Car here. This is a series of interviews I’m doing for my author, Rebekah Webb, for the participants of the 2016 Brain to Books Cyber Convention. (https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/154267-brain-to-books-cyber-convention-2016) Since I only interview inanimate objects, I have used the power of booze and lack of sleep to transform my interviewees into assorted objects of their choice.
Today I am going to interview a silver and blue amulet named Ed Ireland. When he isn’t dangling around someone’s neck, glinting in the sun, or being used to hypnotize people in old movies from the thirties, he’s the author of Fire at Dawn.
Book: Fire at Dawn https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20637250-fire-at-dawn
Summary: It was an age of men and magic. Some men were good while some were not. The magic followed suit. An evil magic threatened to bring war and destruction to a time of peace. Good magic created the beings that had the only chance to repel that evil.
The Free People lived through a lifetime of chaos and emerged victorious. Their desire to be left alone was singular, their passion for peace unanimous. Their savagery to obtain what they wanted was legendary. If the lands and people are to survive, they would have to become the immovable object that stood before unstoppable force.
The marching armies of the clanspeople will have to overcome an assault by the vampire Queen and her minions in the forest of Wraithwood, traitors within both clan and family, a treacherous attack from a flanking army and the bigotry of the humans they rush to protect. While all this preys on the minds of Hellion and Fire, the love between their daughter and the human Prince of Dagor threatens to turn their world on end.
This story of gripping adventure, filled with paralleling tales of love and hatred, truth and lies, honor and disgrace cumulates in a final clash between Hellion and the evil Sage of Dagorath, an age-old tale of good vs. evil. But is either completely defined? Is the evil fueled by misunderstanding? What constitutes good? Judge for yourself, is Fire At Dawn a love story surrounded by acts of war or is it a war story surrounded by acts of love? In the end, Fire At Dawn is the story you want it to be.
Bio: Ed Ireland was born in Philadelphia on September 29, 1954. In January of 1955, the hospital he was born in was torn down. Presumably, they didn’t want anything like that happening again. His adolescence was shaped in Catholic school where the proper use of the common language was the only thing that mattered to the short but strong nuns.
In 1972 he joined the military where his wanderlust surfaced. He has since called many places home such as Texas, California, Nevada, Colorado, Pennsylvania New Jersey, New York and North Carolina while on his way to his current home in Miami, Florida. He claims his penchant for wandering is now at an end here in the shadows of Hemingway.
Along this great and wondrous trip, he has collected memories of some of the most beautiful scenery this country has to offer. He has also met a veritable kaleidoscope of colorful characters that make up the tapestry of his work. Along with his scenic visions, each character in his works carries some part of people he has known in his life, both good and bad.
On the personal side of his life, he is the proud father of two, a rabid Philadelphia Eagles fan, a self-confessed video game addict and a proud supporter of wildlife issues. His particular issue is support for the wolf programs across the country. He encourages support for these magnificent animals and donates a portion of each sale to Runningwiththewolves.org.
What made you start writing? As an amulet, I bet your writing was influenced by hanging, usually literally, around various people who enjoy nice jewelry.
I felt as if something was not quite right, like some part of my life was left dangling somewhere. I was a piece in a fantasy game and I had to provide stories from time to time. A few people read my work and said I should stick my neck out and roll out a book. I started writing Fire At Dawn and it was just horrible. But, the story was in my chain links by now and I had to get it out. I spent the next 20 years writing and re-writing that story over and over.
How does an amulet write? Do you press yourself into ink and then press on a sheet of paper like a stamp? Swing your chain onto a keyboard? Or is there another way to be able to put words to paper/screen?
Well, I shouldn’t be saying this, but being a very ancient piece of merchandise, I picked up a few tricks for getting what I want. I live with this guy who likes to stop every so often and admire me. When he does, I set the blue stone at my center spinning. Being the dullard that he is, maybe 4 seconds later, he does whatever I ask. I just wish he could type faster.
Do you hang out with other pieces of jewelry and if so, what are they like?
My days of drooping down into a half-finished mug of hops are long gone. The problem was I didn’t know when to stop. Other medallions and amulets were quite content with the odd dunking here and there but not me…oh no, not me. I would droop and roll into every mug and puddle on the bar. Then one morning I woke up and found my chain entwined around a very large…large…ring. I was mortified! I felt like I needed to jump into a jewelry cleaner bottle. Since then, no more carousing for me.
Tell us about your inspiration for Fire at Dawn. Did it involve staring into the sun until the afterimages turned into an interesting story? That’s how I come up with interview questions.
One day I found myself tossed onto a pile of pictures. As the wind graciously moved them for me I saw one in particular. It was called “Spirit Hunter” by an artist named Christy Grandjean. It turns out that Ms. Grandjean was a very popular illustrator but she went by the name Goldenwolf. One glance at this art suddenly sprang a story to mind. That story grew and grew as I thought about it and there was a book. But the story didn’t stop there, it kept going. All of a sudden there was another book and the story still wasn’t done. It took 3 books to get the whole story out. I don’t look at art anymore.
What made you choose to write a fantasy novel? I always imagined amulets writing articles about the proper care of metal jewelry.
Oh the choice was easy. Being from a very ancient time, the world I was forged in didn’t have explanations for things like we do now. Like what made the sun only rise during the day and why there was so much air. So they invented elaborate stories to explain stuff. This way, even the dumbest among them would know. At least that’s what the aliens that were running the world back then said.
Is it true that amulets find themselves getting worn by the struggles of life, so they spend a lot of time hanging out?
Do you have any idea what it’s like to be hung every single day? It’s no picnic, let me tell you. I once belonged to a very large-bosomed lady who adored me. Great life right? Wrong! She had these great bazoombahs, but she also had these twin snot factories that hung from them like piñatas. These 2 rugrats tugged, twisted and yanked on me all day. And let’s not even talk about what happened when they got sick. Can you blame me for wanting to hang out elsewhere???
Is there a special amulet in your life? Or are you currently unattached?
Oh I have the cutest lil’ gold medallion that I like to snuggle up to. She’s always happy when I’m in the old jewelry box if you know what I mean. She’s got the prettiest heads and the sassiest tails. Both sides just knock my socks off…ummm…if I had a sock that is.
What else have your wrote and have you ever been stuck in a museum as an example of ancient adornments?
Besides the trilogy that begins with Fire At Dawn, I got simpleton to churn out 6 other books. He thinks he came up with these great ideas so I let him bask in the glow for now. And funny you should mention a museum since that’s where I found him. I had enough of being oogled day in and day out so I slipped off of my display and rolled out under a nearby bench. When he picked me up, I thought “Oh geez, I fell into the Neanderthal exhibit.” Imagine my surprise when he shoved me in his pocket and took me home. The things I saw in that pocket were disgusting!
What hobbies do you have? Do you get hired by celebrities for award ceremonies?
I was in showbiz at one time. I worked with all the big names…Monroe, Taylor, Bergman…yeah, Ernie Monroe was beloved in Mudshack, Georgia. Then one day I found myself working for some guy from Tupelo named Elvis. Apparently he was something else when he was young, but when he picked me up…well let’s just say those fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches were taking their toll. He still had a good voice, but I was swimming in sweat and tucked into a third chin roll. I was never more relieved to see those aliens again when they came for him that night.
Do you have any advice for young amulets out there who might want to try their hand at writing?
Absolutely! Don’t give up your daytime hangouts! This business will break your links, chip the gold plating off and even dislodge a gem or two. If you have a story stuck inside of your chain, give it to your worst enemy. Let them walk around talking to themselves, looking up ways to murder people on the computer and spend their weekends walking back and forth across the lawn in their boxers. Actually, that last part is fun. My doofus writer doesn’t get anything from it, but the looks the neighbors give him are priceless!
Cartopia 