Andrew S. Cioffi was one of the first authors to feature on One Thousand Worlds and it's great to welcome him back today, as he becomes the first author to be interviewed on the blog. It's a double first, because this is the first time Andrew has been interviewed. Fantasy and Sci-fi authors wishing to be interviewed can check out the interview tab.
Andrew is offering a fantastic prize. Up for grabs is a signed copy of Dragon Festival, Harvest Fire: Book I of The Painted Shōgun, together with a signed bookmark and a signed print of the cover artwork.
Click here to read Andrew's original feature:
The Interview
Tell
us about your latest book.
Dragon Festival, Harvest Fire is my first
and only to date. It's the first book in
a series called The Painted Shogun.
In terms of genre, it's an epic historical
fantasy that is suitable for most age groups from YA on up.
This is my love letter to all of the Asian
cultures and traditions and legends that have captivated me. It's a samurai novel, it's a story of
festival Dragons, there are very real martial arts philosophies and practices,
and very real emotions bound by very real custom and restraint. At times, real customs are embellished, at
other times, everything is invented. My
hope is that it's seamless. There's also
boat loads of flaming arrows, too, and a little imagined contest that puts
archers in a horse-bound joust...
The structure follows three unique and
seemingly independent story lines. They
intertwine and spiral towards one another as the stories progress.
The first story follows Tsukiko, who is a
ten year old girl that can't sleep at night.
Bad things happen where she lives, and life as she knows it changes very
quickly. 'Kiko's story follows her as
she plots the death of the Shogun that destroyed her village.
Michio is the second main character. He's six.
His story follows him as he is entered into the rigorous training of the
Yoru warriors (who are inspired by true-to-life ninja). Along the way, he meets Mizuyo, who is a
silly old fisherman, always arguing with his bird. Mizuyo tests the boys spirits, while his
training tests his body. He's a hell of
a kid.
The third story line follows the
Dragon-Riders. They train to make war.
Their Dragons are the warriors, but they play an important part of
village life in Onidara as well. And they
are unlike any other Dragons and Riders ever written. In this story, Ginjiro is the dark horse to
be the next Rider. The early front
runner, though, has quite a bit to say about that.
At its heart, Dragon Festival, Harvest Fire
is a folk tale, and one that I hope people find as immersive and enjoyable as I
did to write.
How
many books have you written?
Just the one (see the next and previous
responses)... So far.
What
are you working on at the moment?
At this point, I'm always writing. Currently, I'm writing Book II of the Painted
Shogun series. Some of the new scenes
are pretty intense and I'm thrilled with where the characters are taking
me. I enjoy every moment that I spend
with them.
Otherwise, I got a text about three weeks
ago from my younger brother, who happens to be my cover artist. He is insanely talented. Anyway, his message was "Hey. Write a
manga so I can draw it." It was a
spark, and a fairly powerful one, to be differently creative. Man, it’s a challenge to write scenes that
way. It's also allowed me to be
collaborative, which has flexed a different set of writing muscles. We've come up with a story that I'm really
proud of and his artwork so far is beautiful.
It will take place in the same universe as The Painted Shogun. If the novel is my (quasi) unified and
peace-time feudal Japan, the graphic novel is my warring feudal China. It will center on the titular Gongfu
Mountain.
Beyond that, I have three one-off novels
outlined (one actiony, one folksy, and one angsty, which is purely for
giggles). There's also a series of short stories that are happening when I need
a break from a fairly draining chunk of the sequel.
What
are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?
Ooh that's a great question. It can be tough. Especially around my family
and given the way I write. But they are
absolutely the secret to staying sane. I
don't tell them that enough.
When I write a scene, I have to convince
myself that it's believable. That often
means feeling what the characters feel.
It's easy to get mad, and it sucks because that one doesn't go away as
easily as writing elation, but it's such an important part of some of my
characters. They need to be
compelling. My kids, for sure, keep me
sane in those moments. I have two now,
my boy Alex is three, and my daughter Rosemary is one, and we have one on the
way. (If you're keeping track, that'll be three under the age of four; not sure
I'll stay same for long). I'm spoiled with the most happy-go-lucky kids and
those two and my wife keep me grounded.
I've also got a big extended family. There's always something going on and when we
get together, they're all super supportive.
How
much impact does your childhood have on your writing?
Tons.
But not in the obvious ways, not at first read, anyways. There are some heavy and quite painful things
that the characters endure. In so many
ways, my heart is with Michio. I never
went through what he does, and I never want my kids to either. I've had a lot of people ask how
autobiographical that stuff is. It's
not, but that doesn't mean it's not very
real for a lot of the kids that will read this book.
My favorite childhood memories are in
there, whether it's in the face of a fisherman, the silly little sayings of a
wardrobe keeper, or even a corny joke or two.
They know who they are. Beyond that,
it's the celebrations and the food. So
much about respect and family, at least the way I was raised, is taught around
a dinner table, and that's in there in spades.
I was also painfully shy growing up. I tend to be introspective. The quiet moments are more important to my
writing that the bombast action scenes, even though the Dragons are attention
grabbing.
What
was the greatest thing you learned at school?
It's importance. I saw it early on. I used to love doing my homework, and I
learned that I could do better if I worked at it. That excited me. Haha.
As early as the second or third grade, I connected doing well in school
with success later on. That's a big part
of why I work in education now (I'm a disability services provider on the university
level).
If
you could meet any of your own characters, who would it be?
Tomogawa-Sensei. He's a gentle soul, and an honorable
one. Satoshi Tomogawa is one of the
school teachers at the training grounds where the Dragon-Riders learn. He is also the field medic.
"There was a doctor that lived there
year round. Satoshi Tomogawa-Sensei was his name. He took care to mend the
students’ injuries, cure any ailments, oversee the care of the horses, and help
to keep healthy the retired Dragons that assisted with the training. He also
was a teacher, instructing the students in the physiology of men, equines, and
Dragons alike."
When we meet him, much of the students'
training with him is over and the novelty of his way with kids has worn off,
but he's got charm. He's an inquisitive
mind. To me, Tomogawa is that whiz-bang
teacher that you look up to as a kid.
The real joy is to grow up and realize what a giant they really
were. He has a lot of the
characteristics that I admire, and I bet he'd have some great stories to tell
over sake.
Do
you have a favourite character among the ones you've invented?
Absolutely.
Mizuyo. He's a blast to
write. For those of you that haven't
read it (yet), Mizuyo is a cormorant fisher.
Fishing with cormorants is a tradition taken for the real world that is
associated with some of my favorite aesthetics.
There is a grand tradition of it in the book and it's an integral part
of the economics of those southern islands.
Most of the fishers are stoic, but there is something odd about
him. If anyone inspired him, it was
Rafiki from the Lion King.
I really get a kick out of exploring the
'return to child-like wonder' that some of our elders are lucky enough to
experience. You see it in different ways
in a few of my characters in The Painted Shogun. It's also something I'm psyched about in a
new character that you'll see in Gongfu Mounain.
What
do you want to be when you grow up?
A pipe maker. I've done my fair share of woodworking, and a
fair share of that was spent carving free-hand pipes. There is something peaceful about working
with your hands. And there's not much
more rewarding than a warm piece of briar in your hand. The dream would be to have a small pipe shop
and be able to write, write, write. One
day...
If
you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous,
living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?
Hemingway
What
do you think about when you are alone in your car?
This may sound cliché, but my stories. Especially if I get stuck. I write every single word on my phone. Every outline, every character sketch, every
back story, every piece of world that I've built. When I can get my hands off of my phone and
scheme, I tend to do some of my best work.
That, or how much I'm enjoying the new
Dream Theater album...
What
song best describes your work ethic?
Lateralus - Tool
Dragon Festival, Harvest Fire is available on Amazon.com
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I think Andrew Cioffi's story should make the bestseller list. Everyone should buy it!
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