Interview with Tim Akers for Titan Books
Conducted by Sandra Scholes
We know Tim Akers is hard at work on his next novels in The Hallowed War series, but I couldn't help but get a small amount of his time away from the keyboard to tell us rabid readers more about what made him want to write with such passion on the subjects of religion, both old and new. Take a trip with me into the unknown and come away with the secrets of The Pagan Night...
Sandra: I like that in The Pagan Night you have invested a lot of time in the spirituality of the old gods and goddesses and how outside forces aren't as high and mighty for the right of good as they may seem. Is this due to your own religious upbringing, or do you already appreciate the Celtic gods and what they meant to people in the past?
Tim Akers: I would say that I have an appreciation for religion in general, and what it means to us at every level of society. I have this very sharp memory from childhood when I realized that the Norse gods weren't just mythology, but had been a very real and affecting religion at one point in history. It changed the way I thought about religion and myth, and the complicated intermingling of the two.
Sandra: Power struggles are at the heart of The Pagan Night, but who did you base the strong female lead, Gwendolyn Adair on. She is a powerful character who hides a lot considering she liaises with the Inquisition and the Celestial Church?
Tim Akers: Gwen is an excellent example of the dual nature of loyalty that most Tenerrans have to struggle with, with her history deeply rooted in the pagan traditions but her day-to-day life overshadowed by the church. She goes a little further in the pagan way than most, since her family is hiding a generations long heresy from the church, but the essential question of how we remain true to our heritage while managing in the modern world holds true.
Sandra: Is there anything from your novels, or even The Pagan Night that you would have preferred to have been left in?
Tim Akers:There are scenes that I cut that were near and dear to my heart, but that's part of the writing process. Even with the vast canvas afforded by epic fantasy, you have to keep an eye on the value of each scene and ask whether it's adding to the story or if it's only there because you can't bring yourself to cut it. Getting rid of that stuff made the book better, so I guess I can't say that I would have preferred it be left in, but I would like those scenes to see daylight someday. Maybe I'll be able to incorporate them into the next book.
Sandra: If you could write in a genre that you haven't yet done, what would it be and why?
Tim Akers: I love thrillers. I have the rough notes on a WWII novel about German spies who infiltrate the continental US in search of the tears of Freya, rumored to grant immortal life and the power of the valkyries. But that's still kind of fantasy, so maybe I should just stick with what I know.
Sandra: Which famous writer influenced you the most and have you actually met him/her?
Tim Akers: William Gibson changed the way I think about writing, though the traces of his influence have largely faded from my literary voice. And we've met formally, but not in any kind of familiar way. I have friends who are friends with him, but that's probably as close as I'll ever get.
Sandra: You have written several fantasy novels, but do you feel you have written your epic novel yet?
Tim Akers: Yeah, I think The Pagan Night is pretty epic. And the next two books just keep ratcheting up that epicness, so I'm pretty happy with that.
Sandra: If any of your books managed to be made into movies, what would your ideal cast be?
Tim Akers: I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I would rather not see them as movies. There's this tendency to think that the movie is the ideal form of the story, but really it's not. Novels are not the chrysalis form of the movie.
Sandra: I know fans are looking forward to the next two novels being released over the next year, but what do you have in store for them during 2016?
Tim Akers: I'm going to be absorbed writing the next two books, honestly. I may have some novellas coming out, but there's nothing set in stone right now.
Tim Akers website: http://www.timakers.net/
Titan Books Website: http://titanbooks.com/
Sandra: I like that in The Pagan Night you have invested a lot of time in the spirituality of the old gods and goddesses and how outside forces aren't as high and mighty for the right of good as they may seem. Is this due to your own religious upbringing, or do you already appreciate the Celtic gods and what they meant to people in the past?
Tim Akers: I would say that I have an appreciation for religion in general, and what it means to us at every level of society. I have this very sharp memory from childhood when I realized that the Norse gods weren't just mythology, but had been a very real and affecting religion at one point in history. It changed the way I thought about religion and myth, and the complicated intermingling of the two.
Sandra: Power struggles are at the heart of The Pagan Night, but who did you base the strong female lead, Gwendolyn Adair on. She is a powerful character who hides a lot considering she liaises with the Inquisition and the Celestial Church?
Tim Akers: Gwen is an excellent example of the dual nature of loyalty that most Tenerrans have to struggle with, with her history deeply rooted in the pagan traditions but her day-to-day life overshadowed by the church. She goes a little further in the pagan way than most, since her family is hiding a generations long heresy from the church, but the essential question of how we remain true to our heritage while managing in the modern world holds true.
Sandra: Is there anything from your novels, or even The Pagan Night that you would have preferred to have been left in?
Tim Akers:There are scenes that I cut that were near and dear to my heart, but that's part of the writing process. Even with the vast canvas afforded by epic fantasy, you have to keep an eye on the value of each scene and ask whether it's adding to the story or if it's only there because you can't bring yourself to cut it. Getting rid of that stuff made the book better, so I guess I can't say that I would have preferred it be left in, but I would like those scenes to see daylight someday. Maybe I'll be able to incorporate them into the next book.
Sandra: If you could write in a genre that you haven't yet done, what would it be and why?
Tim Akers: I love thrillers. I have the rough notes on a WWII novel about German spies who infiltrate the continental US in search of the tears of Freya, rumored to grant immortal life and the power of the valkyries. But that's still kind of fantasy, so maybe I should just stick with what I know.
Sandra: Which famous writer influenced you the most and have you actually met him/her?
Tim Akers: William Gibson changed the way I think about writing, though the traces of his influence have largely faded from my literary voice. And we've met formally, but not in any kind of familiar way. I have friends who are friends with him, but that's probably as close as I'll ever get.
Sandra: You have written several fantasy novels, but do you feel you have written your epic novel yet?
Tim Akers: Yeah, I think The Pagan Night is pretty epic. And the next two books just keep ratcheting up that epicness, so I'm pretty happy with that.
Sandra: If any of your books managed to be made into movies, what would your ideal cast be?
Tim Akers: I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I would rather not see them as movies. There's this tendency to think that the movie is the ideal form of the story, but really it's not. Novels are not the chrysalis form of the movie.
Sandra: I know fans are looking forward to the next two novels being released over the next year, but what do you have in store for them during 2016?
Tim Akers: I'm going to be absorbed writing the next two books, honestly. I may have some novellas coming out, but there's nothing set in stone right now.
Tim Akers website: http://www.timakers.net/
Titan Books Website: http://titanbooks.com/
