Pirates & Swashbucklers Interviews: Kameron Franklin interviews… Kameron Franklin!
Thursday, September 22nd, 2011To celebrate “Talk Like a Pirate Day”, PulpEmpire.com is proud to offer our newest anthology Pirates & Swashbucklers, a seventeen story collection of great pirate pulp fiction! Pirates & Swashbucklers author Kameron W. Franklin interviewed his fellow writers of the new Pulp Empire anthology out now!
Today he answers his own questions about his story “Relvan’s Rescue”.
When did you first realize you were a writer?
The blurb I usually submit for a bio begins with the writing I shared for Show-and-Tell in the third grade, but it wasn’t until my senior year in high school–I took a creative writing class and entered a statewide short story contest–that I truly thought of myself as a writer, or considered writing as a career.
What authors influence or inspire you?
Terry Brooks is probably the author who most influences my writing style. I reread the chapter from The Sword of Shannara where Shea, Flick, and Menion travel through the Black Oaks to get inspiration for writing about Adder Swamp in Maiden of Pain. I wanted to capture not just the environment, but the atmosphere Brooks created.
David Eddings influenced my ideas about world-building early on. Tolkien’s use of geography as a quest obstacle is also something that has stuck with me.
What book(s) have you read more than once? What drew you back?
The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Belgariad, The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara, The Wheel of Time, and the Bible. The first five are genre classics, and some of the first books I read growing up, so there is a sentimental attachment as well as just being fun to read. Wheel of Time is on the list because I often had to go back and reread the series to remember what (if anything) happened as time between new releases grew longer and longer. The Bible is important to me primarily as the source of my faith, but I have looked to it from time to time for its value as literature.
Do you consider yourself a “pulp” writer? Why? Is there another genre you like to write?
Sword-and-sorcery is a genre I like to both read and write, and has strong ties to the “Pulp” era. I also like to write high fantasy. I typically identify myself as a fantasy author/writer.
In 25 words or less, how would you define “pulp” as a genre?
Action and adventure over introspection and angst.
What made you decide to submit a story for the Pirates & Swashbucklers anthology?
What made you decide to submit a story for the Pirates & Swashbucklers anthology?
“Relvan’s Rescue” had originally been written for a nautical-themed sword-and-sorcery anthology that was published four years ago. It was rejected, but with some nice comments from the editor. I overhauled the story and sent it out to some other markets. Still no takers. I let it sit for a year or so before revisiting and revising it. A second round of submissions began. One market held on to it for a year while they worked through their backlog and instituted a new submission process.
About the time I finally received a rejection from them, I ran across Pulp Empire’s call for submissions on Duotrope. As my story had originally been intended for a “pirate” anthology, I thought this was the ideal market.
Read more of Kameron’s interviews at PensAndSwords.com.
Pulp Empire Presents: Pirates & Swashbucklers is now available at Pulp Empire.com. Until October 10th, use the code “62QUSQGC” at our CreateSpace bookstore to receive 15% off on the book!
recently discounted Pirates & Swashbucklers for all readers!
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