Why write?

Because I have to.

If you didn’t write, what would you do?

I’d spend even more time pursuing my first great passion, which is riding motorcycles; quite often to places most other people generally don’t go.

If you could hunt any speculative fiction creature ever imagined (except one of your own), would you? Which? Why?

Yes – the Aliens from the movies, because they’re very cunning and one never knows just how intelligent they are. I like a challenge.

If you could have any speculative fiction creature ever imagined (except one of your own) as a pet, would you? Which? Why?

Yes – Selena, the vampire girl from the Underworld movies. You have to ask?

You are on a holodeck: You’re sitting in an intergalactic bar, sipping your favorite beverage, waiting expectantly for someone to take a seat at your table. Which author from any era does?

Ken Bulmer from the 60/70’s.

Why?

He was a prolific pulp genre author. Maybe the most so.

What do you talk about or do?

We talk about sci-fi and fantasy. Drink the best whiskey or rum available and tell each other outrageous stories of things we’ve done and people we’ve met and stories we’ve written or want to write.

More importantly, which chair does he sit in?

Shrug: A chair is a chair. I’m not an expert on furniture.

Why Crow the Thiefmaster? What initiated his story and made you complete this particular tale?

Originally I didn’t write a Crow story. Originally it was a tale of Young Lochinvar and the Loch Ness Monster. But the editor of RBE and myself came to the conclusion that because I wrote the entire story using Scottish vernacular and included many other Scottish aspects it wasn’t going to be suitable for the (mainly) American readers. Once we reached this interesting discovery I re-wrote the entire story in one night. It had started as third person present tense. It eventually became first person, past tense.

What appealed to you about being included in Rage of the Behemoth?

I like writing in the genre of heroic fantasy and I like to get paid for my writing. RBE allows me to do both. And RBE readers are the ones who will enjoy the kind of heroic fantasy I write the most.

Do you write/read aloud to/with anyone (family member or friend)?

My partner Linda (aka: Shalako-Lin) reads and does first edits and makes suggestions of everything I write. She completed an editing course a few years ago, and thus is more qualified to edit a story than most.

Quick: For each of the below, what’s your first thought in regards to the future of genre fiction:

Publishing: Dying, dead, on life support – or just going through a change? If it’s any of the first three, will it be euthanized or revitalized?

I thought that print publishing was taking a turn for the worse, until recently, but now I’ve changed my mind, especially as I’ve got a novel coming out in the UK and a story in a UK anthology and a story in an American anthology. So print for me, is looking good.

Reading Formats: Print, electronic, audio, or interactive?

All. I’ve just signed up to provide Apple with stories for their iPhone readers. And I’ve been published by various professional electronic webzines quite a lot in the last few years.

Books: Hardcover, trade paperback, mass market, other?

I think books are getting too expensive for a lot of people. I’d like to see a return to the thinner and cheaper pulp style paperbacks we had in the 60/70’s.

Preference for reading/writing: Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Horror Fiction?

Anything and everything. I can write in any genre. Including sub-genres like Cyberpunk and Steampunk and Victorian Gothic and military based fiction.

Thank you for your one-night rewrite and these great answers, Jaq!

“The Beast in the Lake” appears under the ‘Depthless Seas’ theme in Rage of the Behemoth. You can find out more about its author, Kevin ‘Jaqhama’ Lumley: Literary Imagineer and lifelong adventure motorcyclist, at his blog or on numerous online writing forums.

An opening excerpt

Now it happened, as I arrived in Creggan, a small town on the edge of the northern Borderlands, that the story started to spread like wildfire amongst the populace.

“The lake Beast has slain Lord Udy’s son!”

I stopped a couple who were walking by.

“Excuse me, good sir, m’lady. I heard you speaking of some beast that has killed Lord Udy’s son. Might I trouble you to tell me the details?”

And so they did.

Staith, the firstborn, killed by a mysterious creature that haunted the lake, ten years before. Sten, the second son, grown to manhood. Seeking revenge on the beast he had set out to slay it…and was slain in turn. A sad tale indeed. Lord Udy grieved, as well he might.

Putting aside the business that had brought me to Creggan, I hastily re-saddled my horse and took the road that led to Uldach Castle. Some years ago Udy had performed a favor on my behalf, at some risk to himself. I was indebted to the man. I always repaid those debts I could. Uldach Castle was less than half a day’s ride from Creggan. It gave me time to think.

I arrived at the castle mid-afternoon and was taken to Lord Udy. My friend looked twice as old as when last we had met. The death of his son, Sten, weighed heavily upon him. I offered my condolences. We talked. I mentioned a way I might repay my debt. Reluctantly, Udy accepted my proposal. We agreed I would rest before I spoke more of it…

Watch for review praise for “The Beast in the Lake” and Rage of the Behemoth!

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