Please introduce yourself and your book(s)!
I’m KL Forslund and I’m working on my first book. My parents didn’t name me KL, but they did pick something with overlapping search results on Google, so I use my initials. I’ve published a few of my shorter works, including my Dino-Pirates of the Wreckless Abandon novella on my web site. But right now, I’m trying to get my novel finished.
What is/are the story(ies) behind your book(s)?
I wanted to write an Urban Fantasy, and back when the itch to start writing again came about, I was re-watching Babylon 5. The topic of wouldn’t it be cool to be a technomage came up. And at that point an idea was born. My main character is a man who wanted to be a wizard. So he invented technomagic as inspired by TV. Which mirrors all of us wishing we could be in the story. From there, he’ll have an Urban Fantasy adventure, but everything is science-fiction based. That kernel of a setup has germinated and I’ve come up with a mythical monster turned modern nemesis, a troll.
What inspires/inspired your creativity?
TV, Books, Art, Science. You can bet something from Boston Dynamics will make an appearance in my technomage series. A lot of what stimulates me is talking or thinking through somebody else’s problem or how I would do something. It forces me to work with constraints on hand and adapt it. It’s a lot like found object art, which is a basis for steampunk building, another hobby of mine.
How do you deal with creative block?
I don’t believe in Writers Block, as nobody’s ever had Talkers Block. That’s not to say blocks of some sort don’t happen. But in my experience, I can’t not think of something. Anything. And the act of doing so is creative. Those other kinds of blocks? Right now, I’ve written myself into a corner. The hero wants to downplay something and move toward his goal. The other party in the scene I’ve written lamely going along with it. I’m blocked by myself because I don’t want to have a particular conflict, because it’s not about the main story conflict. That’s all me. I can envision many ways that scene can be changed. I need to settle on one that is true to the characters and moves me toward my goal. But I’m blocked because I haven’t been true to the other character. I’ll get it, because I know the problem is the choices I made.
What are the biggest mistakes you can make in a book?
Not spending enough on Editing, Story craft and following the rules until you master them. I’ve written a book’s worth my way. It didn’t work. So I’m doing it the way the experts say. It’s working. Eventually, I’ll get better at that, and a new my-way will develop that uses what the experts were trying to convey. This is true of all crafts, writing is no exception.
What were the best, worst and most surprising things you encountered during the entire process of completing your book(s)?
Symbolism and Theme showed up in unexpected ways. I always knew my protagonist emulated Odin. But once I started writing, and defining his character, more of it matched up by coincidence. And with theme, my book is about trolling, and I saw so many instances with everybody trolling somebody else to get a reaction, including the hero. Once I knew the theme, it was easier to draw more of that out and make a cohesive story.
Do you tend towards personal satisfaction or aim to serve your readers? Do you balance the two and how?
I think it is valuable to have a target audience in mind. While what I write is near something I would read, I could save myself a lot of time and just imagine it if I wrote it for only me. Instead, I aim at a genre I think would like it, and try to give those readers a familiar, but different experience.
Do you have any creativity tricks?
Play what-if games. Problem solve. Work with constraints. It is hard to get traction on a new idea when you have every possibility at your disposal. Instead, draw from a hat or take a challenge. Jim Butcher came up with Codex Alera because somebody said he couldn’t mix Romans and Pokemon. I came up with my Dino-Pirates and Ninja Robots because of an RPG title somebody said.
What are your plans for future books?
For my technomage series, I have outlined nine books. it’s a lucky number for Norse, but also, I feel it’s good to have a plan and quit before getting burned out. My Dino-Pirates are a set of four book novellas. I’m working on a new YA idea that’ll back-burner until I finish the current draft of my book.
Tell us some quirky facts about yourself
I have a patent, a black belt, and a terrible album. Presently, I write software by day and words at night. I like dogs with upsticky ears best.
My website is at https://klforslund.com and I can be followed on FB and Twitter @klforslund