Ricky Smith

My writing is probably what you'd consider typical epic fantasy. In His Winter sits within the epic fantasy genre, but as a story it's not epic in scope (being a novella). A Line Unsundered and the rest of the Children of Kyir trilogy will be bigger with more depth, and then my future works will explore more of the world my stories are set in. I tend to write to drive the plot forward and add descriptive writing later on, dropping in moments of humour and emotion where necessary, and I almost always have a little bit of romantic (mis)adventure along the way!

I grew up in Buckinghamshire, UK, but I don't think I can say that this place had any influence on my writing. I think I had easy access to reading as a child, so I lost myself in those stories rather than paying too much attention to the world around me.

I was definitely the kind of child who would sit quietly in a corner reading whilst the other kids played football or some other sport. I remember reading a lot of Star Wars books when I was young, but I don't recall being much into fantasy until my teenage years.

I don't think I'd want to write EXACTLY like another author, because the joy of writing is that you can put your own mark on it. However, I think my biggest inspiration at present is Brandon Sanderson. Not only because he can churn out books at an incredible rate, but also because he's managed to create a huge universe of interconnected worlds and stories. After five books of the Stormlight Archive I thought we'd have some sort of idea of what the end looked like, but it looks like he's only just begun - those who've read Wind and Truth will know what I mean!

As mentioned above, it's definitely Brandon Sanderson at the top. Next is the master himself, Tolkien, followed by Robert Jordan and George R R Martin. I think I'd round it off with Trudi Canavan - Millennium's Rule was something I picked up for a holiday and couldn't put down!

I have to say I'm guilty of not often gifting books to people (my own don't really count I think), but when people ask for fantasy recommendations I always suggest one of Brandon Sanderson's works. For standalone it would probably be Elantris or Tress of the Emerald Sea, or if they're happy to go with a series I always suggest Mistborn. Maybe I should start selling myself a bit more!

I think as authors we put a little bit of ourselves into all the characters we write - how can we identify with them and make them genuine otherwise? If I was going to pick one though, I think it would probably be Elyar. He's the protagonist of a book I drafted back in 2022 whilst working abroad, and I really found myself looking through his eyes when writing a lot of that story. Of course, I've never been drafted into a war and then kidnapped by a secret organization of mages, but that's why we call it fantasy!

At present there's only two that have been finished, and In His Winter is my favourite of the two. It was a joy to write and the boys genuinely developed a place in my heart - so much so that I commissioned chibi art of them!

Oh it's very dull - just a desk with my PC on it and a cosy lamp. I've usually got a candle burning next to me for ambience, and a cup of tea or a glass of wine depending on what time it is! However, if I'm doing revisions on any of the first three drafts of a book, I have a hardcopy manuscript and I'll usually sit on the sofa scribbling notes or do some work on the train.

I actually have a reading chair in my bedroom - I'd love to spend more time reading in it, but it's usually full of clothes...