Welcome to this instalment of my Author Spotlight series of 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 we’ve got Danie Ware talking about her early inspirations, writing for Black Library and other publishers, and her latest Sisters of Battle novella – Wreck and Ruin (which is available to buy right now). If you fancy getting to know a great writer a little more – especially if you like the Sisters of Battle – this is a great opportunity!
Without further ado, let’s get straight into 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 etc.
DW: I’m Danie, originally from Sussex where I had the privilege of growing up at a very prestigious all-boys’ boarding school (yes, really), then moving onto Uni in Norwich where I met the local re-enactment group and began a decade of running around thumping my mates with three feet of steel. We were very into our gaming, as well – and we played a LOT of RPGs; CyberPunk, D&D, MechWarrior, Vampire, Blue Planet, to name but a few. And yes, there were wargames as well. I moved to London in 2000, and started working for cult retailer Forbidden Planet in 2003 – and have been there ever since.
ToW: Can you remember a defining moment when you were growing up, or a particular book or author, that steered you towards science fiction and/or fantasy?
DW: Like many SFF authors, I loved the Greek and Viking myths when I was small, Narnia at eight, discovered The Warlock of Firetop Mountain at ten, Duncton Wood at 12, then borrowed Donaldson’s The Illearth War off a mate at about 14 – and was absolutely bowled over. From there, I read every fantasy book I could get my mitts on – LOTR, The Saga of the Exiles, the Belgariad. They were my teenage ‘go to’ books and I read them over and over again, expanding the list as I discovered new authors and new titles.
ToW: What would you say your strengths are as a writer? Alternatively, what do you enjoy writing the most?
DW: I tend to write the stories I grew up with, not just in terms of the authors I was reading, but also in terms of the gaming we did throughout our twenties – so there’s a strong fantasy element, but there’s a lot of CyberPunk influences as well. Thanks to my education, to all the role-playing, and to my habit of writing aloud, I’m told my dialogue is always very good, very real and evocative. The thing that I enjoy, and the thing at which I seem to excel, though, is writing combat, probably because I’ve really done it. I get that the re-enactment field is a glorified game, but it’s very raw and loud and chaotic and it really makes your blood race and your ears ring, and I hope that my first-hand experience really comes across. I was also in the Cadets while I was at school, and the TA at Uni – and that’s helped a great deal, as well.
ToW: You’ve written novels and stories for various publishers, in both your own universes and other IPs. How did you come to write for Black Library?
DW: Almost by accident! I had an email asking for a pitch, got terribly carried away, and wrote a full story instead. This breaks every rule in the ‘HOW TO PITCH TO PUBLISHERS’ book, but – very fortunately – Mercy was an instant hit. And it’s snowballed from there!
ToW: Do you have any key pieces of advice for anyone wanting to write professionally, whether in terms of pitching, writing or generally just working with editors and publishers?
DW: See above? Well, don’t do that, for a start.
Seriously, there’s always loads of this advice flying around – but always read and adhere to the guidelines, be polite and considerate (and patient), and don’t take rejections to heart.
ToW: Can you talk a little bit about your first few Black Library stories and what readers can expect from them?
DW: Writing Sisters was a natural fit, and I’ve really enjoyed it – it’s just let me play with my all my years of combat and wargaming. I used to sing in a choral society, as well, so I’ve sung Verdi and Faure and Mozart in the Albert Hall, and it’s quite the experience! (Still listen to the music, sometimes, when I’m writing).
With each story I’ve written, though, I’ve tried to do something a little different. So The Bloodied Rose, the first novella, is a dungeon-bash, pure and simple, but the Sisters go on to a different challenge in Wreck and Ruin and then to a full-on ‘roll out the Immolators’ tank-combat arse-kicking in the last novella of the three. And the short stories pick up bits and pieces from around the main narrative, so there are a couple that focus on a younger Augusta, just out of the schola, and others that tell tales of the squad before they first went to Lautis in Mercy. And there will be more coming!
ToW: Your latest big release for Black Library is your second novella, Wreck and Ruin. How would you describe this story?
DW: This is a different, and slightly more subtle, tale than Rose. It sees Augusta and her squad called to assist the Inquisition, who are chasing a renegade psyker across a lost and crumbling Mechanicus planet. There’s plenty of fighting, and plenty of psyker trickery, and Augusta is called upon to make a tough and impossible choice.
ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters and what do we need to know about them?
DW: Sister Superior Augusta Santorus is a twenty-plus-year combat veteran of the Order of the Bloody Rose. I deliberately chose to go with an older character, partially to move away from the (deeply wearying) sexual cliches, and partially so that she had both strength and experience – I wanted the practical, level head of the soldier, as much as the zealous fervour of the warrior nun. Her squad are an assortment of characters that each play upon the same core values – so Viola is the hothead, prone to shooting first and thinking afterwards (and forever getting herself into trouble), and Akemi is the scholar, with a background in linguistics that allows her to feed important insights and information to the rest of the squad.
It was also important for me to include diversity – so, as well as Augusta’s age, there are Sisters of colour and of various ethnic backgrounds, and Sister Alcina (when you finally meet her) is plus-size.
Augusta always remains the central PoV character, but, in each of the main stories, I’ve taken a secondary PoV from one of the other members of the squad. In Rose, it was Akemi, and in Ruin it’s Melia, the combat-medic and the one most prone to psyker unpleasantness…
ToW: How important would you say it is for fans to have read the previous Augusta stories before starting this?
DW: Each novella is stand-alone, so it’s easy to pick up the storyline and characters, but all three of the set will click together into a single narrative arc – so it’s up to you!
ToW: Why this story? Of all the possible stories you could have written about these characters, what made you go for this one?
DW: There are a million, million stories in the universe – Rose was done deliberately as a simple adventure story as I was finding out how the squad worked and now they moved and fought together. With Ruin, I wanted to do something slightly more challenging and a bit sly/clever. And, having proven that Augsuta can kick arse with the best of them, I wanted to face her with a different type of problem – and one she can’t necessarily fight her way out of.
ToW: What do you hope 40k fans will get out of this by the time they’ve finished it?
DW: With the Sisters rules now imminent – and without banging the representation drum TOO loudly – it’s important to me to see female characters and writers in the 40k universe. I’ve been a gamer and wargamer for years, and (in fairness) I’ve never had any trouble – my RPG groups were always inclusive and it was never an issue – but it’s good to see the changes coming!
ToW: Can we expect more stories about Augusta and her sisters in future, or is the end of the line for them?
DW: Oh yes, there’s LOTS more fiction where that came from!
ToW: What else can you tell us about what you’re working on, what else you’ve recently had released or what you’ve got coming out over the coming months?
DW: I’m also the author of the Ecko trilogy, which drops a sarcastic, foul-mouthed CyberPunk assassin into the centre of a classic ‘big war’ fantasy saga, and tells him to Save the World. There’s also Children of Artifice, which is a stand-alone LGBT science fantasy, set in a great city of metallurgical magic. Plus, I had the chance to write a Judge Anderson novella for Rebellion, which is all about gangs and bikers, and was a lot of fun! [Bigger Than Biggs – it’s excellent!]
I do have an ‘interim project’ which I pick away at in odd moments, but I’m rather too short of time to give it the focus and love that it needs. But, you know, one day!
ToW: When you’re not writing, what might we find you getting up to?
DW: I’m a single parent with a teenage son, and you can find me running the events calendar at Forbidden Planet (London) Limited – a job with never a dull moment. It’s given me some amazing opportunities – meeting the really big celebs, and the heroes of my youth, and the authors and creators whose work inspired me to write and to keep writing.
Spare time is rare, but otherwise you’ll find me in the gym, or walking, or reading. I’m trying to learn to use a proper camera, and I’ve just got back to playing regular D&D again, after a too-long role-playing absence!
ToW: If someone wants to keep up with what you’re doing, how’s best to do that?
DW: I’m @danacea on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest and just about anywhere else, or find my website at danieware.com which I do try and update regularly!
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Thanks so much to Danie for taking the time to talk to me for this interview! If you haven’t already, make sure you check out some of Danie’s writing (whether for BL or otherwise) – you can find my reviews of her stories right here. Keep an eye out for more reviews coming soon!
