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2010-02-08: MilSciFi.com interviews Andy Remic, author of the fast action
fantasy novel, Kell's Legend, Book One of the Clockwork Vampire
Chronicles.
MilSciFi: "Welcome. Please tell us about your
new fantasy novel."
Remic: "Kell's Legend is a fast-paced
heroic fantasy adventure story, about the beautiful and noble land of Falanor which is invaded by a race of creatures
from beyond the Black Pike Mountains called the vachine – or more precisely, clockwork
vampires. These are creatures of flesh and blood, but integrated with
advanced watchmaking technology that forces them to imbibe blood-oil, specially
refined from a human corpse. When their resources run low, the vachine send
their albino Army of Iron over the mountains along with tall, bone-fingered
creatures called Harvesters, in order to begin a new Harvest. As the north of
the country falls in just a few days, so a retired old soldier, Kell, his
granddaughter Nienna, and a foppish dandy, Saark, set off to warn the Battle
King. But Nienna and Saark soon begin to learn this battered old soldier is far
from the hero of his epic Legend…"
MilSciFi: "Do you have an overall plan for
the series, or will it be basically one new adventure after another?"
Remic: "The Clockwork Vampire books are a
planned trilogy, with Kell's Legend, Soul Stealers (out Spring 2010) and
Vampire Warlords (out towards Q4 2010), which I'm just working on now. I have
quite a few other fantasy novels in the pipeline as well, though ;-)."
MilSciFi: "What inspired you to create this
universe?"
Remic: "To be honest, a big inspiration
was the late great David Gemmell, and preceding that J. R. R. Tolkien,
Moorcock, Feist, etc. However, I always loved Gemmell's really hard-edged
heroic fantasy, and am writing in very much the same mould, but with a more "horror"
and "action" angle, I suppose. The Clockwork Vampire Chronicles came
about through a long-held desire to do something about vampires, but to add an
original twist – hence the merging with fantastical and fantasy-based watchmaking
technology."
MilSciFi: "How would you classify this work?
Is it mythology meats steampunk, heroic fantasy, etc…"
Remic: "Definitely heroic fantasy, men
with axes and swords battling horrific creatures of the night – with a touch of
"fantasy technology" thrown in just to add that original sparkle and
make it a little bit different."
MilSciFi: "What is a "Clockwork Vampire?"
Remic: "A thousand years ago, the main
race of vampires nearly died out when their Warlords were imprisoned in the
Chaos Halls. To survive, they had to integrate with advanced watchmaking
technology. However, they could no longer rely on blood – this had to be
refined into a narcotic, called blood-oil.
True vachine cannot take pure blood, only the refined distillation. So, the
clockwork vampires are really a deviation of the traditional vampire mythos. A
sub-species, if you will."
MilSciFi: "Do you have any advice for someone
wishing to write in this genre?"
Remic: "As always, you must be persistent,
work hard, and try your best to come up with an original IP. Your writing must
be neat and tight. As Steven King always says- "omit needless words"."
MilSciFi: "Do you have any other projects in
the works?"
Remic: "I have so many projects it makes
my head spin. After I've finished the Clockwork Vampire trilogy, I have ideas
for another 6 books in that same universe, but following completely new story
arcs; then I have three more Combat K books to write, plus some other ideas
being talked about with different publishers. On top of that, I'm working on three
film scripts and some short film ideas, because I'm an amateur film director
and very much interested in telling stories visually. In fact, we've just
finished a short film based on a scene from HARDCORE in order to promote the
new book, where Franco Haggis (played by me… the horror, the horror) and Keenan
(played by Paul Remic) and Pippa (played by Nicola Cross) are pitted against
some dodgy nurse zombies. It was great fun to film, and is in post-production right
now. This film is directed by my good friend, Colin Howarth. You can see more
at www.grungefilms.com
and www.andyremic.com.
You can also see my short horror film, Chemical Man, at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPh3sk0egdA"
MilSciFi: "Do you have any upcoming author
events?"
Remic: "I'll be at World Horror Con in
March 2010, and Odyssey/Eastercon, London, in April 2010. You will find me at the
bar. I always accept beer and whiskey."
MilSciFi: "Thank you, for your time."
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