Author Interview with Steven Drennon

I am very pleased to bring you my interview with Steven Drennon, author of fantasy novel, Rise of the Raven.

Tell us all about the world of you....

I am a writer with many different interests who has only recently begun self-publishing his work. Over the past thirty years I have written poetry, science fiction, fantasy, and suspense. I just recently published my first three volumes of poetry, with three more planned very soon. In addition to that, I just released my first fantasy novel, “Rise of the Raven”, which was written under the pen name of Scott Dennisen.

Who is your favorite book character ever?I think one of the best characters I’ve ever encountered in a book was Jason Bourne. I have been a major fan of Robert Ludlum for quite some time, and I was reading his Bourne books way before they were made into movies!

Twitter ... pure genius or the fifth sign of the apocalypse? Hmmm! Interesting question! I have a twitter account (@sdrennon), but I haven’t quite yet figured out how to make it work for me. I’m so busy working on upcoming projects that I don’t take the time to tweet about what I’ve already done. I guess I need to work on that more! (I’m sure I’ll decide it’s a purely genius product!)

So, what method of book promotion has worked best for you?
So far I haven’t really done a lot of promotion for my book. I’ve written a couple of guest posts for other writers’ blogs and submitted a few interviews, but that’s pretty much it. I’m focusing more right now on getting the next books out. I believe that once I have a few titles out there, they will help sell each other. I’m in this for the long haul, so I’m not worried too much about how many I sell right now.

The eBook. What are your thoughts on where this evolution of the book will take the publishing industry?

I honestly believe the e-book is going to radically change the publishing industry by forcing the big publishers to start streamlining their business. I already seeing e-books having a dramatic impact on readers, and the publishing industry is going to have to start paying attention. For example, for the past thirty years, I have made a point of reading at least one new book every single week. Over the past year, I have bought exactly four books from a book store, three paperbacks from Amazon, and over fifty e-books. I may never buy a traditional printed book again!

Some say writers are born to write ... I believe this. Storytelling is a gift I'm lucky to have a share in, and I think writers should share their stories because it would be cruel to covet them ... but tell me why do you write?
When I was a kid I was very close to my maternal grandfather. He used to tell some of the greatest, most colorful stories I had ever heard. He had so many adventures and so many fascinating tales, and I used to love to listen to him tell them. Thanks to him I always had a very vivid imagination, and I found myself making up my own stories. Before long, I had so many I couldn’t possibly remember them all, so I started writing them down. Now, I have decided to start sharing those stories with as many people as I can!

In closing, can you tell us about your most recent release?

My most recent release was three volumes of poetry. These poems were written over several years and are part of a much larger collection. Eventually I expect to publish six volumes as well as two anthologies. However, the book I am most proud of is my fantasy novel, “Rise of the Raven”, which I wrote under the pen name of Scott Dennisen. I plan to write a number of books across different genres, so I thought it best to use a pen name for different genres to keep people from getting confused!

Thank you for stopping by Steven, and good luck with your book!

You can connect with Steven online, here are his links;

Blog

Website

Facebook Page

Twitter Handle: @sdrennon

Rise of the Raven is available on Kindle (UK/US) and here is an extract;

He crept toward the small fire, visible ten yards distant through the trees, attempting stealth. The biting winds of the winter night pierced the furs he wore both above and below his weathered mail, driving the light snow into his face as it had for many hours now. Frost clung to his beard and he had to look to reassure himself that he still clasped the battle axe in his frozen hand. His joints ached from hours of exposure to the oppressive cold, but he paid little heed to the increasing discomfort. His purpose burned in his mind as brightly as the fire before him.

Forcing his numb limbs to carry him through the snow was difficult. The longbow on his back snagged in the heavy brush as he stumbled to the edge of the small clearing, fifteen feet from the fire. He silently prayed that the harsh wind had concealed the clamor of his unsteady progress.

He gazed into the clearing, cold fear welling up in his soul at the sight he had known he would behold. Burrowed beneath heavy furs at the fire side were the three men he had tracked for almost four days, their tethered mounts shivering at the opposite end of the clearing. Thirty feet to the right was the barely perceptible shadow, a wavering veil of dark mist. Suspended in the air, it was untouched by the flickering fire light that danced across the rest of the scene.

It was here. The dark mist was its link to this world, anchoring it to this location as it waited in another plane. He seemed unable to focus his eyes upon the shadow as it shimmered before his confused vision. It appeared to be a patch of nothingness in the real world, an undefined rift in reality. Its very presence was an impossibility, and yet here it was. Instinctively he knew that this was what he sought.

He had overcome fear many times before, as was suggested by the scars that crisscrossed his face beneath the iron helm, but he had never felt its hand so heavily upon him. The possibility of death in battle had never disturbed him, and had possibly even appealed to him, but the demon in the mist had the power to destroy more than his body. The sight of the unnatural sheath of darkness sparked revulsion and fascination. Although it was somehow nauseating, the thing had successfully captured his imagination in its unyielding grip.