Writing, Drawing & Making Music! An Interview With Rory Mackay!

Rohan: Hi Rory, first of all thanks for joining me for an interview today! I really enjoyed Eladria and it’s great to have this opportunity to talk about you and your writing.

Rory: Thanks Rohan, it’s my pleasure completely! I’m really glad that you enjoyed the book

Rohan: While reading Eladria it was clear to me that you are a fan of the fantasy and science fictions genres. I know you read a lot of eastern philosophy and non-fiction, but can you tell me what kind of fiction you read, and any other sources of inspiration you draw from for the fantasy and sci fi side of things.

Rory: I think my love of fantasy and sci-fi began in childhood initially from genre films and TV, and then transferred to fiction when I got into reading. I was a bit of a sci-fi geek, I loved anything futuristic and I enjoyed things like Star Wars and Star Trek, and I especially liked the latter for the way it combined its futuristic setting with some optimistic and philosophical undertones. For whatever reason, fantasy as a genre hasn’t always translated as well into film and TV, although Peter Jackson pretty much single-handedly changed that. Lord of The Rings was a big inspiration, but when I initially read it in my teens I found it a bit of a struggle to get into. I’m glad I stuck with it though: the sheer intricacy of Tolkien’s world-building is astounding, and I don’t know if anyone has ever come remotely close. I also enjoyed and was inspired by the work of David Eddings, Philip Pullman and Paulo Coelho. I guess my approach to fiction is kind of a hybrid of these guys. These days I generally have quite limited reading time and I tend to focus on nonfiction; I have a quite hungry mind and there’s so much I want to learn and study. But I do love finding fiction that engages me, not just on an entertainment level, but an intellectual and spiritual level. Before I start any writing project, I tend to reach for the classics. Two of my favorite authors are Herman Hesse and Aldous Huxley. Their work, literary style, wisdom and beautiful use of metapor and allegory greatly inspires me.

Eladria, drawing by Rory

Rohan: How did you come up with the idea to write not just Eladria but any of your fiction. For myself and Alex the moment was very clear where we decided to write a book and begin developing plot and characters. Was there a specific “aha” moment when the idea to write a novel was born, and the characters and plot began to take shape? What sparked it all?

Rory: I can’t remember the exact ‘aha moment’, but I do know it stretches back decades! I remember coming up with an idea for a series of adventures set on a fantasy world when I was only about 6 or 7. I remember drawing the characters and developing some of the stories. It wasn’t until I was about 16 that I got back to working on this series of stories. I knew I had something I wanted to share with the world, ideas that were forming in my mind and wanted to find expression. I still have notepads going back to that period, with character biographies, story outlines and skeches. It’s interesting to look back and see how it all unfolded. I spent the next 6 years refining it until I came up with the outline of my first novel, ‘The Key of Alanar’. I then spent several years writing that and, having been unable to find a publisher at the time, I started writing ‘Eladria’ as a prelude to this series. I just couldn’t let go of it. It had been part of my life for so long, and I knew I had to get it out there somehow. Fortunately I managed to do that, second time lucky!

Rohan: Wow, it must feel amazing to finally see your writing published after such a long writing process! You are a native Scot, born in Glasgow I believe. How did growing up and living in Scotland shape your personality and your writing?

Peace and quiet.

Rory: That’s right, I’m what they call a ‘Weegie’ (native of Glasgow!). We moved around quite a bit as a kid. As a result I never felt myself as particularly ‘belonging’ anywhere. I’m proud to be a Scot, but I must admit I’m not terribly nationalistic. I see myself as an inhabitant of the world first and foremost. What I love about where I live (along the North East coast of Scotland) is that it’s scenic and generally pretty quiet. I think I got all the partying out my system when I was a student, I really like peace and quiet now. I think I’m prematurely ready for my pipe and slippers! I find cities fascinating for the activity, noise and bustle and the sheer fun of people-watching. But creatively and spiritually, I seem to need solitude and peace and as few distractions as possible. Nothing inspires me quite as much as nature, being under a blue sky, among trees and flowers. Maybe I’m gonna reincarnate as a garden gnome?!

Rohan: Haha, I think I must have gotten my partying out of my system in a previous life. I am definitely ready for my pipe and slippers! Living in Dublin City I definitely miss the quiet of nature. Have you always lived in Scotland? If you could choose to live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

Rory: I lived in Surrey, near London for several years when I was a kid. I loved it there. There’s actually a pretty big difference in the climate between where I live and the south of England. Much milder! As much as I like Scotland, I hate the climate. I really don’t like cold and don’t function well in it. So I would like to live somewhere warmer. The crazy part of me would like to live somewhere remote in South America – even though I’ve never been there, I feel a strong pull to go! The more rational part of me thinks that perhaps somewhere in Spain or Italy would be nice. I think the climate would suit me just fine.

Dat climate! Brrrrr.

Rohan: I’m the same. I have a romantic ideal of living and writing in sunny South America or South East Asia. I may have to start with the South of France though when I get the chance haha. A central theme of Eladria is mysticism and spirituality, particularly the eastern traditions of Taoism and Non Dualism. Do you feel that your fiction is a vehicle to share this way of thinking and being? Or is it more of an afterthought, a nice bonus to the already rich and exciting fantasy tale?

Rory: Great question. It is very important to me. I’ve spent a great deal of time studying the art of writing and storytelling and what I found was that stories really evolved as a means of helping us make sense of our experience of life. Joseph Campbell’s work on comparative mythology really triggered a whole series of light bulbs in my head. He found that all the great stories, myths, fairy tales literature and films contain similar elements. They are symbolic tales of our journey through life: going from lack, limitation, separation and adversity, experiencing all kinds of trials, initiations and rites of passage, and eventually finding a transcendent state of harmony, balance, peace and wholeness (that was actually within us all along).

I see stories as a vehicle for sharing these truths and exploring the human condition. It’s something we really lack in our culture. We have no mythology to help us make sense of life. Most of our modern stories, in literature, film and television, lack the depth of the ancient stories because it’s something as a culture we’ve lost. I wanted to tell a story that says something about the struggles we face through life, that shows our journey emotionally, psychologically and spiritually as we learn to heal the things that hold us back and embrace the true power within us to create, to love and to live in peace.

In terms of writing though, I first let the story emerge. It’s almost as though I can ‘feel’ my way to a story that wants to tell itself, and then it’s a process of excavation. I just let it emerge. That was the case with ‘Eladria’. It was quite a passive approach. I felt the ideas all coming to me and I literally just sat back and took notes! Then I brushed it up and tidied up the details, and as I was writing I let the themes emerge themselves. It wasn’t until I was almost finished the first draft that I realised what the book was truly about in terms of metaphor and spiritual meaning. It’s a book about healing our shadows and realising the oneness of existence. So I didn’t really force the message into it. I just let it reveal itself

Rohan: That’s very interesting. A lot of modern storytelling lacks that transcendence theme, which is sad. Launching a book can be incredibly draining, nerve wracking but at the same time satisfying. What has been the most challenging aspect of the publishing process so far? Is there anything you would do differently if you had the chance to do it all over again?

Rory: I’m so glad to hear from someone else that it’s incredibly draining! I knew from the start of the year that the publication date would be 31 May and I had planned well in advance, but I still ended up totally exhausting myself and working round the clock. I never do things by half and I think I gave myself too much work. I created an extensive website that I designed and built myself, with lots of background info, character biographies and artwork, an original full-length soundtrack which took almost a year to complete, music videos, as well as the regular promo activities like social networking, releasing extracts, press releases, interviews, etc. I like the fact that ‘Eladria’ is a multimedia project with a lot more to it besides just a book. But next time I think I’ll have to relax things a bit and just focus on a few elements.

The most challenging aspect of the publishing process has been learning the art of marketing and promotion. It’s not something that comes naturally to me and I don’t like pushy marketing. So I tried to find a way that worked for me, and that was inviting people to share the experience rather than just telling people just to go buy my book. No one likes being told what to buy! I’m such a contrarian that if someone tells me to do something I’ll probably do the opposite haha. But if you engage people, as I tried to do, then they’ll perhaps actually want to buy it themselves. I guess it’ll be a while before I learn if I was successful in this endeavour. Either way, I have learned a lot and had fun along the way.

Van’Garat, my favorite character. Drawing by Rory.

Rohan: I was so impressed by the multimedia aspects. The amount of work you put into the character portraits and the soundtrack is really amazing! I know it’s very early to ask this but, once Eladria has been out a number of months, what’s next for you in terms of writing? I know you have at least one other work in progress. What’s it about and when, roughly, do you think we’ll get to read it?

Rory: I think the next thing I’m going to do is go back and re-work my first (unpublished) novel, ‘The Key of Alanar’. It’s a parallel story to ‘Eladria’ and part of the same series, with the third book tying them together. ‘The Key of Alanar’ is something I poured years of my life into and I’m immensely proud of it. It has an even more epic storyline than ‘Eladria’, spanning ten thousand years featuring a really intense and insidious battle between darkness and light for the central protagonist. Only a few people have read it but it really moved them. I’m going to rework it a little to fit in elements from ‘Eladria’ and then hopefully get that published next year. I also have plans for another fantasy series, which is quirkier and a little more ‘out there’…and yet quite political in nature. It’s called ‘The Dreamlight Fugitives’. I have a number of ideas in my head and I feel it’s something that wants to be written soon!

Rohan: As mentioned earlier another very cool thing about the release of Eladria is the fact that you wrote, performed and produced an entire sound track to go along with the book! Not only that but you are giving it away free to those who purchase the book. I’ve listened through it and it’s really impressive! The songs match the drama of their respective chapters perfectly. When did you first start creating music? Do you play an instrument, or do you primarily program your music?

Rory: Thanks Rohan, I really appreciate your feedback and the advice you gave me when I was struggling with mastering! I worked very hard on it and had to push the boundaries of my abilities, knowledge and skill. I played piano when I was a kid, but I remember not being very into it at the time. My parents payed for piano lessons, but my teachers weren’t that great. One was actually a drunk who usually passed out on the sofa while I was trying to master whatever piece of music he’d set me. Not very inspiring! It was only a few years ago that I bought myself a keyboard and then invested in music software, and I began composing music. I really enjoy ambient music and I immediately started working on a very chilled ambient album called ‘Sleeping Angels’ (or ‘A Transient Place’, I could never decide on the title). I played each track on my keyboard using a MIDI connection and Logic software instruments, occasionally using a drum loop or sound effects. I’m hoping to finish release this album sometime this year, as well as an album of Sanskrit chants, as chanting is something I enjoy.

For the soundtrack I knew I had to create a different and more intense tone, so as well as playing keyboards, I incorporated and mixed some orchestral and electronic loops to give it a bit more kick. Although I found it a challenge to mix and master, I think it holds together well and I believe the soundtrack is a journey in itself.

Rohan: It definitely holds together and I’m glad I was able to help out with that! As a fan of your blogging, writing and now music, it’s been a pleasure to talk to you and to get to know you better. Thanks again for stopping by. I wish you all the best with the release of Eladria and I look forward to reading many more books of yours in the future!

Rory: Thanks Rohan! It’s been my absolute pleasure. I’m a huge fan of your work also and have immense respect for your talents as a writer, blogger and musician. I’ve enjoyed answering your questions and very much appreciate your time