Welcome to the second in my series of Author Spotlight interviews, which aim to give an overview of each author’s background and approach to writing, and a slightly more detailed look at one of their books in particular. In this instalment I spoke to Jamie Crisalli about her work for Black Library, from the process of coming through an open submissions window to her new Age of Sigmar (well, technically Warcy) novella The Measure of Iron. Whether you’ve read all of Jamie’s BL short stories already or not, this is a great opportunity to find out more about an up and coming author!
Without further ado, over to Jamie and the interview…
Track of Words: Tell us a little about yourself as an author – who you are, where you’re from, what you like to write.
JC: I’m Jamie, I’m from Seattle and I am a giant nerd. I’ve been a Warhammer fan for nearly twenty years. As for what I like to write, well, unrelenting schlock. There are others who write fantasy or sci-fi to examine the human condition. Not me. Ridiculous melodrama, bloody battles, inevitable betrayal, people screaming ‘NOOOOO!’ at the sky as the sun sets. I love it all.
ToW: Can you remember a defining moment when you were growing up, or a particular book or author, that steered you towards fantasy and/or science fiction?
JC: One of the big things I remember growing up was that I always read fantasy. I can’t even remember the title of the first fantasy novel I read but I recall it had a big angry dragon on the front and a woman warrior facing off against it. In the eighties, fantasy was one of those rare genres where women did things. Not all the time but it could happen, whereas in other genres you could replace a woman with a particularly attractive lamp and the only thing it would change was that the hero became a pervy lamp fancier.
Anything was possible, including a woman that was the center of her own story. Gender just did not matter as much. Plus there was the element of the fantastic where anything was possible. Fantasy and sci-fi ended up being a genre where nothing was ever boring.
ToW: What would you say your strengths are as a writer? Alternatively, what do you enjoy writing the most?
JC: I’ve always felt that my characters are my greatest strength. I mean people say that but, writing is a lot easier when your characters are strong. They kinda end up calling the shots and while that can be frustrating when their decisions throw a spanner into your carefully mapped plot, it also means that writing away from your outline is easier because you aren’t working without a net.
Action is what I enjoy writing the most. The bloodier the better. My editors have had to rein me in now and then but for the most part, I get to be as ridiculous as I want.
ToW: You started writing for Black Library via the 2018 open submissions window. We’ve previously talked about that process in another interview, but could you summarise what the steps were, how long that took, how you found the process?
JC: So most people are aware of the first step, the pitch and sample. The second step which I recall was a few weeks afterwards, was a page-long synopsis and an expansion of the sample. This was reviewed by the editors and then sent back with suggestions for improvement. There was a bit of going back and forth making changes. These were done and then it was waiting for a while (like, over a month) as editors are often very busy people. I won’t lie, this was the hardest part. Then I was accepted, signed a contract and wrote the first draft! Even then it’s a learning process, and there’s a ton that I learned and am still learning. All in all, the entire process was a few months in total, so that is something to be aware of.
Jamie’s first BL short story – Ties of Blood – was published in Inferno! Volume 2
ToW: Can you share any insight into what you’ve learned since then, whether in terms of pitching, writing or generally just working with editors, as advice for anyone wanting to write professionally?
JC: Writing a pitch as the hardest part. It really is. But the trick to making it easier – not easy but easier – is to describe the central conflict. Then you can go from there. As for working with editors, the key thing to remember is that they’re not out to get you but they will ask you to make some tough calls. They will definitely have you kill your darlings, even things that you don’t consider to be darlings.
ToW: Can you talk a little bit about your first couple of Black Library stories and what readers can expect from them?
JC: They are two very different stories with two very different protagonists. In Ties of Blood, the protagonist Savrian is a monster through and through; after all how could a Slaaneshi lord be anything else? Whereas Laila from The Serpent’s Bargain is a farmer and widow who is as joe average as you can get. Their wants and needs are very relatable, however. Savrian wants his son back; Laila wants to save her home. How they go about those things are radically different, not just because of their outlook but also their capability. Savrian is a master swordsman and total psychopath, while the only experience with weaponry Laila has is a particularly sharp farm implement and no experience in war at all. So that will affect their decision making. And both of them end up experiencing tragedy because it’s Warhammer. So readers should certainly expect that.
ToW: Your latest big release for Black Library is your first novella, The Measure of Iron. How would you describe this story?
JC: The Measure of Iron is one man’s quest for glory and achievement. It’s an odyssey of sorts only with more skulls and hammers involved. Syzek Govus is a forge-master who has been called by Archaon to serve in his armies. However, Syzek has to create a weapon equal to the Lord of Chaos’s stature. As he works through this quest, he is being stalked by an old nemesis who wants the weapon and Syzek’s corpse to offer to his god of thieves and murderers.
ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters and what do we need to know about them?
JC: Syzek is leader of the Iron Golem’s warband and he is a vicious and capable leader, if a bit inexperienced. One of the things I wanted to do with him is that while he is aligned with Chaos, he is also smart, skilled and educated. He’s not out to just smash things and roll around in gore. He is a weapon smith, he knows how to run a foundry, he knows how to make alchemical compounds and innovate new processes and materials. Plus, there is the aspect that he’s a big moose of a man and a guy does not get to be big, smart and educated at the same time.
Then there is Eziel, his second in command and his drillmaster. Drillmasters are nasty pieces of work as they keep the wheels of the Iron Golem civilization on. They keep the slaves in line and working and they keep discipline in their legions. Yet, she’s also Syzek’s best friend and I wanted her to be funny and endearing. You could have a beer with her, you could go out on the town. But at the same time, she’s a sadist and slaver. And I really wanted that contrast of her being this charismatic yet awful person.
Ias is our villain and he is damaged more than anything. You’ll find out why of course. But he is also a monster. He is fanatical and savage. His moral compass is completely different than that found in the Iron Golems. While the Iron Golems will take things from people, they come very loudly and obviously from the front whereas the hunt, the theft is a matter of worship for the Corvus Cabal. Ias is deeply religious and this shapes his madness as a result.
ToW: Where and when is it set?
JC: It is set in the Eightpoints, in an area called the Bloodwind Spoil, where Archaon rules over all. As for when, that can be murky in the Spoil.
ToW: Is there anything that you’d recommend readers check out before reading this?
JC: Warcry: The Anthology has a bunch of short stories told by the greats. While you don’t need to read anything before reading The Measure of Iron, this anthology is very nummy [I had to look that one up – means delicious. Alternatively, it’s an early 20th Century variant of yummy – huh. Good to know!].
ToW: Why this story? Of all the possible stories you could have written about these characters, what made you go for this one?
JC: I know it’s odd to say but I would say that it’s because the Iron Golems are the closest to being civilized. They’re horrible brutal slavers but they do have a flourishing civilization with rules, customs and laws. These rules are all horrible of course, but they have rules which is really interesting given that Chaos is about flouting laws and rules. Throwing such an ordered person as Syzek into the Bloodwind spoil and forcing him to learn the laws of that place was quite fun.
ToW: What do you hope Age of Sigmar and/or Warcry fans will get out of this by the time they’ve finished it?
JC: I hope they have fun with it. I hope they see some of the diversity of thought that Warcry brings to the table. There’s a granularity with Warcry that I really enjoy and I hope that The Measure of Iron captures that. Where there are hundreds of civilizations in the realms of all sorts and some of them happen to worship chaos.
ToW: Is it a standalone story, or can we expect more from these characters in future?
JC: I hope to do more with them in the future but that all depends on if folks want to see more of them.
ToW: What else can you tell us about what you’re working on, or what you’ve got coming out over the coming months?
JC: I am working on a new novella for Black Library but as usual, I have been sworn to secrecy.
ToW: When you’re not writing, what might we find you getting up to?
JC: Wrangling a particularly adorable gremlin, knitting, painting miniatures and of course trying to get through my giant to-read pile.
ToW: If someone wants to keep up with what you’re doing, how’s best to do that?
JC: Twitter is best – I can be found @OneSmolNerd. I’ve tried longer formats but Twitter is all I have time for.
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Big thanks to Jamie for chatting to me for this interview! If you haven’t already, make sure you check out some of Jamie’s Black Library stories – you can find my reviews of her stories right here. Keep an eye out for more reviews coming soon!
In the meantime, click this link to buy The Measure of Iron.