#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Sebastian de Castell
/
I’d like to welcome Sebastian de Castell to the blog for today’s #ThisorThatThursday!
Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing. It’s really the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, even after nineteen published novels.
Easiest thing about being a writer: Talking about writing. I can expound for hours on the craft techniques and artistic inspirations for writing. If only I could make those work on myself . . .
Things you need for your writing sessions: silence and solitude.
Things that hamper your writing: emails from my publishers wondering when the book is coming.
Favorite music or song: “Fall At Your Feet” by Crowded House
Music that drives you crazy: Speed Metal
Things you always put in your books: friendship and idealism
Things you never put in your books: extended exposition on magic systems
Things to say to an author: “My god, Mister de Castell, your latest book is your best yet!”
Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “Umm, haven’t read your latest book. Your first one was my favourite, actually.”
Favorite places you’ve been: Cairo, York, Montpelier, Marrakech
Places you never want to go to again: The colonoscopy procedure room at my local hospital.
Favorite books (or genre): heroic fantasy and hardboiled detective novels.
Books you wouldn’t buy: ghostwritten ‘autobiographies’ of billionaires.
Favorite things to do: Travel, perform on stage in bands, hang out with fellow writers.
Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: cooking and colonoscopies.
The funniest thing to happen to you: After an event in Prague, a young woman came to the stage asking if I would sign her copy of Spellslinger because, apparently, the VIP signing session where I was going to be signing books later was sold out. Like any good Canadian, I jumped down off the stage and signed the book for her and agreed to a selfie. Thirty seconds later, I was literally swarmed with twenty-year-old Czech women and my editor was desperately trying to haul me back onto the stage. This is the sort of experience that would probably be very exciting as a young man, but is distinctly uncomfortable when you’re fifty years old. Also, my wife wasn’t there to see me being mobbed by fans, so I couldn’t even gloat about it!
The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: Afterwards, in the green room, one of the handlers asked if I’d sign a book for a girl outside who was crying because she hadn’t been able to get hers signed. I said sure, of course, and offered to go back out into the hall just to sign for anyone who wanted. My Czech handlers went through a whole routine of getting security ready, and when we finally got out into the hall, pretty much everyone had forgotten about me. I literally experienced my fifteen minutes of fame and then it was gone. Never doubt that the universe has an excellent sense of humour.
The nicest thing a reader said to you: “Your series got me back into reading for pleasure for the first time in many years.”
The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Would you sign my [inappropriate body part]”
Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: Most of the murderous, thieving things Reichis the squirrel cat does in the Spellslinger books are based on my cat, Peloush, who is, amongst other things, a murderer and a thief.
Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: People often assume Falcio is based on me but I could never be that obsessively heroic.
My favorite book as a child: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
A book I’ve read more than once: Jhereg by Steven Brust
About Sebastian:
Sebastien de Castell’s acclaimed swashbuckling fantasy series, The Greatcoats was shortlisted for both the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy and the Gemmell Morningstar Award. His YA fantasy series, Spellslinger, is published in more than a dozen languages. He spends his time writing, travelling, and going on strange adventures.
Let’s Be Social:
website: www.decastell.com
X: @decastell
Instagram: @sebastiendecastell
Facebook: Facebook.com/SebastienDeCastell
