Langdon Franz Author Bio:
I grew up a Navy brat and for the first twenty years of my life, I was moving every two to three years. I’ve lived everywhere from Maine to South Carolina to Washington State. Because of this, I didn’t have many friends growing up, so I found my solace in reading fantasy novels. By the time I was thirteen, I was already working on writing my own stories. They weren’t very good. When I was twenty-two, I joined the Navy, got married and moved to Washington State to operate a nuclear reactor on a submarine. Six years later, and I was out and moved back to North Carolina where I currently reside with my wife, two daughters, two dogs and two cats. I finished my Bachelors in Nuclear Engineering Technology in 2016 and quickly realized I no longer wanted anything to do with nuclear power and power plants. I began writing again, and by 2020 I had completed two books and started a third. But like my attempts when I was thirteen, they weren’t very good. I decided to pursue a MA in English and Creative Writing and finished it in 2022. One year later, and I’ve published my first book, Heirs of the Promise!
What inspires you to write?
I grew up friendless and struggling with depression. I found my way to cope with life was to delve deep into a fantasy novel. It provided a means of escapism, I needed at that point in my life. As I've grown up and continued to read, I realized I, too, wanted to create worlds and stories with compelling characters those with mental health issues can relate to. There just isn't anything out there that can compare to losing yourself in another world, and I want to provide that for others!
Tell us about your writing process.
Heirs of the Promise was 100% written by the seat of my pants. I've tried outlining, but every time I begin writing, my characters IMMEDIATELY break away from the outline and do their own thing. So pantsing it was. However, for The Tower of Eyes, Book 2 of The Immortal Arbiter Saga, I have had to force myself to create a general outline of the book. Heirs of the Promise introduced so much worldbuilding and history that I can no longer just wing it. I've had to actually start planning out the story to ensure a cohesive world. When outlining, I take notes either in a journal or on Google Drive, both of which are readily accessible when I need to reference something.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Absolutely! They tell ME what they are going to do, say and think. Not the other way around. During my first attempts at writing Heirs of the Promise, I did not understand this. I thought I could tell Kilal and the others what I wanted them to do. It took me a while to give up my control over the characters and let them dictate the flow of the story.
Who are your favorite authors?
In the last decade, if you've seen me reading, it's either been a book by Brandon Sanderson or Will Wight. Rarely, I can be found reading a random cosmic horror story in the veins of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert W. Chambers.
What genres do you write?
Fantasy. Only fantasy. Maybe someday cosmic horror.
How did you choose the genre(s) you write?
I discovered Goosebump in 1995 when I was ten years old and those carried me until I was thirteen where I shifted into reading exclusively fantasy novels. These included series like The Wheel of Time, Malazan Book of the Fallen, The Coldfire Trilogy, The Serpentwar Saga and The Riftwar Legacy to name a few. Fantasy novels provided such a means of escapism for me that I knew I'd never look for another genre. Around that time I dabbled in writing my own fantasy stories. They weren't good. But it did grow my desire to one day be an author which, twenty-five years later, has become reality.
What three things are on your writing desk at any given moment?
To be honest, I don't have a writing desk. I usually grab my laptop, plop myself onto the ground and write from there. That or my couch. I'll tell you what's not next to me though: my phone. It's just too darn distracting!
What hobbies do you have when you need a break from writing?
I love video games. I started out on the Atari and have played games ever since. Alan Wake 2 is my favorite game of all time! Play it! My wife and I love board games as well. With the help of my father-in-law, we built a dining room table that seconds as a board game table when the top comes off. I love board games so much, my wife and I are working on a story-driven, puzzle, cosmic horror board game. Hopefully, one day it will see the light of day. My daughter pointed out that I also need to include that I love dancing, specifically, shuffling.
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
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Author’s Social Media Links
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All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
