Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, I’d like to welcome the author of The Fall of Immortals (Shogun of the Heavens #1) —I.D.G. Curry, from Atmosphere Press, for an author interview with The Reading Bud.
About The Author
I.D.G. Curry is a fiction novelist who was compelled to bring what started as a dream into an entire universe of characters that interact and intertwine with the mythology he loves. He believes that fiction, folklore, and myths are the true essences of storytelling; which opens the reader’s mind to what could be possible or even what the truth might actually be. Curry aims to collide the world we live in with centuries of man-kind’s imagination, even scattering elements from his own life into the journey. This is the journey’s beginning.
You can connect with Author Curry here:
Author Website
Interview
Welcome to TRB! Please give our readers a brief introduction about yourself before we begin.
Thank you, Heena & TRB, for taking the time to interview me. I am a fiction novelist who felt compelled to bring to life what started as a dream during one of my darkest hours: an entire universe of characters that interact and intertwine with the mythology I grew to love. In my opinion, fiction, folklore, and myths are the true essences of storytelling; they open the reader’s mind to what could be possible or even what the truth might actually be.
Please tell us something about your book other than what we have read in the blurb?
One thing you will hear a lot about the Shogun of the Heavens series is its pace. It has been described as cinematic to a degree. That was actually very intentional. When I started the Shogun of the Heavens, I wanted it to be in a style and flavor of my own. Because there were characters from well-known artworks from our history, I did not focus too much on their individual details because everyone who is familiar with them already would know what they look like. However, my original characters were all unique and my goal was to bring them to life, with the story, within the minds of my readers. So, I aim to do that mentally and then visually on my website where there will be artwork continuously added over the course of the story: www.shogunoftheheavens.com
In regards to the pace itself, I never really liked “filler episodes” in the content I watched. I understood why they were there, though most of the time, I felt there were other ways to introduce the past into the present or the present into the future. So, although I could make the story longer if I wanted to, it would actually take away more from the story because it would become more like everything else. The story stays focused on what is happening or wherever there is progression. Ask yourself: Do you really need to read a bunch of short fights where you can easily predict who was going to win? Of course not. You want to grip onto your seat! Even if you have no idea who is fighting, it excites you. Because you don’t know what is going to happen. One extra exclusive fact is that Shogun of the Heavens was not the original name of the series. I was originally going to call it GodsGrave, but when I was creating the Facebook group, I learned the name was taken. Oh boy, was I upset, because I wanted there to be symbolism in the name. Not only that, there were volumes of it and I wanted this book to stand out like it deserves so I brainstormed about the story from start to finish and I took a look at where the journey was going and then it hit me: “The Shogun of the Heavens.” I searched across the internet for any other title or reference with that name and there were none, so from then on, Shogun of the Heavens has been it.
What is that one message that you’re trying to get across to the readers in this book?
For such a long time, stories have been based on the tried-and-true perception of good versus evil and that the world’s morality is in black and white. I challenge you to determine who is the hero and who is the villain in this story. What you will find as the story continues is that how you feel about a particular character may change from book to book. The way that all of the characters interact with one another and what motivates them are mixed into the story as if it truly happened, while remaining comparable to the stories told five thousand years ago.
Who is your favourite character in this book and why?
Xauldin is my favorite character. Because he is so multi-dimensional, which is also interesting since he himself started out as one of three dimensions of another being. His evolution throughout the story is a journey itself, fulfilling a prophecy of his own in a way.
What inspired you to write this book? An idea, some anecdote, a dream or something else?
It was a dream. The Acolytes of Dawn’s personalities each came from individuals that knew me personally, both now and at the time. Even then, I did not start writing it until eight years later in the summer of 2019. I hadn’t told anyone that I had started writing it because I was still planning it on my War Table as I called it at that time, though I had begun organizing it from point A to point Z.
How long did it take you to write this particular book?
This first installment took me around a year and six months, finishing in the middle of March of 2020. I was becoming a father, then later a husband, while learning a new family around the beginning of the Covid-19 era, so writing was a way for me to stay focused on a grander goal, rather than focus on the chaos that was happening around us.
What are your writing ambitions? Where do you see yourself 5 years from today?
Honestly five years from now, I hope to bring Shogun of the Heavens to a streaming service like Hulu or Netflix. One with a studio that will join me in bringing this epic story to the screen in a series that I know the fans would love.
Are you working on any other stories presently?
Not at this time. I have noted a few other stories to begin on after I have completed the Shogun of the Heavens series. Though right now I am focusing the same energy and attention into this series that I hope to draw from my audience, as I write Book Two. Everyone who finished that first page and then nearly panicked when at the end of The Fall of Immortals, fear not. Book Two: The Throne Crusher is expected to be published on December 9th, 2023.
Why have you chosen this genre? Or do you write in multiple genres?
I have been caught up in this genre since the first time I saw Disney’s Hercules as a kid. I was a big follower of anime and animated films just as I am today. However, as I am now an adult, I expanded into more historical and philosophical book such as The Moors in Spain, The Prince, and the different studies on the mythologies, which in essence are the religions of the past. I believe I have the ability to write another genre, such as crime or a philosophical piece, but I don’t feel the need to get that serious with that right now. I am having fun with Shogun of the Heavens and don’t want to rush it.
When did you decide to become a writer? Was it easy for you follow your passion or did you have to make some sacrifices along the way?
The peculiar thing is I did not actually consider myself a writer until I got published by Atmosphere Press. Before that, I was just a person with an idea, ink, and some pages. I do not say this to demean anyone or discourage the writers of the future. What I am saying is that as I wrote my first book, I learned more about myself, my reality, and the story itself. As I wrote my book, I read others that helped to give me an understanding from multiple points of view. I had to come up with answers to questions like: What is a god? How did this god originate? How can their power and abilities be scaled?
You will know that you are a writer when you realize your ability to take a singular idea or concept and create a message to the world that only you and your audience will understand. The more relatable this concept is to understand, the more people you will inevitably reach.
What is your writing ritual? How do you do it?
I feel the power of music is underrated. Music can create feelings and emotions inside us and help us channel our energy into other mediums. I listen to music on YouTube that is either meditative or matches the intensity of a scene I am writing. Channels like Lofi Girl, TSWG, Tranquil Music, or even Tokyo Café Jazz. Hearing melodies that did not put words in my head.
How do you prefer to write – computer/laptop, typewriter, dictation or longhand with a pen?
I plan on paper for a visual medium to arrange my ideas on something I can touch. The rest of it, though, is done on my laptop. From the time I was in elementary or secondary school, I did not write fast or have “pretty handwriting” as referred to by my peers at the time. But I could cruise 45 words per minute on a keyboard. I decided to stick to my strengths.
What are your 5 favourite books? (You can share 5 favourite authors too.)
- A Cruel Wind by Glen Cook
- Marco Polo by Laurence Bergreen
- Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford
- Venus and Adonis by William Shakespeare
- Gilgamesh translated by Stephen Mitchell
How do you deal with Writer’s Block?
Never believed in it. At least not for myself. To me, Writer’s Block means you’re out of ideas. I wouldn’t even want to admit that to myself. However, I have reached points in the story where I look left, right, and center. Then ask myself: Where do I go from here? The music I mentioned I listen to earlier is also helpful for stimulating the state a writer enters where you can see the story. I pace back and forth in my office, simulating the consequences, potential catastrophes or benefits that would result from one of my characters making a decision. This, as you can imagine, becomes more difficult the more characters that may be involved in one scene. “The King’s Trial” was one of those chapters, involving the princess and her host who was a Loyalist to her family’s regime. There are a few ways that something of that nature can go. I like the direction we went.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
The same advice I give to all of my friends and associates who tell me that they are writing. If you want to write then reading is going to be essential to you. It is not as though you are copying someone else. In fact, if you really think about it, most—if not all—artworks were inspired by something else or something similar that was also inspired by something or someone else. When you read books related to a topic you are writing on, you grasp the concept better, becoming able to view the world through another writer’s eyes. Everything that they learned while writing, you will then learn and incorporate it into your works that will inspire the generations of writers after you.
I love writing. When I first was selecting my career as a youth, being an author would have never made the list. Now, I write not because it makes a living or just as a hobby. I write because I love telling impactful stories that provoke both thought and self-reflection.
Once again, my thanks to you, our friends, at The Reading Bud.
Thank you, author I.D.G. Curry, for taking out the time to answer our questions and for all your thought-provoking and interesting answers!
About the Book
The Fall of Immortals
In the ancient world, during the time of war, gods, and monsters. A sensation had been detected approaching Gaia, so ominous that it was felt across the cosmos by the few who dwelled in its supreme echelon.
One Fallen Immortal will be pursued by mercenaries, the divine, and above all, those he once held dear from his past life. The clashes between these factions will decide who becomes an ally or who’s next. The deep bonds of both friendship and love will be strained, some may even be severed.
How far would you go for the ultimate prize? How much would you be willing to sacrifice? Most of us spend so much time desperately holding on to what little we can. There are also those of us who are ostracized because we choose to walk a path different from our group or community and then for that simple choice, are treated as if we have committed treason. If you were given the opportunity to gain everything you always wanted at the cost of the aforementioned, would you take it? If your answer is yes, I invite you to turn these pages. If you don’t think it’s possible, I challenge you to witness as our champion accomplishes the impossible.
You can find The Fall of Immortals here:
Amazon | Goodreads
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