A-Z Challenge Interview with John Blackport

D is for devotion.  As a reader since the age of five, I am very devoted to my favorite authors.  And that devotion now brings you to my interview with John Blackport. 

John has published two novels, Raingun and Resolution, following soldier Rick Rivoire.  

Hello, John and welcome to my blog. 

You've just published, Resolution, the sequel to Raingun. What can you tell us about it?

 

Raingun explains why the hero, Rick Rivoire, wants to be a hero, and why he's unhappy with his life. It describes how proud he is of his military career, how that pride is tarnished by the actions of his government, and the bind that puts him in.

 

Resolution starts by putting all that in even starker contrast. He begins by admitting that he can't stay on the fence any longer. Then he witnesses suffering on a level he's never seen before. Just when he's sure he'll rebel, he finds compelling reasons not to. His internal tension gets higher than he's ever thought possible.

 

What inspired you to write Rick's story?

The polarization that Americans experienced as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wanted to explore how decent people can become dedicated to the ruin of other decent people. I wanted to explore the desire that ordinary people feel to be "heroic", whatever that means.

 

For that, the fantasy genre was very liberating. I didn't want to write a real-world story about those wars, because I am personally so unqualified to do so. There are so many people (perhaps millions) who can do it better than I could ever hope to.

 

The setting for the Raingun novels is fantastically detailed. Can you explain your worldbuilding process?

I wanted to capture some of the best moments I've experienced while gaming. But I also wanted to shed the blinders so common to fiction inspired by gaming. I didn't want a world of helpless onlookers idly watching a tiny band of "chosen" heroes save them from some monolithic Dark Lord who wanted to destroy them all for no good reason. 

 

I love Middle Earth, but it seems like an awfully boring place whenever the War of the Ring isn't actually going on. And I think the most heroic character of that story is Faramir.

 

Will there be more books in the series?  What can you tell us about the novel you're working on now?

 

Absolutely.

The third book of The Raingun Chronicles is Balislanka, which is also the name of a battle site. The enemy, Lucan, is one of such strength, that his presence delays Rick's decision to rebel against his government. This makes his defeat even more urgent.

 

Sounds exciting.  I enjoy the plot intrigues in your books, it makes the characters feel so real.   Can you describe your writing process?

 

I'm an obsessive planner. I spend hours agonizing over the names of imaginary towns, and the courses of imaginary rivers.

 

The actual writing doesn't take long. Planning before the writing is a long stage, and so is the editing thereafter. But the actual writing's a snap.

 

Thanks so much for answering my questions John.  Raingun and Resolution are available through Amazon Kindle, and look out for Balislanka coming up.  

 

See you all tomorrow.