The League of Scribes: Interview With A.R. Silverberry

Each week, The L. Palmer Chronicles uses The Frozen Wizard Staff of Cool Ice Sculptures to bring you a member of The League of Scribes.

Credit: Christopher William Adach

The League of Scribes is a legendary group of authors who write grand adventures in the realms of science fiction and fantasy. They are able to write rich, compelling stories while keeping content in the PG –PG-13 range.

If you have been on a quest to find clean sci-fi and fantasy novels, you have reached the right place.

This week, we present:

A. R. Silverberry

Otherwise known by his Code Name: Sir Renman

About the Author

R. Silverberry writes fiction for adults and children. His novel, WYNDANO’S CLOAK, won multiple awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Award gold medal for Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction. THE STREAM, his second novel, was honored as a Shelf Unbound Notable Book in Literary Fiction, and was shortlisted for Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Award, the Eric Hoffer Award, and the USA Book News Award. He lives in California under the dominion of his cat.

A. R. Silverberry’s Work

Jen has settled into a peaceful life when a terrifying event awakens old fears—of being homeless and alone, of a danger horrible enough to destroy her family and shatter her world forever.

She is certain that Naryfel, a shadowy figure from her past, has returned and is concentrating the full force of her hate on Jen’s family. But how will she strike? A knife in the dark? An attack from her legions? Or with the dark arts and twisted creatures she commands with sinister cunning.

Wyndano’s Cloak may be Jen’s only hope. If she has what it takes to use it . . .

DISCOVER THE MAGIC OF WYNDANO’S CLOAK!

Interview

Who would love your books?

People who love page-turners with secrets, riddles, mystery, treachery, and intrigue will enjoy Wydnano’s Cloak. The story, a fantasy adventure for children, ages ten and up, will also appeal to teens and adults, other words, the child at heart!

My second novel, The Stream, will appeal to older teens and adults who enjoyed books like Siddhartha, The Alchemist, and speculative fiction set in usual settings, for the whole story takes place on one long, endless waterway. The people who live there can only venture a few miles past either shore and can only move downstream.

What was the inspiration for your latest book/series?

Ideas tumble into my mind from every conceivable corner. Take The Stream, for instance. The initial impetus was a conversation I was having, where I used the metaphor of a stream. I kept thinking about that metaphor. In a few hours, the character of a small boy, alone, defenseless, trying to understand the ways of the world, popped into my mind. I saw images of him confronting the challenges we all face in life: love, loss, pain, losing your way. The ne,t morning, I put aside the novel I was working on (it wasn’t working anyway), and started writing. It pretty much tumbled out of me and didn’t let go until it was done.

If a movie of your book were made, what movie(s) would it be most similar too?

Since it takes place in a magical fantasy world, the first Narnia movie comes to mind for Wyndano’s Cloak.

Do you use music while writing? If so, what music do you use? Is there a theme song for your book?

Music distracts me! I either need dead silence while I write, or a good amount of white noise, like you get in a coffee shop. There is a strange, haunting harmonica that floats on the wind in Wyndano’s Cloak. I wrote a little melody for that. If anyone out there knows how to attach it to an eBook, let me know!

What authors or books inspire you most?

From the time I could read, I devoured fairy tales and read them through high school! I had a babysitter with a seemingly endless supply of Oz books she read at bedtime. What a way to send me to dreamland, with thoughts of Ozoplanes and magic belts and Gremlin Kings and witches. Then a fifth grade teacher introduced me to The Hobbit and I was done for. Like everyone else, I imagined I lived in the Shire. Growing up surrounded by the green, rolling hills just north of San Francisco, it wasn’t a big leap! There was even a big round hill that looked like the one Tolkien drew of Hobbiton. Finally, I was completely captivated by the spine-tingling tales of Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan the Barbarian.

As an adult reader, I’ve been a huge fan of Dean Koontz, Charles Dickens, and Jane Austen. Recently, I’ve been devouring the novels for adults and children by Frances Hodgson Burnett, who wrote the Secret Garden. She’s fabulous, and fortunately, was prolific. She’ll keep me occupied for some time!

If you were conquering the world, what fantasy or sci-fi creature/race/entity would you build your army out of? Why?

Can I surround myself with a crew of top editors, agents, and publicists, and conquer the world of publishing?

Would you rather ride a galactic unicorn or a space dinosaur? Why?

I’ve got a soft spot for unicorns. They’re rare; they’re magic.

When did you decide to be a professional writer?

I started taking writing seriously in 1998. My first novel, a prequel to Wyndano’s Cloak, was written on pure instinct. After that, I started looking around for classes where I could learn the craft, a process that never ends!

Are you a planner, a discovery writer, or a hybrid?

The older I get, the more I plan. It’s a way to prime the pumps and get things percolating. When I start writing, my outline often falls by the wayside, and that’s where the magic happens.

If you lived in a fictional world (besides one you’ve created) which would you choose and why?

Take me to the Shire, sans Black Riders, Sauron, Sarumen, orcs, dragons, and balrogs!