It was a fine spring morning, and all was well in the realm. Treachery, inter-clan political intrigue, bloody violence and dark magic were all strangely subdued while I had the pleasure of interviewing none other than Mr Tim Hardie.
Author of the Brotherhood of the Eagle series and his recent, Asian inspired novel, A Quiet Vengeance, Tim needs no further introduction other than to say he is currently knee deep in his latest Kickstarter, a campaign to bring Hall of Bones, the first instalment of his Norse flavoured master series to the world of audio.
Welcome, Tim! I hope you are well and the gradual shift in weather here in the North of the UK is more to your liking than the cold gloom we’re hopefully seeing the back of.
First up, let’s hear it, please tell us about the Kickstarter and how we can get behind you on this project.
Thanks DB. Up here in the North, the blossom is on the trees, the crocuses and daffodils are blooming, and the unexpected cold snap in Spring later this week is sure to kill them all.
You’re right, I have a Kickstarter campaign running at the moment, until 10th April. This project is to fund the production of my debut novel, Hall of Bones, as an audiobook. It will be narrated by RJ Bayley, who has produced a number of audiobooks already for fellow fantasy authors such as LL MacRae, HL Tinsley, Lee C Conley, Trudie Skies, AK Faulkner and Joseph John Lee.
Having your audiobook narrated by a professional is an expensive project, which is why I’m running a Kickstarter to cover those costs. I could try and record the whole thing myself, but the result would be an affront to both listeners and narrators alike. A story like Hall of Bones with its vast cast of characters really needs someone with the talents of RJ Bayley to draw out those individual voices and make them stand out.
Another way to look at it is this is the project where RJ Bayley becomes 200 Vikings all at once. For this to happen, we need to raise £3,000 by 10th April.
Is it possible to sum up the entire series of The Brotherhood of the Eagle without spoilers?
No, not really. However, I’m willing to give it a go!
The Brotherhood of the Eagle is a story about change, and how you deal with that. It’s a Viking-inspired world, where magic is distrusted and clan loyalties, rivalries and blood feuds have driven events in the setting of Laskar for more than a century. Amidst this backdrop of warring clans, a new evil has taken root, which threatens the whole realm. The key question is whether the other clans are able to set aside their differences in time to unite against this growing threat.
I’d summarise The Brotherhood of the Eagle as a series featuring character-led stories, with a big dollop of intrigue and action thrown into the mix. I always try and leave my readers guessing when it comes to the motivations and objectives of my characters and what is about to happen next in the plot.
Is Norse culture something already close to your heart or is it just your chosen basis for this particular series?
I tend to describe my stories as Viking-inspired rather than Norse-inspired, because whilst the books reflect the Viking culture they have their own fantasy mythology, which is completely unrelated to the Norse religion and gods.
I’m trying to create a sense of realism and place with my stories, which in turn helps ground the reader and gives them a deeper, richer reading experience. The Viking setting simply felt right for The Brotherhood of the Eagle, just as the Middle Eastern setting allowed me to tell a very different story with A Quiet Vengeance, even though it’s set in the same fantasy world.
Who is your favourite audio book narrator, and why is it Indie fantasy legend, RJ Bayley?
Where do I start with that one? I’ve worked with RJ before on the fantasy horror anthology The Anatomy of Fear, since he recorded the audiobook version. I’d been involved in formatting and proof-reading the stories for that collection, so I was familiar with them all. When I started helping out with the audio proofing exercise, I was amazed at how different and immersive the experience was. I wrote my own story with some very clear ideas about the characters, but I have to say I prefer RJ’s interpretation of that tale in audio. For me it’s become the definitive take on that world, and I know other authors feel the same way once their work has had the audio treatment.
RJ has good vocal range, providing different voices for each of the characters. This is important in audio, as it gives the listener cues so they know who is speaking and can become immersed in the story without the need for lots of prompts.
I must confess, I only revealed to RJ that there are around 200 named characters in The Brotherhood of the Eagle after he agreed to join the project. I’m sure he’ll be fine and, to his credit, he hasn’t backed out yet!
Do you have a favourite character in Hall of Bones? Are there certain characters you prefer to write?
Rothgar is the protagonist of the story, but I think his younger sister Nuna is my favourite. Her tale begins very much in the background, as this setting is a male-dominated warrior society, holding to the ancient and, frankly, outmoded Laws of Reave, the clan’s founder. In Hall of Bones she’s initially seen as little more than a political pawn, her marriage to another clan used to build the power of Rothgar’s ruling family. I find Nuna’s perspective refreshing because she’s not in a position in this society to solve her problems through action and violence. Instead, she has to find other, quieter and subtler ways to wield her power and influence. Nuna’s story becomes increasingly important as The Brotherhood of the Eagle series progresses, leading to some key developments as the saga concludes in Broken Brotherhood. As the strapline of Hall of Bones makes clear, “Everything is about to change …”
I enjoy writing all my characters and it’s by getting inside their heads and thinking about their motivations and individual objectives that the tale moves forward. Often my characters have more say over the development of the plot than I do! Picking a favourite to write is hard, but I’ll go with Gautarr Falrufson, one of the Reavesburg jarls who has long harboured his own desire to rule the clan one day. I like the fact his actions stem from a fierce loyalty to his family and bannermen, and he genuinely believes he is the better person to lead, rather than Rothgar’s family. He might even be right, which makes the whole dynamic fascinating and his scenes are always great fun to write as a result.
What made you decide to make the move towards audio?
As a writer you always have to be thinking about moving into new markets. With The Brotherhood of the Eagle series due to be completed later this year this felt like the right time, when interest in the series will be at its height. Audio was always something I intended to do, so it was a question of when, not if.
It’s also the right thing to do. Audiobooks give sight-impaired people access to books they otherwise couldn’t read, but it also provides alternative ways for everyone to enjoy them. Not everybody likes or has the time to read, for example. Audiobooks give people choice, allowing them to enjoy the story on their daily commute or whilst out walking the dog.
You also have a scattering of short stories out there in various anthologies. Are there any particular stories that broke the Tim Hardie mould if there is such a thing?
I mentioned The Anatomy of Fear earlier in this interview. That’s the first time I’ve attempted to write horror and move the setting into gaslamp fantasy. My tale for that collection, The Whisperers, is set in an entirely new fantasy world and definitely has the potential to be expanded into a new novel further down the line.
Talk me through some of the amazing rewards available for backers of your Kickstarter.
At £25 backers can get the Hall of Bones audiobook but I’ve deliberately offered a range of higher and lower priced rewards to try and suit every budget. I’m creating a mini-short story collection called A Roll of the Dice, which will be produced as an ebook and audiobook if the project funds. Also available is an exclusive artwork poster and the chance to get signed copies of my books for the first time.
Kickstarter is a dynamic platform, so I’m also developing some more rewards at the moment. This will include a new ebook anthology package and potentially others too, once I’ve agreed the details with a few people.
£3,000 is a high funding target, so the other thing I’m also doing is building in some milestone incentives on the way to that, which backers will receive regardless of whether or not the project funds. At the time of writing we’ve just hit £1,000, so I’m doing an exclusive cover reveal of Broken Brotherhood for backers. When we get to £1,500 I’ll issue backers with the first short story in my Wolf Throne series and at £2,000 I’m thinking of a teaser with the back cover blurb for Broken Brotherhood.
Do you have the voices of characters in your head or are you happy to give RJ Bayley total freedom? I’m interested in the process and how far your influence goes as director, I guess you could say.
A key part of this is letting go. The audiobook is RJ’s interpretation of my novel, rather like a different cast of actors will bring their own individual performances to the stage when acting in a specific production of a play.
Part of RJ’s process is to agree the broad outlines of each character from the start. So, for example, Rothgar is noble-born, so he’s not going to speak like a commoner. However, the voice RJ chooses and how this is delivered is ultimately down to him.
I’ve recently read that you’ve written the last words of the Brotherhood of the Eagle series. How does that make you feel?
It’s a strange feeling, as I’ve been writing this series since 2011. It still doesn’t feel completely done, as Broken Brotherhood is currently with beta readers before I move ahead to write the final version. However, I am really happy with the current draft of Broken Brotherhood, and I did have a damp eye at times reading through that version before sending it out.
Stopping at four books with these characters feels right. I didn’t want them to outstay their welcome, and I think Broken Brotherhood gives them the send-off they richly deserve.
What’s next for Tim Hardie?
Currently the Kickstarter feels like my full-time job, so that’s going to keep me busy until April. At that point, I hope I’ll have some audiobooks to produce!
In any event, I’ll be releasing Broken Brotherhood later this year, so completing a series will be another first for me as an author. After that, I have a few ideas for new novels and it’s probably going to be a case of which project I feel most enthusiastic about at the time. Currently, that could be turning The Wolf Throne short story series into a novel, writing the follow-up standalone to A Quiet Vengeance, which would be called A Quiet Betrayal, and expanding on my short story in The Anatomy of Fear to write a gaslamp fantasy novel called The Silent Division.
We’ll have to see what happens!
Ok, I have to thank you for giving up your time to chat to me, it’s incredible to peek behind the scenes of this Kickstarter and be able to share its bounty with the Fanfiaddict family.
Before I let you get back to the keyboard… it’s the end of the month, pay day for most is approaching, I want our community to support you in this project, please tell us why we should get our bank cards out and what we can expect if we do?
I think the audiobook version of Hall of Bones is going to be amazing in RJ’s hands, plus backers will also be ensuring I create new work as well through A Roll of the Dice.
Kickstarter works on an all or nothing funding model, so if I don’t raise £3,000 by the 10th April deadline the project simply doesn’t happen and no one is charged. If you back now that gives other people the confidence to support the project and makes it more likely we’ll succeed. Any contribution, large or small, makes a difference if enough people come together to support the project.
Just to clarify, although we’re talking about pay day, your card won’t be charged unless the project funds, so any payment will be taken by Kickstarter after the project closes on 10th April.
Thank you Mr Tim Hardie, it has been a pleasure!
Thank you, DB, for listening to my ramblings!
You can find the link to Tim’s Kickstarter campaign here!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timhardie/hall-of-bones-audiobook-kickstarter
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