Interview with David Andrew Trotter

Interview

Tell us about yourself. Where are you from?

I am from a small town in Arkansas called Ozark. I was born and raised there, just like the generations before me. I met my girlfriend, who became my wife (she moved in from California, so no Arkansas jokes here) in a small town and we ended up going to college together, where we were married. I now have four amazing children, Oliver, Lily, Theodore, and Rowena, and dog named Tripp.

What first got you into writing?

I grew up loving reading and writing, my mom giving me stories by Homer, Tolkien, and Lewis to read. Eventual, I found out about the Legend of Zelda and X-Men, and then worldbuilding blossomed from there.

What are your writing goals?

To keep on keeping on. Every day is a gift, and writing is how I repay the world for said gift. It will outlast me far longer than memories will. I would also like to have my entire series finished and then have fan art of my favorite characters floating around in the world.

What is one of the things you are most thankful for as a writer?

EDITORS!!!!!

What is the most interesting book you ever read?

Can I go with series? Malazan. Singular book, Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawerence.

What book are you currently reading?

Son of a Liche from Orcanomics by J. Zachary Pike

Who are your favorite authors?

JRR Tolkien, Robin Hobbs, Brandon Sanderson. ML Wang, Fonda Lee, Brian McClellan, Rachel Rener, Zack Argyle, Robert Zangari, JA Andrews, Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence. Far too many to count ....

What would your 8-year-old self think and say about you today?

He would be floored, to be perfectly honest. We are doing all of the things he never thought we could do. He probably would think I was lying if I showed him me now.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I am a dad and husband, first and foremost. So, taking the kids on trips, hanging out, or playing with them. I am an avid powerlifter, so I spend my time in the gym when I can. And then playing games, board or video.

Where can we learn more about you?

Facebook and Instagram.

Tell us about your latest book. What do you hope readers take away from it?

Chains of a Broken God (COBG) is my most recently self-published full-length novel, with "Blessings of Blood" being my second indie-published short story.

COBG continues the stories of Darius, the mountainous Feromage with a heart of gold and a backhand that can crack stone, Aellia and Iaenora, and Elcon, High Priest of Ordan. It also introduces many other characters across multiple continents and backgrounds.

COBG is book two in the Last Son of the Feromage Saga, and I hope that readers find that not all is the way it seems on the surface, and despite the best intentions, sometimes, we still fall short. That, no matter what, sometimes we fail, and that is okay, as long as we get back up again.

Who is the perfect reader for your book? (Please do not say "everyone.")

Those who enjoy expansive worlds, deep lore, and multiple points of view. People who love characters who struggle and grow, and others that struggle and fail. Lastly, those who like superheroes and hard magic systems.

What inspired the idea for the story?

The Last Son of the Feromage Saga is inspired by several real and fictitious events in human history and lore, with a twist of my own personal experiences and rampant imagination. At the end of the day, though, it was a story I needed to tell, because it was a story of me and by me, where I could process this thing we call life into words.

How did you come up with the title for your book?

Lots of thought ... but there is a theme, each of my books are strewn with both religious and philosophical threads in them, so I tried to tie them together in the titles. By the end of the series, the titles will tell as much of the story as the books themselves do.

Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?

Darius – He is the last of the Feromage, a guardian ordained by their god to protect this world from the darkness. He is a survivor but, with that, comes survivors’ guilt and PTSD. He lacks a lot of self-confidence but has an indominable spirit. He cares for people, above all else, he cares.

If your book was made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?

I would rather it be animated, if I could, in Castlevania art style.

If it had to be made into a movie, I would want an unknown as Darius. He isn’t an "attractive" male, so I don’t know ... maybe Joel Kinnaman, but he’d need some "gruffing-up."

What is the most important thing that people do not know about your subject/genre that they need to know?

It is big, and big is beautiful. Lots of worldbuilding and setup that takes books to cover.

Deep characters, with multiple drivers and needs, very much not one-dimensional beings. "Hard magic" does not mean hard to understand, there are simply rules they must follow. There is gunpowder in my world, think Pirates of the Caribbean/The Three Musketeers meets arcane.

Please share a short excerpt from your book.

With the fall of the evening came more grey clouds, though darker than the night before. A heavy wind blew from the sea, warm and unsettling. Something was off this time. An eerie green tinge veiled the usual vibrant orange and pink twilight. Ranun could smell the rain on the heavy air, thick and wild. Thunder crashed and winds howled. Heavy downpours of hot rain pelted the people as they scurried to find shelter in the open room of Ranun’s Place. The canopies were blowing wildly, tearing from the gales of the storm. Parents and children darted madly; the commotion was suffocating. Great bolts of lightning tore brilliantly across the dark, bluish-green sky.

Ranun was out in the courtyard, hurrying all that he could inside, dodging the debris that littered the air. He saw Darius too helping an elderly couple into the house when he heard a terrible crash. The hairs on his arm and the back of his neck went erect. A twinge ran down his spine as he heard the lightning strike. A large, metal-edged wooden sign atop an adjacent building had been struck by the bolt, splintering the wooden supports. To Ranun's horror, amid the pounding rain, a small child could be seen huddled against the side of the building where the damaged sign hung by bent nails and splintered wood.

It all happened in a moment.

The secondary support failed under the strain of the winds, and the sign dropped from above.

Ranun’s heart seemed to stop as he stared out in horror, caught halfway between the house and the building across the courtyard, with no way to save the girl. He was too far away; there was nothing he nor anyone could do.

Ranun cried out in agony, bemoaning the imminent loss of the small girl.
Yet, to his pure astonishment, he witnessed an event that could only be described as a miracle.

He clearly saw, through the pounding rain, something span the distance in a blur of yellow light. Never before had he seen anything move so swiftly, streaming light like an angel. The water turned to steam as the figure ran, distorting his view. Another bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the scene once more. A terrible crashing noise rang out as the sign fell through an upper balcony and then what sounded like a hollow thud of wood against flesh. Ranun tried to lift himself, but his strength had failed him. His limbs ached from the fall upon the slickened stone. Yet, from his prone position he saw a sight that was beyond anything he could ever imagine. Darius stood, his body bent over the girl, holding the sign flat in his hands, with stone and shingle alike littering the ground around him.

“By the gods…” No one heard Ranun’s remark over the sounds of the violent storm, nor could anyone make out the scene he had just witnessed due to the blackened rain and hazy mist. But he had seen what he had seen, and he was sure of it. Even now, Darius stood like a god among men, holding the sign with his bare hands, having snatched it from its descent out of mid-air and using it as a shield to protect the child. Darius cast the massive sign to the side with a shrug and then fell to his knees, water splashing upwards and swirling into mist around him.

What happened next stirred something in Ranun’s soul that he had not felt in a very long time. He saw Darius grab the child, pulling the small girl close to him, and then rock her back and forth as she wept. However, touching that was, it was not this that moved Ranun so. No, he saw something, something he could not explain. Darius’s honey-yellow eyes leaked lustrous torrents of light. The very rain around the brilliant streams turned to steam, wisping away into the storm. Those blazing eyes then went dim as Darius sealed his eyelids, hiding the incandescent blaze as he stroked the young girl’s hair, whispering something indiscernible to her.

After a few moments of calming, Darius scooped the young girl up from the ground and walked her across the courtyard to Ranun’s Place. The rain was pounding so hard that Ranun believed himself unnoticed by Darius. He stared at the young man as he walked by, no longer appearing mortal, but something else. Something grander.

Who is this man? Ranun thought in awe as he watched Darius take the little girl to her weeping parents and then disappear into the crowds. Though the rain soaked Ranun’s body, and the storm raged on, he took no notice of these things, focusing all his attention on the radiant-eyed stranger named Darius.

What role does research play in your writing? Do you have any research resources you recommend?

I do a ton of research, depending on the topic. I am a huge enjoyer of the mighty YouTube and have a few channels I highly recommend for new writers: Hello Future Me, Daneil Greene, Esper the Bard, Around the Campfire, Merphy Napier.

Do you aim for a set number of words/pages per day? Do you write every day, five days a week …?

I try to write Monday-Friday 6:30-7:30 a.m.

Do you have an area set aside for writing?

I write at my desk after I get done with the gym before work starts.

What does your writing process look like?

I use the Pillar and Bridge Method of writing, which is my own style. Find the key pillars that are needed to form the foundation of your story. Write the bridges (scenes between pillars) that you are inspired to write whenever they hit you.

I also do a blind second draft. I try really hard not to look at my first draft when writing my second, unless I am referencing names of people, place, or thing.

What comes first, plot or characters? Why?

Characters. I find characters far more interesting.

Then plot, because we need people to do the thing, and the thing is ultra important, but more so are those you follow on said journey.

Do you outline and plan your story or do you just sit down and write? Why?

I now plot; used to pants it, but now I plot.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?

I am a very visual person and I will write a whole scene, watch it play out in my mind, and if it does not make sense in the space I created, I delete it all and start over. I don’t do a lot of clean-up, but excel in straight rewrites.

How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?

Names are very important and I try to tie them to things that make sense in my world. Ordan and Gallae are the High Father and Holy Mother. Ordan has a hammer named Ethra that was used to form the world, that word is called Ethrea, or Of Ethra. Ordiatea is the republic where most happens. Galacia is a nation that is Matriarchal. Zau’fi is an island nation that was ruled by dragons. Their names derive from parts of the dragon. Spine, talon, flame, horde, so on.

Same with Tuawtia, Uuradan the Black was the dragon that ruled there and many names and cities are derivatives of said dragon. Spelling is also important. In Ordiatea, you get lots of "ae" names. In Daneland, you get lots of harsh sounds "Kc" or "Kr." In Galacia there are "Oo" and "Au."

What software do you use to write? Or do you prefer to write longhand or dictate your work? Why?

Word/Google Docs – writing. Campfire – organizing, plotting, worldbuilding. Excel – because we must, precious. ACX/KDP/IngramSpark.

Your Scottish heritage is important to you. Does it influence your writing? If so, how?

It absolutely is. I am of Scottish heritage on both sides and it has influenced my work heavily, especially in Chains of a Broken God.

How long (on average) does it take you to write a book?

Depends on the book. A full-length (180K+ word book) about a year and half. Shorter books (55-65,000 words) about 9-12 months.

How do you celebrate when you finish writing a book?

By panic marketing.

In your opinion, what's the measure of a successful writer?

Producing something you are proud to put into the market.

What is the best advice you could give other writers about writing?

Ideas are a dime a dozen, explore the craft and develop the hard skills. Read in the genre you write. Listen to others who write in the genre you read. Listen to those who don’t sound, look, or think like you.

What's your favorite and least favorite part of publishing?

Favorite: worldbuilding, name crafting, character development.

Least favorite: editing, praise be to good editors! Cutting out the parts I love, but aren’t necessary to the plot.