Battle Hymns: Name three things you couldn’t live without.
Jeff Salyards: My wife, my kids, my friends. If we’re excluding the living, since they
aren’t “things,” then beer, beer, and then maybe a beer chaser.
BH: Own up to a guilty pleasure.
JS: One of the below is absolutely true:
1. I actually love the Wiggles. Their zany
shenanigans are hilarious, contagious, and just fantastic, and their songs do
not burrow into my brain and lay eggs. At all.
2. My wife has to hide any sweet thing
in the house, because if it’s out and plainly visible, I’m eating it. I have
the willpower not to actively look for it, sometimes, but if it’s in front of
me, forget about it. Even the crumbs.
3. I have a collection of koala
paraphernalia: mugs, t-shirts, Pez dispensers, underwear (with and without
fur). They’re just so dang cute.
(Editor's Note: My money is on #2.)
(Editor's Note: My money is on #2.)
BH: What music are you listening to these days?
JS: Carly Rae Jepsen. Wait, I’m not a 15-year old girl. I got into Arcade Fire
not too long ago, when I was up with a crying kid in the middle of the night (maybe
it was me who was crying) and happened to catch one of their concerts. I couldn’t
get them out of my head, but in a good way. Gotye is pretty cool—I mean, he’s
Belgian-Australian, so he gets bonus points for originality. I keep hoping
Audioslave will give it another go, but in the meantime, listening to their
last album.
Best Album Ever? |
BH: What’s your all-time favorite album/record/CD?
JS: You mean, after the Bears’ Superbowl Shuffle? Wow, that’s a tough one. It just depends on my mood too much to narrow it to all-time favorite: Springsteen’s Born to Run, Alanis Morisette’s Jagged Little Pill, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Radiohead’s Amnesiac, Guns ‘N Roses’ Appetite for Destruction, Nirvana’s Nevermind.
BH: What was the last concert you went to?
JS: Gaelic Storm a few years ago. But a more interesting story is the first
concert I went to. Aerosmith, in high school. And while I look much different
now, Steven Tyler must have access to some top-secret anti-aging serum or his
drug cocktails over the years synthesized into a formaldehyde proxy, because he
hasn’t changed a bit.
My brother, Chris, was supposed to go the concert. Because Chris had a
severe case of diabetes, had to undergo dialysis, had numerous operations, he
had the handicap sticker and got special seating at events like that. But Chris
couldn’t go this time, and his buddy who always went with him was going to have
to sit in the cheap seats with the rest of the plebes unless there was a
stand-in. Or sit-in, as it were. So he asked me. After thinking about it for
all of five seconds, I borrowed the wheel chair and my brother’s buddy and I
headed to the concert. We got the primo seating, close enough to make ear drums
bleed.
Anyway, I had to pretend to be paraplegic the whole time, and lie through
my teeth to the genuinely handicapped folks around me. I blamed my devastating
“injuries” on a motorcycle accident. Yes, I am going to hell, thanks for
asking.
Hmmm, maybe that wasn’t the best story to tell. . .
BH: Are you a comics reader? If so, what’s something you read recently that
you enjoyed? Who’s an artist you love?
JS: I haven’t read nearly as many comics as I used to. As a kid and teen, I
collected a bunch of them: X-Men, Batman, Punisher, Avengers, Spider-Man, Daredevil,
Jonah Hex. As you can see, I was mostly a Marvel guy. But having said that, I
was always partial to Frank Miller—he’s amazing at creating atmosphere and a
film-noir kind of sensibility/tone. I loved his Dark Knight and Sin City
stuff. Brilliant. And he’s one of those guys who goes where the project is:
Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, whatever.
BH: What book or books have you read lately that you thought were especially
good?
JS: Perfect segue, as I just finished Prepare
to Die! by Paul Tobin, a book about supercharged villains/heroes. Paul’s
day job is writing comics, and his love of the topic comes through on every
page of his debut novel. I heartily recommend this to anyone who likes their
heroes deeply flawed and very human. While there are plenty of frenetic fights
with superpowers aplenty—cars being chucked around, lasers blasting, giant
rats—a large portion of the book is quieter, introspective, character-driven,
which always appeals to me.
BH: If you found yourself in a typical fantasy setting, what would be your
weapon of choice?
JS: Definitely not a cursed flail that bombards me with the stolen memories
of foes I strike down. Braylar has one of those, and that doesn’t look like any
kind of fun at all.
I suppose the answer would depend on what I’d likely be doing in that
world. A farm boy whisked off by a mysterious mentor and likely possessing
innate powers or the heritage that will save the world? No weapon, please—I
deserve to die a gruesome death. A soldier? If so, part of a shield wall, a
hobelar, heavy cavalry, an arbalest? A grave robber, a caravan guard, a thug?
I’ve always believe that weapons are just tools, and you need to pick the right
one for the job.
If you’re looking for the generalist answer, a choice that could serve me
in the widest range of circumstances, in a city or on campaign, exploring ruins,
or running from the law, there’s are a lot of reasons swords are so ubiquitous
in fantasy, but one is that they had a lot of utility. As impressive and wicked
cool as the later big two-handers are, I would probably go with a longsword
from the 14th century (and I mean that in the Oakeshott sense of the
word, not D&D—probably type XVI or XVII, for those keeping track at home).
A blade I could use with a shield or with two hands if necessary, still
exceptionally balanced, light, and fluid.
But if I’m not overly worried about scampering up a siege ladder,
spelunking, or fighting my way through dense underbrush, a big Danish axe is
all kinds of scary. It says, “The guy holding me is more concerned with
splitting you in two than in any damage you might do to him. In fact, I’m
betting I’ll cleave you apart and be on to the guy behind you before your
weapon even comes close to the crazy bastard swinging me around.”
BH: What would you like to see change or see more of in the Fantasy genre?
JS: Good question. I like books that take risks, that try new paths or search
for a new perspective. (Editor's Note: Me too!) While there are some smaller indie publishers who
actively support fantasy that’s more challenging or outside most readers’
comfort zones (Night Shade Books, Pyr, Angry Robot), you don’t see these kinds
of offering as much from The Big Six. I’m not suggesting the bigs only publish
derivative crap, only that their titles tend to be a little safer on the whole.
Regardless of the publisher, though, I’d like to see more willingness to push
things a bit.
BH: What does the future hold for you? Any new projects you can spill some
beans on?
JS: I’m getting rolling on Book 2 in the Bloodsounder’s
Arc series. I don’t even have a good non-working title at the moment, so
Book 2 it is. The series will be three books for sure, possibly more, depending
on how things shape up. So this will keep me busy for the immediate future.
Regarding Book 2, I can say that for those readers who were clamoring for more
world building, they’ll get it—more about the Syldoon themselves, Bloodsounder, the mysterious Memoridons, the
Godveil, the Deserter Gods, political factions, etc. While the narrator, Arki,
was generally clueless though Scourge,
he’ll be a bit more in the know for Book 2, and the plot revelations will come a
lot faster. I like the dynamic of Arki being an outsider, and what it brings to
the narrative, so that won’t disappear altogether—he isn’t welcomed with open
arms into the Syldoon order going forward, but he will learn a great deal more
and at a much faster clip.
Also, for those looking for another strong female character, while I only
alluded to Braylar’s sister in the first book, she definitely shows up in Book
2. And she gives her brother a run for it in the badass department (though in a
much different way).
BH: Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?
JS: Thank you so much for taking a risk by picking up a book by a debut
author. Maybe you read a pretty good review somewhere. Maybe you were browsing
in Barnes & Noble and the cover grabbed your attention. Maybe Amazon sent
you a notice recommending a new juice maker, a book on kites, and Scourge of the Betrayer. Maybe your last
name is Salyards. Whatever the reason, I’m equal parts thrilled and grateful
that you did, and I really hope you enjoyed Scourge.
I appreciate your support more than I can express. Which is why I sent a singing
clown-o-gram. He should be there shortly. I apologize in advance for the pie,
but it was part of the package deal.
*****
Big THANKS to Jeff Salyards for taking the time to be part of this interview. If it was just me asking the questions with no one answering it would be REALLY boring. Jeff really spiced things up! Seriously, it was an awesome experience. If you still aren't convinced, you really should check out Scourge of the Betrayer it is most definitely worth the read.
6 comments:
Thanks, Ryan, for inviting me to do this interview. It was a ton of fun.
My pleasure Jeff! We'll have to do it again when "Book 2" comes out!
Absolutely! I'll be happy to.
So... I probably shouldn't admit this but I YouTubed the Bears’ Superbowl Shuffle and wow....just wow. Thank you, Battle Hymns and Jeff Salyards for directing me to ridiculousness :)
Also, looking forward to a strong female lead character!
Happy to help! Everyone should see the Shuffle at least once. It is 100% pure ridiculousnes. But what actually elevated it to cool status was the fact the Bears shot and released it *before* the Super Bowl (before the playoffs even, if memory serves--too lazy to Google it, and that's lazy indeed).
Anon-
Glad you enjoyed the Superbowl Shuffle! I actually wish more professional sports teams would make their own rap/dance videos.
Post a Comment