I forgot to mention that my interview with Lou Anders was linked by io9 and scored over 10,000 hits. They hooked it with “which novel is science fiction’s Harry Potter?”
Good stuff.
Interview with Lou Linked by io9
June 8th, 2010 § 0
My Writing Mentality (or Fuck You)
May 10th, 2010 § 3
To me the hardest part about self-promotion and social networking is that I write best when I have a “fuck the world” mentality. No surprise that in that state I’m not very approachable and I don’t care if anyone reads (or listens to) my work. I’m trying to learn how to turn the attitude off and on at will because I’m not sure I have the self-confidence to write well without it.
And I’m not sure that I want to. I think I come by this spirit honestly and it works for me. In fact, during my writing slump a few years back, I was meek. I worried about people judging me and liking my work. I let the world win. Now that I think it needs to go get fucked again, I’m far more productive.
Sure, I could just be an ass all the time, but the internet has enough of those, right? Is there a balance? Am I missing something?
Who is D.A. Hayden?
January 8th, 2010 § 0
Who am I? That seems like a good place to start.
I’m a scribbler and podcaster who loves pulp stories, especially sword & sorcery tales. My favorites are the dark, edgy ones, along the lines of Karl Edward Wagner’s Kane novels. It’s hard to find such stories, so I write them. I call my style Daggers & Deviltry. Because it sounds cool and appropriate. And because the term “sword & sorcery” was defiled by Hollywood cash-grabbers.
My first three novels of heroic fantasy involve settings inspired by East Asia, India, and Morocco. Southern Europe in the Middle Ages inspired the fourth, but I sprinkled plenty of exoticism in, to be sure. I’m not opposed to writing modern pulp fantasy, or even sci-fi. In fact, I have plans for such novels. However, they will still be Daggers & Deviltry in style.
I live in Birmingham, Alabama. My favorite subjects outside of writing are Daoism, Taijiquan, professional football, Crimson Tide football, ancient history, diet, and fitness.
I enjoy playing and designing role-playing games. In fact, my love of pulp fantasy began in 1990 when a copy of the Stormbringer role-playing game (4th edition with a cover by Michael Whelan) caught my eye in a comic book shop just outside of Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, Florida. Years of reading Michael Moorcock, David Gemmell, Fritz Leiber, Robert E. Howard, and others followed. Embracing interests aroused by the genre, I studied history, literature, and religion at the University of Alabama. (You can’t really do anything but write, teach, or work retail if you major in such subjects.)
I don’t travel much, but I religiously attend Dragon*Con in Atlanta each year. If you’re going to be there, drop me an email. We’ll gather and chat a bit. I usually don’t bite.
Geez, I could go on forever, but I think you’ve heard enough for now.