The Tides of Kadavar received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Carl Wooldridge.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
The name of my book is The Tides of Kadavar and it was published 07 October 2024.
What’s the book’s first line?
The first line of the book is in the Prologue “Legacy” and it reads: “It was the middle of the night. The moons and the stars were invisible.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
The book is about a man named Henrick, who is part of the army belonging to the kingdom of Claymore. He gets assigned to a special unit made to hunt down magic users in the kingdom, but on his first mission, his unit gets ambushed by a third party that was out there waiting for them. After barely surviving the ambush, Henrick discovers that his kingdom is going to be invaded, and after reporting the information to his superiors, he gets exiled from the kingdom. Although he gets thrown out, he goes on a journey with some friends and allies to find a way to stop the invasion.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I’ve always loved fantasy, but if I had to put my finger on the reason for writing, it would have to be the passing of my son. I am one of those persons where imagination is my escape, and after losing my son, I had to go deeper than I have ever gone before.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
The main reason that I think someone should read my book is because I try to keep the fantasy in my story and world in the realm of having those classic-style roots, but I have my own little twist on things. For example, in most fantasies you have elves, and I will admit that I almost put elves in my world, but I wanted something more interesting. So, I came up with the dryad, a people who evolved from wooden fey creatures into humonoids. Additionally, my main character is a paladin, and who doesn’t want a story about paladins.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Although, the main character is human, he grew up around dwarves and has picked up their speech patterns, mannerisms, and their steadfastness. I don’t know about any specific personifications, but when I am writing Henrick’s dialogue, I have to pretend like I’m hearing a seagoing scottsman.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I started laying the ground work and building the background material exactly one year after my son’s passing. This was in 2011.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
The Tides of Kadavar is the first book I have written, and as of right now I have a plan for five more main volumes as well as several smaller books that will take place in between. The plan is to get this done over the next decade.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
Right now, I am still active duty Navy (close to retirement), but once I am finished I will be living in Colorado where writing will take up most of my time.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
If I plan to write and the mood is good, I can get a couple of hours in a day. If I don’t have work to worry about (like being on vacation), then it’s no problem for me to sit and type for eight hours or more.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part of being independent is the control over the whole operation. I get to see it, breathe it, hit it with a hammer. The worst part about it is the hard budgeting, and what I mean is that I know that I don’t have the extra cash to hire an artist, so I am using AI (for art only). At the same time, the use of that tool is to kind of give a template of how I would like (hopefully and eventually) the book to look after a human does all the art and whatnot. If the books manage to break out, then I will have an easier time getting a human to do the art. But until then, I am left sketching my own stuff and using AI to transform it.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
My best piece of advice for other indie authors would be this: even though we are not traditional publishing, set timelines for yourself to get stuff done, and then get it done. Self-starting and initiative is the name of the game with this part of the writing world. Own it.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I’m not closed-minded to the idea of traditional publishing, but I think after doing the military for two decades, I don’t want to work for anyone else for the rest of my life.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
Much like the people of Claymore in my book, I prefer to do this writing thing for the glory. To say that, “I wrote a book. A 500 page book. And I’m going to do it again, and again.” If fame or fortune are a byproduct of my glory, then so be it. I really just want to give people a good book.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
As far as other authors, I do have my “Big 3” as I call them. R.A. Salvatore (The Drizzt Series), Drew Karpyshyn (The Darth Bane Trilogy), and Raymond E. Feist (The Riftwar Saga). Those three gentleman have really captured me as a reader.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
I wish I could have had the brain to write “The Rule of Two” by Drew Karpyshyn. Even though its a Star Wars book, the fact that the main character is probably one of the most insane villains I have ever read about it gives me goosebumps thinking about the stuff that Darth Bane does in the book.