Oliver Paglia interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

Oliver Paglia is a writer/ filmmaker and was born and bred in Hampshire, south England, where he grew up on a small farm in the picturesque Test Valley countryside. He now lives in Reykjavik, Iceland with his veterinary nurse partner, Snæfriður Stefanssdottír. For many years Oliver has worked as a videographer in England and has a substantial portfolio of commercial and artistic film work spanning a broad variety of subjects.
Oliver's artistic preoccupation is with the mythic; it is his view that it is one of the highest forms of artistic expression. It can be vague, yet illuminating, without a contemporary context yet insightful as to the human condition, absurd yet wise and dark yet moral. The legends of old are the stories that resonate with us on all levels.
As the late Professor Joseph Campbell put it, "The myth is the public domain and the dream is the private myth. If your private myth, your dream, happens to coincide with that of the society, you are in good accord with your group. If it isn't, you've got a long adventure in the dark forest ahead of you." Also, "Myth must be kept alive. The people who can keep it alive are the artists of one kind or another."
And that is what Oliver hopes to do, to keep myth alive in his own modest way.

When did your love of books begin?

The first book I remember being truly engrossed in was The Hobbit when I was about ten years of age. From then on, fantasy fiction has been a mainstay for me. In my teenage years I became an avid reader of the Gotrek and Felix novels cranked out by Black Library. The colourful and electric prose of writers like Robert E. Howard have proved of great inspiration also.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

I remember the moment well. I was 22 years old, sitting in the backroom office of my family home, watching a documentary about C. S. Lewis and the Narnia books. It was about a thesis called Planet Narnia, by Michael Ward, explaining the secret astrological code hidden within; each of the seven books of the Narniad corresponding to one of the seven traditional planets of astrology. As I was watching, the idea for my fantasy trilogy flooded into my mind. 

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Challenging and deeply satisfying. One of the things that is most difficult is being authentic. Writing your own story, unlike commercial fiction, forces you to be honest with yourself. All art does that to the artist. If it’s really good, it will make the reader be honest with themselves as well. The thing that saddens me most about contemporary art and fiction is the amount of artifice. I would love to see more fiction that tries to communicate with the audience more than being trendy. 

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

In a nutshell, two words: read/write. Before you can be a good writer you have to be able to appreciate good literature. Part of my journey was pushing my reading level; every day I have the energy, I tell myself ‘read-read-read!’. After that, you have to find a process that will work for you;  a tried and tested way of telling a story. Then the writing will take care of itself.

Tell us about your book/books:

The Merewyrm’s Tooth: Animal Kingdoms Book One

Faharen was a contented enough young lad, living a simple farming life with his adopted kin the Manxii, on the North Western Plain of the Animal Kingdoms.

After a mysterious blight begins to ravage the pastures of his homeland, he must embark on a perilous quest only he can complete; to cross the Great Forest, entering the Realms of Men to retrieve a piece of ivory with healing properties from a legendary monster, the Merewyrm; a creature so ancient it predates both man and animal kind.

Not long into his journey, it dawns on Faharen that he is part of a much larger, darker world than he thought existed and must mine hidden depths he wasn’t aware he possessed to survive.

Created by the gods to divide fallen men from the faithful animals and forsaken by them long ago, traversing the Great Forest will not be easy, for it hides many malevolent creatures such as the Satyrs to name but one; a half man, half cloven hooved beast that knows only spite and treachery!

With the body of a man and the heart of a Manxii, Faharen must do what is deemed impossible; cross the worlds to save his people.

 

Conceiving the first book was the most difficult and exhilarating writing experience I’ve ever had. I had to build and entire world from scratch. My aim was to infuse it with as many mythic themes and subtle complexities as I could, while keeping the narrative fluid and exciting. The story centres around the lead character, Faharen. His story is tragic and heroic, as he leaves his family home and is forced to survive or die as a man in an unforgiving world. 

 

Gauntlet of Wrath: Animal Kingdoms Book Two

Residing in a monastery far to the east of the North Western Plain, troubling nightmares stalk Faharen’s sleep as he seeks inner peace and answers to profound questions, stirred up by his quest for the Merewyrm’s tooth.

But in the Realms of Men, all is not well.

Out of the deserts to the south, like a sandstorm on an ill wind, a force of occultists, led by an armoured giant calling himself the Ferra Demiurge, or Forged Lord, wielding the strongest ever blades made of a mysterious metal, have taken the Achaean lands by coup and sorcery. Their ambition and greed is insatiable and the Demiurge will not be satisfied until the entire known world is his, including what lies beyond the Great Forest.

With the worlds of the Animal Kingdoms and men alike set in flux by recent events, the ancient prophecy of the wild men seems to be unravelling.

Now, all those standing against the Achaeans will be tested in their defence of the sacred. Some will conquer, some will die, but all will struggle to survive.

 

With the second instalment, I introduced several new characters, as well as expanding on those established in book one. The story didn’t revolve around a single heroic act, but widened its focus across multiple plot lines, to show the darker side of human nature, and the emergence of a geopolitical struggle between the different peoples of the known world.

 

Tree of Life: Animal Kingdoms Book Three

COMING SOON!

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

I love the community on Twitter. Everybody helps each other out with lots of likes and retweets. Personally, the best thing for me is when someone comments on one of my articles or DMs me about my work. I love to engage with my audience as much as possible. 

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

A big THANK YOU! Just thank you so much for taking the time to read my work. I hope you took something great away from it.

Where can people connect with you?

Twitter @pagliapro

https://www.facebook.com/opagliaauthor

please subscribe for more on my Substack where I publish two articles a week on a wide variety of subjects: https://oliverp.substack.com/ 

Book trailers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ7infgXgK0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17uNNwQxMHg