OBS Staffer Annabell Cadiz had the opportunity to read/review Desert of Souls and interview the author. Read her review here.

Annabell: What made you decide to set the story in the middle east, particularly, why did you choose Baghdad of all places?

Howard Andrew Jones: Blame most of it on all of the historical fiction of Harold Lamb and Robert E. Howard, and some on Neil Gaiman’s 50th issue of Sandman, “Ramadan.” One day, after reading that historical fiction over and over I had an idea of my own. I knew my narrator was a brave Arabian warrior; there was never any question about him being anything else. As for Baghdad, it was the capitol of the Abbasid caliphate, and fascinated me. Like my choice of Asim as narrator, it just felt so right that I never questioned it.

Annabell: Why did you decide to set the book in the eighth century? What appealed to you about that time?
Howard Andrew Jones: The more I read about the key figures alive at the end of the 8th century, the more I wanted to write stories set at the time. The caliph and his vizier, Jaffar, appear within the tales of the Arabian Nights. I knew Dabir and Asim before I knew when it was that they’d be adventuring, but as I continued to research, I felt quite certain that the 8th century was the right time for them. In the Abbasid caliphate, it was a golden age of science, literature, and trade.

Annabell: What was the type of research you had to do in order to create all the magical elements throughout the novel?

Howard Andrew Jones: I read an awful lot of old legends. I didn’t deliberately duplicate anything, but I did try to evoke the same kind of feel of the sorts of magic used in the Arabian Nights. In those tales, magic is no easy, happy thing, but comes at great cost, and is usually at least a little disquieting, if not terrifying. It’s a different sort of mindset than we sometimes see in modern fantasy stories.

Annabell: What made you decide to have your character, Asim, narrate the story?

Howard Andrew Jones: It might be more interesting to say that I weighed the pros and the cons of writing 1st or 3rd person and tried out various techniques, but the truth of the matter is that I could hear Asim’s voice so well from the outset that I never tried it any other way.

Annabell: Can fans expect a sequel for Asim and Dabir?

Howard Andrew Jones: Oh, yes. I was contracted for a second book, and I’ve just turned the rough draft of it over to the publisher. I hope to be telling stories about them for many years, along with the occasional short story.

Annabell: You are the managing editor of Black Gate magazine, how did you get the job and what do you love most about it?

Howard Andrew Jones: One of the things I frequently stress about getting into the industry is that you should find a way to get yourself involved. A few years back I was editing a sword-and-sorcery e-zine called Flashing Swords, and editing a series of books reprinting the historical fiction of Harold Lamb. I was also submitting stories to Black Gate and writing an occasional game review for the magazine. Publisher John O’Neill seemed to like what I was doing, and we’d been exchanging friendly e-mails for a while. One day he asked me if I’d consider coming on board, and I said yes. I most love being involved in a magazine that provides a safe home and launching point for those who gather to tell and read tales of adventure. There really aren’t that many outlets for short form adventure stories today.

Annabell: You’ve had various interesting jobs (TV cameraman, as a book editor, a recycling consultant, as a writing instructor at a college), which job did you really enjoy and which job did you not enjoy so much? And why?

Howard Andrew Jones: I liked parts of all those jobs, but I was most surprised to discover that I enjoyed teaching writing. If I’d known how much I’d like teaching composition, I would have gone back to get my master’s degree a lot sooner. I had mistakenly assumed that if I wasn’t teaching creative writing, it wouldn’t be any fun.

Annabell: What is your writing process like? For example, do you have a certain time of day you like to write or do you outline your stories before writing them?

Howard Andrew Jones: I put a lot of store in writing outlines and knowing who my characters are before I get started. That said, I leave plenty of wiggle room and am not afraid to change or add scenes if I discover things aren’t working. If I do change a scene, I usually outline afresh.

Depending on the story and its needs, I may have a loose outline, or a really tight one – each project is a little different. As for times, now that I’m writng more or less full time rather than fitting writing in around the edges of my life, I really prefer to get a little writing done early in the morning, then when the family leaves, I write until the kids are home from school.

Of course, those are ideal circumstances for rough draft work. Once I have the manuscript written, I can edit and revise at about any time unless I’m flat out exhausted. My favorite stages are outlining and revision. I prefer editing to drafting, maybe because of all those years working with tests.

Annabell: Will you continue down the fantasy genre or will you dabble your hands in other genres?

Howard Andrew Jones: I’ve had a handful of mainstream ideas, but I have scads more fantasy stories to tell, many of which feature Dabir and Asim, so I’m not sure that I’ll ever get any other genres onto the front burner.

Annabell: For the aspiring writer’s out there, what’s some advice you can give to them?

Howard Andrew Jones: There’s so much I could say! If you want to write, make the time to do it. Know what every character wants before you start the scene. Share your work, and be open to feedback. Read widely, and watch to see how your favorite writers get their best scenes to work.

OBS will like to extend our gratitude to author Howard Andrew Jones for granting us the opportunity to do an interview with him. You can learn more about the author on his website at: http://www.howardandrewjones.com/ or his blog at: http://bg-editor.livejournal.com/