Right at the cusp of the Renaissance, new ideas were emerging, but old ones like slavery were contesting the changes. In 1671, riffles and pistols were still single shot and the sword rose to its deadliest skill level. Welcome to the swash and buckle of the 17th century.
Follow pirates at the dawn of the Renaissance, with Elliot Baker, and I as we delve deep into the first book in The Sun God’s Heir series, ‘Return’. Elliot, it’s been a while since we last chatted, what’s been going on your world since then?
Other than writing, ugh. Sally and I have been babysitting for our 3-year-old grandson, Jackson. When you tell him, “You’re cute,” he responds in an appropriate tone of voice, “I know, right.”
*Laughs* Knowing how cute you are is an important lesson to learn, so I’m glad to hear that he’s learnt it early and well! We’ll get to latest writing adventures soon, but let’s take our readers back in time to the initial development of The Sun God’s Heir: Return. How did it all begin?
The Sun God’s Heir: Return arose from a dream experienced years ago, but never forgotten. The dream gave me the major players and the setting and refused to return to the creative matrix from which it came. Every creative move we make is a mystery. I’ve always found that my best response is just to be grateful and not make a big deal about it.
Are you a prolific dreamer?
I don’t remember more dreams than anyone else. This one was very unusual in both its detail and my ability to not only remember it, but its refusal to fade away in the face of real life.
Did you find yourself looking for inspiration from your own life to extend the foundation provided by your dream? What things did you mix into the story?
Reading superman comic books under the covers with a flashlight when I was ten.
Oh, good choice! There’s a lot of wisdom in those pages, so what important element did you decide to showcase in this book?
Power is not the answer. As is evidenced by quantum mechanics, the logical connection between cause and effect isn’t always true even though it certainly looks like it should be.
What or who did you think about as you were writing to try and help you weave the idea that power is not the answer in?
Truthfully. My family and the people I love. It’s the only valid reason I’ve found in this life for getting up. And it works famously every day.
Having such a solid reason for working does make it much easier to keep working when the going gets tough. What else have you learnt by working through times when writing has been more challenging than fun?
How badly we all need editors. I am more than grateful for mine.
A writer who doesn’t love editors hasn’t met a good one yet! Do you find all of the writing you need to do in the lead up to giving it to the editor exhausting or exciting?
Depends on the day and whether what comes out is useful as kitty litter or words that might actually give someone a break in a busy stressful day.
*Laughs* I hope you didn’t have too many kitty litter days! Do you think you’re seeing less of these days since you’ve continued to hone your writing skills, and in turn are showing an improved author voice?
Thanks to my editor, my voice is stronger and clearer.
Thank goodness! There are only so many kitty little quality days you can take! We’ve now set the stage with the first book in the series, what can you share what’s going on with the series today?
The first Sun God’s Heir trilogy is doing well. I am running into the dreaded writer’s block, but am slowly navigating my way through. When you begin a creative project for the first time, there’s much less pressure. After all, you never did this particular format of writing before. When all three books have been well rated, you can’t just write something, it needs to be better than your previous work and that’s what drops a monkey wrench into the works. That’ll never happen to me. “Hah,” he said before sitting and staring at a blank computer screen.
Has it been easier to rise to that challenge by continuing on from the series brand that you’ve already formed with the earlier books?
Branding is one of those mysteries I have yet to crack. Still, it’s good to have mysteries in our lives. Makes things much more interesting.
It really does! So, where do the writing mysteries lie in your future? What are you working on?
Book 4 of the Sun God’s Heir series. Working title, Oracle.
How exciting! I can’t wait to hear more about it! And the fastest way I’ll be able to quiz you all it is to let you go and work on it. Elliot, thanks for returning to ItsWriteNow.com to keep us up to date with your writing career, and return soon with updates!
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Excited to read the book we discussed today? Find it here on Amazon: ‘The Sun God’s Heir: Return (Book One) ( ASIN: B01MS3RCE0 )‘.
Want to find out more about Elliott Baker? Connect here!