The problem with modern Authors is their marriage to Karen. Modern political sensibilities limit the imagination by dictating which words and themes you can, and cannot use or explore. When I wrote Th... View MoreThe problem with modern Authors is their marriage to Karen. Modern political sensibilities limit the imagination by dictating which words and themes you can, and cannot use or explore. When I wrote The Sorceress of Mirrors and War (a novel around 400 pages, writing completed in a few months), I put emphasis on the plot, the rules of the secondary world I had established, and, above all the CHARACTERS. Those people go through hell, starting with the protagonist. Imagine being 17 and having to witness what he witnessed? It would have left him scarred for life. That is what matters, and it matters far more than who is offended. The book I am writing at the moment, a retelling of King Arthur's saga, will probably be considered controversial. Merlin expresses disbelief at a system of extortion that has behind it reasoning that kind of sounds like Socialism, and Bors is a straight white Christian chauvinist. He is one of my favourite characters, but he will probably piss off people from both sides. Liberals will call him racist, and some Christians will probably complain that this rough, harsh character "gives Christianity a bad name." Do I care? No. Does my book have any political agenda? No. I simply add these things in where I find they make the story more interesting and philosophical. Some of Bors's afore mentioned traits can be viewed as character flaws (a necessary element), and others will love him for them. It is up to the reader whether they are positive or negative traits. Aside from from a desire (one at the back of my head, that makes it to the page organically, so is not a true agenda) to promote a more masculine, conservative type image into a faded, dying society, my books have no political agenda, leaving me free to explore all facets of life and human nature I find interesting. It also leaves me free to explore my own philosophy, testing it against the monsters I have created. It is my opinion that 19th and 20th century authors of sci-fi and fantasy are far superior to their modern counterparts, myself included. Jules Vern's a Journey to the centre of The Earth? Lovecraft's Dagon? Robert E. Howard's Kull and Conan? Star Wars and George R.R. Martin couldn't even come close.
