Hi Alan! We’re glad to have you with us today. To begin, could you kindly tell us what motivated you to write this novel?
Alan Ray: It started when I watched Eragon back in high school at the theaters, and I thought to myself, “I could write a better movie than that.” Several other famous fantasy titles like WoW, LoTR, and D&D shared some of the bandwagons, so I decided not to follow their style and created my own.
Originally, Draconium Carbide was supposed to be a video game with the story I’ve developed and written as its setting. Many of the names and ‘game assets’ are either there or changed. Magnus Rex was a weaponsmith brand that later changed to Lysegre. Some of the main characters’ names, like ‘Kayrill’ and ‘Vadaros’ are included as alternative names for Karriel and Vaidraxus, respectively.
Awesome! We would love to hear about the lead characters in the novel and the traits they exhibit.
The four characters share some of my personalities. Karriel for being the mediator for opposing parties. Vaidraxus for being blunt and brash about the upper class and their snobbiness. Syariatar the ‘black sheep’ leader that nobody wants to represent. Raobilead, the one with one foot in reality while the other in irrationality.
The recurring human protagonist is Ryotori Jaichi, an auxiliary officer often leading the main characters and sometimes other monster refugees and fighters. His leadership entails brutal efficiency, resourcefulness, and pragmatism. Any oaths, principles, and life teachings will be either severely tested or risk proved false under him.
Which of these characters do you like most and why?
Alan Ray: I don’t want to pick favorites since they are part of who I am.
Did you encounter any challenges when creating the novel? If so, how did you overcome them?
Alan Ray: The major problem behind the novel was money. The idea, elements, and plots were laid out. It’s just that I had a hard time finding job opportunities to pay for editors, reviewers, and proofreaders.
Even the local movie and entertainment studios here didn’t give me a chance to have it shared with the producers. I tried applying for jobs mismatched to my degree and finished some vocational schools. It was the recurring obstacle between my novel’s express lane to success.
I also experienced doubts and mental episodes, worrying my novel wouldn’t reach the audience. No funds meant no exposure. But I didn’t give up. I just fought back at the irrational and illogical claim of minimum work experience requirement for entry-level jobs.
What words of wisdom do you have for people aspiring to become authors?
Alan Ray: Writing skill is worthless if you don’t have an anchor in life that you can draw upon. It’s much easier and faster to hone your writing craft that way than just writing sentences and paragraphs that don’t match your personal interests and themes.
Spot on! Do you have any favorite quotes that you like to share?
Alan Ray: Yes! “If you want to know who rules over you, look at who you are not allowed to criticize.” This is my favorite quote by Voltaire.
Thank you for taking the time to talk, Alan! We appreciate your contribution immensely and wish you the best of luck with your novel and future pursuits.