Now, according to the bio that either he or his publicist submitted when we set up this interview, RJ Barker is a softly-spoken Yorkshireman with flowing locks. He lives in the frozen north with his wife and son, and divides his time between writing and looking after his son.

According to the about page on his blog, RJ Barker is (and I quote) “Probably more ridiculous than you already believe.”

RJ is the author of The Wounded Kingdom series, which comprises Age of Assassins, Blood of Assassins, & King of Assassins and his newest book is The Bone Ships which is the first in The Tide Child series.

In this episode RJ and I discuss:

• The story behind The Bone Ships
• Hearing and creating the voice of a fantasy world
• Working with a copyeditor while breaking the writing rules
• Deciding when and how to break writing rules
• Creating an awesome opening line
• Balancing immersing a reader and explaining a world

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

About the Author

RJ Barker is a softly-spoken Yorkshireman with flowing locks. He lives in the frozen north with his wife and son, and divides his time between writing and looking after his son. 

The Bone Ships 

A crew of condemned criminals embark on a suicide mission to hunt the first sea dragon seen in centuries in the first book of this adventure fantasy trilogy. 

Violent raids plague the divided isles of the Scattered Archipelago. Fleets constantly battle for dominance and glory, and no commander stands higher among them than “Lucky” Meas Gilbryn.

But betrayed and condemned to command a ship of criminals, Meas is forced on a suicide mission to hunt the first living sea-dragon in generations. Everyone wants it, but Meas Gilbryn has her own ideas about the great beast. In the Scattered Archipelago, a dragon’s life, like all lives, is bound in blood, death and treachery.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode #271

(Right-click to download.)

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 271: Write by Instinct and Break the Rules — Interview with RJ Barker appeared first on DIY MFA.