Our April 2024 Q & A features author J.V. Hilliard. Hilliard is the author of the popular Warminster series in the fantasy genre which includes Nordic Myth and Legend, Norse and Viking Myth and Legend, and Metaphysical Fantasy.
Hilliard lives in the Pittsburgh area. He has written four books in the Warminster Saga, and a Kindle Vella story, The Element of Time which is a spin-off from the saga.
He publishes Altered Reality Magazine which specializes in speculative fiction, covering Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, and other genres. The magazine publishes quarterly issues, monthly serials, and more.
According to Hilliard, “Altered Reality is by creatives and for creatives, offering a free platform for artists, authors, and poems.
We met at a writer’s conference. He was a panelist. and I was feverously taking notes in my illegible handwriting. We got the opportunity to chat during a break and at the end of the presentations.
Soon after the conference he beat me to the punch by sending an email about keeping in touch. I’d already visited Amazon to check out the Warminster Series and purchased book one.
It didn’t take much to persuade me to make April our Fantasy issue.
I’ve always been intrigued by the fantasy genre. How do you create a unique world with magic, elves, humans, mythical and mystical creatures, epic battles, unspeakably evil villains, complex champions, and a soupçon of romance?
J.V. Hilliard agreed to answer questions about his work, the distinctions between the fantasy genre and similar genres, and how he created the world his characters inhabit. Here are his answers in his own words. Thanks Joe! Enjoy!
1. I enjoyed your bio on your website. How did you come up with such an interesting way to describe yourself to your readers?
I was asked once by a radio show host to send a bio and information on me as an author, but he stressed that he didn’t want it to ordinary. “Be creative,” he said. So, I cast myself into my own fantasy realm of Warminster as the “chronicler” of my saga and thus, my fantasy bio was born. However, the host chastised me for sending him the fantasy bio and even though I pleaded my case, he still wouldn’t accept me as a guest for his show. But everyone else seems to enjoy it so I use it.
2. When did you develop a love of reading? What books did you read during your childhood that made you want to become an author?
I developed a love of reading thanks to my uncle, who was a second father to me. He was a marine and was paralyzed in combat and as a quadriplegic was very limited in what he could do. But he could write and part of my love for the craft was born from my love for him and of course wanting to be more like him. As I grew older, he introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons and my infatuation with fantasy adventure blossomed. Both writing and “D&D” were forms of escapism for him from his condition, but for me, they were a way to share something together knowing he could do very little else.
3. If you have children, do you read to them? Because you are a writer, do they ask you to make up stories for them?
We don’t have kids, but my wife is a state certified childcare provider and watches many children. And yes, of course, I am the group storyteller and have even introduced several to Dungeons and Dragons.
4. Tell us a little about Altered Reality Magazine and the talented team of writers you have assembled.
I wrote a serial for Altered years ago and more recently, the woman who owned it approached me and asked me to take over for her. I have two other writers who help me run it—Abigail Linhardt and Allison Ivy. The three of us accept submissions in a variety of speculative fiction genres like fantasy, cryptid stories, horror, sci-fi, and more. We accept short stories, poems, and art too. It’s a great way for new authors to get their start and for award-winning, established authors to have their stuff promoted in front of our annual readership of nearly 200,000.
5. The idea of writing one book is daunting for most people. What motivated you to begin the Warminster Saga?
The Warminster Saga began as one book, and the idea for a series came later. It’s a story that’s always been in my head, and when everything shut down due to Covid, it was a great opportunity to get it all down onto virtual paper. It was a silver lining during a very dark time. And when I sought a traditional publisher to help, she explained to me that almost all fantasy novels are launched as series and in order for me to publish with her, I’d have to agree to do the same. It didn’t take much convincing. I bought in and the Warminster Saga was born.
6. Many readers/writers consider JRR Tolkien’s high fantasy works, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings to be the standard of excellence for all other books in the fantasy genre. How do you balance these expectations while creating your own unique world within the genre?
I think the beauty of Tolkien’s world is how fully formed it is. It’s a good rubric for ensuring your own work is just as expansive. You can’t go into it thinking you’ll reach Tolkien’s level, but you can make sure you give your work every chance. And so, I took steps to create a past for my realm of Warminster, created its own pantheon of gods, a unique monetary system, its own magic system and of course family trees for royals and baronies alike. The more well-formed it is, the more believable it can be.
7. Even though they are fantasies, how much research do you have to do for your novels? How difficult is it to create other languages such as the language used for incantations?
Because the setting is more medieval so-to-speak, it required a bit of research. I had to know the workings of castles, how warships were built and sailed and other cultural items. But since it is fantasy, an author can break or create his/her own rules from time to time, which I did with some “sci-fi” baked into my realm too.
8. Given the amount of research and preparation required to create a fantasy world/universe, do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantster? Do you know exactly how each book in the series will end before you begin writing it?
I wish I could be a pantser, but I am 100% a plotter/planner. In order for me to write, I have to plan everything first. I need to know how each book will end before I start writing so that I may write toward it. Winging it sounds romantic, but I would fail at “pants-ing.”
9. Your world features mythical and mystical creatures, humans, several kinds of elves, and trollborns, who are the result of a union between a human and a non-human. All are capable of being good or evil. How do you balance the internal and external struggles between good and evil for your characters? (You can choose one or two specific characters or give a general answer)
It’s important to note that characters must feel fully fleshed out and as normal as the reader. Humans are complex and sometimes contradictory. They’re not entirely good or bad. I tried my best to bring that to the characters. I also think this injects a much-needed realism into the stories, grounding it in some familiarity and thus making it more believable.
10. Magic is important to the plot, yet your heroes and villains can only use it sparingly. How did you decide what type of magic each side would possess? What can they not use magic to accomplish?
It was important to me that neither side could use it limitlessly as that would mean a massive overpowering of certain characters and getting rid of any sort of jeopardy in the plot. Some magic needed to be learned; others attained through sacrifice or discipline. And even others came from divine intervention. Sure, the villain can appear powerful at times, but as long as the reader can see a path to victory for the heroes through a hole in their “armor” then jeopardy still exists for both sides.
11. Have you ever been larping ? Why or why not?
Yes. I attended the Pennsic War at Cooper’s Lake in Pennsylvania one hot summer when I was in college. The group known as the Society for Creative Anachronisms (SEA) runs it and people from all over the world descend on the lake each year for the big war and other offseason events. It was a great time.
12. The fantasy genre is often considered sexist for adhering to traditional roles for women in medieval times (knights and princesses, warriors and serving wenches). The women featured in your series are vibrant and strong-willed… definitely not damsels in distress waiting to be saved. They often prevail against villains, misogynists, and sometimes misogynistic villains by using their wits and special talents. What made you decide to move away from the more traditional representations of women in the fantasy genre?
I think it’s expected in today’s fantasy adventure stories. People of all walks of life are welcomed and need to be included. And I grew up around strong willed women who were my heroes. I couldn’t imagine a world, let alone a fantasy one, where women cannot be of equal standing than men, as demonstrated by the courage of Princess Addilyn or Lady Ember Fleury in my novels.
13. In addition to the importance of setting in the fantasy genre, your works feature diverse characters and strong character development. Who are your scene stealers? Did any of them surprise you?
Incanus Dru’Waith is a scene stealer as a villain. I was surprised at how popular of a character a bad, evil, and despotic assassin could be. I had one reader ask me not to kill him off as he was my “Boba Fett.” Not sure I could get a better compliment for a minor character. Also, Blue Conney, my comic relief character gets some love from my readership as well.
14. The Last Keeper, the first book in the series, features parallel storylines about Daemus Alaric, a young Keeper of the Forbidden and Addilyn Elspeth, an elven princess. How difficult was it to create two separate storylines then gradually weave them together?
Being a plotter definitely helps as I can plug in a particular scene that fits before or after a certain character’s scene. I know what needs to happen and with the proper planning can weave them together. I think being a dungeon master for my role-playing endeavors over the years has also helped me understand pacing and the “when’s and where’s” of intersecting plot arcs.
15. The bond between Ritter and his falcon is an interesting plot device. How did you come up with the idea to have them telepathically connected?
Part of the idea came from my many years playing Dungeons and Dragons. I loved the idea of giving Ritter a companion and as someone who had plenty of alone time as a trollborn, it made sense that he’d have a strong pet. But hey—it’s fantasy, so why not a magical connection of sorts. His part-elven blood lends to a bit of mysticism so having a special bond with a woodland creature made it fun and believable.
16. Does the Warminster Saga end at four? Is there a possibility of further adventures?
The official series does end with book four, Echoes of Ghostwood, but I have ideas for a second series that still is set in the world of Warminster. Before that, though, I have a few spinoff novels that revolve around a few of the more popular characters in The Warminster Saga.
17. Your latest work, The Element of Time, is available on Kindle Vella. What made you choose the Kindle Vella platform and how easy is it for your readers to use?
I wanted to try Vella because having a more direct way to release my work appealed to me. It’s easy to set up a weekly schedule and release a chapter or episode each week in the serialization format they require, and it has helped me reach readers who are in that Kindle Vella circle.
18. Have you considered writing in other genres? If so which ones?
I’ve had a vampire novel on the backburner, so I could see myself writing supernatural horror, but that is down the road, post Warminster.
19. Do you have any events or book signings planned this spring or summer?
Plenty. I will be at DragonCon in Atlanta, Pittsburgh’s ComiCon in June, and GalaxyCon in Richmond in July with more to follow in the fall and holiday seasons.
20. What else should we know about J.V. Hilliard and his work?
I’m developing graphic novel adaptations of Warminster as well as partnering with Melderverse for a blended reality video game based on the novels. Definitely look out for those in 2025.
Works by J.V. Hilliard:
The Warminster Saga:
The Last Keeper (Book one)
Vorodin’s Lair (Book two)
The Trillias Gambit (Book three)
Echoes of Ghostwood (Book four)
Books Available on Kindle Vella:
The Element of Time
For more information visit the author’s website, JVHILLIARD.COM