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This podcast is for anyone who loves a good story. Board now for interviews and writing samples from talented authors!
If you would like to be featured, email your work to storystation@riverbendmediagroup.com
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Every story is a ticket to somewhere extraordinary. No need to pack a bag, just settle in and let the words transport you. Now boarding: an insight to an author's mind. This is The Story Station.
Emma: Anthony Butler is the author of The Raven Chronicles. And you said you have two published, one in the editing stage, and then one being written.
Anthony: Yes.
Emma: Wow. That is quite the project. That's super exciting.
Anthony: Thank you.
Emma: First off, how about you tell me a little bit about yourself?
Anthony: Okay. Again, I'm Anthony Butler, an author. And as was mentioned, I've published two novels. I've got one in editing that may be published within the next two or three weeks. I currently just started book number four for this series. I plan six books, but if I get done with the sixth one, and I still have ideas, I'll certainly continue it.
Emma: So before we started, you were telling me a little bit about why you write.
Anthony: Yes. I've always had the dream to write. When I was a kid, probably somewhere around eleven or twelve, I wrote a couple of chapters, and it was pretty bad. It was about a boy, he got in trouble, and basically him finding his way out of that trouble. And nothing horrible, just, you know, his brother got stuck in a cave or something like that, so he had to go get help. And then the reason they were there is because they lied to their parents about going to the cave. And so, like I said, I got two chapters written and for whatever reason, I don't remember, I just stopped. And I just recently discovered those pages in an old box that I had stored. And so that kinda brought back some memories.
And then in my twenties, I decided to try to write some poetry. And while I've been told that it's pretty good, I just... every time I read it, I cringe. So it's kinda stayed on the shelf and kinda out of sight. But it was when my father died in 2005, and that December, that Christmas, there was an Alabama Christmas song—I think it's off their second album—that talked about writing a novel. And it might have been someone else besides Alabama, but there was a song at the time that talked about tragedy and how he wished he would have wrote this and done that. And it really got me thinking.
And so I didn't have any story ideas at the time, and so I just kind of floated through just... I'd come up with an idea. I was like, no, I don't like that. And it took, oh, twenty, twenty years. No, about fifteen, seventeen years before I found an a story idea that I liked. And so I just started putting pieces together, and eventually, the Raven Chronicles was formed.
The character Raven is loosely based off of Mara Jade from the old Star Wars expanded universe books— the Timothy Zahn "Heir to the Empire" series. Outside of the original three: Luke, Han, Leia—and Vader, of course—but Mary Jade is one of my favorite characters. And so I loosely base it off of her, kind of her mannerisms and so forth. And so from there, I just kind of pieced together everything else.
Emma: Inspiration can come from anywhere, really, from other excellent works of art like Star Wars. I love Star Wars. So...
Anthony: Me too.
Emma: That's wonderful. So tell me a little bit more about the Raven Chronicles.
Anthony: Okay. Raven's a bounty hunter, and she's in a medieval fantasy setting. And so she goes kingdom to kingdom, gets contracts, brings in bounties. She's really good at her job. She's got great instincts, and she's just always figured that she just was born with great instincts. And so she goes to do what should be just a standard job, and she brings the bounty back to the kingdom, and she discovers that things aren't quite right in the kingdom, and then everything just goes bad. And she's forced to flee, and she winds up hiding out in the forest. And she stumbles across this woman, and she tells her basically that she has magic. And of course, she doesn't believe her. There's other spoilers I won't reveal. But from that point on, she's in denial. She doesn't believe that she has magic, but she's on the run from the kingdom, and then things kind of snowball and her magic comes out of her. She kind of discovers that, yeah, I do have it, but she can't control it. And so it's just her story of trying to deal with learning that she has magic while everything else around her kinda closes in. And she befriends people along the way, and they kinda help her out. That's basically the basic premise for it without giving away too many spoilers.
Emma: And you said it takes place in a fantasy type world?
Anthony: Yeah. Medieval fantasy type with kingdoms. There's dragons and witches and sorcerers.
Emma: So when you're setting up this world, what was the first thing that you considered?
Anthony: I knew at the beginning, because I've always been fascinated with medieval times, and I've always read fantasy. That's my genre. I love to read fantasy, so I wanted to write fantasy. And so I just kinda combined the two, and it's kind of loosely. I use a lot of the realisms of the medieval times while also just building on the fantasy side of it. So it's not necessarily completely tied to the medieval times. It just uses kind of that premise.
Emma: Do you have any tips for making your world seem real and believable while also bringing in those fantastical elements?
Anthony: Yeah. It's basically, you know, your standard castles, your courtyards, you know, the forests around. You have the basic creatures, you have more fantastical creatures and it's just basic premise. You have a couple of kingdoms that are at war and that comes into play, you know, same premise where kings are either trying to avoid war or force themselves onto other kingdoms, try to conquer them. And so it's just several things built in.
Emma: Sounds pretty complicated.
Anthony: Yes.
Emma: A lot to keep track of.
Anthony: And then you throw in a dragon and it just really throws things out of whack.
Emma: How do you reveal... because obviously, you know all these details about your world and your characters, how do you decide which details you want to reveal to your readers and when you want to reveal those?
Anthony: Well, I've read authors that do a lot of detail, and I've read authors that leave a lot of the imagination to the reader. And so I've tried not to provide too many details. I kind of provide what might be needed at the time. And so I kind of started small, started out with Raven doing a job, delivering her bounty to the kingdom. And then from there, it just kinda slowly expanded. And then I brought in more characters, and then they have their own little stories. And I've tried to keep the plot going with Raven while trying to provide the stories for side characters to kind of give them some depth.
Emma: Do you have a plan for how the series is going to end, or is it something you're discovering as you're writing?
Anthony: I did at one time, but then my characters decided to go a different way. Because I'm more of a pantser when I write. I kinda have a basic outline of where I want the series to go. And for the most part, it's kinda going that way. But one of my side characters decided that she wanted to be a little more interesting than I had originally planned. And so now I've developed her a little more into the story, and I've got quite the plans for her in the next two books. Not for this one per se. This one might build up to her story, but, yeah, I've got plans.
Emma: That's an exciting way to write. Speaking of that with characters, is there a relation between the worlds you build and the characters that you create, and does one affect the other more?
Anthony: It kinda goes back and forth. I kinda set it up, one kingdom is—right off the bat, you know, so it's not a spoiler—they're kind of teetering on a civil war, kind of internal conflict. And so the prince, I introduced him first, him along with the king, his father, and then I just kind of expand from that. And as the world gets bigger, it kinda goes back and forth.
I've built characters to fit into the world, but I also made this in book three, I've also made a world from characters. And so I needed a place to put them. They really didn't fit in the realm that I have them in. And so I built a different area, different part of the world for them to reside.
Emma: Having written three books now and working on your fourth, is there something that you wish you would have known writing your first book?
Anthony: It's funny to say this because it took so long to write the first one, but patience. Once I started writing, I just wanted to finish it because every time I've started to write before, I just didn't like where it was going and I quit. And so I said, it's not working. I gotta step back. And so when I started writing this one, I liked the story. I liked the ideas I had in mind, but I didn't wanna quit this time. I said, this is something I wanna do. I need to move forward on it. And I just wish I would have had more patience, done more research.
As a new author, you just wanna get in there and write a book. And I've actually gone back and kind of fixed book one because it's kind of the second edition of it. And so I've kind of fixed a lot of things about it, but I just wish I'd have been more patient, done more research, which is something that I have definitely learned. Each book, I feel like it's gotten better. And so I've had people help me and, yeah, I just wish I just had more patience.
Emma: Do you have any tips for pushing through that desire to give up? Because I felt that a lot too. I'm writing and I'm like, "I thought this was a good idea in my head, but now that I'm writing it down..." And people ask about it, people are always like, "oh, what are you writing?" And it's hard to explain. And when you try to explain, you're like, "ah, maybe this is just actually not a good idea." So how do you overcome that?
Anthony: I love to write, and so I... just like anyone else, I get writer's block. You know? I'll get to a certain point, I don't know what to do now. I don't even know how a keyboard works, you know? I just don't know what I'm doing. And you just gotta push through.
And the biggest thing is to step back. I'm writing a fan fic of Star Wars. It's not something that I can ever publish. It's just basically for me. But I use that to separate myself from my novels so that I don't get burnout. Because I love the characters, I love the story, and I love writing the books. But if I do feel like, I don't wanna do this anymore, or I don't know where the story goes from here, I don't know how to get it from this part to this part where I wanna be. And so I just take a step back. It could be that I take a couple of days off, play video games, just read, watch a series or something like that. Just step away. Instead of quitting, just step back and just do something else. And then when you sit back down and you start writing again, your mind's open again.
Emma: That is so smart. And having another project to work on too, that's a great idea because then you're still writing and honing those skills.
Anthony: Mhmm.
Emma: Even if it's not something that's ultimately gonna end up published, you're still gaining from those experiences.
Anthony: Yes.
Emma: I think my struggle is I take a step back and then I never get back to it. And then a year later, I think, "oh, I should write more." And I go to my book and it's been a year, so everything that I was planning, everything that I was so excited about... is just gone. It's important to take a step back and then, like you were saying, just get back into it.
Anthony: Yes.
Emma: With having a full time job and then having writing as your other job, how do you balance that and find the time to write?
Anthony: I take a section of my evening and I devote it to writing. I go into a room. I'm by myself and no distractions. Most of the time, I have music on in the background. And usually, it is some type of almost like fantasy type music, just kinda in the background because that seems to inspire me to continue to write, especially if I'm at a part where I'm just... I know what I wanna do with this chapter, but I can't quite make two sides meet. And just listen to that in the background, it just inspires. And so usually before bed, I take a block of time, an hour, hour and a half. Sometimes I can squeak out two hours, and I devote that to writing.
Emma: I like that. Music can be really another really good inspiration. Did you bring a chapter of your of your book to read today?
Anthony: I did.
Emma: Oh, perfect. I would love to hear it.
Anthony: Thank you. It's from my first novel, Magic Reborn, and I'm taking it from chapter two.
The Sacian guards watched Raven approach the large gray castle that sat on top of a broad hill overlooking the surrounding land. She surveyed the battle worn walls surrounding the castle and was thankful for the truce between the two kingdoms. She had only known about war in her lifetime. It had started before the two current kings came to power. The previous Elven king was the first to pass away. His heart gave out from old age. In his last few weeks, his advisors fought the war as he lay in bed dying. The human king was killed in battle around the same time as he tried to save a regiment of his men trapped behind enemy lines. The king had taken dozen of his best warriors in a surprise attack, but were overwhelmed as the elves had reinforcements nearby. They knew the king's bold reputation and suspected he would try to free his men. Many thought this might be the end of the war, but decades long hostilities prevented any type of ceasefire. King Warrick of Sacia was the first to attempt to end the war. Both kings agreed that war between kingdoms must end as the hatred their fathers had toward each other died with them. They also knew their people were tired of war, but hard feelings still existed between the two kingdoms. That would take a long time to mend, but Warrick and Rhys knew they had to try. The ceasefire gave them a chance to rebuild the villages while an unofficial treaty was being drawn up by King Warrick. He would then submit it to King Rhys for his input. Hopefully, the two sides could come to an agreement that would benefit both sides. Villages and farmland had become battlefields and food supplies were low. The Elven people were more resourceful, but they were also beginning to feel the effects of their war torn lands. They were grateful for the truce, but Sacia was divided, especially among the nobles. Many thought the new king was weak for being the first to reach out to their enemy.
Raven understood Sacia was teetering on the civil war. She hoped she could deliver the prisoner and leave with her payment without incident. As she approached the gates, she waved at the guards while strolling with Shadow into the courtyard with the elf in front. A couple of guards within the courtyard approached her, and stared for a moment at the elf, and then turned their attention to Raven. They told her they would take the prisoner, and she could see Lord Cameron regarding payment.
Raven shook her head. "I am under strict orders by King Warrick to deliver this prisoner to him personally."
"The king is busy at the moment and asked us to hold the prisoner until he becomes available."
"Then I will wait until he's no longer busy." She pulled a scroll from a pouch tied around her waist. "This scroll states that under no circumstances am I to leave the prisoner with anyone except him. Unless you have a scroll that states otherwise, you will move aside and allow me to take my horse to the stables, and then my guest and I can wait in the tavern until I receive word that the king is ready to see me."
The guards looked at each other and grumbled, but they waved Raven on. They glared at her until she was out of sight. A third guard nodded at the other two and followed behind them. Raven glanced back and noted the third guard following them. She also noticed his hand on the hilt of his sword. Raven looked at the elf and then back at the guard. She knew tensions were high, but this just seemed over the top. The elf looked back at her with a worried look.
"They mean to separate us. If they can get me away from you and out of sight, they will kill me. They do not want me delivered to the king."
"Well, what they want and get are two different things. Either you're delivered directly to King Warrick, or we leave here together. I would rather make enemies of the one scheming against the king than to make an enemy of the king himself."
Raven secured Shadow in the stables and dropped a gold coin in the stable boy's hand with unspoken understanding to care for her horse. The boy's eyes lit up and nodded at Raven, and she returned a smile. She then escorted the elf to the tavern. As they were about to enter, the two original guards approached along with someone dressed a bit more formally.
"We just received word that the king is now available, and we shall take you to him."
"Really? That quick, huh?"
"Word got to him that the prisoner was here, so he cut his meeting short."
"How convenient."
"Do you dare call us liars, bounty hunter?"
"Not at all. Just lucky for me is all. I thought I was going I have a long wait ahead of me."
"Sir Turstan here will escort you both up to the king's chambers."
Raven felt a sudden burning sensation run through her, but she kept her composure. "Thank you," is all she said, and nodded to sir Turstan to lead her to King Warrick. Two different guards approached as they neared the castle door. Raven realized what might be happening.
"There's no need for you two to tag along. This elf's not going anywhere." She looked at the elf. "We came to an understanding."
"Sorry miss, King's orders. We will join you, just in case."
"Well, if the king insists, who am I to argue? Come on, elf. The king awaits."
The elf whispered back. "I wouldn't count on it."
Raven rolled her eyes and nudged him in front of her as the guards led them into the castle. Through the main entrance, a cavernous room with marble floors and colorful tapestries greeted them. Along the walls, paintings hung with golden frames of previous kings, queens, and famous nobility. King Warrick's painting hung in the center of all as the reigning king. The room's ceiling easily rose at least two levels and was quite breathtaking. She noticed the elf had temporarily forgotten his fate and admired the artistic look of the entrance.
"A little different from Paelea, huh?"
The elf shook out of his awe to look back at Raven. "It's beautiful, but a little extravagant. Paelea tries to give a more modest appearance."
"Agreed, it is a bit much for my taste, but it is insightful to see how others live. Is it not?"
"I've always dreamed of traveling past these lands to see new and interesting places, but now I know I will never see them as I fear I will never leave this palace."
One guard overheard their conversation. "You've got that right, elf. You have a visit with a gallows soon!"
Raven arched an eyebrow at the guard. "You are already convinced he's guilty."
"Of course, he's guilty. He's an elf and was spotted where the emissary was murdered."
"Well, I think there might be more to it, and I am sure King Warrick will uncover the truth."
"Yeah, sure, bounty hunter. If that makes you feel better."
The guards laughed to themselves and led the two further into the castle. As they wound up a circular set of stairs, Raven noticed their path different from the usual one.
"I thought King's Warrick's chamber was in a different part of the castle?"
"That's his main chamber. Where we're going is more private. He wished not to be disturbed when he meets with you."
"Ah, I see. Makes sense."
Raven watched the elf. He was looking around nervously, and she could see he was fidgeting with his hands. None of this made any sense. Assassins weren't this scared when caught. Most even poisoned themselves so as not to be interrogated. Her doubts about the guards' motives grew. The feelings she had earlier, the one that always seemed to warn of impending danger, was back at a fever pitch. She held it down and kept her stoic appearance. She knew the guards were not taking her to the king, but she was curious where they were going.
Suddenly, three guards appeared behind them. Raven glanced back and measured them.
"All of this for a single elf? It's a bit much, don't you think?"
"The king knows others here might take matters into their own hands, so he wanted to make sure no one else got to him first."
"Understood." Raven turned her attention to the elf who was staring at her now. "Something you want to say, elf?"
He just shook his head and the guard directly behind him gave the elf a shove. Raven quietly removed one of three small daggers she kept hidden in her belt and bumped the elf's hand and slipped him the weapon. The elf grabbed it and fought the urge to look back at Raven. He was confused, but relieved that he might have an ally with the bounty hunter. He kept his head forward so as to not attract any further attention.
At the top of the stairs and through a door, a hallway stretched through the upper portion of the castle. No tapestries or any other decorations were to be found, which told Raven this area was off-limits to visitors. Several hundred feet ahead, the guards stopped at a large wooden door to the left, knocked, and waited for the door to open. They led Raven and the elf into a spacious room with a single tall but thin window and a desk in the middle.
They led both to the table and a door opened from the right side of the room, but it was not the king that stepped through.
"Lord Cameron, what is the meaning of this?" Raven demanded. "I am to see King Warrick directly." Raven noticed four more guards along with the two guards presently with them. Nine against two. Ten, if you counted Cameron. She did not like these odds. The elf shot her an 'I told you so' look, and she glared back at him.
"Ahh, Raven. So good to see you again as always. My apologies as the king is tied up with another important meeting and cannot be disturbed. I assure you, I am aware of your deal with him, and he wants the prisoner handed over to me. I have your payment here for you." Cameron tossed the coin purse onto the table. "Just leave the elf with me, and you may go."
Raven shook her head. "I am not releasing him to you. The elf and I will return to the tavern and wait for the king to see me. Come find me when he's not... busy." Raven turned to leave, but the guards stepped in front of the door to block her exit. Raven turned and shot him with an icy glare.
Cameron sat down at the desk and looked at the elf and then turned his attention to Raven. After a moment, he leaned toward her. "I don't think you understand, bounty hunter. You will release this elf to me by order of King Warrick, or else you will be arrested."
Raven laughed. "Arrested? I have it here in my scroll that I'm to deliver him to the king, and under no circumstances am I to do otherwise."
Cameron simply smiled at Raven and leaned back in his chair. "No. I think you will release him to me. Did you really think the king would ever see this elf alive? Look around, Raven. You are outnumbered, and these are elite guards behind me. Had you just handed him over, you could have walked out of here a wealthier woman. But now you won't be walking out of here at all. Guards! Kill them!"
Raven quickly looked at the elf and in a quick swipe slashed the rope that bound his hands with a dagger that she had snuck out during the back and forth of Cameron. "I hope for our sakes you can fight, elf!"
The elf nodded and ducked as a sword came about his head. Raven turned and threw the dagger at one card, and it landed right in his eye socket. The guards screamed, and Raven turned her attention to the next one. The elf made his way to the edge of the room to draw some attackers away from Raven. As two guards moved to attack him, he dodged their swords with ease and sliced one of the knight's wrists, causing him to drop his sword. The elf caught it in midair and turned around and landed a blow to the back of the other knight as he readied his sword for another attack. Cameron, seeing the commotion in front of him, grabbed the coin purse off the table and quietly slipped from the room through the door he came in. He glanced over his shoulder and watched for a moment before ducking out as Raven had taken some serious cuts, but had drawn her sword and was holding her own. She had already disposed of the two guards and was now engaging four others. The elf used his quickness to overwhelm his attackers. He made his way to the door, opened it, and yelled for Raven to follow. She swung her sword at the remaining guards, turned, and ran down the hall following the elf. They could hear shouting behind them, but they made it to the stairs and started running down as fast as they could. They were much quicker than the armored guards and reached the bottom and burst into the main area and then raced to the doors. Before the guards nearby knew what was happening, the elf and the bounty hunter were already out of the castle and headed toward the stables.
Raven didn't have time to saddle her horse. So, she just reached for the elf's hand and pulled him up behind her. "Hold on!"
"How are we going to get through the gate?"
"By force if we have to!"
Shadow, on her own, took off galloping as soon as they were seated, sensing urgency from Raven. They rushed out of the stables and toward the gate. The guards looked confused and didn't know what was going on. That gave Raven the moment she needed. She nudged Shadow to go faster, and the horse obliged. By the time the guards chasing them reached the courtyard, Raven and the elf were already at the gate. The guards yelled in vain for the gate to be closed, but by the time they heard the order, the bounty hunter and elf were free beyond the wall. The horse continued galloping until they reached the forest at the bottom of the hill, and then slowed to a trot. Raven looked behind her to make sure they weren't close to them, but just in case, she guided Shadow off the main trail and through the woods and away from any would-be chasers.
Raven and the elf rode in silence until the elf spoke up.
"By the way, my name is Erinoth."
She nodded at him. "I know."
"You know? Then why call me 'Elf' if you knew my name?"
"It helps in my line of work not to get close to my prisoners."
"Is that what I still am? A prisoner?"
"Yes... no, maybe. I don't know, to be honest. Give me some time to think it over. Don't try to escape either. My mood is not one to trifle right now."
"I won't. I'm just glad we made it out of there alive."
"Yeah. Me too."
Erinoth noticed Raven's blood-soaked shirt. "Are you okay?"
Raven looked down at her shirt and just shrugged. "I've been in worse shape."
"Worse than this? Have you ever considered a new line of work then?"
Raven wiped her brow with her sleeve and sighed. For a moment, she said nothing, as if lost in thought. She then turned her head back to him and finally answered.
"After this, I probably won't have a choice."
Emma: What a setup. Wow.
Anthony: Thank you.
Emma: Raven's an intriguing character. She's this bounty hunter, but also very noble and honorable, and I'm very interested to know more about her. That's really cool.
Anthony: Thank you. I appreciate it.
Emma: Is it ever difficult to write about a female main character?
Anthony: In a way, it is. I try to do justice. I know the tropes that come involved with writing female characters, and I tried to avoid a lot of it. Obviously, she's not a damsel in distress. She can hold her own, but she's also has a humanity about her. You hear a lot of times about characters where they can do no wrong and they're always winning. Their character's really one-sided. They have no depth. And I tried to give her depth. I tried to make her human. She has problems. She has troubles. But again, she's not waiting for someone to rescue her. She thinks she doesn't need anyone. She's a bounty hunter. She's a solitary individual, so she doesn't depend on anyone. And so I just tried to do her justice.
Emma: Thank you so much for coming in. It's so cool to talk to the author and get to ask those questions and see the behind the scenes.
Anthony: Again, thank you for having me. I sure appreciate being here.
Thank you for traveling with us. Next stop: your work of art. Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, you name it! Email us at storystation@riverbendmediagroup.com. Submission guidelines are not shy; they can be found in the podcast description. The Story Station, hosted by Emma, is a production of Riverbend Media Group.