Ask the Author: Scott Hale
Answered Questions (9)
Scott Hale
Armando! Good to hear from you!
What's new? Ah, not too much. I'm still chugging away on Book Two, "Three Heretics," for the Bones of the Earth series. Just hit 167k words. Thing has to come an to an end eventually, right? Right? /cry
Just kidding. I'm having a great time writing it. I'm sure it'll be done soon. After the usual rewrites, I'll be on the lookout for a new editor. My previous editor's new full-time job doesn't leave her with much time to do editing on the side anymore. A bummer, but a good thing, too!
I'm trying to make the necessary changes so that I can have "The Bones of the Earth" published through IngramSpark (not just Createspace), so I can start requesting to have it stocked in local book stores. But I keep forgetting and being lazy.
There's an audiobook out for "Bones," too! It's on amazon/audible. Hoping to start putting together some fun stuff for the one year anniversary of "The Bones of the Earth." Not many may care, but damn it, I do! :)
"Black Occult Macabre" is the first horror anthology/Bones extended universe book. I'm hoping to have it out in time for Halloween this year.
What's new with you?
What's new? Ah, not too much. I'm still chugging away on Book Two, "Three Heretics," for the Bones of the Earth series. Just hit 167k words. Thing has to come an to an end eventually, right? Right? /cry
Just kidding. I'm having a great time writing it. I'm sure it'll be done soon. After the usual rewrites, I'll be on the lookout for a new editor. My previous editor's new full-time job doesn't leave her with much time to do editing on the side anymore. A bummer, but a good thing, too!
I'm trying to make the necessary changes so that I can have "The Bones of the Earth" published through IngramSpark (not just Createspace), so I can start requesting to have it stocked in local book stores. But I keep forgetting and being lazy.
There's an audiobook out for "Bones," too! It's on amazon/audible. Hoping to start putting together some fun stuff for the one year anniversary of "The Bones of the Earth." Not many may care, but damn it, I do! :)
"Black Occult Macabre" is the first horror anthology/Bones extended universe book. I'm hoping to have it out in time for Halloween this year.
What's new with you?
Scott Hale
This answer contains spoilers…
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Scott Hale
Oddly enough, I don't really experience writer's block. What I find tends to happen the most is sentence block. I don't subscribe to the notion you should just vomit your thoughts onto the page and do the clean up later. I like writing as well as I can at the time. I want to be satisfied the moment I put down the period.
So I find myself struggling with sentences sometimes. How to structure them, what to include. The easiest and most obvious way to deal with it is to switch things up. The way I want do it when I'm blocked often times is the wrong way, and no matter how many times I hammer out the kinks, it's never quite right. Altering rhythm and flow often times often times makes the biggest difference. The writing should be delicious and also unobtrusive, and dull, repetitive writing is not those things.
So I find myself struggling with sentences sometimes. How to structure them, what to include. The easiest and most obvious way to deal with it is to switch things up. The way I want do it when I'm blocked often times is the wrong way, and no matter how many times I hammer out the kinks, it's never quite right. Altering rhythm and flow often times often times makes the biggest difference. The writing should be delicious and also unobtrusive, and dull, repetitive writing is not those things.
Scott Hale
Starship Troopers! Of course, I broke her down and saw it in theaters, but it was a long process. Event Horizon was another movie which I'd seen alone, then she watched it finally and forbid me from viewing it ever again. Of course, that made me only want to watch that much more.
Granted, I was ten when these movies came out, so ... I guess I can see where she was coming from :)
Granted, I was ten when these movies came out, so ... I guess I can see where she was coming from :)
Scott Hale
Favorite authors? Oh, how I wish I read books like I watched movies so my answer isn't always the same!
I absolutely love the work of Vladimir Nabokov. His writing style is amazing. It almost has a taste to it, and it tastes delicious. It's like eating a good meal. When I was younger, for the longest time, I found myself imitating Nabokov. It was helpful-it definitely changed the way I looked at word usage and sentence structure-but at the end of the day, I wasn't him, and I shouldn't have tried to be him. But I sure I learned a lot from his work.
Clive Barker is another author whom I would consider a favorite. His writing is both absolutely disgusting and beautiful, and I love the contrast it creates. He takes the audience to some very dark places, but he does so in such a way that you can't help but follow him there. He's so confident in the weirdness he creates that, even if it is insane, you believe it.
Nick Cave is another writer I admire. He's written a few books, but he's mostly known for his music. His writing is, like Barker's, darkly beautiful. With just a few, well-placed words, he can create these fantastic landscapes populated by disgusting and, sometimes, hilarious characters.
Thanks for the question, and I hope you enjoy "Bones" if you get a chance to read it!
I absolutely love the work of Vladimir Nabokov. His writing style is amazing. It almost has a taste to it, and it tastes delicious. It's like eating a good meal. When I was younger, for the longest time, I found myself imitating Nabokov. It was helpful-it definitely changed the way I looked at word usage and sentence structure-but at the end of the day, I wasn't him, and I shouldn't have tried to be him. But I sure I learned a lot from his work.
Clive Barker is another author whom I would consider a favorite. His writing is both absolutely disgusting and beautiful, and I love the contrast it creates. He takes the audience to some very dark places, but he does so in such a way that you can't help but follow him there. He's so confident in the weirdness he creates that, even if it is insane, you believe it.
Nick Cave is another writer I admire. He's written a few books, but he's mostly known for his music. His writing is, like Barker's, darkly beautiful. With just a few, well-placed words, he can create these fantastic landscapes populated by disgusting and, sometimes, hilarious characters.
Thanks for the question, and I hope you enjoy "Bones" if you get a chance to read it!
Scott Hale
So sorry for taking so long to respond. I'm really bad at realizing when Goodreads has new things for me to check out.
I always struggle when it comes to names for characters and places. My girlfriend and the illustrator of the novel, Hannah Graff, is the one who found the name. We've always the cultures in that part of the world incredibly beautiful and interesting, so much so I took Russian in college.
You're right (obviously!) that "vrana" means crow. Which is weird, because she's not a crow, she's a raven. But that kind of gives you some insight into the traditions of the tribe and their tendency to adopt things from other cultures without truly making it their own.
Vrana's people are kinda desperate to distinguish themselves from the Corrupted, because in the end, at the moment, they don't have a lot that really separates them from their enemies.
How many books in the series? There will definitely be four books, but there could be more. It simply depends if I want to extend it beyond the end point I have in mind.
Supplementing the main series will be anthologies entitled "Black Occult Macabre." These will be collections of horror stories that are simultaneously standalone and connected to not only one another, but "Bones" as well. You can read some of them on Amazon now.
I love the idea of having a rich universe that is more than just entries into a bestiary or glossary. But the cool thing is ... they're standalone! So if you only read "Bones," you're good, and if you only read "Black Occult Macabre," you're not missing out on anything, either. I don't want it to feel like a chore to get into the series, but I do want those who invest their time into it to feel rewarded.
Thanks for the awesome questions, and I hope you continue to enjoy the book.
I always struggle when it comes to names for characters and places. My girlfriend and the illustrator of the novel, Hannah Graff, is the one who found the name. We've always the cultures in that part of the world incredibly beautiful and interesting, so much so I took Russian in college.
You're right (obviously!) that "vrana" means crow. Which is weird, because she's not a crow, she's a raven. But that kind of gives you some insight into the traditions of the tribe and their tendency to adopt things from other cultures without truly making it their own.
Vrana's people are kinda desperate to distinguish themselves from the Corrupted, because in the end, at the moment, they don't have a lot that really separates them from their enemies.
How many books in the series? There will definitely be four books, but there could be more. It simply depends if I want to extend it beyond the end point I have in mind.
Supplementing the main series will be anthologies entitled "Black Occult Macabre." These will be collections of horror stories that are simultaneously standalone and connected to not only one another, but "Bones" as well. You can read some of them on Amazon now.
I love the idea of having a rich universe that is more than just entries into a bestiary or glossary. But the cool thing is ... they're standalone! So if you only read "Bones," you're good, and if you only read "Black Occult Macabre," you're not missing out on anything, either. I don't want it to feel like a chore to get into the series, but I do want those who invest their time into it to feel rewarded.
Thanks for the awesome questions, and I hope you continue to enjoy the book.
Scott Hale
Write all the time. Write on your computer, in your notebook. When you're driving, when you're bored in some meeting, when you're in the shower... write. Store up all those ideas, so that when you finally have a chance to sit down, it all pours out of you (that sentence could easily be mistaken for something gross).
Write what interests you, not what you think other people will be interested in. Write in your own voice, not the voice of someone else. We already have that someone else, but your voice, that's new, that's different. That's what we want to hear.
Having thick skin is important, but that doesn't mean you should let some idiot on the Internet abuse you and your work. Stand up for yourself, take care of yourself, but also know yourself. Know what you want and want out of your work. Know your strengths, as well as your weaknesses.
Finally, have fun. Enjoy writing. Too many people want to turn into some laborious, painful process. Do it for yourself, and if you do it well, others will take notice.
Write what interests you, not what you think other people will be interested in. Write in your own voice, not the voice of someone else. We already have that someone else, but your voice, that's new, that's different. That's what we want to hear.
Having thick skin is important, but that doesn't mean you should let some idiot on the Internet abuse you and your work. Stand up for yourself, take care of yourself, but also know yourself. Know what you want and want out of your work. Know your strengths, as well as your weaknesses.
Finally, have fun. Enjoy writing. Too many people want to turn into some laborious, painful process. Do it for yourself, and if you do it well, others will take notice.
Scott Hale
I am currently in the final stages of completing my first novel "The Bones of the Earth." It is a post-apocalyptic fantasy/horror novel that follows a young woman by the name Vrana. She belongs to a tribe of people who hunt the Corrupted, which are none other than the remnants of humanity after an apocalyptic event known as the Trauma. Vrana finds herself involved with not only a sadistic Witch that haunts her dreams and threatens the safety of her village, but the fate of a Corrupted city in the north, where ten thousand humans have gone missing over night. I aim to have this released by Spring of 2015.
I am also working on the novel's follow-up, which is entitled "Three Heretics."
The universe in which "Bones" and "Heretics" takes place is shared between all my works. I will also be releasing an anthology of horror short stories and novellas entitled "Black Occult Macabre Volume 1." These short stories and novellas take place prior to "Bones" and the Trauma ; not only are they interconnected, but they are connected to "Bones" as well. The cool thing is, however, you don't need to read "Bones" or "Occult" to understand the other.
Lastly, my brother and I are collaborating on a Friday the 13th screenplay. It's more of a fun project than anything else, but you never know ;)
I am also working on the novel's follow-up, which is entitled "Three Heretics."
The universe in which "Bones" and "Heretics" takes place is shared between all my works. I will also be releasing an anthology of horror short stories and novellas entitled "Black Occult Macabre Volume 1." These short stories and novellas take place prior to "Bones" and the Trauma ; not only are they interconnected, but they are connected to "Bones" as well. The cool thing is, however, you don't need to read "Bones" or "Occult" to understand the other.
Lastly, my brother and I are collaborating on a Friday the 13th screenplay. It's more of a fun project than anything else, but you never know ;)
Scott Hale
The idea for "The Bones of the Earth" came from a conversation I was having with my girlfriend. She was sending me pictures of art, and the one that stood out the most to me was the image of a woman wearing an animal's skull as a mask.
We were (are) always looking for ways in which to collaborate with one another, so I said, "Why don't we make an illustrated novel whose main character belongs to a tribe of people who dress like that?" Not a terribly original idea, but then it continue to grow, from an illustrated novel, to a comic, and to what is now a post-apocalyptic fantasy/horror novel that marks the beginning of a series.
We were (are) always looking for ways in which to collaborate with one another, so I said, "Why don't we make an illustrated novel whose main character belongs to a tribe of people who dress like that?" Not a terribly original idea, but then it continue to grow, from an illustrated novel, to a comic, and to what is now a post-apocalyptic fantasy/horror novel that marks the beginning of a series.
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