I was lucky to get an interview with E C Greaves, the author of Daughter of the Beast, and a finalist in this year’s #SPFBO9.

Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
Hi, I’m Ed. I was born in the UK, but live in Christchurch, New Zealand. I work as a technical writer for a leading medical resource company, but that’s super boring. I have a gazillion hobbies, so finding time to actually write books is a little difficult. But somehow, I managed to complete and publish three so far, and have another underway!

Why should I buy your SPFBO9 entry?
Daughter of the Beast has been variously described as dark, gripping, exciting, captivating, and probably most importantly; unique. It’s a coming-of-age tale that eschews the usual tropes in favour of following a captive girl’s journey toward becoming as her captors are. It’s set in a world that features exactly zero humans – everyone, friend or foe to our heroine, is a critter from Ukrainian and Russian myth and folklore.

And if you like dogs, then this really is the book for you!

What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
I’ve been writing in some form or another since before I can recall. I’d always spend time writing stories when I should have been writing essays or equations, but never really considered it as a career or anything. But the sheer boredom of long train rides into work at a banking office led me to write the entire Vyshhivka trilogy on my phone!

Have you participated in the SPFBO before and where did you hear about the competition?
I have not. I heard about it on an indie fantasy facebook group. A handful of books kept popping up, and I learnt that they were the finalists of the year’s competition. After researching the contest, and seeing that it is absolutely NOT one of the many “pay to play” ones (which often feel a little predatory, if I’m honest), I figured I’d give it a go!

Why did you choose to write fantasy?
I grew up surrounded by D&D, fantasy films, books, and videogames, so it was a natural fit for me. My own particular take on the genre has been called “grindark” due to having the setting and gritty realism of grimdark, but a somewhat whimsical and manic vibe. The world sucks, but people can still have fun – and I feel like fantasy is the perfect vehicle with which to showcase that sentiment! 

Which other author has had the biggest influence on your writing?
I struggle with this question because I am a super lazy reader. The easy answer would be David Gemmell because he manages to keep a lot of hope and light in otherwise dark worlds and situations, but I’m going to say Charlotte Greaves. She’s my older sister, and has two fantasy books out (Darkness Turning and Shattered Light – please buy and read them, they’re great!) and I bounce a massive proportion of my ideas and chapters off her as I go!

If you were to win the SPFBO, what impact do you think this would have on your writing career?
I’d really hope that it gets more eyes on my books, and therefore my social media – not so I can be super famous or rich or anything, but so I can meet more cool people, and share the works of other cool indie authors I’ve met along the way. I expect it’ll also make me ever-paranoid that the next thing I write won’t appeal to any of the people there for more Daughter of the Beast style stuff!

What challenges did you face during the writing or publishing process, and how did you overcome them?
I think the hardest thing for me to deal with actually came after writing and publishing! It was my desire to avoid any and all social media. Not because I’m super shy or anything, but because I haaaaaate shilling products. I’d rather just chat with people than sell my books, so working out the best way to do BOTH is an ongoing issue.
As far as writing and publishing go, I find writing just happens, and I thoroughly enjoy the process of formatting and designing the books!

Do you have any tips or an author app, tool, or resource that you can really recommend we try?
The biggest, and most valuable resource you have as an author, is time. So as long as you actually make time to do all the stuff you need to, you’ll have a story written before you know it. The next most valuable thing at your disposal, and I do hesitate to use the term “resource” (or “tool” lol) is people. Reach out, and make friends. Most of us have been through the same process, and are more than happy to help!

And now it's time to yank out your Palantir! Let’s talk about the future. What new projects are you working on?
I’m currently writing a sort of murder-mystery-ish story that’s set in the same world as my debut trilogy. It’s got the same general vibe, but follows a broader group of characters, and tackles themes of responsibility, duty, belief, and just how much it sucks to work in a bureaucracy!
I also have a short story about fantasy pirates (and an undying skeleton) that I might just expand into novella length.

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?
Definitely harder. They’ll only serve to flood the market with cheap hack-jobs books that people will use as a get-rich-quick “side-hustle”. Contrary to what a lot of folk believe, I’m not actually super fussed on having my stuff “stolen” and used to train these chatbots (art or writing), but the reason I’m not a fan is that corporations and grifters will use the tech to avoid having to pay artists to produce stuff in the future. I think the REAL danger is that Disney or whoever will opt to pay a single guy to use “AI” to make their intro credit scenes, instead of paying 30 animators to do the same thing. That’s 29 people who won’t be able to feed their kids that week. All the while, the suits and shareholders will rake in the money saved. Same thing with books.
Why would the big four pay editors, when chatbots can do the same thing for cheap?
NO tool ever makes life better for the average man, until it has made the rich man richer.

Do you have any dreams you’d like to share?
My big dream is to make it over to the various conventions to meet all the cool folk I’ve met digitally, in the flesh! I’d obviously love to be able to live off writing books, but it’s mostly about the friendships and the connections I make with people! Heck, that’s all LIFE really is, I reckon!

Anything else you would like to say before we close?
Thank you to everyone who has checked my book out, whether you liked it or not, I appreciate that you even gave it your time! Thank you Rune, for having me – and sorry it took so long to get this done!

I’m just happy you found the time…as you say time is a valuable resource, but it’s also important to reach out and that we help each other :-)

Exactly. Please show love to all of the wonderful authors (and their books, of course) who have entered SPFBO, and to Mark Lawrence – honestly, that he has taken the time to create such a beautiful opportunity for self-pubbed authors is astounding! What an absolute legend he is!!

I wish you the very best in the SPFBO finals!!! I just know that lots of readers are bound to discover your writing.
Thanks for doing the interview.