I was lucky to get an interview with Andrew D Meredith, the author of Thrice, and one of this year’s #SPFBO8 semifinalists.

I previously interviewed Andrew, but since he became a semi-finalist, we both felt that a new interview was just the thing…

Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
First off, thank you Rune for this opportunity. I think the greatest aspect of the SPFBO Competition is the community. And you’re no exception! It’s been a very long road that led me, finally, to the Indie Community—from working in bookstores during the rise of the eBook, to a short-lived career as a professional game designer at Asmodee/Fantasy Flight Games over ten years ago, to now. The best part about the journey has been looking back at where I’ve come from and preparing for the road ahead. Perhaps that’s why I’m always drawn to, and find myself writing, travel stories. The journey is what gets you to your destination, but it’s the way-stops along the way that mean something to me.

My journey recently took me from a hobby farm in Washington, surrounded by an orchard, peacocks, and sheep, ( a huge inspiration for Thrice’s sequel) to now the Mountains of Colorado. “Mountains, Gandalf!” is said more times than you know in my house.

What was the first thought that popped into your mind when you found out you had made it to the semifinals?
“Wait. It’s happening? This is happening now?" Ok. Ignore your phone blowing up and go read the review first!” Then I cried my way through what I consider an amazing review!

Why did you decide to take part in the SPFBO?
I only decided to switch my focus from the pursuit of Traditional Publishing to Indie Publishing after the Pandemic hit. As the Trad community seemingly slowed to a halt, it was a good opportunity to slow down, assess, and take the time to determine the best path forward for my books. Those two years were a steep learning curve. The patient observation of the Indie Community and its various outlets led me find SPFBO7, which was in full swing when I found it last year. I watched, waited, published Thrice, and anticipated the moment when I could submit my book for consideration. The Indie Community is the Rivendell of publishing—a place to make friends, translate a few moon-runes, and prepare for the journey before you. As an extrovert I couldn’t pass up that chance.

Aside from your SPFBO8 book getting the stamp of approval by being in the semifinals, why should I buy it?
Thrice is at its heart a small-scale father-and-son journey fantasy (all of it takes place on a small peninsula). Slavic-Fantasy inspired, it follows Jovan, a Needle-Smith and the boy left in his care, Leaf, as they seek to find out why every bounty hunter and ne’er-do-well seems intent on killing Jovan and taking the boy. (That Leaf has within him a seemingly limitless well of soul-searing magic probably has something to do with it.) With its Slavic-mythology inspired setting, and blunt protagonist it was Brandon Sanderson and his editor from Tor, Moshe Federer, who pointed out the rather obvious correlation to the Witcher during a pitch critique—it was a comment that meant a lot to me during the final edits of the book. So if you’re looking for a Witcher-style setting, and a Mandalorian “keep-the-child-safe” story, then Thrice should be on your TBR pile. (And of course, let’s not forget the killer review left by Dan Fitzgerald and Whitney Reinhart at BeforeWeGoBlog.com

What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
That road goes back a long way to when I was thirteen or fifteen in the mid-90s. I had the audacity to write all of one chapter of a wildly derivative book, and mail it with a cover letter to DelRay hoping that would be enough for them to pick me up and pay me to write the rest. Oddly I never received a response…

Why did you choose to write fantasy? And why pick this particular fantasy subgenre?
Fantasy has always been my first love—from Eddings and Dragonlance, to Robin Hobb and Lois McMaster Bujold. I took a break back from fantasy around 2010 and read outside the genre, only to come flying back when someone gave me a copy of Mistborn. Suffice to say that rapidly pulled me back in. When I started writing Thrice it was meant at first to be an experiment and palate cleanser from the project I had out to literary agents at the time. I spent some time researching the market in 2018 and the rising subgenres that were developing and decided on Slavic-Fantasy as something that would be only slightly outside of my wheelhouse. It provided me the chance to do a little research, and expand my horizons.

Which other author has had the biggest influence on your writing?
This is out of left field for the genre, but I’ve been on a major PG Wodehouse kick lately. His command of the English language is incredible, (and he’s very funny, familiar, and comforting.) I listen to his books while doing chores (Look for books narrated by Jonathan Cecil). I try to listen to him even more while I’m in editing mode, as it tends to raise my english for a better polish on my work.

What’s the best thing about being a writer?
The creative process defines me as a person, and always has. When I was in Highschool, the medications I was on for Tourette’s Syndrome put a hard stopper on my creativity and left me feeling dead inside. I made the choice to quit those, and cope without them, for the sake of my creativity. I don’t regret that decision for a moment.

What’s the hardest thing about being a writer?
Time Management. Of course everyone suffers from distraction. But the elephant in the room, whether it be research marketing, making time to work on a map, or really anything that keeps you from putting more words on the page…it all has to happen, and all of it “right now.” But it’s all worth the struggle.

How do I get into the semifinals? Just kidding! No seriously, might you be willing to share a tip, a scrap of wisdom, or perhaps an app, tool, or resource that you can really recommend to authors?
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to get involved with the community. From interacting with other authors and bloggers on Twitter, to joining a Discord of like-minded individuals. It encourages. It gets your book and name out there. It reduces the feeling that you’re a ship in a troubled sea. (Despite what Simon and Garfunkel said, you are not a rock, nor an island.) We are all in this together. Don’t have a community? Ask someone!

And then, once you’re in a community, be yourself but treat your writing as a legitimate career. People are drawn to genuineness–someone they want to spent time with.

What new projects are you working on?
My long form epic fantasy, the Kallattian Cycle released in July with books 1-3 dropping on the same day in all three formats. I actually have some big news coming in the next month or so regarding that series, after I get a few ducks in a row. The Kallattian Cycle is set to continue on into the coming years. It is a multi-point-of-view story of mercenaries, holy orders, and a dark figure wearing a chainmail cloak of bone that makes him invisible to his intended victims: the pantheon of gods. You can find out more and pre-order by following me on social media, and through my Linktree.

Anything else you would like to say before we close?
Keep at it. Take control of what you have control over. Seek help where you have weaknesses in your process. And don’t stop writing!

Congratulations on the semi-finalist spot, and best of luck in the competition, Andrew!
I hope you’ll get to write many more beautiful books. Thanks for doing the interview!