Heart-to-Heart with Michael Evan, author of The Cider & Ale Chronicles

Posted on 27/12/2023 09:15:50

author : Evan, Michael

Today, The Magic Book Corner brings you Michael Evan, author of The Cider & Ale Chronicles. A fabulous satirical fantasy featuring seals, walruses, snakes and alcohol. Well, ale and cider to be exact. :)

Here is our little Heart-to-Heart:

Hi Michael and welcome to The Magic Book Corner Michael and thank you for agreeing to this little Heart-to-Heart.

1. Could you please tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a publisher, a publicist for indie authors and a line editor. I live in Toronto with my wife and kids. I love reading, and music, and spending time with my family, and I’ve recently taken up writing because I wasn’t busy enough with all that other stuff.

2. What inspired you to become a writer?

I’ve always loved writing. At first it was mostly poetry and songs. I was in bands as the core lyricist for much of my life so I was using the creativity I had but in a different format. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have attempted a novel if it hadn’t been for an inside joke about seals I had with my daughter.

3. Of all the genres out there you picked satirical fantasy. Why?

I’ve read a ton of it. All the classics like Adams and Pratchett. I’ve read every Discworld book, but I’ve also really enjoyed some of the more modern work by authors like Tom Holt, Robert Rankin and Christopher Moore. I love comedy. Life can get dark and I’ve always turned to satirical novels and comedy to shed some light on things. I guess I wanted to do the same for others.

4. How did The Alehouse Wars come to be? Where did the idea for it spring from?

So as I mentioned my daughter and I had this seal joke. She was 6 at the time, and I vowed to write a book about talking seals. Now I love beer so that was the easy part, and walruses just seemed like the perfect ridiculous bad guys. I had it all mapped out conceptually and I actually began writing it a couple of years ago thinking that it would be one short book, mainly because after a few chapters I wanted to put a battle in and I felt truly stumped so despite people loving my early chapters I kind of shelved the project for about a year.

5. The series is a collaboration with James Reid. How is it that the two of you started writing it together?

James is an excellent writer. I think he’s up there with the greats of Fantasy. He also writes some absolutely epic battles. I just reached out and asked if he could help me choreograph some battle scenes. He agreed, and I assumed he would be on as more of a ghost writer but after reading some of his chapters I suggested including his name as a co-writer which he was all for. The rest was history I guess. It was fun, the feedback was great, we kept going and built a series out of it which I’m still kind of surprised we were able to do.

6. It's practically impossible to tell which parts who wrote with your series. Will you give me a little insight into your writing process?

Haha well if I tell you, you’re going to go back and look for it , but basically the beginnings and most of the endings were mine, most of the middle stuff was James’, especially the battle scenes. He’s more lavish and descriptive with his prose. I’m usually more casual and going for jokes. He does a lot more research than I do. If you want to know about snake anatomy there’s lots of that in Cider of Legend.

Now the plotting and outlining was mostly mine although he strayed from my outline in a few areas and I usually approved because he added some awesome stuff like the chipper AI in Rebellion. There is a progression in the series though. At first most of the funny stuff was mine, I would usually add some stuff to James’ chapters. Some jokes and just some changes to make our styles blend, but beginning with Rebellion he was beginning to write some of the funniest stuff I’ve ever read and it was just glorious reading those chapters. I still modified things but not as much. I think by the end we were both on the same page.

We wanted a funny, weird and irreverent story, but also one with strong morals and a ton of heart. There are plenty of tear jerking moments in the series.

7. Tell us a little about the message of your story.

There are number of messages, but most of them deal with compassion, kindness, and priorities. Family is in there a lot. There is a strong emphasis on that familial bond especially between father and son in the Alehouse books. The last two focus on everyone doing our part to make the world a nicer place if not a better place. I don’t want to spoil anything but it wraps up nicely.

8. The snippets of conversations between you and James from Cider for Harborland are downright hilarious. Are they the real deal? :D

No...not really. I based some of it on our interactions but we would usually only talk about the writing if one of us did something major to a character or if we needed approval on a plot point.

Those scripts were my idea. I wanted Harborland to be a love letter to some of my favorite classic authors. James Joyce comes to mind. A master satirist, I loved his use of random script segments in Ulysses and I wanted to do some ridiculous scripts. James wrote a couple of them and I wrote a couple of them. We both laughed at them.

I’m definitely not “Michael” from the books though. “Michael” is a loudmouth jerk overcompensating for emotional issues. There’s a side of him in me but it rarely comes out. I’m actually really soft spoken Book “James” is probably more similar to real James. I played on his work ethic and how many books he writes etc. I’ve heard a lot of feedback on the scrips so we may make some people happy when book 5 comes out.

9. Can we get a real example of you and James plotting about being nasty with your MCs?

The one that comes to mind without giving anything away is James e-mailing me telling me he was gutted about a certain choice he made in Harborland , which strayed slightly from my outline but made for one of the book’s big emotional moments. He said it was tough to write.

10. There are so many popular TV series and shows that are alluded to in your series. Will you tell me a bit about them and their influence on your story?

Oh for sure. Pretty much all my influences are in there. From Mob movies, to Tarantino, to Kevin Smith, to Monty Python. I’m a huge fan of dialogue heavy comedy scripts. I modelled many of the characters after real people as well. In the fourth wall breaking, I wanted literary and pop culture references everywhere.

11. Not all is fun and games though and I swear I could get even a hint at Ulysses in your Cider for Harborland. Can you tell me a bit more about that?

Glad you noticed. Ulysses is one of my favorite novels, and of course I’ve struggled with it. I’m not so pretentious as to say I didn’t need some notes the first time around. That said, Joyce was a master of shifting from the linear, to the abstract. He messed with language in such unique and beautiful ways. The Mary Sue section of Harborland was meant to model that abstract style and I namecheck Joyce along with one of his more modern acolytes David Foster Wallace in that section. James naturally goes to some abstract places in his prose as well so it was really a cool part of the book.

12. Let's talk characters. Who came up with them and do any of them represent someone in real life?

I came up with most of the characters and had their traits fleshed out. James helped give them more depth of course. I would say that many of the characters are representations of myself. JM is a side of me, but Mik’hai is probably the most similar you’ll get to me in a book. Ed Fineberg is a side of me as well, and many of his fears are my own as well. K’wal’kamarq and Elder Ouri are my father in law.

Some of the characters stem more out of film. Bruce Vitelli was based on the Pacino/Pesci classic gangster archetype. Al the shark was based on Michael Caine. Sandy Sam was based on Jay from Kevin Smith’s films. I wanted them all to feel like original creations while still retaining the nuances of the people that inspired them.

13. Do you have a favorite character? And if yes, why?

It’s a tough call. It might sound cliché but it’s kind of like picking a favorite kid. I love Sandy Sam for his loyalty despite his shortcomings. I think he’s one to route for. If I had to choose a favorite it would be Le’thal. She was based on my wife and written pretty much as the embodiment of her. Even some of James’ chapters had that energy down so well. That always positive, perpetually kind, but also tough as nails thing that makes her so loveable and a true heroine. It was a great counter to Mik’hai’s reluctant prophet role. Le’thal was always pushing him to believe in himself, which ultimately made him a better person...er...snake in the end.

14. As a side note, I just need to ask! Why seals and snakes? I mean, I sort of get seals because they're kind of cute but the snakes...? You'd be hard pressed to find someone who loves those slithering fellows.

The seals I mentioned above. The snakes were just...the opposite of seals in so many ways. I also wanted to do a Vegas influenced story. I knew I wanted a Mojave-like setting, so sidewinders, lizards, vultures and hawks. My wife didn’t want to be embodied as a snake at first. I had to sell her on how absolutely amazing the character was. Now she’s ok with it.

15. Are there any more books planned for the series? And if yes do you have any publishing date in mind?

Cider for Harborland is an absolutely definitive ending of this series. That said, our next novel Wine and Where To Find It, is set in the same world. That’s all I’m saying. That book will be included in the Cider & Ale Chronicles box set , and audio bundle in late March/early April. As for returning to these characters...unlikely but never say never.

16. What readership do you think your series would appeal to?

I think there’s something for everyone as long as they can handle the language. The books are funny, but also full of morals and heart. The series has a strong message throughout, without trying to be preachy. I’m pretty sure people that have enjoyed Pratchett or books like Kings of the Wyld would enjoy these.

17. And what should a reader expect when picking them up?

I think they will laugh, cry, maybe find themselves baffled with the absurdity at times but ultimately find themselves on a wild ride.

18. What's next for Michael Evan the writer after the Ale and Cider tales are done?

I’m about to start working on a project with my daughter. We’re writing a novelization of a serialized story I told my kids before bed for months. It will be a relatively short children’s book that I’m hoping will also be illustrated. Aside from that there’s “Wine”, and then I have some other ideas brewing in my mind. One of them has human characters and is not the least bit satirical. I’ll have to take it day by day. I do hope for more Evan/Reid collaborations though.

19. Were there any difficulties or obstacles you encountered in your writing career? And if yes, how did you overcome them?

Totally. That’s why I found a co-writer. I alluded to it earlier but battles and choreography...not my thing. That’s a true talent. I’m always astounded by authors like James and Andy Peloquin that can write thousand page battle intense door stoppers.

20. And lastly, do you have any advice for other writers out there or perhaps a message for the readers?

Don’t give up. Read a lot. Get inspired, and if you’re stumped, look for other ways to finish that book!

About the Author: Michael Evan

Michael Evan is a publisher of science fiction and fantasy novels, a publicist and an editor. He has recently added writer to his list of occupations. The Cider & Ale Chronicles are his first works of fiction. He lives in Toronto with his wife, two kids and a French Bulldog.