7 Questions from The Serrulata Saga Desk: Daniel Meyer

Pen Name: Daniel Meyer
Pronouns: he/him
Book Series/Latest Book Published: Credible Threats, Sam Adams Book One

Introduce your current favorite character – who are they and why do you prefer them above all others at the moment?

Well, I suppose I have to say Sam Adams. It seems like a writer should choose one of the scene-stealing supporting characters instead of doing the obvious thing and picking their main character, but I think that has to be the answer. He’s the one who’s propelled me to publication, and the one that the story revolves around. Even when I’m struggling otherwise, his narrative voice flows right into the page, and comes more naturally to me than anything else. And besides, he’s the kind of loose cannon, underdog protagonist that I enjoy.

Who is harder to write – an interesting hero or an interesting villain?

So far, it’s been an interesting villain. Since the Sam Adams books are in first person, it can be a struggle to develop the other characters, since they literally disappear when not in Sam’s immediate perception. It can be a challenge to make an antagonist really compelling when the time that they’re interacting with Sam and on-page is limited.

You’re trapped in an elevator with your main character. What are you discussing?

Haha, this question takes me back to my days as a substitute teacher, trying to figure out how to hold a conversation with goofy teenagers. Hopefully he wouldn’t figure out I was his author. He would no doubt find all sorts of things to joke around about, I would chime in, and we’d end up riffing off of one another. I can imagine him trying to figure out if he could use magic to escape, while I fretted that he would blow up the elevator and kill us.

What is the most challenging aspect of writing for you? How do you conquer it?

So far, it’s been getting my stories fleshed out enough to consider them publishable. I have no shortage of ideas, but it takes draft after wearying draft to make it come together enough to take it to the next level. I struggle to get it all to hang together in a coherent plotline. I guess I conquer it by just continuing to bash away. A person can sense when something isn’t quite right in their manuscript and you just have to keep trying until it clicks. I just keep going until the book is finally long enough, and I’m completely exasperated and out of ideas, and then its off to my editor, Sarah Chorn.  

If you could write a cross-over with another book/series, what would it be and why? (Or, if cross-overs don’t interest you, why?)

Oh, this is a good one. I’ve racked my brain to come up with an answer, and I’ve realized there’s only one choice: that fantasy blockbuster epic A Song of Ice and Fire.

I can see it now: Sam and Tyrion Lannister uniting in a tag team of snark to drive Tywin up a wall. Warily eyeing his (far more subtle) fellow magic practitioner Melisandre. Levitating Ramsay Bolton out a window. Fighting the Others atop the Wall. Trying to pet the direwolves. Learning to ride a horse and clanking around in plate armor. I can imagine the look on his face when he encounters Dany’s dragons, and her complete bewilderment at his antics. The possibilities are endless.

In your opinion, what is the purpose of storytelling?

Is there only one? No doubt it varies from story to story and writer to writer. It’s just a very natural thing for humans to do. Humans like stories and the telling of them, so we use our imaginations to do it, to communicate various things, as well as, like I said, just for the sake of doing it. And it’s clear that it’s something very necessary and important for us to do. Beyond that, I think the purposes can vary wildly depending on the era, culture, particular storyteller, etc.

Ok, last but not least… Tell us a bit about what made you want to become a writer and why you write what you write.

I’ve always had ideas for stories, lots of them, and when I was I my twenties, and started reading even more prolifically than I already was, I started getting even more. Finally, I just decided I couldn’t let them go to waste, and took the plunge. Basically, I just write the kind of stories I would like to read myself. The Sam Adams books certainly fit that description. For those specifically, it popped into my head one day that someone should write a story about a wizard in high school. A pretty basic concept, but one that really captured my imagination.

​Where to find Daniel Meyer:
Website: danielmeyerauthor.com
Twitter: @dmeyerauthor

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