Author Interview with Blaze Ward

Q: If you could have a fantasy pet, what would you have and why?
A: Strawberry Dragon. Someone reminded me of the book I wrote by that name, and I had to
stop and remember how silly those folks got. And why I need to circle back there one of
these days and continue the adventures of Fairchild and her friends.

Q: What type of music best describes your writing?
A: That’s messy. I wore out cassettes for Willie Nelson and Meatloaf in high school. My
music collection runs some 800 CDs and is kinda all over the place.
Grand and lyrical, I suppose. Meatloaf or Freddie Mercury. Also been listening to a lot of
modern classical, and Peter Boyer speaks to me of stories that get into your soul and take
root.

Q: Tell us about your writing office/space and why it’s special to you.
A: Standing desk looking out over the backyard, the fruit orchard, and my wife’s house. GREEN,
except when it snows, then white. Sun in my face for a few minutes first thing if the sky is clear.
Standing so I can pace back and forth, and the coffee is close at hand. And my wife can wave at
me.

Q: What is your favorite piece of visual art that has inspired a story or two?
A: This is the picture that turned into Jessica Keller’s wedding dress. And inspired the
entirety of how her wedding went in Book 9/Petron. I am a fashion nerd, so often I have
used outfits to frame characters, or even entire civilization.

Q: If you didn’t write full-time what would your day job be? Is writing a hobby for
you?
A: I used to be a database architect and developer, before turning writing into a full-time gig and if I had to get a day job again, I would prefer something in an office where I don’t have to
deal with people, and writing would still be a side hustle. Hopefully, it never comes to that.

Q: What is your writing schedule and how many words do you write in a sitting?
A: Up around 6:30 in the morning. Have a cup of coffee. Check mail, comics, and social
media for a while. Usually start writing by 8:00. Work all morning, taking breaks every
hour or so to get more coffee, goof off, recharge.
If everything is on, I try to get about 4,000 words, five days per week. Works out roughly
to Pulp Speed One (84k/month, 1M/year)

Q: How do you celebrate publishing a new story?
A: Don’t generally. I’ve published at least one novella or novel monthly since late 2017.
Often publish 16-20 projects per year. None of them are going to make me rich, but each of them adds a few nickels each month and keeps me from having to have a real job.

Q: How do you balance your outside life with your writing life?
A: Stop writing at noon. Spend the afternoon doing stuff. Farm work around the property. Go into town for mail or errands. Goof off. After dinner, I might edit something for me, the Fabulous Publisher Babe™, or one of my magazines.

Q: Write your eulogy in three sentences.
[Ain’t dead yet… 😉 ]
He told a lot of stories, then one day she explained that he could make money at it.
He wasn’t just thinking outside the box, but outside the warehouse.
He never stopped trying to learn new things, even before he discovered the Anti-Stodgy
Campaign.

Q: What project are you most proud of completing?
A: Probably Jessica Keller. Twelve novels and two novellas. About one million words
combined, I think. EPICLY grand space opera that never loses sight of the people
involved. And created an entire “modern” universe that I have put a whole bunch of other
projects into, including First Centurion Kosnett (the first sequel series).

Q: Do you have any projects you would like to tell your readers about?
A: I got lots. Right now, Books 3 and 4 of the Corsac Fox are coming out (Summer 2024).
Lords of the Endless Plains and Warlord of the Spinward Reaches. More epic military
space opera with lots of aliens, lostech, lost civilizations, grand wars, and an enemy that
will stop at nothing short of conquering the entire galaxy.

Q: Who is your favorite character from any of your stories and why? If you had to
choose a popular author to continue writing this character in another book who
would you choose and why?
A: I got lots. Lady Moirrey/Pintsized from Jessica et al. R’wn the Strawberry Dragon, M’nth
the blacksmith dragon, and N’drn the Professor of Comparative Religions dragon. Suka
Kuri the Exemplar of the Arts, Moss School. If I had to let someone else play with my toys, I might try to blackmail Daniel Keys Moran into writing something in one of my (how many?) story universes. He’s one of the best writers I know, and amazing, though semi-retired these days.

Q: Where can your readers find you on social media?
A: @blazeward7 on mastadon.social
https://www.facebook.com/KRPBlaze on facebook
http://www.blazeward.com/books
http://www.knottedroadpress.com/shop
http://www.boundaryshockquarterly.com
http://www.thrillridemag.com
http://www.blazewardpresents.com

About the author:
Sign up for Blaze’s VIP newsletter: http://www.blazeward.com/newsletter/

Blaze Ward writes science fiction in the Alexandria Station universe (Jessica Keller, The Science Officer, The Story Road, etc.) as well as several other science fiction universes, such as Star Dragon, the Dominion, and more. He occasionally writes odd bits of high fantasy with swords and orcs. In addition, he is the Editor and Publisher of Boundary Shock Quarterly Magazine. You can find out more at his website www.blazeward.com, as well as Facebook, Goodreads, and other places.

Blaze’s works are available as ebooks, paper, and audio, and can be found at a variety of online vendors (Kobo, Amazon, and others). His newsletter comes out twice a month (Publishing newsletter and Anti-Stodgy/Redneck Chef newsletter), and you can also follow his blog on his website. He really enjoys interacting with fans and looks forward to any and all questions—even ones about his books!