What drives your art? What forces you, rides you, hustles you, controls you until its latest needs have been met? What really drives you to create speculative fiction art, be it words or images?

Deadlines. Love of genre. Strange compulsion to write.

If there was the possibility of becoming any speculative fiction character ever created (except your own), would you? Who? Why?

Karl Edward Wagner’s Kane. He’s the biggest baddest most timeless (literally) with the strangest most savage adventures of them all. But I couldn’t really do it because of the whole probable sociopath thing. Still Kane’s is très cool.

If you could only take one author’s works compressed on an e-book reader on a “one-bag-only” one-way trip to another galaxy, whose works would it be and why?

Robert Jordon–then I’d have plenty to read.

Why Carsk and Garret? What initiated their story and made you complete this particular tale?

My story has 3 Point Of View characters–a sort of Soprano’s meet fantasy. I wanted to write a twist on a twist ending and feature knights fighting on a bridge.

In the privacy of your favorite writing nook, do you act out your protagonist’s actions? Do you know how to use his weapons? Do you wear his clothes? Do you talk like him?

Yes but only in my head–my kids think I’m strange enough as it is.

Quick: List your first thought as your answers to these questions about the future of genre fiction:

Printing Methods: Offset or Print-on-Demand?

What does this even mean?

Reading Formats: Electronic or Print?

Old school rulz.

Book Tours: Physical or Virtual?

New school rules.

Reading Habits: Dead, Dying, Alive, Growing?

Alive but changing.

Length: Flash, Short, Novella, 1970’s novel (60k), 1980’s novel (80k), 1990’s novel (120k), 2000’s novel (150k)

I love a 60k novel because they move.

Robert E. Howard, Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, Edgar Allan Poe, Fritz Leiber, Karl Edward Wagner, Louis L’Amour, Frederick Faust, Ian Fleming, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Rafael Sabatini . . . the list could go on. Some lived long lives, some flared and burned out young. All lived life hard. All wrote pulse-pounding action-adventure, often dipping into the many different genres they share, yet each eventually establishing their name within a specific one. What do you believe you have in common with these authors, and what makes you so sure speculative fiction – heroic fantasy fiction to be precise – is your genre? Or is it?

Just like Robert E Howard and Karl Edward Wagner I have an “E” middle name. That says it all.

Thanks for your time and answers, Nathan!

Nathan Meyer’s bio has been classified SECRET under Article 7 of the National Homeland Defense Act.

Review Praise for “The Hand That Holds The Crown”

“…Great battle descriptions. In fact, practically the entire story is one big brawl. I liked the attention to detail.” ~ Wesley Lambert

An excerpt

…”To the hand that holds the crown!” Garret shouted and wheeled his charger.

Likewise Conn turned his stallion on its hind, and galloped away. Armed and armored, each knight again turned his steed. They lowered their lances and gave wild cries as they charged. Above them the rays of the morning sun shown with brilliance hard as diamonds.

The hammering of hooves across the flat was like the early rumbles of an earthquake. The warhorses were huge specimens, heavily muscled and bred for aggression. Closer still they raced and louder came the drumming of hooves. It echoed inside of both riders’ helms until it swallowed all other sound.

Sweat slicked the padded vests beneath the breastplates of their link armor. Eyes narrowed behind faceplate visors. Each man knew only total focus on their point of aim would save them. Each knew the other’s lance raced nearer.

Both brothers were screaming when they struck. They met in the middle of the bridge with a clap of thunder…

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