Interview with Arthur Drake, Author of Fields Of Blood
09 Nov 2022
What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Fields Of Blood?
I was listening to “The Lament For The Rohirrim” by Clamavi De Profundis and the setting sort of popped into my head. I imagined yellow fields blowing in the wind, a stormy mountain dominating the landscape behind them, and a rusty helm of a once proud people brought low. And from there the story was born.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Fields Of Blood, what would they be?
Haha I’m not sure. Most my characters could probably use Basil Poledouris’ “Anvil Of Crom” but for Eadmaer I would probably pick something a little softer and more intense like “The Moonlight Sonata”.
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I jump around a lot. I read sword and sorcery, horror, weird fiction, westerns, and classics a lot. But I try to read a book in every genre at least once. My favorite to write is certainly sword and sorcery, although I think it’d be fun to try horror at some point.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Too many to count haha. But ones that’ll be up soon are The Knight by Gene Wolfe, Lavondyss by Robert Holdstock, and The Plague by Albert Camus.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
I enjoy the battle scenes the most. They come the most naturally to me and I can sit down and write them with an almost effortless flow. For this book in particular it’d be the final showdown between Eadmaer and two of the book’s main antagonists.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Not really. I only ever write on the computer. Tried hand writing before but just doesn’t work for me.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
Not really. I like Acta Non Verba and Patton’s “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” It always resonated with me as well.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to dare greatly. It may not get you what you want but it’s better than sitting back and doing nothing.
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