Monday, December 9, 2019

Author Interview: R.A. McCandless on The Clockwork Detective, Writing, and Life


Recently I reviewed R.A. McCandless's excellent steampunk novel, The Clockwork Detective, here. I said, 
The last couple of years have brought a slew of wonderful steampunk adventures with resourceful, kick-ass heroines, and this one by McCandless is a worthy addition.
Here I chat with the author about his inspiration, his future projects, and his advice for aspiring writers.


Deborah J. Ross: Tell us a little about yourself.  How did you come to be a writer?
R.A. McCandless: I came out writing, which was a weird delivery for the doctor. But really, I found myself telling stories early in grade school. We'd have assignments to write a complete sentence using a set of vocabulary words, and I'd get bored with that. Instead, I'd use the words to tell a short story. From there, it was only a short jaunt to writing my own stories.

Dragons are one of my chief inspirations. I've only included one once, in a short story. But any world where dragons can conceivably exist—please and thank you! That's almost any fantasy or science fiction story, which creates a broad palette for me to enjoy. From there, it's a hop, skip, and a wardrobe journey into another world that I'm fascinated to start exploring and sharing.


DJR: What inspired The Clockwork Detective?
RAMcC: I’ve always, always, always loved the steampunk/dieselpunk aesthetic. I’d been approached by a publisher to submit a horror story for an anthology they were doing featuring Kevin J. Anderson. I love Anderson, but I’m not a horror writer. I knew this might be my one chance, so I buckled down and started working on a story. At the time, I was watching a lot of “Murdoch Mysteries” and “Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries” and really enjoying that pseudo-steampunk atmosphere. It wasn’t a huge leap for me to incorporate the same setting into my story, and suddenly I had Constable Aubrey Hartmann, solving mysteries, riding airships, and going on adventures.


DJR: What authors have most influenced your writing?
RAMcC: It’s not a cliché at all to say that JRR Tolkien and Terry Brooks were my earliest influences. I’d read other works before them, but that’s when I truly started to become interested in genre fantasy reading. It’s also when I started to cook up my own stories. Anne McCaffery gave me rides on the backs of dragons—my father took me to the book store and bought me her first book. Elizabeth A. Lynn showed me that storytelling could be lyrically beautiful, and didn’t have to conform to social norms. I also have to give a huge shout out to Robert Jordan, David Gemmell and my personal hero: S. Andrew Swann. I loved, loved, loved, Swann’s Moreau Series, which was so fascinating and fresh. I keep hoping he’ll go back and tell one more story from that world.

DJR: What’s the most memorable fan mail you’ve ever received?
RAMcC: A few months ago, a young fan sent me a hand-drawn picture of Aubrey Hartmann, complete with her clockwork leg and walking cane. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever received. I know a number of readers have been touched by the work that I’ve done, which is nice. But to have someone go to the effort of creating fan art, it’s just wonderful to experience that.


DJR: How does your writing process work?
RAMcC:  I’m a total fly-by-the-seat of my pants writer. A “pantser” as other writers like to call us. This is in contrast to “plotters” who plot out their book from start to finish, knowing what happens in each scene almost like a story board for shooting a movie. I’ve always admired those plotters. It seems like a really strong way to go about building a beautiful work. For myself, though, I like to have the story unfold as I’m telling it, and let the ideas and concepts take me where my subconscious dictates. My way is not better, it’s just the way it works for me.


DJR: What have you written recently? What lies ahead?
RAMcC: I just finished my first series, Flames of Perdition, with the book “Company of the Damned”. I’m hard at work on my next steampunk mystery/adventure for Constable Hartmann. She’s settling into her new role as the head of law enforcement in the small but growing town of Aqualinne. There will be murder, intrigue, betrayal, and a bit with some automaton soldiers that she’ll have to contend with. Of course, all of this is set against a much larger mystery that is slowly be revealed.


DJR: What advice would you give an aspiring writer?
RAMcC: Write. Write every day if you can. But write. Just keep writing. You’re a writer, and that’s quite the accomplishment, whether you’re published or not. You’re not in contention or competition with anyone else. Your voice is your own, so don’t worry about what anyone else is doing. Do your thing, and keep writing.



R.A. McCandless has been a writer both professionally and creatively for over two decades.  He was born under a wandering star that led to a degree in Communication and English with a focus on creative writing.  He’s the author of the steampunk novel THE CLOCKWORK DETECTIVE, called by steampunk legend James P. Blaylock, “My kind of book!” He is also the author of urban fantasy TEARS OF HEAVEN, winner of the 2014 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Preditors & Editors Reader’s Poll and a 2015 EPIC eBook finalist, HELL BECOMES HER and COMPANY OF THE DAMNED (releasing in 2019).  His shorts have appeared in IN SHAMBLES with Kevin J. Anderson, NINE HEROES, and GEARS, GADGETS AND STEAM.  He continues to research and write historical and genre fiction, battle sprinklers, and play with his three boys.  Follow Rob on twitter @RobRoyMcCandles, on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RobroyMccandless and on his blog http://www.highlandrogue.blogspot.com/

Drawing of Aubrey Hartmann © 2019  Abby Prewitt


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