I
first met the incredibly prolific artist and author Barbara Tarn through author and publisher, Janet
Morris. The two of them had cooked up a plan to have Barbara interview as many
of Janet’s Perseid Press writers as
possible, especially those who write for her Heroes in Hell series. So
Barbara put me in the hot seat, grilled me over and over again with some tough
and interesting questions, and then posted the interview as part of her "Sunday Surprise" segments on her Creative
Barbwire blog: https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2015/06/28/sunday-surprise-108/
(The above link where you can find my interview, forever frozen in the tundra known as
the internet. Barbara did an excellent job and her website in fantastic!)
So now
it’s my turn to give Barbara the “third degree,” but before we begin with the
interrogation, let her first plead her case, in her own words:
Barbara G. Tarn had an
intense life in the Middle-Ages that stuck to her through the centuries. She
prefers swords to guns, long gowns to mini-skirts, and even though she buried
the warrior woman, she deplores the death of knights in shining chainmail. She
likes to think her condo apartment is a medieval castle, unfortunately lacking
a dungeon to throw noisy neighbors and naughty colleagues in. Also known as the
Lady with the Unicorns, these days she prefers to add a touch of fantasy to all
her stories, past and present – when she’s not wandering on her fantasy world
of Silvery Earth or in her Star Minds futuristic universe. She’s a writer,
sometimes artist, mostly a world-creator and story-teller. Two of her stories
received an Honorable Mention at the
Writers of the Future contest. She
writes, draws, ignores her day job, and blogs at: http://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com.
Now let’s
begin, shall we?
What
and who are some of your influences and inspirations?
I was never a strong reader and grew up with Franco-Belgian
comics, hence my influences were mostly visual. That's why when I started
writing in English I wrote spec screenplays. Luckily I soon figured out where
my true call is and went back to prose. I'm only recently following online
craft courses, but I've been writing since 1978, simply because I wanted to
tell stories. Okay, my very first influence was the late Brunella Gasperini.
Then I discovered David Eddings, Jennifer Robertson and all those fantasy
writers and I was lost forever! ;)
So how
and why did you decide to start writing?
I was 13, uprooted from a country I'd been living in for 5
years, and hated everybody around me. Of course I'd seek refuge in stories... I
always had a wild imagination and in the summer of 1978 I started writing it
down.
What
genres and/or literary style do enjoy writing in the most?
SFF, especially lately that I don't like our world much. But
having learned the worth of research, I also like writing about history – and I
mean History, not last century. I prefer the Middle Ages (they cover 1000 years
after all), but I'm slowly dabbling into the ancient world and coming to the
present with my vampires through the centuries.
Tell
us about your latest published book, short story or novella.
The latest is Quests Volume 1: The Paths of Water and Air.
It includes the Path of Water and the Path of Air, since they're
sorta kinda related. All the Silvery Earth books can be read as standalone, but
these two are tied by a secondary character in Water who is the mother of the
protagonist of Air that happens fifteen years later. Both deal with inner
quests about oneself and one's place in the world.
The Path of Water
Hinrik survives the
battle outside the walls of Moriana, battered and hurt. He drags himself to the
River Ondan to put an end to his misery. But it’s just the beginning of a new
life of discoveries about himself and the world, a quest for his true calling
in life. He is a half-blood and must learn what it means with the help of
Bellinda the healer and Keneith the magic user.
The warrior, the
healer and the magic user are all outsiders or outcasts looking for a place to
call home in a hostile world, away from the aggressively expanding Varian and
Blackmore Kingdoms.
A story of the
northern kingdoms of Silvery Earth with magic and pain, loss and rebirth.
The Path of Air
Sayla is the best
archer of her hometown, thanks also to her keen eyesight that allows her to see
the Sila flying over, too distant for normal Human eyes. When her maimed Sila
mother hints to the fact that she was actually born with wings, she leaves her
hometown to go looking for other winged beings and get in touch with her Sila
blood.
A journey of self-discovery
for Sayla and her best friend Keenan who is also madly in love with her and
ready to do everything to give her back her wings. Eagles, hawks and other
birds of prey help them along the way, until they discover the hidden past of
Sayla’s parents. The north-east of Varia seen through the eyes of two young
people leaving home for the first time.
Besides
the “entertainment factor,” what do you strive for in your writing?
I write to entertain myself first, others hopefully. I don't
really put themes or try to change the world – I'm writing about other worlds
anyway, LOL!
Would
you say your stories are more plot-driven or character-driven?
Character-driven. I usually follow the characters around. I
don't outline, so, I have no idea of the plot when I start, unless I plan a
quest – but they tend to do their own quest anyway (happened with the upcoming Path of Fire that didn't pan out
as expected, but it's okay).
What
can you tell us about your latest work(s) in progress?
Currently I'm adding a second point of view in the novella
rejected by TOR so it can become a real short novel of Silvery Earth, then I'll
write the sequel. Both are prequels to Kilig the Sword and deal with the
Assassins' Guilds of Silvery Earth.
What
are some literary goals you’d like to achieve?
Literary goals? I hate that word. I write because I have stories
to write, because I want to entertain myself. I hope I find my core readers
soon in the vast, immense sea of writers in this century, but I'm not trying to
win any award or Nobel prize for literature...
What
genre of fiction have you not yet written for, but plan to in the future?
A yaoi novel if I can get in the mood of writing sex again
(currently I've toned it down to nothing), maybe a mystery, but I'd have to
read some before attempting writing them, and my TBR pile is never ending.
Name a
few of your favorite literary characters and tell us why they are your
favorites?
Sorry, I don't have favorites...
What
are some of your all-time favorite films and TV shows?
I stopped watching TV in the 1990s, so I'm stuck with 1960s and
1970s TV shows. And I watch too many movies from all over the world to make a
list of favorites, it would be never ending... I have a bookshelf only for DVDs
and it's full! :)
Tell
us about your writing habits, such as: Do you outline extensively? Do you
create your characters first, or your plot? Do you listen to music while
writing, and if so, what kind?
No, I don't outline unless it's historical (or needs to fit into
a specific timeline), then I'd jot down the events/years to remind myself what
happened in another book/at the same time. I'm character-oriented, so of course
the characters come first! And no, no music while I write, only while I draw.
When I write, I only hear the voices in my head anyway! ;)
What
else can you tell us about yourself and your reading habits?
I'm a very slow reader (since it tends to send me to sleep) and
can't listen to audio books, because voices don't hold my attention like music
does. So I still try to read 40-50 fiction books a year, but with the
non-fiction research sometimes I don't make it. Since I started the indie
publishing adventure, I read too many indie authors and sort of forgot what
traditionally published authors felt like... but last year I had to re-read the
Twins trilogy (Dragonlance Legends) by Weiss&Hickman and had a blast! All
that so-forbidden head-hopping! Whoot! :)
Thank
you for such a fun, interesting, and very insightful interview, Barbara. I
enjoyed this, and I’m sure your fans will, too. Hopefully, this interview will
bring you many, many more fans and readers.
---
Joe Bonadonna
You
can find Barbara at any and all of these locations:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraGTarn
Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-G.Tarn/e/B0050P0R2G
Where to find everything: www.unicornproductionsbook.com
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