The Tale of Sir Valiant and Earl Vladimoor follows a brave knight who meets a beautiful maiden, leading them on a dangerous collision course with the Dark Earl and a battle between good and evil. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The first and only true inspiration was my partner Cathy, at the time of the original writing. I had always wanted to write a story of this nature, of a steadfast knight who braves all obstacles, evil villains and dragons alike, to rescue the fair maiden, whisking her safely away to his castle far, far away. Cathy had always been touched by my writing, and asked me to put this whole story into words, after seeing the first few paragraphs. Though our relationship did not endure, the desire to finish this story always remained.

I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?

Apart from Cathy, much of this inspiration comes from my own classical and historical education. I have always been fascinated by both the myths and legends of antiquity, the Greeks and the Romans, the underworld, fantastical tales of knights, dragons and the chivalry of the medieval period. Further inspiration came about through the writing and rewriting of the story, the determination to create a better and more engaging tale over the years, enhanced even more by the many thoughtful and helpful suggestions of my editor through the editing processes.

What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?

In developing these characters, first and foremost, I strove to imbue them with both admirable, but most importantly believable moral, or in the case of the villain, immoral qualities.

Those characters in the former category, while moral and virtuous to the extent that they could be in their present circumstances, honest, caring, dependable and trustworthy, were also infused to some degree with certain character flaws and shortcomings, self-doubt and self-worth as examples, that at times created an internal struggle for them in their own development.

Those characters in the latter category were likewise imbued with wholly despicable characteristics, of cruelty, selfishness, arrogance and greed, and a complete disregard for the safety or well-being of others, those who in the end held no hope of salvation. These would be such character traits that would create and almost immediate dislike amongst readers, while simultaneously necessitating the need for an ultimate triumph of good over evil.

These characters too, the good ones, at least are in part based on real life people, Cathy and myself.

Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?

Interestingly enough I had never intended to write any sort of sequel for this story, but as luck and good fortune, and inspiration would have it, I found myself very quickly through the editing process of this book sitting down and writing a follow up to this original text. Looking at the story ever closely I could see many new potential directions in which this tale could continue. At present, the draft for the next book is well underway, but with no clear definitive ending yet in sight. Depending how I choose to complete this new text, I may be able to set this up for a potential third installment.

I anticipate a second publication by the end of next year, as I do have another manuscript in the works, ready to go for later this year. I started writing it at about the same time I began this original text.

At this point all I can really say is that the fight between these two main characters is not over. The evil Vladimoor is far from remaining confined, restless in the depths of the murky underworld.

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