I was lucky to get an interview with Norbert Zsivicz, the author of Sealed Empire, one of this year’s #SPFBO9 entries.

Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
My name is Norbert Zsivicz. I grew up in Hungary, but I living in London, UK for almost seven years now. I’m a huge geek who loves good stories from movies to books and any video or tabletop games. But, I’m not a stereotypical bookworm. I like going outside, traveling, doing fun activities, and meeting new people.

Why should I buy your SPFBO9 entry?
You already can see on my book cover then this is not a usual fantasy book.

My story is a wide mix of traditional medieval fantasy and science fiction.

Ser Edward is heading to the world's end, the most dangerous mission of his life. Why? To receive the blessing from the high priest Sven, who is none other than his lover Emma's father, one of the most influential men in the realm. Meanwhile, far from the oceans, Emma is getting more and more inward to the realm's politics by the new ruthless king, Erick.

On that mission, Edward and his men encounter something what can possible shake the realm's faith and their future. But what exactly is this creature?

That's one of the main questions of this book, and we will get the answers, even if we want it or not.  The Prologue is basically the cover, so if you are interested, you can start to read it on my website for free! 

What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
Since I’m a huge fan of everything that's fantasy or sci-fi I just always wanted to do my own fictional world. Somehow, I never found that wide fantasy, sci-fi mix that I was looking for, so I started to work on my own. In the past nine years, I wrote several unpublished short stories and finally, I created the Sealed Empire. Which I planing to continue in other books.

Have you participated in the SPFBO before and where did you hear about the competition?
No, this is my first time. I heard about the contest years ago, but I had only the Hungarian version back then. When I finally get the English version I started to look for good competitions. So, this is my first English opportunity and I’m super happy to be a part of it.

Thanks again to Jóhan (aka Library of a Viking) for pushing me to do it! :-)

Why did you choose to write fantasy?
I always loved medieval knights. I love history in general and there is something romantic about this era. So, even if it’s no magic at all in the story, I love it! Maybe that’s why I chose this setting, but I wanted to spice it up a bit that's why it includes my other favorite,  Sci-fi!

Which other author has had the biggest influence on your writing?
There are many, but on the Fantasy side probably George R. R. Martin, Song of Ice and Fire series. Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher and of course J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, but I think J.K Rowling's Harry Potter has some influence on me too. The Sci-fi side is wider, starting with Asimov Robotics and Frank Herbert Dune. Movies like Star Wars, Alien, Matrix, and of course video games like Mass Effect also have impact on me. So it’s a pretty wide mix, just like my book.

If you were to win the SPFBO, what impact do you think this would have on your writing career?
I already feel myself a winner to being a part of this competition. But, if I actually win the whole contest, that probably means, I can find a traditional publisher much easier and I can do my dream, to become a full-time fantasy writer!

What challenges did you face during the writing or publishing process, and how did you overcome them?
There were many. First of all, I wrote my book in Hungarian, which is a much much smaller audience than in English. It was a pandemic back then and most of the publishers tried to save money instead to invest in unknown authors. But this story and world that I created become a child of mine so I decided to publish it anyway. I hired talented freelancers from the industry and we created something truly unique. I get a lot of love and help from the reader community so I have the confidence to do English translation with Tamás Pétersz who is like a rockstar translator (George R.R. Martin, Isaac Asimov, etc.) I can’t be grateful enough for his help!

Do you have any tips or an author app, tool, or resource that you can really recommend we try?
It’s an extremely tough market. Writing down a masterpiece is huge work, but finding your audience it’s even bigger work. It is a long and exhausting process and if you are not familiar with sales and marketing, the market will eat you. So my best advice is to prepare it, and create a strategy long before the actual release. Also, a cool, badass cover can save your book life, don’t save money on it! 

And now it's time to yank out your Palantir! Let’s talk about the future. What new projects are you working on?
Right now I working on the Sealed Empire sequel and some short story scripts. Also, I started shooting short Indie films with my friend, which we hopefully can share at the Raindance Film Festival.

Apps that are based on artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGTP and Midjourney, along with apps aimed specifically at authors, have caused quite a stir. Do you expect these new technologies will make your life as a self-published author easier or harder, and do you expect that they’ll mean you’ll earn more or less?
Technology had huge impacts on everyone's life in the past and will in the future.

Yes, I think every artist will be involved in this at one point, but I still think storytelling is very human nature. Readers want to be involved in the story with characters who feel real. They like the storyteller style, the person who telling the story. Artists have unique personalities. That’s why so many fans want to read they work and not books from others. For that, the AI not just has to understand what is to be human, but also has to create and not copy a personality. And this is still far ahead.

Also, writing is something magical for a writer as well, he or she wants to share a story, a feeling, a heartbeat. This will not going to change. Writers write because they want to share something. Rather than just checking the bank account. So they will still write, even if it’s doesn’t worth it on paper. It’s worth it for us even if just one person read it, it will still be worth it. They can't take this from us. So I don't fear from the future.

Do you have any dreams you’d like to share?
I really want to try myself out in the Film or Video game industry. Not just as a storyteller, but as an actor, producer, or director. I have so many ideas, and I hope I can do as many as it’s possible in my life.

Anything else you would like to say before we close?
I know, everybody heard that a thousand times, but NEVER GIVE UP! If you give up you will fail, if you never quit, you never lose. Life is short, don’t just survive it, live your dream one! :-)

That was some interesting answers. I wish you the very best in the SPFBO. I hope a lot of readers discover your writing. Thanks for doing the interview.