Blog Tour l Authors to Watch: David H. Reiss, author of Fid's Crusade

While growing up, David H. Reiss was that weird kid with his nose in a book and his head in the clouds. He was the table-top role-playing game geek, the comic-book nerd, the story-teller and dreamer. 

Fortunately, he hasn't changed much.

David is a software engineer by trade and a long-time sci-fi and fantasy devotee by passion, and he lives in Silicon Valley with his partner of twenty-six years. Until recently, he also shared his life with a disturbingly spoiled cat named Freya.

(Farewell, little huntress. You were loved. You are missed.)

David's first book, Fid's Crusade, has just recently been published; this was his first novel-length project, but it certainly won't be his last—he's having far too much fun!

Website Link: https://www.davidhreiss.com

Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/davidhreiss

Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/davidhreiss

Title: FID’S CRUSADE
Author: David H. Reiss
Publisher: Atian Press
Pages: 365
Genre: Scifi/Contemporary Fantasy

BOOK BLURB:

Consumed by grief, rage, and self-loathing, a brilliant inventor rebuilt himself to take on a new identity: the powered-armor-wearing supervillain, Doctor Fid. For twenty violent years, Fid has continued his quest to punish heroes who he considers to be unworthy of their accolades, and the Doctor has left a long trail of blood and misery in his wake. After a personal tragedy, however, Doctor Fid investigates a crime and uncovers a conspiracy so terrible that even he is taken aback.

Haunted by painful memories and profound guilt, the veteran supervillain must risk everything to save the world that he once sought to terrorize. Every battle takes its toll…but the stakes are too high for retreat to be an option.

In the end, it may take a villain to save the entire Earth from those entrusted with the Earth’s protection.

Praise:

"Fid's Crusade by David H. Reiss is one of the most refreshing and lively takes on the superhero genre I've seen in years. His title character's crusade is colorful, compelling, and takes wonderfully unexpected turns, and the novel delivers an impressive emotional punch (to go along with the super-powered ones). It stands easily alongside other character-driven superhero novels like Austin Grossman's Soon I Will Be Invincible, Carrie Vaughn's After the Golden Age, and Paul Tobin's Prepare to Die!." - Hugo award-winning author Tim Pratt

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C92PMDH

We welcome you to My Bookish Pleasures! Can you tell us how you got started writing fiction?

I’m honestly not sure; I was already a writer in my earliest childhood memories.  I’m fairly certain that my mother would have mentioned if I was actually born with a pencil in my hand, but it can’t have been terribly long before I first managed to acquire one and begin writing down stories.

Describe your writing process. Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants? When and where do you write?

I prefer to write late at night when the house is silent and I am free from distractions; I’ve set up a home-office / writing nook with a height-adjustable table that’s wide enough to fit a treadmill under one side; sometimes, I like to walk while typing.

My writing process itself is somewhat in flux. 

I used to write by the seat of my pants, but I’ve discovered that writing by the seat of my pants is the reason far too many of my longer works went unfinished. For my first finished novel, Fid’s Crusade, I started with a loose and somewhat flexible plot outline. The outline was only fleshed out as I worked. 

More recently, I’ve been experimenting with creating a more detailed outlines before I began constructing prose. For some reason, this seems to have slowed my overall production rate. I’m pleased by the work that was created but am not particularly happy about the decreased speed.

For my next work, I hope to find a happy medium between the two approaches.

Can you tell us about your most recent release?

Fid’s Crusade is a supervillainous tale of grief, rage, guilt, and violence. Also, of humanity rediscovered. The novel follows the adventures of a veteran supervillain who uncovers a horrifying conspiracy and is called upon to save a world that he once sought to terrorize. Also, it’s a story about an awkward but brilliant young man and the tragedy that motivated him to take on a new villainous persona. It’s about Doctor Fid’s history and about Doctor Fid’s future, about his never-ending quest to punish the heroes who he believes to be unworthy of the public’s trust, and it’s about his emotional and moral evolution. 

With sporadic superheroic battle sequences to break the tension, of course.

How did you get the idea for the book?

Superhero stories are everywhere these days, and (as a long-time comic book geek) I’ve been thrilled to see some of my childhood’s favorite characters being brought to the big and small screens. One thing that I’ve noticed, however, is that in many of these stories the heroes are very reactive. The bad guy initiates some terrible plan and the heroes respond by putting on costumes and risking their lives to save the day. So, I suppose that my inspiration was to approach a very well-known and popular genre from an oblique angle, and to really focus on the place where the majority of conflict originates: behind the villain’s mask.

Of all your characters, which one is your favorite? Why?

I think that my favorite character from this series is a superhero named Cloner. He’s an old, very-experienced superhero who ends up leading the most powerful team on the East Coast. His power set involves instantaneously creating new bodies for himself…a one-man mob, superficially similar to Marvel Comics’ Jamie Madrox/the Multiple Man.

It’s a secondary aspect of Cloner’s power that makes him interesting to write: even though each of his bodies can act with complete autonomy/ individuality, they are actually part of a hive-mind. Cloner can multitask at an obscene level, and he has hundreds of bodies scattered around the world…just living ordinary lives. He’s endured a remarkable cross-section of the human experience, and yet he hides this vast wisdom behind an irreverent mien. Portraying that without being heavy-handed is always an enjoyable struggle.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing your book?

For the last decade or so, the vast majority of my stories have been written from third person limited point of view, but this tale really needed to be narrated from first person perspective. While I’m pleased with the narrative voice that I’ve managed to capture, I will definitely say that making the shift to first-person perspective was challenging for me.

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m currently putting the finishing touches on the third book in The Chronicles of Fid. After that, I intend to set aside the world of superheroes and supervillains for a while to focus on a high fantasy tale that has been nagging at my subconscious. I have lots of stories to tell, so stay tuned!

What advice would you offer to new or aspiring fiction authors?

Read a lot. Write a lot. And (perhaps most importantly) find a reliable source of harsh criticism. It’s wonderful when someone tells you that they love your work, but you’ll learn more from the reader who loathes it and is willing to tell you why.

No one starts out writing brilliant, emotive and thought-provoking prose on page one. Those skills are built up over time. So…don’t get discouraged. If your first story isn’t up to par, save the file and start another one. And another. And another.

If you keep at it, you’ll get there eventually.