Gamer. Reader. Writer. Whatever.: Q&A with Wil Radcliffe

In honor if Wil Radcliffe's new book tour for his novel, The Whisper King, here is a brief Q&A!

Do you have a specific writing style?

Most of my early writing was in third person. With the Whisper King books I’ve found first person much more rewarding. I really wanted to explore the psyche and motivation for my lead character, David Kinder. It’s a lot of fun writing in David’s voice. He’s much more open and freer than I am.

I like using humor in my writing as well. I grew up watching Monty Python and reading Douglas Adams. I feel Noggle Stones in particular follows that style of humor.

I see the Whisper King as a grittier kind of humor. More American stand-up comedian than British satire. Guess I owe a lot of that to South Park and Cracked.com

How did you come up with the title?

The Whisper King was originally a super hero I created for a role-playing game I used to play. The name just came to me one day. I liked how mysterious and eerie it sounded.

When it came time to name the antagonist for David Kinder’s story, I remembered that super hero. I liked the name so much that I made it the title of the entire series.

What are you working on at the minute?

I’m currently polishing the final draft of the second Whisper King book. And I’m gathering notes and pecking away at the first few chapters of the third and final Whisper King book.

What’s is your book about?

The Whisper King is an ancient being who lures children to a bleak and terrible realm known as the Shadow Mountains. There he trains them to be monsters, preparing them for a mysterious war that never seems to come.

When 8-year-old David Kinder is recruited into the Whisper King’s army, he excels beyond his peers, eventually growing up to be the most renowned warrior in the Shadow Mountains.

But when a spot opens up in the Whisper King’s elite guard, the Silent Heart, David faces a final test… a test that will determine once and for all if he is destined to be man or monster.

Where did your love of writing come from?

It started with a love of reading. And that love of reading started with comic books. In fact, my childhood dream was to be a comic book creator. The Whisper King actually started as a concept for a comic book, as did my young adult fantasy novel, Noggle Stones.

But somewhere along the line I decided I liked the control of writing prose. I didn’t have to rely upon an artist to bring my vision to life on the page. I could create my own pictures using words.

I still love comic books. But if you’ve ever looked at the credits for a comic book or graphic novel, there are usually at least five or six people involved in the project. A writer, a penciller, an inker, a letterer, a colorist, and an editor. Collaboration can be great, but that’s a lot of people standing between the writer and the finished product. Somewhere along the way his original vision could get lost.

Creating a world all by yourself is much more rewarding, in my opinion.