Rune S. Nielsen interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

What can I tell you about me besides that I'm a writer of fantasy books? Well, my living arrangements might be of interest. I live in a cozy house-share on the outskirts of Copenhagen in Denmark, and I spend my days with my wife, our Ragdoll cat, the heroically fluffy Mr. Muffin, and the other denizens of the house-share: one of my oldest and best friends and his big family.

I take a walk around the nearby lakes every day, and the fresh air and beauty really help me to get into a writing mood. Here is a picture of a swan I drew inspired by the real thing. I used the image as a vignette in one of my books.

When did your love of books begin?

I've loved fantasy since my mother read the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings aloud when I was a kid. But I like lots of other genres too, like biographies, spy stuff, and science-fiction.

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

As a young man, I decided I'd write my first book before I was 18. I had these great ideas. One was for a LitRPG novel (way before the genre was a thing,) an epic fantasy about gods and elves, and a science fiction book taking place in a dystopian Copenhagen following WW3 and ecological collapse.

Did I do it? Read on…

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Well, I can tell you that the beginning was like a naked trek across a twisting path covered in barbed wire. I was in a car accident when I was 17, came close to dying, and spent years finding my way back. Since I initially couldn’t work for long periods at a time, it forced me to forget about book writing…for a long time.

Instead, I focused on what I could do. I got better and began to write short pieces in magazines about roleplaying games and computer games, and it was this "fun stuff" that eventually led me to university where I got my bachelor's degree in Journalism and later to many fun jobs like being the editor of a small newspaper, being a reporter at Channel 2 TV news, being the Editor in Chief at Denmark’s biggest webpage, and ending in communication roles at major corporations.

Still, the dream of writing books never left me, and one glorious day, my life, sorry I mean to write my wife, allowed me to follow my dream.

And so, we sold the house, moved into a house-share and I began to write full time, releasing my first book in 2020. I was 50 years of age…not 18. And this December, I'll publish book number four.

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

It's never too late, but it's a lot of work to write a book, so you'll have to really want it.

Tell us about your book/books:

My books are epic/high fantasy or Sword & Sorcery fantasy.

My first one was Doomsayer Prince. Read about it here. ( https://runesnielsen.com/brief )

My latest one was called A Company of Adventurers. Read about it here. ( https://runesnielsen.com/tales-of-kjeldale-series )

And my new one is Arch of the Zhi’el. ( https://runesnielsen.com/shop )

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

That you can find likeminded individuals whether its readers or writers. Being a writer can get lonely, all that sitting by yourself writing. It's important to find others to talk to. This doesn’t have to be your readers or other writers, but it's always interesting to talk to people that love the same things you do, and when you get to know readers who like your books it feels like getting that Christmas present you really wanted, and you can always learn something from other writers, and not only those with more experience than you.

As an icebreaker I do interviews with fantasy authors. ( https://runesnielsen.com/author/author-interviews )

I've also created a free guide about how to publish books yourself. ( https://runesnielsen.com/author )

And a lot of people regularly find the articles I write about for instance AI art. ( https://runesnielsen.com/news/2022/8/18/ai-art-and-why-its-a-whole-new-game-with-stable-diffusion )

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

I know I “always” write books that end on cliffhangers…BUT don't worry! All my series will end on a positive note. You do not have to worry about that.

Where can people connect with you?

Instagram where I post images every day ( https://www.instagram.com/rune.s.nielsen )

My webpage ( https://runesnielsen.com )

Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/1318760974938958 )

Twitter ( https://twitter.com/RSNielsenAuthor )