Firstly, thanks for doing an interview! Tell us a little about yourself and your book, The Scissors and the Sword.
The Scissors and the Sword arose from my own experiences living in both Japan and the UK - both island nations, with proud histories, superstitions and quirks. I've always felt that the two nations have much more in common than most people realise.
The story is an urban fantasy. The main character, a scene-of-crime officer, investigates a murder that provides her an "in" to a world of the supernatural that she would never have previously believed existed. I don't want to say too much more for fear of spoiling the plot, but I hope people will enjoy reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Your bio states that you're into anime and gaming. What makes your favorite anime series so good? Do any of those elements find their way into your writing?
The book draws on a series I've always loved, Rurouni Kenshin. Kenshin isn't particularly supernatural, but it has a main character who lives almost to spite the expectations placed upon him (he's an assassin who now refuses to kill people).
In many stories, samurai characters follow a stereotype. They are honorable, strong and fearless. This often extends to how foreigners perceive the Japanese people in real life (stoic, unfeeling, driven by loyalty and familial honor) - naturally this is an outdated stereotype. Beneath that exterior, they're a people who are as kind, emotional and passionate as anyone else.
I wanted a samurai character who was impetuous, and driven by his feelings - and this would not be his "downfall". Instead, it's part of who he is. It's part of what makes him strong.
Do you play any games with a dark atmosphere of mystery similar to your book?
Strangely enough, for a novelist, I'm a peculiar sort of gamer. I prefer games with an arcadey feel, with short play-durations. I'm a big fan of fighting games, for instance, or Nintendo's recent Splatoon for WiiU.
I occasionally get into an RPG, or the latest Resident Evil or Silent Hill, but I always come back to bright, colourful experiences with fast gameplay.
There can be huge disconnects between writing a mystery movie script and writing a mystery book. How do you capture suspense without the aid of background music, lighting, and other theatrical elements?
I'm a big believer in the scene>sequel approach for novel writing; namely that you divide all of your plot threads into scenes that represent either an action or reaction.
Action scenes tend to involve a very pro-active movement on parts of the characters, and usually end with a discovery or a disaster.
Reaction scenes tend to involve the characters reflecting on a prior experience, and using their new knowledge to form a decision.
When you have three plot threads, you can quite easily go "Action A > Reaction B > Action C > Reaction A > Action B" etc., jostling back and forth. This means the reader is always waiting to hear the result of another thread.
This is only a small part of the picture, but I think it's a good example.
What do you have planned next in terms of writing? Any sequel?
The Scissors and the Sword is intended to be part of a series. I intend to write & publish book 2 before the end of 2016, and make a start on book 3.
Which famous writer, if any, compares best to your writing style? Is there any particular style of voice you try to showcase?
Readers have, in the past, compared my work to Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher. That being said, I don't think this is necessarily about my writing style or "voice", but rather because they are giants in the Urban Fantasy field.
One reader compared my work to Rumiko Takahashi, particularly Inuyasha, which was interesting to hear.
I don't consciously try to emulate any particular author, though naturally, like all writers, I'm a product of what I personally have read.
As a self-published author, is there anything you would do differently if you could? What is the best advice you could give to an aspiring author?
The best advice I could give is to make mistakes - at least, don't be hesitant. Writing and publishing are both complex and you're going to make many mis-steps on the way. It's difficult, but you need to strive through those or you're never going to get anywhere. I spent several years worrying about this, when really I should've got started in 2011.
Lastly, where can we find your work?
My work can be found in many places:
Details about The Scissors and the Sword:
http://by-ethan-fox.com/TheScissorsAndTheSword
Amazon: http://getbook.at/TSATS
Twitter: https://twitter.com/By_Ethan_Fox
Tumblr and blog: http://by-ethan-fox.com
Mailing List: http://by-ethan-fox.com/mailinglist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ByEthanFox/