022 05:36:23 pm

Interestingly enough, there has been a debate about whether shield maidens were actually a part of Viking raider forces, although that appears to have been laid to rest with the recent discovery of a mass Viking grave in Southwest England where more than half of the skeletons were female, buried with their weapons and showing indications of previously healed battle trauma. This new discovery seems to indicate that indeed shieldmaidens were a typical part of raiding parties. Which was important for me, as I have a character in the Forerunner series who wants to be a famous shieldmaiden and make her father proud.

As for my own reading preferences, I like good books but never thought to differentiate between fiction about historical characters versus fiction with fictional persons in a historical setting. If you think about it, most of our classical literature, while topical in its time, is today seen as fictional characters in a historical setting. Period pieces: Twain, Hemingway and even Pynchon can now be considered works in a historical setting.  Except for science fiction… I do enjoy works set in alternative histories or far-flung futures too. For me, what makes a good book is solid writing, interesting characters, and a good plot.

What about you? What are your preferred genres?

Mark

7/8/2022 07:13:59 pm

Archaeology validates the art in your books. How nice! One less thing for the nitpickers to bother you about. I enjoyed the different perspective that Kara brought to a fight. Her training and devotion to the art of war paid off for her.

I found out a few years ago that women were the protagonists in early Hong Kong martial arts films starting in the 1940s. Men felt it was beneath their dignity as actors in Chinese opera productions to lower themselves that much. I have seen a number of clips from those early movies, many in black and white. Women were very good fighters in those movies.

For us time travelers, far in the future, many of those classic books are historical fiction. Well-developed characters, good plotting and believable dialogue all contribute to great writing.

My favorite genres are first science fiction with fantasy as a close second with historical fiction not far behind. For a long time, all I read was sci-fi or fantasy. Heinlein, Asimov, Herbert and many more were my steady diet. Tolkien was a big interruption of my sci-fi reading starting in the 8th grade. I read LOTR three times before graduating from high school. Years later, well past Narnia time, I discovered the sci-fi trilogy written by C. S. Lewis, "Out of the Silent Planet" is the first volume. Clive patterned the protagonist after his good friend John Ronald Reul Tolkien.

New questions.

When you first start to develop an idea for a story, 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?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/8/2022 07:38:19 pm

When I start development, I usually take a legal pad of paper and make a long list of notes in columns: What is my high concept for the story? What are the events that support that high concept, my theme? And then for each character, what are the things that can happen to them from good to bad to absolute worst. Once I have these lists, I let them sit a while and “percolate in my subconscious.” In fact, I am looking at my list for Book 5 of the series… Have I captured every event and catastrophe I can imagine for each character? Satisfied I have the events and outcomes detailed, then I transfer my notes to an excel spread sheet in columns by characters and begin to arrange them in chapters by rows, moving them around to seek the right “cliff hanger” to end each chapter. After I feel I have it complete, I write a synopsis by chapter and send that out to a few trusted friends for input. Each chapter is a set of 3 or 4 characters with no more than five sentences for a Point of View describing the action sequence for that particular section. The key questions at this point are: Is anything trite or contrived? Is anything overly familiar or a trope, an expected situation and resolution? Are there any glaring plot holes? What works for them, and what doesn’t work for them? I collect their feedback, adjust the synopsis and then create “blank chapters” with the notes from the synopsis in each chapter. These will be my guides when I sit down to write. Open a blank chapter, read the notes and dive in!

The most valuable advice I have gotten from a writer was to stop procrastinating and get the story written. No one is going to tell the stories that you will, so don’t waste your opportunity to get it on paper.

Then edit, edit, edit—as you said, you can’t edit a blank page!

Mark

7/8/2022 09:02:12 pm

I like your plotting method. If I were a writer, I would be using a similar system. It makes a lot of sense to me.

That is good advice! Do it! Get started! Don't wait.

New questions.

What has been the biggest surprise in your writing journey?

What are common traps for beginning writers?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/9/2022 07:56:49 am

The biggest surprise for me in my writing journey was that I could find the time to write novels. I had postponed writing for years due to my business and travel commitments. But when I agreed to write and edit two chapters for a technical book, I found I was able to write 25,000 words in one month when under a deadline, and I realized I did have time if I was careful to plan.

I heard a famous author describe writing a novel as “entering a tunnel,” and I completely understand that feeling—once I sit down with my laptop and put my noise-canceling headphones on, I go into the writer’s trance and if the words are flowing, I disappear in the world of the book for hours. I am lucky I have a supportive partner.

As for common traps for beginners, there are many blogs and literary support groups to assist with the business of writing and overcoming the initial challenges of publishing. Neophyte authors don’t understand writing to their chosen genre’s audience expectations and often do not “write to market.” Learning how to advertise in today’s world is a major challenge and I am far from an expert! I still rely on articles, blogs and input form author friends who have more experience than I. Many new authors get trapped in a never-ending editing cycle, feeling their work is never good enough to put out into the world—writers are, for the most part, introverted individuals and sometimes the idea of exposing one’s work is frightful. It is important to realize that if you do good work and focus on superior content, you will ultimately find your audience. I have gotten 1-star reviews, but luckily there are many more 5-star followers who have found and enjoy my work.

Mark

7/9/2022 10:32:19 am

Time is an interesting concept. We always find time for the priorities; the other stuff can wait for when we get the legendary "round toit". It makes me wonder if there is a square toit also. ;-)

That was good production in one month. It helped that you knew the material well. You weren't creating something out of thin air. You proved to yourself that the time to write was always available to you.

I have struggled with being in the tunnel also. It's very easy for me to spend all of my time there but that excludes everyone else around me. I am alone in my tunnel. I have trained myself to respond rapidly to my wife when she speaks to me.

Those are very common traps that so many new writers fall into.

New questions.

One-star reviews can be crushing to a new author and still annoying to an experienced author. What do they mean, are they significant and how do you deal with them?

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

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/9/2022 11:25:42 am

I try to have a thick skin about reviews. Everyone uses a different ruler to measure their reviews. A 3-Star review is “average.” I read all my reviews and respond to the ones in Bookbub as they seem the most serious. The real challenge is getting any review from readers!

1-Star reviews with no written response are merely trolls. If a person gives me a 1-star review and writes their thoughts and reasons, I pay attention to it. Sometimes the critique is applicable, and I learn and adapt for future work. Other times it is not helpful at all, and I realize my writing will never be for that person. For example, some of my reviews have stated they don’t like multiple points of view and find it hard to follow a story with many characters—these individuals I will never make happy because they are not my core audience.

For me, the most frustrating reviews are the gushing 4-Star reviews that seem to have loved everything about my book—and the review doesn’t provide any insight into what would have made it a 5-star book. One of the features I like about Bookbub and Goodreads is that you can search other reviews by the same person and get an idea what they do prefer—sometime this is helpful—see, they prefer Romance novels, so fantasy will never be rated 5-stars.

A strong ego is an asset for a writer because criticism can be recognized as opinions and used to better one’s work. When I am asked to provide “beta” feedback for an author, unless I know the person well, I always ask, “Do you want simple thoughts and input or are you seeking a coach who is brutally honest?” Many artists and authors are fragile, and their “outsider” status makes their work better, but it also leaves them vulnerable. I learned this lesson in college where I sought effective and pitiless coaching and gave it in return, but my critiques were considered hurtful by a fellow classmate. In a private moment that individual set me straight and I have never forgotten that my own insensitivities ruined a potential friendship. I am much more careful of people’s egos now.

Mark

7/9/2022 01:29:34 pm

Every author struggles with getting reviews. It seems that most readers, maybe up to 90%, don't leave reviews and that is sad. Ther is only so much that can be done. I have read quite a few books with the author's personal appeal for reviews in the back. Some authors invite the reader to sign up for a free book or story on their website.

Trolls are common and they seem to take delight in causing others pain and turmoil. A simple one-star review, without comments, is a blessing in disguise because other readers will likely recognize it for what it is and give it no weight. Some trolls will leave hurtful comments and occasionally admit they didn't read the book. That is laughable in and of itself. The reasonable reader will understand what is going on in that instance also. I have told more than one author, who was lamenting about those reviews, to be glad because it proves that all of the good reviews weren't coming from family members or their mom's bridge club.

You make a good point, just as each book has an audience it also has those who are not the appreciative audience for which it was intended. There will never be a book written that is universally acclaimed by all. Knowing your audience is important.

That is a great question to ask before offering ideas to improve a story. Putting your story and yourself in the public eye is scary. I don't think that feeling ever goes away completely. Yes, a strong ego is important along with some flexibility at the proper time.

New questions.

Can you describe the demographic of your ideal reader?

Who is the person most likely to buy your book?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/9/2022 03:53:29 pm

The demographic of my ideal reader is an adult interested in history, who enjoys fantasy but has tired of RPG dungeon crawls or copies of JRR Tolkien’s elves and dwarves and wizards and seeks something imaginative and with enough detail to transport the reader to the Ninth Century. The first book can be a young adult story, but the series gets progressively more PG-13. It was a violent time and the Agneson family must fight back.

The novels in the Forerunner Series are really underdog stories—the Anglo-Saxons ultimately defeat the Danish invaders and most of the Danes slip into the countryside and “go native.” The Agneson clan will survive in Northumbria and ultimately become English subjects as the kingdoms are unified.

The target audience for this book is anyone with an interest in the Viking Age, myths and legends, and early middle-ages life. The books are adventure novels and can be categorized as “low fantasy,” meaning the fantasy elements are not the sole focus of the book, and the magic is essential to the story but not the reason for the story.

If a reader is looking for a straight forward war story set in the Viking Age, 'The Vardoger Boy' provides a rousing tale with good character development and a few surprises.

Mark

7/9/2022 04:44:34 pm

Wanting to be anywhere but here or anytime but now is the desire of nearly everyone above room temperature. We all need a break from reality. Books are the best portable magic around. They can go anywhere and be read at almost any time.

Yes, underdogs, losing but surviving to exist for another day. I didn't think about that underlying concept, but it certainly is true.

New questions.

Do you have an item or a routine you consider to be your writing lucky charm?

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

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/9/2022 06:26:52 pm

I don’t have a “lucky charm,” but I do like to write in a certain spot, in our living room in the corner. The chair is comfortable and supportive which means I can sit in it for hours, and it is out of the way, so I don’t bother anyone when I am in my “tunnel” mode.

Movies are my kryptonite—they suck me in and waste my time. I try to avoid the television as much as possible. Good, bad or indifferent, if the television is on and it’s a long form program, it will suck me in, and I will waste two hours or more watching someone else’s dream. LOL!

Mark

7/9/2022 07:50:11 pm

A good chair is lovely and worth every penny!

Movies and TV are the same for me. I avoid all of that when I am proofreading. Only when the job is complete do I feel comfortable spending time watching the tube.

New questions.

Have you thought about publishing a story on Vella, Radish, Wattpad or one of the other episode-based publishing platforms?

Do you struggle with writer's block, if so, how do you overcome it?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/10/2022 06:57:57 am

I have considered publishing on Vella. Episodic posts, if you can build enough audience, can drive readers to your novels and novellas. However, I remind myself that short stories are not easier than lengthy books—they must sparkle in a completely different way and often require a lot more editing to be compelling and captivating. For now, I am sticking with the novel format.

As for writer’s block, I think everyone suffers from it now and then. Usually for me it is a sort of malaise that infects my desire—to extend the metaphor, I don’t feel like digging in the mines of my tunnel! LOL! Last year I had every intention of getting the fourth book of the series out by the end of the year, then we lost a lot of close family and friends to illness and Covid-19, and I struggled to “find the will.” Ultimately, I overcame the self-inflicted delays and started telling myself the story again, which is exactly what I need to push away the weight of writer’s block and jump back on my laptop.

Mark

7/10/2022 04:11:47 pm

You are so right about the difference in short stories. There is much less time for character development. Plot intricacies must be whittled down and descriptions must be minimized as much as possible. I think your plan is a wise one, especially regarding the recent warning about contractual obligations for the writers using some of these services. Here is a copy-and-paste link about the issues or hit the search box below: The Predatory Contracts of Serial Reading/Writing Apps https://writerunboxed.com/2022/06/24/reading-between-the-lines-the-predatory-contracts-of-serial-reading-writing-apps

Many writers do struggle with writer's block or creative blocks. The entire covid problem and the attendant socio-political turmoil stifled the muse for so many writers. A lot of writing projects were postponed indefinitely, a lot of proofreading work dried up for me and probably other editors and proofreaders. Many people lost loved ones or close friends. Responding to the creative impulse dries up quickly when survival is at stake.

New Questions.

Do you see an advantage of writing under a pseudonym, why or why not?

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

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/11/2022 08:22:58 am

I didn’t realize that these serialized work contracts were so demanding—it is something to keep in mind.

Pseudonyms are very useful for authors writing in a different genre. You can adopt a pen name for work that doesn’t fit your current audience and build an entirely new audience. This does take a lot more work because one must promote and advertise two or more pen names, with additional websites, social media handles, etc. Because most of my working day is dedicated to a job that is not my writing, time is my most precious commodity. While I have considered a pseudonym for work that is not historical fantasy or straight fantasy, until I retire and can devote more time to managing the business of writing, I am not going to consider it.

There are some genres that I shy away from, but none that I dislike. I am not a fan of ultra-violent or overly erotic work as a personal preference. When I was younger, I tended to ignore Romance novels until I learned that category encompasses a huge variety of work with comforting, predictable story arcs and many fine authors with amazing talent. I have learned the old dictum, “moderation in all things” is important to a full and happy life.

Mark

7/11/2022 12:16:45 pm

I didn't know also, until this blog came to my attention. Short or serialized stories can be a great way to hone talent, but like so much of the rest of life buyer beware. For an author, a lawyer becomes a necessity the more they publish, it seems. There are so many traps and dangers to the wallet or the author's intellectual property rights. American copyright law allows the author's estate to hold the copyright until 75 years after the death of the author. That is a big deal. Many authors have become more famous after passing than when they were alive.

Some authors follow that course. I heard of an author writing in four different genres and had four pen names. She consolidated all of her writing onto one website but had a landing page for each genre that all redirected to the main site.

Others don't do that. They use one name for all of their writing. Some readers are happy to try a new genre from a favorite author, others prefer to stay in the genre they enjoy the most.

I do not read erotic or sexually explicit books. I also shy away from books with a lot of gore. I am in firm agreement with that adage about moderation.

New questions.

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

At this time, do you read books for entertainment or just research homework?

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/11/2022 01:14:47 pm

Reading is by far the best influence on my writing, followed by the application of ambient music to my focus when actually working on my craft. As I mentioned, movies are a distraction, although I am careful to avoid movie cliches or tropes in my books. But reading everything I can, from classics to non-fiction to current independent self-published works, all has a positive impact on my writing. I do read for enjoyment and will set aside a book with too many errors or plot holes. Literature is a wonderful escape, and with eBooks, one can take their library anywhere and easily swap a title or genre.

I think the real issue is many of our fellow Americans are not reading for knowledge or entertainment, and turning instead to television and cinema, as well as the insular communities on the internet and in social media. This impacts the number of readers in a potential audience as well as directs our social intercourse into narrow focuses, including conspiracy theories and belief in rampant and politically expedient misinformation. Reading is one of the ways we used to educate our populace, but it is being pushed aside by technologies and bad actors. For me personally, this means fewer readers to entice into reading my books.

Mark

7/11/2022 01:32:45 pm

Almost every author tells me they read for pleasure and education. A poorly written book can inspire a person to write, knowing in their heart they can write better than what they just read. A well-written book can encourage a writer to learn the writing craft even more. There are a lot of both books to consume.

I agree with you. The internet, like pretty much everything else in this world, is a double-edged sword. Insular groups are everywhere, no surprise, they utilize their echo chambers a lot.

I seek writers and readers when I am in public. Only about one person in twenty knows a writer, only about one in ten read on a regular basis. Most tell me they used to read a lot.

New questions.

What type of book is your favorite guilty pleasure to read or listen to for fun?

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

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/11/2022 01:51:52 pm

Oooo, guilty pleasures? I think its Rom-Coms—I like how tidy and predictable they are, yet in the hands of a great author they are unique and fun, and I am a sucker for a happy ending. Yes, Hallmark over HBO for me…. I also like Science Fiction of all types, especially if it is well written.

As for a book that changed the way I look at writing, I did the ‘Elements of Style’ and it had a big impact on my work. I also read a lot of Shakespeare and the bard increased my vocabulary as well as helped my sense of timing. His poetic phrasing are still my favorites. In the TBR pile, I just received a copy of ‘Dreyer’s English, an utterly correct guide to clarity and style,’ by Benjamin Dreyer and I cracked a few pages and love it so far. I suspect this will have a major impact on my written word as well!

Mark

7/11/2022 02:09:12 pm

We are brothers. I pretended, a long time ago, to not like romantic comedies. It was hard not to laugh at times. Now, I love Hallmark movies of all kinds. Even the ones that make my eyes sweat some.

I bought Dreyer's English and have yet to read it. Right now, I am reading a book by Louis Giglio, "Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table" and am halfway through it without finding a single spelling error. I am enjoying this spiritually encouraging book.

Last questions.

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

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

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/11/2022 03:25:45 pm

The hurdle I faced when writing ‘The Vardoger Boy’ was twofold. When I published the first book in the Forerunner Series, I knew the tale and had lived with it for years, studying Viking lore and legends, making notes and rethinking sections—with book 2 I needed to extend the story and I had not mapped out the entire series when I began. I needed to carry the characters forward and take it from a young adult focused tale with a “coming of age’ theme into an adult story of war and retribution. I had only foreshadowed a little in the first novel, so I needed to build on those hints. The second hurdle was based the legitimate critiques I received on the first novel, that its pace was slow. I needed to raise the stakes and increase the tempo of the adventures. I made the book address life or death situations and moved the story forward by separating the family and throwing the eldest son and his father into a war we, as readers, knew they would lose. It made the overall work more compelling and helped make the story more interesting for both myself and my audience.

As for suffering, I am not sure that is the proper word. Most writers are “outsiders” who observe the human condition from a position that gives them insight and perspective. Sometimes personal suffering weighs on an individual and provides them a unique voice. But many famous writers are well-adjusted members of our society, and many make a fine living from writing while contributing to their local community. About fifteen years ago I joined some artist societies and began to show painting in galleries. At that time there were individuals who join the art leagues but relied on style and presentation to be “artistic,” occasionally a lot of show with little substance, others masquerading as ‘fine art photographers” while convincing sexual conquests to pose in scantly lingerie, These people had a convincing angst and an outsider persona, but they were not real artists—the real artists work steadily at their craft, took classes and always sought to become better. This is the group I preferred to be associated with and the same with the writers I admire and seek to emulate. It is about practicing, learning to edit, increasing your vocabulary, learning to plot, and balancing great themes with compelling personalities to create a lasting work of literature. If suffering is required to draw this out of an individual, then great for them. But for me, it is all about hard work and dedication to a craft.

mark

7/11/2022 03:48:25 pm

Your understanding of the weak areas of the book enabled you to craft a much improved second volume. In those respects, this story is much better than the first.

The world is full of posers and pretenders, they are either insecure or out of balance in their life or both. You called them out quite well.

Jay, thank you for being a fabulous guest on the Word Refiner channel again. I have enjoyed extending our chat from the first interview a few weeks ago.

I have a new promotion starting tomorrow so I must bring our time to a close now. I will be seeing you again in a week.
Take care and keep on writing.

Jay Veloso Batista link

7/11/2022 03:54:29 pm

Thank you, Mark, for the wonderful opportunity to share my thoughts on writing and my novels. Good luck with your next guest.

The Vardoger Boy (Forerunner Series Book 2) by Jay Veloso Batista

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