Q: In Trial Run, you introduce several seemingly unrelated threads at the beginning of the story. By the end of the story, those threads have become woven together in an intricate tapestry. Please explain your thought process behind this writing strategy, and also, how you envision your reader as part of this tapestry. Thomas Locke: One…
Posts Categorized: Q&A With Thomas Locke
Q&A with Thomas Locke: Who is the ideal reader of ‘Trial Run’?
Thomas Locke: I suspect there are a lot of readers out there like me, who love mainstream fiction in principle, but are dismayed by how dark it is becoming. I love to read. I am happiest with a good book in my hands. And most of my purchases are mainstream fiction. Too often, however, I find…
Q&A With Thomas Locke: Will ‘Emissary’ be made into a movie?
Q: Do you foresee the books in The Legends of the Realm series being made into major motion pictures? Thomas Locke: Two weeks after signing the book contracts, I received word that a UK film company had decided to acquire film rights to Emissary. I desperately wanted to write the script, but for a project…
Q&A With Thomas Locke: Is ‘Emissary’ modeled after specific situations?
In about half the stories I write, there is a specific instance on which I model the story structure. But not in the case of Emissary. One morning, it just sort of arrived. I had a sense of walking into a full-blown concept of what I wanted to do. There’s one scene in particular where…
Q&A With Thomas Locke: Do you have a favorite quote from Emissary?
I used my favorite quote from J.R.R. Tolkien as the structure for the story: “Not all who wander are lost.” One issue Hyam (the male protagonist) faces is that he doesn’t fit in. From the beginning – in the first few pages of the book – Hyam is forced to accept that that his father…
Thomas Locke Skypes with Alton Gansky on Writer’s Talk
I recently had the honor of doing a Skype interview with Alton Gansky, host of Writer’s Talk. You can watch the video on YouTube (below) or download it from iTunes, Stitcher, or Podbean. We talked about loads of topics, including Legends of the Realm (my new fantasy series) and Fault Lines (my upcoming techno-thriller series),…
Q&A With Thomas Locke: Describe Your Creative Process in Inventing Three Races
Q: How did you come up with the idea of the Milantian race – “a mighty warrior clan who once brought havoc and woe to the realm”? Thomas Locke: The basic rule of thumb in writing drama is that there must be a balance of forces. The greater good must be matched with a greater…
Q&A With Thomas Locke: Have You Ever Owned a Wolfhound?
Q: Hyam’s canine companion is a young wolfhound. Have you ever owned a wolfhound or other breed of large dog? Thomas Locke: I’ve had a lot of dogs, but never a wolfhound. For this story, I wanted to use a breed of dog that carried a sense of the impossible, yet was easy for readers…
Q&A With Thomas Locke: Is ‘Emissary’ a David vs. Goliath Story?
Q: The leader of the enemy’s army thinks Hyam is insignificant. Is this a David vs. Goliath story? Frodo vs. Sauron? Thomas Locke: I wanted Emissary to have that “everyman” feeling. Instead of building muscles or learning battle techniques or studying hard or raising himself up by his bootstraps, Hyam is someone who happens to…
Q&A With Thomas Locke: Why is the ‘Emissary’ Protagonist Named ‘Hyam’?
Q: The protagonist in Emissary is named Hyam – a Hebrew name derived from the word chayyim, meaning “life.” Was your choice of that name significant? Thomas Locke: Yes. Hyam was used in 17th and 18th century England by the Jewish community. In 1655 the Protestant ruler of England, Oliver Cromwell, abolished all restrictions that…
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