Where did you get the idea for ‘Til the River Calms?
The time period is something I’ve always been interested in. I love flintlock and military fantasies, stories that take place during the Napoleonic Wars or the American Civil War or on a pirate ship. For this particular book, I was influenced by Django Wexler’s Shadow Campaigns and Brian McClellan’s Promise of Blood.
When it comes to reading or writing stories, I’m especially drawn to complex or interesting relationship dynamics. I like exploring how two opposite characters might interact when they finally meet. For ‘Til the River Calms, I was thinking about what would happen if someone perceived as powerful or important became at the mercy of someone who might be considered unimportant. I was interested in that role reversal and what the consequences might be for each character.
Now, I was bound to think up the time period and the characters eventually just because they were born of my favorite genres. But the way I came up with the story itself is… well, I can’t explain it. It’s like someone else did all the work for me and then sat me down and told me the story. All I had to do was write it down. I suppose it’s appropriate to say I had an epiphany. The entire plot came to me all in one instant. I needed to do hardly any thinking, planning, or research. From beginning to end and everything in between, I simply sat down and wrote, and it all came out almost perfectly. The experience was unlike anything I’ve had before and I can’t help but think of it as a blessing.
Will there be a sequel?
There absolutely will be. The story is complete on its own, so there’s no need to worry about cliffhangers or any sort of dissatisfaction. The sequel will simply be the next adventure with the same characters. It’ll take place four years after ‘Til the River Calms and explore a bit more of the world. If you’re interested to know what happens next for Leo and Colonel Salgado, then this sequel will be for you.
How long did it take you to write?
It only took three or four months to write, revise, and publish ‘Til the River Calms. Some of that time was interrupted, such as when I went abroad for a month and didn’t get to do any writing at all, but the turnaround from inception to publication was only so fast thanks to the small word count and the epiphany that allowed me to pretty much skip the planning and research phases. I wrote it because I felt I needed to get the story down, and it was only when it was complete that I realized how much potential it had and how proud of it I was, and that’s what made me decide to publish it.
Who made the cover?
The cover was designed and created by Yago Domingues. I gave him a badly drawn sketch of my idea, and then he performed literal magic.
Who made the maps?
The maps were drawn by Vojin Kremić. I provided him with my own drawing, and then he traced over it in his own professional style.
What are your plans for the world you created?
My intention is to write a series of duets (one story and one sequel as a pair) that all take place throughout the history of the world. So, ‘Til the River Calms and its sequel take place during the 1830s. Another duet will take place during the 1510s and so on. The characters and plots will always be different, but the world will always be the same. There’ll be no need to read everything to understand each duet, so readers will be able to jump in anytime they find a time period or a story interesting. With that said, those of you who read every single one will get to see how the world changes over time and perhaps pick up on other references. I’m hoping to release one to two of these novellas every year.