Hello, Readers! Clevenger here again.

We’re talking influences… what an outstanding way to start 2022! Let’s see what I can add to this.

In a lot of ways, I was very similar to Graham. I started reading very, VERY early. My parents were young, I didn’t have many friends, so books became my sanctuary. But I had little guidance on what to read or where to start. My mother had been an avid reader when she was a kid, but wasn’t reading a lot when I was growing up. So, I had to find my path with what I had available.

When I was in 2nd and 3rd grade, when I was between 7 and 8 years old, I found my uncle’s stash of Hardy Boy books my grandmother had stored in her attic. My “Grannie A” loved to read Christian romance novels and wanted me to have something to read when she was. So she opened this little chest of books, probably about 80 of them, and set me loose. I burned through the stash quickly, reading as much as I could. Franklin W. Dixon (which I didn’t know until recently was a name used by multiple authors) was my first “real” book series. The influence of those books and that genre still resonate with me. Plot twists, hidden mysteries, and red herrings are some of my favorite things to think about.

But quickly, I got past these and wanted more. So I turned to my other grandmother (who you will hear more about in this series) to see what she was reading. She was a more “liberal” reader and had a small library in her house that she shelved all her books on. This really solidified that reading as an adult was something that could continue to happen if you chose to. She handed me the last book she had read and asked if I wanted to try it. With a small gesture, she changed my life. She introduced me to Stephen King.

Stephen King shaped a lot of how I read. I took down books like “It” and “The Stand” so the concept of a 900+ page novel wasn’t scary to me. I would travel with paperbacks on my hip and read whenever and wherever I would go. I never bookmarked pages, and never, NEVER dogeared a page, but would always remember where I left off and pick right back up. I was a book junkie.

I was the son of a factory worker, and money was always a bit tight. We had everything we needed, but not a lot of “extra.” Buying books was a luxury, and I (like Graham) would save up for the Book Fair at school. But quickly, I realized that I had outpaced the books available to elementary and middle school students. So I turned to the best source I knew. The public library.

I would check out books like “Night Shift” and fall in love with stories like “Quitters, Inc.” and “Gray Matter” and knowing that I wanted to re-read them over and over. So I would sit at my grandmother’s typewriter… yes, an IBM Selectric… and transcribe them. No school typing class could ever match my desire to get what I wanted.

But ironically, through elementary and middle school, I never really got exposed to Fantasy or Sci-Fi. Closest things I had gotten to were “The Dark Tower” and Bradbury’s “Farenheit 451.” But… things always work out.

When I met Graham, he introduced me to Card, Salvatore, and Goodkind. I dug into others and had some off and on success. But I think Robert Jordan was one of the biggest authors that really changed fantasy for me. A sweeping epic, a deep world, lots and lots of lore. “The Wheel of Time” really set fantasy for me. When Brandon Sanderson took over that series, I gave him a lot of respect. That was a big ordeal.

Other fantasy authors like Brent Weeks, David Eddings, and others have all given me a bit of interesting nudges in new directions and I’ve loved them all.

But here’s the thing. I don’t really follow them as people. They could have loads of crap in their backgrounds, and I may never know. I’ve always been an oblivious sort of guy. Celebrity status and limelight mean nothing to me and I don’t follow gossip or celebrity news. So, for me, the biggest events that make headlines are how you interact with your art and the consumers.

When your attitude affects the craft, it’s a hard hit for me. When Goodkind had a few interviews where he trashed the fantasy genre and waved his superiority over it… those incidents were well-known to me. I didn’t know about Card’s overly religious homophobia until much later. I don’t agree with either of them. To me, their viewpoints are narrow, stunted, and harmful. However, “Ender’s Game,” as Graham mentioned, was a major work of science fiction that was very well crafted and it’s hard to not see the impact it had on the genre as a whole. Showing support for these individuals vs. recognizing their contributions to the craft is a thin line of balance and is hard to find. When possible, I certainly hope to gravitate for authors that are an inspiration in the craft as well as being quality human beings.

It’s why an author, who has not yet been mentioned, may be the second biggest influence on me. King shaped me. His written words (and now some of his interview videos) have encouraged me to follow this dream. I may even have a letter from him (I’m tearing the house apart looking for it!) that told me to pursue my dreams as a writer when I was 10. Without a doubt, King is my biggest influence as a writer, even though style-wise, his writing is not how I write.

The second biggest author(s) influence for me is Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I got “Dragons of Winter Night” as a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law. She was unware it was the middle book of a series, saw a dragon on it, and thought I would like it. It was 2003 and now in my twenties, I knew what to do. I went to the library, borrowed the rest of the books, and sat down to read. And I consumed them quickly. They were fun, they were fantastic, and they were entertaining. I just got lost in the worlds.

In 2011, I was walking the convention floor at GenCon, a large gaming convention in Indianapolis, when I stumbled across an RPG System that I hadn’t heard of, but it had the words “World designed by Weis and Hickman” so I stopped. I told my wife that it could be very cool, because they crafted amazingly beautiful lore and worlds. That they were brilliant authors and that it might be awesome. Suddenly, a small voice said in front of me. “Thank you, that’s nice to hear.”

I looked up and was staring at Margaret Weis. She shook my hand, I thanked her again for all the work she had done, and that it was an amazing experience to meet her. I didn’t get photos, or bother her for an autograph, I just fanboyed and went on my way. But it was a life changing moment. Now, when I picture what I want to be as an artist. This is the vision. To shake the hand of a fan, and set them on a path to whatever they may desire.

Graham said that there is a chance that “we may become somebodies problematic author.” And that’s certainly a possibility. In society, when we express a viewpoint, we are bound to be in disagreement with another’s. My wife and I have had many, many discussions about “cancel culture” and what it means. I support the message behind it. Acceptance, representation, and equality for all is the ideal. Getting that message to people is so important. But I don’ think that “cancel” messages are the right delivery. Instead, I have taken that stand in my words.

Creating this world where characters like Jesse can live openly and honestly is important to me. I think that giving heroic representation of a gay character is important. I’ve seen how the world has reacted to Graham, my sister, and other people in my life and hope to give readers a safe space where they can relate to a character like them, but not feel the oppression that is so prevailing in our world. This may ruffle some feathers out there in the world, but I’m okay with that.

Whew! That was fun. Authors are a tricky lot, and as people can be inspiring and flawed. It was really hard not to deep dive into my all time impactful books during this conversation. A few of them are by author’s mentioned here… there are a few surprises. But for now, I shall sit and let Graham steer that ship. What books you got for us?

Be kind.

-Clevenger