Check out this author spotlight for C. F. Welburn!
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!Â
Craig Farndale Welburn is an award-winning author for his series: The Ashen Levels.
He was born in the year of Star Wars, in the birth town of Charles Darwin, and caught the fantasy bug as a child at the top of a faraway tree, in a hole in the ground and through a snowy wardrobe.
He left Shropshire to study literature, travel the lands and seek his fortune.
(He’s still seeking…)
He currently lives in Madrid with his wife Jessica and son Otis.
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!
Cat or dog?
First choice dog! Second choice, dog! (sorry cat lovers, but dogs are my thing).
Library or museums?
I worked as a tour guide in London for 2 years, and spent many hours in free museums. Love me some mummies, swords and dinosaurs. But books smell nicer than mummies… so I’ve been told.
Hunter or gatherer?
Whilst the idea of being able to shoot a bow and look awesome is great, I love animals… so I’d probably pick some mushrooms and hope they didn’t kill me or make me shrink.
Witches or wizards?
I want to say wizard, but I’ve always had an affinity with woods and gnarled trees and mossy stones. I imagine myself huddled over a cauldron rather than channelling lightning through a staff.
Ninjas or pirates?
Oh, this is easy. Pirates! Ever since I played Monkey Island as a kid, I’ve dreamt of sailing the seven seas and seeking treasure. Plus, rum!
Mountains or beaches?
I live near the mountains, but I’m an aspiring (and terrible) surfer, and love snorkelling. Yeah, beach!
Plotter or pantser?
Can I be a plantser? My first draft I go with the flow. Is he going to die? Is she going to die? Am I going to die? I really have no idea. It’s terrifying. The second draft is more laborious, digging deep, creating backgrounds, histories, religions etc… Then the third draft happens and I burn everything, mush it all up in a cauldron and see if it explodes and singes my eyebrows.
Pen and paper or computer/phone?
Until I began self-publishing, I always used pen and paper. Got shoe-boxes of old notepads somewhere, which I really must destroy in case someone accidentally reads them and has a brain haemorrhage! Nowadays my laptop is my trusted friend. Easier to edit and look at crappy memes.
Standalone or series?
Both! I love a good standalone. The story just seems to stay in my head, like many classics from when I was a kid… but good series with characters I get attached to and make me curl up in a ball when it’s over are good, too… My latest book was intended to be a standalone; now I’m starting to work on the sequel. Damn you story, I thought we were done!
Book or ebook?
Books. Love the papery beauties. Although everyday I enjoy my Kindle Paperwhite that little bit more.
Hero or anti-hero?
I find morally grey characters more interesting and believable. I mean, I like a good guy, but flawed/conflicted good, not Micky Mouse good.
3. When you look for books to read, what trope or type of story will always catch your attention?
I like books with morally grey characters, darker storylines and unpredictable plot twists. I’m also a sucker for good prose… Not sure I have a favourite/worst trope, but as long as it tries to do something original with it, I don’t mind. My latest book ended up having a bit of a ‘chosen-one’ trope, but I hope I did it differently enough to turn it on its head.
4 What do you write? Tell us about your current projects and the latest happenings!
I’ve just (this week) released a new first-in-the-series epic/grimdark book called I Shall Return With Winter; I have a completed 5 book series called The Ashen Levels which is a mix of epic/dark fantasy with (very) subtle gamelit elements. And I’ve also written a couple of creepy (The Linguist) and bizarre (Toybox) novellas.
5. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!
My latest book I SHALL RETURN WITH WINTER came out this week! In fact, you can snap it up now for a mere .99 before it rises to a gazillion dollars! It’s a tale of revenge and prophesy.
Blurb incoming:
DEFY FATE. DEFY GODS. DEFY EVERYONE.
When Oben’s farm is sacked by marauding Skalgs, he embarks on a deadly quest for revenge, leaving pious Edale behind to enter the godless north. But he finds himself an unwitting pawn in his enemy’s ancient prophesy; one which tells of a Conduit who will deliver Edale into their hands.
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!
Travelling is a biggy for me. I’ve spent several years backpacking and living in other countries, jotting down ideas, getting lost and eating questionable things.
I try to read a lot of fantasy, and used to play a lot of videogames before I got too busy being a dad. I’m a lover of heavy metal music, and missing concerts/gigs so much lately!
7. What is your writing routine? If you have one, give us the run-down!
My routine is chaotic. In general, my writing brain is less mushy in the mornings.
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?
Buy a comfortable chair. Oh, and start earlier. Building up a name for yourself is a long process and I’m not a writer that churns out a book every 3 months.
9. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!
I’m behind you! (not really, covid has made travel difficult)… You can check out my website www.cfwelburn.com and join my mailing list for (not too frequent) updates. I’m also on Goodreads and Bookbub, and I’m most sociable on FB and Instagram. Feel free to drop me a line!
https://www.instagram.com/c.f.welburn/
