Today's Chat with Sarah features E. R. Barr author of Roan. This was book of the month previously and has been book of the day several times.
To view the first official review, click here.
To view the second official review, click here.
To view the book on Amazon, click here.
To view the book of the month discussion, click here.
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1. What was the first book you read that made you think you wanted to do it?
The first book that made me think seriously about writing an actual novel was Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. His ability to create a world and make you feel that you not only lived in it but millions of people had as well for thousands of years fired up my imagination. I wanted to do the same, that is, make a world that lived on its own. Tolkien had a word for that which I later learned—subcreation. The reason why it makes prospective authors so excited is because subcreating in a novel is a way of participating in the wonders of God’s creation. You get a little bit of an idea of what is what like for God to create the world and the creatures within it. How could anyone pass up an opportunity like that?
2. I've often said that artists - authors, singers, performers, etc. - feel emotions more strongly than others. Do you think you can be a good writer without feeling deeply?
It’s impossible to write without feeling deeply. Or let me put it another way. It is impossible to write well. That’s why authors may start young, but for most of us, our best work comes after significant life experiences. You can write what you think about, and people might find that interesting. But if you write what you feel about, you will move people to wonder, joy and tears. For instance, I find the novels of Isaac Asimov interesting in an intellectual way, but they never changed my life. However, the stories of Ray Bradbury significantly altered my life and taught me how to tell a tale from the heart and not just the head.
3. You seem to have had a modicum of success with your book. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
I think everyone structures the way they write their material differently. I was paralyzed for years thinking that I had to plot a novel perfectly, develop characters in-depth before writing about them, and outline the entire novel before I put pen to paper or fingers to a keyboard. What a waste of time for me! Some authors have to do that. Not me. I write and discover the story as I go. I am just as surprised by my readers at what happens and who lives or dies. So the short answer is simply this: Start writing, and discover the method that works best for you. Don’t let anyone tell you there are hard and fast rules to being a writer.
4. Let's discuss your book Roan. The reviewer states that at one point Christian tradition, Celtic myth, and Native American folklore are combined. How did you accomplish such a task?
I think one writes best when one composes material from his or her experience. I’m a Catholic priest who is Irish in heritage and grew up in southwest Wisconsin amidst Native American Effigy Mounds and the stories about those vanished peoples. Individually, these things all seem unrelated and impossible to weave together in a tale. But I grew up doing this all the time. It was part of my life experience. So, when ROAN: The Tales of Conor Archer Vol. One finally became a reality, it was really simple to have woven theology, mythology and folklore into a seamless, but, hopefully, exciting novel.
5. Why or how did you decide to write in the fantasy genre?
No other genre, except for science fiction, allows for as much creativity as the fantasy genre. Fantasy allows one to bend, not break, the rules of reality and create situations and creatures that don’t exist in our world. That gives the author the ability to deal with situations and themes that might be impossible to handle in mundane reality, but can be very thought provoking when set in a different imaginary land with magic and creatures not found in our existence.
6. Tinker's Grove, Wisconsin is where the main character ends up. Is this a real place or based on a real place?
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to apologize to the people of Wauzeka, Wisconsin whose town I wiped off the map to create the village of Tinker’s Grove. It was the perfect location (I needed a river town close to the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers) for my imaginary community. The town actually is based on the town I grew up in, Bloomington, Wisconsin. Some of my characters have characteristics of people I grew up with. I really started to appreciate my upbringing when I began to see how unique and wonderful these folks were and how interesting they became when some of their experiences were chronicled in my story.
7. What's next on your agenda?
I’m just finishing up the sequel to ROAN. It’s called SKELLIG and takes place in Ireland. Conor Archer has a lot more adventures to experience. It should be out by the end of January 2020.
I like to end on a few fun questions.
8. Do you prefer summer or winter?
I’m a summer kind of guy. If you could see southwest Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois in the summer you would understand why so many Irish settled there and called it a piece of heaven. This area is one of the most beautiful places on earth and I never knew it until I started to travel the world. Sometimes you have to go away to realize what you have left behind.
9. What's your favorite color?
I love blue. The blue of the sky, the blue of the lakes, rivers and oceans, the occasional bird colored that way—all of this makes my heart lift to the heavens and gives me joy.
10. About how many books do you own?
I have owned over a thousand but I am downsizing now, just keeping the real treasures that mean a lot to me.
11.What do you think is the best movie adaptation of a book?
By far and away, the best movie adaptation of a book is Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. That’s a controversial thing to say because some think director Peter Jackson interpreted the novel incorrectly. I disagree. Peter Jackson’s vision is a subcreation of Tolkien’s work; it’s not simply a cinema copy of written words. Once you understand that, you can appreciate it for the beautiful film it is. It is one very talented person’s take on the most beloved book of the 20th and possibly 21st century.
