Rick Waugh is a fantasy writer from Vancouver, Canada. His fiction is neither steamy nor stabby, but is still aimed at adults, with adult themes, and is always full of adventure, a bit of romance, and a healthy dose of humor.
What got you into writing your own stories?
I’ve always been an avid reader — I don’t actually remember not being able to read. When The Hobbit was the featured read one year in our school library, I was hooked on fantasy, and read everything I could find. I followed a lot of creative pursuits in high school, including music and some visual art, and then decided to take a stab at writing. I enjoy the process, and now that I’m retired from the day job, I have more time to indulge myself.
What genre do you write?
Fantasy. Sort of Epic, sort of Sword and Sorcery, lots of Action and Adventure.
Tell us about your WIP.
I’m finishing up book 3 of the Gods of Chaos. Rogue gods have shown up in Ivernia, and they’ve dragged Cantor, a minstrel and thief, and Robin, an ex-priest, into their plots. Robin and Cantor aren’t pleased, with both the situation, and each other, but that of course changes in a long, slow burn kind of way. They battle through it, confronting the gods, learning to work together, much to Robin’s surprise, as expert thieves, in a world where every supernatural creature that was ever imagined could step out from behind the next tree. Found family, dragon shifters, slowburn romance and humor.
How would you describe your writing style?
I love writing with pace and humour. Adult relationships exist, but they are closed door. I don’t dwell on explicit descriptions of violence. In this new series, there’s always a heist scene or two to keep things moving, and I’ve really leaned into the humour. I also discovered, to my surprise, that I like a little romance, and in the current books, the slow burn is…slow.
What comes more easily, plot or characters?
Plot. I’m a plotter, and I write detailed outlines, thousands of words.What I need to be beware of is writing a connected series of events without having the characters emotionally involved. I’ve redone my process a number of times to make sure I don’t fall into this trap, and I feel I’m hitting it pretty well now.
Do you cross over genres or do you only stick to one?
I write fantasy, but whether it’s epic, or sword and sorcery, I’m not sure. But it’s always fantasy.
What is your "writer's den" like?
I’m fortunate to have a dedicated room for music and writing. I have all my stuff there, a chair and a desk with my laptop and a large monitor. I have racks for my guitars and recording gear, and hanging on the wall are memories of all the creative things I’ve done in my life. I have a small sound system so I can have a little ambiance. It’s a good spot, one of my happy places.
How do you get into the flow for writing? Do you have any rituals?
Being retired makes it easier. Monday to Friday, I get up early, have something to eat and a cup of coffee, and by 7 I’m sitting at my desk. I might have a few admin things to do, then I start to write. I have a timer, so I write for half an hour at a time, then get up an walk around for three minutes.I work for 4 hours, which allows me to get lots done, usually about 2,000 words a day.
What is your personally most significant achievement as a writer, and why?
I took a long break from writing after a disappointment in the trad world some decades ago. I’m pleased I could pick it up again, and since retirement I’ve written 8 books, finishing off the 9th. I’m happy I’ve done that, formatted them, got them published, done the marketing; I’ve learned the things I need to do to get my work out there. It’s a lot, it’s not easy, but it’s satisfying.
What would be the greatest achievement for you to aim for as a writer if anything were possible?
I want people to read my books, and enjoy them. That’s validation for me. I certainly don’t need to get rich, and I don’t need to win a bunch of awards. Really, I want to sell more books, have that pay for the costs of publishing, and anything beyond that is great.
What are you most grateful for as a writer?
I like to write. I like to do creative things, and I’ve been able to bring my writing and music together. This makes me happy every day.
Do you have a day job? What is it?
Not any more. I was in IT, as a programmer, project manager, database administrator, operator. I’m now fully retired.
Has a real-life experience informed your writing? Share the scene it inspired.
I can’t say it has. I have a very cinematic brain, so I see scenes as I write them, but nothing I’ve written maps to my real life.
Do you read the same genre you write? Why, or why not?
Almost exclusively. Every now and then I take a break and read some non-fiction, or historical fiction.
Do you read fellow indie authors' works? Why or why not?
I read a mix of trad and indie. I DNF more books now than I ever used to, but the selection now is so huge, compared to what was available when I was young, that there’s no point continuing something that doesn’t please me. When I first started buying fantasy books, the fantasy selection in my local bookstore was one set of shelves a few feet wide, so I just read everything. I like indie because it’s generally fun, very genre specific books. I like trad as they seem to take more risks with plot and style. It’s also interesting to see what comes out of an indie writer, essentially one person working away, and trad, which tends to come from a writer, the agent, and various editors and editorial boards having their fingers in the pot. Both approaches work and don’t work.
Is there an author who inspires you?
Guy Gavriel Kay has always been a favourite, but I can’t say that I write like him at all. I almost sold a historical fantasy book years ago, but I just find that too much work now.
Give us three fun facts about yourself.
I’m a musician.
I played hockey up to my 40s.
I survived 10 years of riding motorcycles.
What's one of your funniest experiences?
Trying to clear the opening in a squeeze bottle of mustard, by pressing on it. The top exploded off, and my brother in law, sitting across the table, was sprayed with mustard. He wasn’t nearly as amused as either myself, or his son who was sitting beside me.
What is something about you that few people know?
I have a small amount of native american genetics, according to Ancestory. No one in our family is exactly sure where it came from.
Do you have any hobbies?
Music — playing, writing, recording, jamming — coloring, working out (rowing and weights.)
What's your favorite holiday? Why this one?
I still love Christmas, because that’s when my girls are all at home.
Do you have pets?
No. I grew up with cats. I had one wonderful old tabby, that lasted to 21, and my wife and I decided that was enough, and we haven’t had one since. We like to travel a bit, and we had a number of pieces of furniture wrecked over the years, and decided, much to our childrens’ displeasure, to not get more.
Connect with Rick Waugh here.
Featured Books: Rogue God
The forest hated humans. At least, so it seemed. Being a warren of hungry monsters and deadly plants, bubbling with chaos magic, gave it a certain feeling.
Who was your favorite character to write?
I think I liked Robin the best. She’s an ex-priest, raised to believe that magic is evil, and finds herself subjected to it entirely against her will. She struggles with the consequences, and struggles with her feelings about the new world into which she’s been propelled. She’s also very capable, and always questioning Cantor and his slapdash approach to everything.
What was your favorite scene to write?
The very first scene, where Cantor is moving through the forest, which is full of monsters, to find Robin. She’s been transformed into an angel; angels are meant to give latent magic users additional powers, but she has no idea why she ended up here, or really what she’s doing. Sparks fly between them, and the banter and situation were a lot of fun to write.
What was the spark that started this book?
I was reading about shamans years ago, and there was the concept of the “skin of the world,” that layer between our world and the supernatural, something that all shamanic cultures believed. And it struck me that a world where every supernatural creature that ever existed could slip back through that skin into our world captivated me.
What was the most interesting random fact you researched for this book?
All the different supernatural creatures. It’s been fun tracking them down, learning what they can do.
What's the message you worked into this book?
That the world is a morally grey place, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still make the right decisions, even if it contradicts the things you’ve always believed.
Do you think you might try traditional publishing again?
I might. I have a general idea for something that might be better for trad, as it doesn’t quite conform to
There are many facets to this tale, I wish I could describe them all, it's impossible though, suffice to say that it's filled with intrigue, nepherious motives, wells that are spewing out mutants and a strange magic that feels wrong.
This is such a comical rendition of good vs evil, there were many laugh out loud moments. How's this " why are we cooking the satyr bishop?" To render the fat " is the reply. I was very impressed with the author's ease of prose, of how the storyline flowed. The banter was simply deliciously humourous, the characters were unlike any I've met before. I mean, come on, a selfish minstral, an obviously "faulty" Angel, a Pixie who's a snitch, a goddess and her dragon/human. See what I mean? And that's even before we get to Constantine's followers.
Although there are many characters, where each has their own agenda, they all slip in like a well-oiled machine, easily, effortlessly. Horace would definitely fit the "mad scientist" category. I loved the unusual, I loved the writing, I adored the humour, the characters and the very unique plot. And there be gods, like Thor, Apollo and Erebus to name a few. And did I mention humourous? Very unique... A good read? Nah, an exceptional read!
Comments