Welcome to FAR, Valerie. Valerie Griswold-Ford is the author of upcoming Not Your Father’s Horseman, a dark fantasy about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.


How has your experience in writing a chapter for The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy and Co-Editing The Fantasy Writer’s Companion prepared you for Not Your Father’s Horseman?

It gave me a lot of sympathy for the editors on the other side, first of all! It also helped prepare me for the deadlines I was up against with Horseman. Deadlines are so important, and I’ve noticed that a lot of writers tend to let them slide. With non-fiction, you can’t, or you don’t get paid. That really helped me finish Horseman on time.

What stimuli lead you to switch from journalism to Fantasy novels? How has your past five years in journalism affected your fiction?

I’ve always been interested in writing fantasy. It’s my first love, and I’m thrilled to be able to be writing now. As far as my journalism experience affecting my fiction, I find that I’m very detail-oriented now. I try and bring you into the story by making sure the details are right. I’m also a demon on research – I’ll research everything, just to make sure I’m getting it right. I hate reading a book and stumbling across details that show that the author just couldn’t be bothered to do their research right.

How much did the Biblical Four Horsemen affect your story? Where they the basis or just the starting point? How does the Shadow Lord Andreas relate to your Four Horsemen?

The symbolism of the Biblical Four Horsemen is something I’ve always wanted to explore. They were the basis for the Horsemen in my story, but I’ve taken the idea and run with it.

Andreas is strongly related to the Horsemen, but I don’t want to say anymore or I’ll give away part of the story. *grin*

I just read the synopsis at your site and cannot wait for publication. Where did the idea for a Starchild and Council of Nine come from?

I honestly don’t know – I just started to play with the mythology and in trying to come up with an idea for WHY these Horsemen would be around Earth, the Council just showed up. The Starchild has been another concept that I’ve been working on for a while – I like the idea that there’s someone who can hold all of these disparate magics together and use them all.

Was the idea of Earth as a Balanced Land a starting concept or did it slowly develop as your story and characters interacted?

It was a big part of the starting concept. I’m a big believer in the theory that the universe has to be balanced or everything will devolve into chaos.

What future books are you currently writing? How are they similar and different from Not Your Father’s Horseman?

I’m currently working on a paranormal romance, called “Belladonna Dreams,” that is pretty far from Horseman. It’s set in a world with psionics, not magic, and my heroine is a ghostbuster, for lack of a better term. I’m also working on an urban fantasy where the main character is a female Puck from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. How are they similar – well, I can’t seem to get away from the dark and mysterious; there’s a lot of darkness in both books. But they’re definitely different – Puck deals with the relations between humans and elves, and Belladonna is a first-person look at how dealing with change is a part of everyday life.

Are there any other genres you would like to explore?

I’d love to figure out romance. And space opera. Definitely space opera.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your book?

The title really does say it all. This is NOT the Four Horsemen everyone knows about. These guys are definitely different characters.

Is there any music that inspires the different genres?

I listened to a lot of different things while writing Horseman. Sadly, I seem to do my best horror scenes while listening to Christmas carols. I’m listening to a lot of Celtic music now, with Belladonna.

Do you have a specific routine before you write? Do you write in one area only or everywhere?

I write everywhere and anywhere. I always have a notebook with me. As far as routines – I just try and write everyday. And I read constantly.

How did growing up in a house full of books inspire your creativity?

It exposed me at a very young age to the written word. Both my parents are avid readers – I was reading by myself at age 3. My folks loved to read to us – I can still remember my mom reading us at night before we went to bed. That love of reading opened me up to a whole other world – I was just hooked.

Who/What inspired you to write?

My father really inspired me. He always had the time to look at what I’d written, or to answer questions. I was one of those annoying kids who always wanted to know “why?” I’m still that kid. My aunt Marge, too – she always told me that she knew she’d see my name on the spine of a book at the bookstore someday.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

There are so many!!! Old favorites: David Eddings, Katherine Kurtz, Anne McCaffrey. New favorites: Wen Spencer, Jacqueline Carey, Rita Mae Brown. I love authors with vibrant characters and really, really good worldbuilding.

Is there a way other than your website for fans to keep updated?

You can check my publisher’s website: www.dragonmoonpress.com.

What final advice would you offer to writers who are seeking publication?

DON’T STOP WRITING! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Write everyday, even if you think it’s crap and no one will ever publish you. Write what’s in your heart, not what you think might sell. And don’t stop reading, either. You never know what might spark your next idea.

Finally, any last thoughts.

Budding authors – explore the world of small presses. Not everything is what it seems. And, to quote my favorite science teacher: “Don’t ever stop looking for the black swan.”

Thank you Valerie for taking the time to answer my questions and give us a glimpse into your life and world. For more information about Valerie Griswold-Ford and her books, visit her website at http://vg-ford.com/index-body.html.


Interviewed by: Dena