INSIDER AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

An Interview with Author Clifford B. Bowyer - Ilfanti and the Orb of Prophecy

April 2010

The Insider is a Silver Leaf Books sponsored feature that allows the readers to gain additional information about the authors, books, and projects. This section will consist of live interviews with the authors, and their direct responses.

This Insider interview is with Clifford B. Bowyer, author of The Imperium Saga: Ilfanti and the Orb of Prophecy:

SLB: So this is a book that has been in the pipeline for quite some time. You must be excited to have it finally come out?

BOWYER: You can say that again. I actually wrote this book right after The Changing Tides. I’m thrilled that it’s finally coming out. It’s been a long time coming.

SLB: Why such a long journey before it was ready to be released?

BOWYER: Well, that’s going to be a twofold answer. It all began though in some of my earliest convention appearances when only The Impending Storm was out. At the time I consistently heard two comments from people who stopped to check it out but did not buy: the first was that they didn’t like the idea it was a trilogy and would rather the book be a stand along. The second was that they felt the cover art looked “childish.”

Never let it be said that I don’t listen to what people are saying. So I began thinking about what to do. I always loved comics and am overjoyed to have had so many talented comic artists involved in the Imperium Saga realm that I created. But if traditional fantasy fans wanted traditional fantasy art, then I was at least willing to give that a try with something. But the “look and feel” of a series is crucial to me. So I never want book one of the trilogy to be comic-style and book three to be a more traditional fantasy-style. So I needed something completely new and unique to capture these fans. Which brought me to their second point about not wanting to try a trilogy…if readers wanted a solo-shot, then I’d write one…and use more traditional artwork for the cover.

From there the idea of one of my favorite characters from the Mage’s Council was born: Ilfanti.

SLB: Let me interrupt for a moment. You mentioned early experiences at events. Do you still get comments like that?

BOWYER: Actually, not at all. I guess that’s all part of the learning experience along the way. Those are the polite rejections. Saying something like that rather than just walking away from a table or feeling the need to actually say “no” to a young author. But as the books continued to come out, I’ve heard far more comments on how much people love the series, love the art, and can’t wait for more. I’ve had people probing to see if there is more on the way, or other ways they can get more Imperium Saga adventures. But like I said, it’s all part of the learning experience.

SLB: I want to ask you about what else is in the pipeline, too, but you were talking about the twofold answer for the delays. Let’s finish that up first.

BOWYER: Of course. Basically, the first delay was a suggestion from one of the developers of the RPG based on my world. Ilfanti and the Orb of Prophecy takes place right after The Changing Tides. So I wanted it to come out right after The Changing Tides. He had some very strong opinions about that though, letting me know from a reader’s perspective that they would want the trilogy done first before the stand alone solo-shot came out. I argued chronological order and taking advantage of that little market test I wanted to run, but he was adamant and ultimately convinced me not to release it until the trilogy was done.

The second delay was what turned out to be a roller coaster ride with the art. Since I wanted to try a more traditional fantasy art look, there were two artists whose work I loved (Todd Lockwood and Larry Elmore). I contacted both to see if they would ever be interested in doing it. To my amazement, Lockwood responded within the hour and was interested. Elmore also got back to me and was interested, but by then I was going full speed ahead with Lockwood and overjoyed by the idea of having him do a cover (it didn’t hurt that the same developer who told me to wait was salivating over the news that Lockwood was doing the cover and told me how the Lockwood name alone was going to sell books. Not too shabby for the test with the traditional style. Capture some new readers and fans and hopefully they’d also be interested in the Fall of the Imperium trilogy or the Adventures of Kyria).

SLB: But that’s not Lockwood’s art on the cover.

BOWYER: No, no its not. At first Lockwood was all gung ho but I wasn’t ready yet. I was just putting out feelers to see if he or Elmore would be interested. Then when I was ready he was busy with several covers for Wizards of the Coast. Then when he was ready I had “retired” for awhile from my day job and was struggling to come up with the money to pay for the art. Then when I was finally ready again he had gotten a huge commission for something like 18 covers. By then The Siege of Zoldex was already out and I wanted the Ilfanti book to come out shortly after. Ultimately we mutually decided that we couldn’t get the timeline to work for that cover and went our separate ways.

SLB: Do you think you’ll collaborate on a cover in the future?

BOWYER: I would love to see the way Lockwood would bring some of my characters to life. So I’m definitely open to that if the opportunity arises again.

SLB: So what did you do after deciding to go in a different direction?

BOWYER: Well, I tried Elmore again, and he was interested but couldn't start right away. By then I felt so far behind that I just wanted to have the cover done. The timing was the key and ultimately I abandoned the original idea of having traditional fantasy art and went with the artist who did the cover, David Michael Beck.

SLB: Where did he come from?

BOWYER: He actually met us at the Book Expo America in New York. There was a trilogy I was interested in having him draw. He still uses a “comic-style” approach, but his images are far more vivid and real, almost like a blend between the comic and fantasy styles. I wanted to bring out the character Braksis more in the prequel and really show him developing from childhood to where he is by the cover of The Impending Storm. I thought Beck was perfect for it. But then when the Ilfanti cover was available, I spoke with him and we decided that he would do that cover. I think it looks amazing. He did a great job with both Ilfanti and Kabilian with the cover.

SLB: Is he still doing the covers for the prequel?

BOWYER: I’m not going to discount anything at this point, but like I said before, I’m big on the same “look and feel” of books. There are other adventures I’d like to send Ilfanti on in the future, and it’s important to me that if I do the covers all have a common theme. So I’d like Beck to do those books. Besides…since I’m not spoiling anything now that The Siege of Zoldex has been out for awhile, fans know that Braksis, Solara, and Thamar join Ilfanti on a quest to find and rescue the Empress. I can’t wait to see how he draws Braksis and Solara (whether that’s on the covers of the prequel or a future Ilfanti novel).

SLB: So there will be future Ilfanti novels? So much for a solo-shot.

BOWYER: I would like to write more, yes. But Ilfanti and the Orb of Prophecy is definitely a stand alone. You don’t have to read any other book to follow it and understand what is going on. Does it help if you have? Absolutely. But you don’t need to.

SLB: Tell us a little but about Ilfanti and the book.

BOWYER: Ilfanti is a member of the Council of Elders, the ruling body of the Mage’s Council. In my world Mages have a very strict education. They begin in the Academy practically since birth, if they pass the first Trials they are selected to become Apprentices. If they pass the second Trials they are elevated to the rank of Paladin and are allowed to leave the Council for the first time (prior to that there is a mystical barrier that keeps Mages who are not Paladins or higher in station from leaving). Once the Paladin returns they take the third and final Trials and if pass become Masters. A very select few Masters are selected to serve on the Council of Elders.

Well, most Mages will go off on a little fact finding mission, or use their Paladin years to learn more about the heritage of whatever race they come from, or try to gain practical experience to go along with all of the book learning that they had done all of their lives. The Paladin years could last a day, a year, or whatever. Most Mages come back fairly quickly.

But not Ilfanti. He went off on a two-century adventure seeking buried treasure, hidden cities, legendary and divine items, and never looked back. The thrill of the moment, the freedom of leaping off of a ledge while being chased and finding a lake below, and the pursuit of the unknown is what drove him. When he finally returned to the Mage’s Council he quickly became one of the most popular Mages of all time, telling the tales of his adventures and drawing those who heard them in. He’s charismatic, full of life, and unwilling to back down from his beliefs. It was this popularity, outlook, and willingness to defend his own beliefs that earned him a seat on the Council of Elders.

Ever since writing his history when developing his character wanted to delve further into his adventures. I wanted to bring out the legendary thrill seeker and adventurer, not just the outspoken leader in the Council of Elders. Fortunately I’ve had two opportunities to do so. Ilfanti and the Orb of Prophecy was the first, where Ilfanti felt Pierce (leader of the Council of Elders) was blind and handling the rumors of Zoldex’s imminent invasion completely wrong. He felt justified in his actions and became an outlaw of the Council by pursuing his own idea of what would help in the long run. This book is that adventure that ensues.

The second opportunity was in writing Ilfanti’s Tale in the Tales of the Council of Elders project. This was bringing out Ilfanti in his prime for an adventure and I loved every minute of it. I hope both the book and tale are well received and my readers and fans would be interested in seeing more adventures with Ilfanti in the future.

SLB: We’ve been hearing about this Tales book for quite some time. You’ve mentioned it. Other SLB authors (Stuart Clark, Mike Lynch, and Brandon Barr) have also mentioned it. Is it something that readers will actually see?

BOWYER: It’s true that that has been in the pipeline almost as long as Ilfanti and the Orb of Prophecy has. But the original premise was to introduce new authors to my existing readers by having a different SLB author write each tale. My readers get some background stories on some of the most developed and powerful characters in my world, and also are exposed to other authors they may never have even known existed. But there are nine Council of Elders members, and up until this year, there were only five SLB authors. So it was a matter of patience more than anything. I have to say…I was quite tempted quite a few times to write an extra tale (or two, or three). But all the tales are now done and I’ve been tinkering with some art ideas for it.

SLB: Who fills out the final roster for the book?

BOWYER: From Silver Leaf Books, Brandon Barr (co-author of When the Sky Fell and American Midnight) wrote Cinzia’s Tale, Stuart Clark (author of Project ULF and Project ULF: Reacquisition) wrote Promethisus’s Tale, Mike Lynch (co-author of When the Sky Fell and American Midnight) wrote Pierce’s Tale, B. Pine (author of Familiar Origins) wrote Jeffa’s Tale, and Brittany Westerberg (author of Into Fire) wrote Senix’s Tale. Robb Webb, one of the game designers for the Imperium Saga RPG wrote Hergzenbarung’s Tale. Karen Aragon (referred by Mike Lynch) wrote Cala’s Tale. As previously mentioned, I wrote Ilfanti’s Tale.

That left Ariness’s Tale. There was originally a writing contest and the winner was to win the opportunity to write a tale, but unfortunately I’ve lost contact with the author. Instead I am finishing a tale begun by Ben Mitchell, who had been one of the game designers for the Imperium Saga RPG, and passed away not too long ago. He had originally been assigned one of the tales and I hope to honor his memory by co-authoring something with him and finish a story he had begun.

SLB: Okay, so during our conversation you’ve discussed the Tales book, a prequel trilogy, the RPG game, and the hope to write more Ilfanti books. In our interview with Continuing the Passion you also mentioned that there was quite a bit of Imperium Saga stuff on that way. Have we already discussed everything in the pipeline or is there more on the way for your fans?

BOWYER: I feel like it’s been so long. The Siege of Zoldex came out in what…February 2007? The publishing industry hit a bit of a snag in 2008 along with the recession, and all books got delayed. So three years later Ilfanti and the Orb of Prophecy has finally come out. But I certainly haven’t been sitting idly during those three years. So without going into too much detail, here’s a quick glance at what I’ve been working on…

The game in all honesty has probably taken more time than anything. One of the things I really enjoy is the creative process of building and creating things and finding ways to make everything work. The Seven Kingdoms are really flushed out by now with continued storylines, but not much background development on my part. The game, however, still lets me be creative so when I get a hankering to be creative, I’m usually working on the game.

But the biggest “writing” thing that I did and am proud about is the prequel to the Fall of the Imperium Trilogy (The Warlord Trilogy). There was so much I wanted to bring out about Falestia and the place where Braksis was born, but doing so would detract from the rest of the Fall of the Imperium trilogy. But Falestia is crucial to both the past and future, so having the prequel was ideal to really bring out everything I want. I’m working on the pre-editing proofread of the trilogy right now and frankly have been amazed at how good it is. I can’t wait to begin seeing some art for the covers and then getting the series out there. My readers will soon be learning more about the Troll Wars, the Barbarian Wars, the corruption of Rawthorne, how Braksis wound up being raised by a Troll, and much, much, more.

First though, the rest of the Adventures of Kyria will be coming out. The last three books of the series are The Rescue of Nezbith, The Responsibility of Arifos, and Full Circle. I also wrote a Kyria Special Edition (Transitions) that is the first book to come after the events that take place in The Siege of Zoldex.

I then wrote the first couple of books of After the Fall. Rather than writing a trilogy, I decided to write several solo-shots with a focus on a subset of characters or specific events that are important going forward. Everything will still flow and tie in together, but each individual book is a little less grandiose than the normal trilogy releases. I was tinkering with a “Quintet” that would circle around the war with Zoldex but decided to go this route instead. Some pertinent things that I feel are important make sense in this format, but would not have been as likely to survive a Quintet that is more focused on the core characters and propelling the main storyline.

I also took some time thanks to my editor’s recommendation to write more things like Continuing the Passion. I have a pair of suspense novels that I wrote that people should be hearing more about soon. Like I said...I've been busy.

SLB: And is all of this written already?

BOWYER: Most of it, yes. I have not written another Ilfanti book, or anything beyond Transitions for Kyria and her friends, but I know where things are going (besides, it’ll probably be another three years before I need those books to be ready to go!). Basically, there’s been a bit of a gap between The Siege of Zoldex and Ilfanti and the Orb of Prophecy for a variety of reasons. This book is the first of the adventures I’m bringing out for my fans. I appreciate everyone’s patience between releases and look forward to hearing what my readers think about this book and the new ones on the way.

SLB: It all sounds so exciting. A lot going on. Good luck with Ilfanti and the Orb of Prophecy and the rest of the Imperium Saga projects.

BOWYER: Thank you. Before I leave, I would like to thank all of my readers, fans, and the numerous people who come to visit me at conventions, book signings, discussion groups, and other events. Thank you all for everything!

May all of your adventures be magical!