Today I’d like to introduce Chris Andrews

Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?

It’s almost a little embarrassing, actually. I was a teenager at the time, and had just read Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard. I was very disappointed, especially after reading science fiction by greats such as Asimov.

Quite ignorantly (and with all the confidence of a teenager just beginning to sprout fluff on his upper lip) I declared to my friends that I could write a better book.

Their response: “Why don’t you then?”

It wasn’t a question. It was a challenge. Tip for the wise, don’t tell a teenage boy he can’t do something.

It turns out that writing a novel l isn’t as easy as you’d think. Still, it was one of the best decisions of my life.

Describe your desk / writing space.

I turned our spare room into a home office which came in very handy during the Covid lockdowns. It has a sit-stand desk, a gaming keyboard, and a curved monitor big enough to put two documents side-by-side. I figure that to do something well you need the right gear.

There are bookshelves loaded with books on one wall. I put glass doors on the shelves which I use to outline stories and write notes. There’s also artwork on the wall behind my desk and a big year planner to to help me visualize my writing plans (which fail spectacularly as often as not).

Do you have a writing routine or do you write when inspired?

I try to write, edit, or do something associated with writing every day.

I try to keep to single project at any given time. Even if I’m not writing or editing, that might include playing with cover ideas, writing a fresh post about it for my newsletter, blog, or social media.

If I need a break, there’s always other things to do, like guest blog posts.

While I might jot down ideas for a new story, I try not to start writing it until the last project is complete. To be effective as a writer I find being monogamous with whatever book I’m writing is the only way I get anything done. I literally have a dozen potential projects in the queue, but I only work on one at a time.

Jumping from one project to another is a good way to achieve little to nothing in my experience.

What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?

That’s a tough one. Many full moons ago I wrote Moonlit Genesis as a spur-of-the-moment NaNoWriMo project. I put it through a critique group a year later, and then put it aside when I picked up an agent and publisher for another book. By the time I got back to it maybe the better part of a decade had passed, so to be honest I don’t have a clue.

While editing, the hardest scenes to edit were the exposition scenes where characters learn something. It’s always hard to get information to your readers without letting them know you’re telling them stuff. You’ve got to make it interesting, and that’s hard.

Which scene was your favorite to write?

Just about anything with Zannah in it. She’s a fun character who embraces the terrible things that happen to her, and even revels in it. She’s also got wicked sense of humor and enough snark to send a cat running.

What are you working on next?

I’m working on another Veil of Gods story – a trilogy this time called The Creature Sanctuary. It started out as a single novel, became two novels when I realized I’d written two story arcs one after the other (Hancock style – great movie if you’ve never need it), and then had an idea for a third book to round it all out.

Afterglow, the first in the series, sees Cassie, a local cop investigating a murder, forced to trade in her ethics and swear allegiance to the primary suspect (a rich casino owner) when she borrows money from him to save her brother’s life. Little does she know her new boss is an incubus and the casino is full of magical creatures including were-tigers, werewolves, vampires, mermaids and ghouls.

Cassie is about to have her entire world upturned and her loyalties sorely tested. What would you give to protect the people you care about?

What authors or books have influenced your writing?

There are so many influences, but the one book that inspired me more than any other was Magician by Raymond E Feist. It was one of the first big epic fantasies I ever read, and I loved it. I’m almost afraid to revisit it in case it doesn’t stack up to the book in my memory. It had great characters and a storyline you could break an arm with.

How do you come up with the title to your books?

There’s no logic, unfortunately. Sometimes they come with the story idea and other times they inspire the story, but usually a lot of ideas hit the wall before something sticks.

As to sources of inspiration – music, movies, books, or anything I’m doing. I often derive something from the story itself. Something will ‘click’ and I’ll know I’ve got the right title.

What inspired your book/series?

I had the idea for Moonlit Genesis a long time before I wrote it, mostly because I had other novels to write as well. At the time I was focused on traditional publishing and things were looking good in that department for another series. Alas…

Like most of my stories, Moonlit Genesis sprouted from a single scene – the idea of a werewolf tainted with vampire blood which gives him immortality but also sets him apart from just about everyone. He’s got a tragic past, so when he meets Zannah he’s completely unprepared for the enthusiasm with which she embraces life, and is more-or-less drawn into her orbit.

From there it was simply a matter of figuring out the rest of the story and then setting it in the Veil of Gods story universe.

The Veil of Gods came about when I wrote a short story as a way to explore an idea I’d planned to write in an epic fantasy novel (Divine Prey). The main character crossed universes, bringing her from a sword-and-sorcery world with magic and dragons to our world, which seemed to have no magic or magical creatures.

Both magic and magical creatures exist, but survival is far more difficult here. Most people don’t realize they walk among us.

Who is your favorite character from your book and would you get along?

I’m very tempted to say Zannah simply because she’s so much fun to be around, but I’m also drawn to the darker, broodier characters.

There’s a character called Kimbriel who’s going to appear in a lot of the Veil of Gods books in a ‘power behind the throne’ kind of way. She’s got an agenda, a chip on her shoulder, and almost God-like power. The problem is, the one thing she desperately wants continually eludes her, and she’s powerless to achieve it on her own. Consequently, while her motivations are pure she can sometimes cause more harm than good. She’s a master manipulator. Keep an eye on her.

If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?

Well, I kind of do live in my fantasy world. So does everyone else. Humans just don’t notice it until they’ve read my books, and even then… 

What is your favorite meal?

I’ve always been a fan of spaghetti bolognaise. I love a home made pizza or a chicken parmigiana from just about any pub in Australia

Coffee or tea? Wine or beer?

Coffee and beer, usually in that order, but generally hours apart.

Describe yourself in three words.

Only three words? I might have to include an interpretative dance.

How about: Wannabee Evil Overlord? Okay, maybe not all that evil, but there’s definitely some people I’d like to see shipped off to a frozen planet with nothing to wear but a handkerchief and bad attitude.

How about: Good At Following Directions? No?

Let’s go with the wisdom printed on my coffee cup then: World’s Best Dad.