The Fantastical Five with P.L. Stuart and Willow Croft

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For this Fantastical Five interview with acclaimed fantasy author P.L. Stuart, I had the chance to explore his magnificent kingdom Atalantyx. Unfortunately, time was all too fleeting during my whirlwind visit, but I have Stuart’s promise of many more literary sequels to come! Read on to discover this author’s fascinating take on “once and future” worlds (as the borrowed saying goes), and the regals that inhabit them.

P.L. Stuart (he/him), who is an epic fantasy author, was born in Toronto, Canada. He holds a university degree in English, specializing in Medieval Literature. P.L. is an assistant editor with Before We Go Blog https://beforewegoblog.com/, and a booktuber, with his own YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thedrownedkingdomsaga7847/streams where P.L. conducts author interviews, book reviews, deep-dives into various fantasy and science fiction literary works, favourite book lists, and more.

P.L., with his co-host Taylor from Maed Between the Pages, on the interview show PAGE CHEWING https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5be4Y0tj3Q&list=PLyvfwo5nIcukBl7yGqrpqkpwPiL5CZK6i features creatives from across the broader writing community, such as authors, agents, editors and bloggers, as they speak about their life, and their work.

P.L.’s beloved wife Debbie is his manager and partner in his authorpreneur endeavours, and he and Debbie have 7 wonderful children and 3 precocious grandchildren between them.

In his spare time, P.L. spends time with Deb and their family and friends, attempts to get some exercise time where possible, enjoys reading other fantasy novels, or historical fiction, and watching dramas on various streaming services like Netflix or HBO.

P.L.’s first series, entitled “The Drowned Kingdom Saga”, chronicles flawed and bigoted Prince Othrun’s journey towards change, and his rise to power in a new world after the downfall of his homeland, which is based on Plato’s lost realm of Atlantis.

“The Drowned Kingdom Saga” features political intrigue, magic, stirring battle scenes, and a complicated protagonist who is as unpredictable as he is compelling.

The Bestselling “A Drowned Kingdom” is mentioned in the esteemed Kirkus Magazine’s 2021 Indie Issue among “Four Great Examples of the Genre” of fantasy and won the 2022 Picky Bookworm Award for Best Indie Book Based on Mythology. The first three books in the series – “A Drowned Kingdom”, “The Last of the Atalanteans”, and “Lord and King”, have received glowing five-star reviews from the esteemed Reader Views. The series has also been praised by luminary authors such as the incomparable Janny Wurts, author of iconic “The Wars of Light and Shadow” series.

P.L. was honoured to have Janny provide the endorsement quote for the front cover of “Lord and King”.

P.L. has also been noted by Grimdark Magazine in 2024 as one of their rising Grimdark fantasy author stars.

https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/rising-stars-of-dark-and-grimdark-sff-2024/

Four books are currently published in the series, including “A Lion’s Pride”, published in the Spring of 2024.

“The Drowned Kingdom Saga” is a planned 7-book series, however P.L. has two prequel trilogies set in the same universe also in the works, in addition to a subsequent 7-book series to wrap up the story.

Social Media Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/P-L-Stuart/author/B08W2PSJ56?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
FriesenPress: https://books.friesenpress.com/store/search?q=P.L.+Stuart&match=author
Website: https://www.plstuart.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/plstuartwrites
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plstuartwrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p.l.stuart/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21031579.P_L_Stuart

Willow Croft: “Was that path here before? What a fortuitous shortcut!” How do your characters move through the fantasy world you’ve created? What sort of environments (natural or magical or other) are your go-to when you start building your fantastical world(s)? What timelines, or alternate timelines, most fascinate you?

P.L. Stuart: I would consider my secondary world, completely fictionalized, as still fairly analogous to the real world. Atalantyx, the primary realm in my story, is clearly based on and inspired by the sunken kingdom in the fantastic tale created by Plato – the famous ancient Greek philosopher. The setting of my world is pseudo-medieval, with the technology exhibited similar to approximately between the 5th and 12th century. So the characters in my novels sail in war galleys and longships while on the ocean, walk either on foot or travel by horse while on land, and use carrier pigeons as messenger birds, or errand riders/runners in terms of long range communications. The environments which my characters inhabit have the full range of habitats that one would see in our real world, and I try to make them as vividly depicted as possible. From parching deserts, looming mountain ranges, lush fields and farmlands, frozen wastelands, sparkling cities, and more, I try to bring my readers into a vast and diverse world, filled with a variety of engaging locations. Descriptions of scenery and setting are very important to me, to provide a sense of realism to my novels. These are some of my favourite passages to write.

Willow Croft: “Let the feast begin!” Who’s in charge of the food supply, and the food preparation, in your stories, and where does the food come from? Do you create unique recipes, or do you rely on historical research into the types of meals that would be appropriate for the era (even if it’s a fictional representation) featured in your books?

P.L. Stuart: In my books, food is something that is, as in our real world, most available in terms of plentifullness and the best quality to the wealthier classes, while the poor have much less, and receive far less in terms of edibility. The rich dine on expensive wines, rich soups, hearty vegetables, lots of meat, starches, and desserts, while the poor patch together whatever meals they can, mostly living directly off the land. The rich have servants prepare their meals for them. The poor prepare their own meals. The rich are also able to import and procure exotic foods from other countries, to vary their palate, while the poor are confined almost exclusively to more local fare. There is definitely food disparity in my world, again no different from the real world. All that said, I do try to describe food in my novels in some detail, and discern between what types of food the various cultures consume, and the differences between how those meals are prepared. I feel this is an important element of worldbuilding, and realism.

Willow Croft: “We’ve come to save the day!” How do you define heroism in your stories? Who’s working to defeat the character(s) noble actions, and how do you decide on the motivation for both the “good” characters, and the “evil” characters? Do you use character sheets when creating the characters that populate your fictional/fictionalized world?

P.L. Stuart: True heroism in my world manifests in the traditional forms. What I mean by that, is primarily two types of heroic actions. The first would be the typical battlefield courage that permeates so many epic fantasy stories. Daring deeds of arms abound in my novels, and characters of all genders, races, and backgrounds are frequently forced to face each other down at swordpoint or spear-point. My battle scenes, I have been told, are fairly realistic of ancient war, and I do try to depict that any kind of warfare, much less ancient warfare where people hack each other to death with sharp objects, is horrible. So it takes a lot of courage to know your fate, even if you survive, could be serious bodily harm. The second sort of courage is the courage to stand by one’s principles, or contrastingly be able to change one’s principles when one realizes one has been wrong in one’s moral high ground. That is, in some ways, the greatest kind of courage, in my opinion. Many fearless warriors in my books (like my main character) struggle to stick with their convictions, or admit when they are wrong, and be willing to change. In my world, there are very few truly “good” or “evil” characters. Those are not the type of characters I enjoy writing or reading about. Most of my characters are very morally grey, and they strive against each other for their own ends. I don’t really need character sheets – these characters live vibrantly, rent-free in my head!

Willow Croft: “If all else fails, use magic!” How do you come up with ideas and concepts for your stories? Do you outline, outline, outline, or do words magically appear on the page with a wave of your wand? What other sorts of planning/outlining, plot development tactics, and world-building strategies do you employ in your writing process?

P.L. Stuart: Ideas and concepts overflow from my crazy subconscious! I never seem to run short of ideas. That’s why I’m able to plan out a total 20-book series, including my current main series of 7-books, 2 prequel trilogies, and a subsequent 7-book series. This planning also now includes short stories, set in the same universe. Irrespective of anything else, I am a fairly meticulous planner. The outline for all those 20 books are long already completed. I know the title and cover design for all 20 books. I have the back cover blurb for all 20 books already done. I have a list of the people I plan to dedicate each book to, and who I want to select to provide endorsement quotes on all 20 books. I have copious spreadsheets, notes, including glossaries, family trees, and maps. I have appendices pre-written. So much of doing all that, leaves me efficient in terms of my writing, because I never fuss over all those other details I mentioned. I can just write. The worldbuilding, and so many other elements, are done so far in advance, that everything in terms of the actual penning of the stories can flow very quickly and seamlessly. As such, despite my full-time job and family commitments, etc. I have been successful in keeping to my ‘publish one book per year’ self-imposed goals. I hope to be able to sustain this pace for as long as I am writing.

Willow Croft: “Kneel, you bumbling knave!” What sort of power structures are in place in your world? Is your world peaceable and stable? Or does your society exist in a continued/extended state of upheaval, revolution, or is always under attack from outside forces?

P.L. Stuart: My world is all about chaos, and the struggle for power and control! And I love it! It’s all about political instability, sustained upheaval, rulers being constantly overthrown and replaced with rivals, kingdoms being conquered or destroyed and new ones arising in their place. Peace and stability, in my opinion, is utterly desirable in real world circumstances, but imminently not as interesting in an epic fantasy novel! These extended conflicts, which outlast generations, provide tons of drama, and who doesn’t like drama in their epic fantasy? My books are all about power and what those who have it will do to keep it, and what those who aspire to it, will do to acquire it. My protagonist is all about power, as he feels he has a destiny to fulfill, and that power should be given to him, righteously. A lot of people who read the book will likely disagree with him! Nevertheless, his attempted rise to prominence, trying to reestablish his people as the preeminent civilization in the known universe (as they once considered themselves to be) is the driving heart of the current main series. I am fascinated by political intrigue, particularly when it comes to ancient court politics. The scheming, the shifting allegiances, the betrayals, the jockeying for position on the social ladder, the currying of favours, pedalling of influence, it is all marvellously, deliciously intriguing!

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