Author of the fantasy and science-fiction series A Poisoned Land, Craig P. Roberts blends together the traditional settings and themes of fantasy with hints of science-fiction technology that is beautifully written. The novel, the first in a series, is told from the perspective of a cast of young point-of-view characters, each struggling with their own identities and growing sense of responsibility as their world becomes threatened by an outside source. You can pick up his novel on Amazon, as well as a tie-in novella about one of the secondary characters in the series.
Who are you and what sort of novels do you write?
Craig P. Roberts. I live in the Highlands of Scotland... And no, it's nothing like Outlander. I do however only live five minutes away from Loch Ness. And I write messed up science fiction and fantasy!
What made you want to become an author?
I'm a really slow reader and can't spell for shit... so I decided to give writing a try! Basically I'm a big geek. I love Star Wars and Game of Thrones. I wanted to create my own story so I just went ahead and did it.
Give us a quick synopsis of your latest book.
It's pretty messed up! It's a science fiction series written in the style of a coming of age fantasy epic. It's pretty non-traditional, with lots of swearing and lots of sex. I'm a terrible salesman, and not doing it much justice here, but it has had all five-star reviews on Amazon. If you're looking for something daring, gritty, and honest, you should check it out. Oh, it's called A Poisoned Land.
Tell us about your protagonists of A Poisoned Land?
I've got a couple of protagonists. There's Londenia... a queen, pretty hot, kind-hearted person, who wants to do the right thing, but can be a bit of a judgemental bitch too. She's also got some wrongly placed love in the new king, Romarus. He's another main character (but not a point-of-view character). He's the teenage stud. A good guy with a real angry side. He is probably one of the most down to earth and normal characters in the series though, which is worrying... Oh, and he's a bit of a sex addict!
Baskie is another main character. He's just a young kid that ran away from home. He's fed up with all the gods that people "make up" everywhere he goes. He knows there must be more to the world than what is inside the "shield".
Was there anything you found challenging to write?
There's some pretty hard-hitting content in this series. There are no pulled punches when it comes to violence, abuse, sex, and... abusive sex. That was sometimes pretty challenging to write.
Sometimes I found it tricky writing female characters, and also there's a gay character in the second book who's a point-of-view character. That was quite challenging to write, but really interesting at the same time.
Describe your writing area. Do you listen to music while you write, or watch television?
I write in a home office. At first I used to listen to music, but I only really do that now if it's a big scene of an emotional scene. Although I do find I tend to get a lot of my ideas when I'm driving and listening to music!
What books and writers have most influenced your writing?
Originally I'd say the Song of Ice and Fire books inspired my style for this series, however, as I went on, it developed into a much less descriptive style of writing, with a lot more swearing... I do love an f-bomb.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
It was terrible.
What are you currently working on?
Still working on book 2 in the A Poisoned Land series. It should be out in the autumn of this year!
What's your favourite movie and why?
Star Wars all the way! I think it's because it was such a big part of my childhood and also that the Star Wars universe is so big and has such a large history that so many off-shoots and other stories can be created with. It's got so many games, books, films, etc.
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