Check out this author spotlight for D. William Landsborough!
You can find all his links furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out his books!
1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!
Hi there! My name is D. William Landsborough, though most people just know me as Doug or Douglas. I’m a dark fantasy indie author with two books under my belt so far and many, many more to come. When I’m not writing, I am a communications professional for a local charity, freelance in the evenings and weekends as a writer and editor, and I like to play board games when I should be writing my next book.
2. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some this or that questions. Answer 5 (or more!) of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!
Winter, spring, summer or autumn?
Autumn! It’s not too hot but not too cold. You don’t have snow melting still and I can wear sweaters and cardigans outside.
Cat or dog?
Dogs all the way! Unconditional love, goofy personalities and the best weighted blanket. Love cats too, don’t get me wrong, but not nearly as much as dogs.
Witches or wizards?
I choose witches solely because your stereotypical witch (the one that is old, lives in the woods, eats children, etc.) absolutely frightens me and I’m a fan of horror
Plotter or pantser?
Plotter! I was a pantser when I wrote Archangel, and it took me about five years. Now I live and die by the outline, at least a high-level one.
Hero or anti-hero?
My protagonist is a hero, but I just can’t say no to a snarky anti-hero.
3. When you look for books to read, what trope or type of story will always catch your attention?
Lately it has been urban fantasy and folk horror that gets my attention. I know those are polar opposites, but each is fun in their own way. The idea of a fantastical world existing amongst our own opens a lot of new avenues that can’t exist in epic or medieval fantasy. At the same time, folk horror usually deals with interesting spirits or monsters that are out of this world but kind of plausible at the same time.
4. What do you write? Tell us about your current projects and the latest happenings!
I mostly write dark fantasy. Both my books out right now – Archangel and its sequel, Revelations – are in the dark fantasy genre. They take place a decade from now, after a war between Heaven and Hell was fought on Earth… a war that Hell won.
Now, in a world that is ruled by demons and drastically different than the one we know, Uriel the archangel descends and must team up with a half-demon, Shandra, to reignite the war and bring light back to the world.
Beyond dark fantasy, I’m also working on a horror novel, but I’m being tight-lipped about that one for now. It is a very different writing style, but I’m enjoying it so far and can see how my own voice is working within the horror genre.
5. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!
My latest release is Revelations, the sequel to Archangel. After gaining a foothold from the demons, the newly formed angel army is going on the offensive and attacking one of the princes of Hell, Abaddon. After their initial victories, they come to a standstill outside of Abaddon’s city, Gehenna. It is here that the demonic prince begins to deal blow after blow to the angels, all while Uriel has to deal with something far more ancient and evil than demons.
You can check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PF16SR2
6. What real-life inspiration do you draw from, and what are your primary fictional sources of inspiration (books, authors, films, music, etc.)? Name a few!
Is it against the rules to say “anything I think is cool”? When it comes to real-life inspiration, there isn’t anything I look for specifically. It’s more often that I will see something that is seemingly random and, somewhere in the back of my mind, it will make me think of an idea I want to add to a story.
Though I’m not a religious person, I found some great inspiration in theological ideas and research. Things like the hierarchy of Hell come from that kind of research, as do ideas like the angel based off the Valkyrie from Norse mythology. Beyond that, I love finding inspiration for cool fight moves and character traits from video games and movies.
7. What is your writing routine? If you have one, give us the run-down!
Lately, my routine has been to write as soon as I’m up in the morning, even before I have a coffee. It varies based on what my goal/deadline is, but I usually aim for thirty minutes to an hour of writing every morning.
When things are a little less chaotic (when I’m not balancing a day job, pandemic, buying a house and planning a wedding), my routine is more about getting in two or three sets of writing sprints every day. Fifteen minutes of writing, five-minute break, then another fifteen minutes of writing. That’s when I’m most productive!
8. If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice as you started out on the path to becoming an author, what would it be?
If you want to be an author, treat writing like a career. Make it an everyday thing – I didn’t and that’s how Archangel took five years to finish – and look for ways to get feedback, courses to take, resources to read or watch. Improve yourself every day… and the best way to do that is through writing every day!
9. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!
Just look outside your window! Just kidding, that would be horrifying. You can connect with me in a bunch of places:
Website – https://www.dlandsborough.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/dwilliamlandsborough/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/dwlandsborough/
Archangel on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MHM2VNS
