If you had to pick, who is your favourite character? 

Oh, Sikras. Hands down. (Sincerest apologies to my other characters; I love them too, I swear!) But to quote Laszlo Cravensworth, “He’s my best friend, he’s my pal, my rotten soldier, my sweet cheese, my good time boy.” Sikras is one of my oldest original characters, created over twenty years ago when I was just an angsty sixteen-year-old who played way too much Diablo II. It sounds absolutely insane, but he’s also my fictitious sobriety buddy. Sikras’s reasons for abstaining are much different than mine, but there’s a bizarre solace in a ‘sober’ character’s existence. I didn’t see a lot of that in medieval-esque fantasy fiction where wine and ale flow like rivers, so it was strangely comforting to write one. 

How have your characters evolved since you first imagined them into creation? 

Sikras changed a lot from when I first conceptualized him at age 16, but by the time I repurposed him into Hopeless Necromantic, his character stayed pretty consistent from start to finish. A reader once referred to him as “a morally gray Cary Elwes”, and that summed him up in a hilariously beautiful way. Benjamin was also pretty consistent; I needed a patient, steadfast opposite to compliment Sikras, and Benjamin “rose” to the occasion. Helspira, though … That girl. She gave me so much trouble! She was originally written as very combative, icy, standoffish … and required some major rewrites, as she had zero chemistry with Sikras. That man just cannot coexist with other contemptibly obnoxious people. Also—and I mean no disrespect to anyone—I found myself a little exhausted with the classic snarky, badass FMC. This isn’t to say that there aren’t snarky FMCs out there that I absolutely adore—I do—but I wanted to write a character whose true strength was in their undying compassion for others. I’m very pleased with the way Helspira’s character evolved over time. 

Can you sum up Hopeless Necromantic in three words? 

Unhinged but heartfelt.  

What made you want to write a story about a necromancer specifically? 

I’ve always been fascinated with life/death and good VS evil. Necromancers are often painted as the “bad” guys, so I thought it would be a fun challenge to write someone who wasn’t inherently bad and wanted so desperately to be ‘good’, but didn’t know how, and was pigeonholed into the stereotype by the world around him. I also thought there was a lot of room for tragic hilarity. What would it look like if a man who had the power of life over death really, really sucked at the art of grieving? The psychological ramifications were too enticing to pass up. 

What inspired you to write Hopeless Necromantic? 

At the risk of getting entirely too serious straight away, Hopeless Necromantic was the first book I wrote after I got sober. (Functioning alcoholic; I celebrated three years sober on March 10.) I had written countless stories prior and often tried to force a deep narrative, but it never felt authentic. In many ways, my writing journey mimicked the natural progression of D&D life. In your first campaign, you spend all this time crafting a character with a rich emotional back story, and you have all these aspirations for a profound, moving adventure … and by your tenth campaign, you’re like, “I think I’ll play a sentient hat called Hatticus Finch.”  

Hopeless Necromantic is my Hatticus Finch. I was inspired to write something so seriously unserious that it removed the pressure of writing a “poignant” story. Ironically, it ended up becoming a dark portrayal of grief anyway, but hey, that’s writing for you. 

How does creating character art differ from your work as a tattoo artist? 

It’s wildly different. At the beginning of my tattoo career, I took whatever client walked through the door, because sixteen years ago, they were few and far between. I had to mimic every style to make enough money to survive in the industry—new school, old school, neo-traditional, watercolor, realism, semi-realism, lettering, all of it. Eventually, I got to a point where I became known for a distinctive style: watercolor/painterly realism, and that’s all I did. Unfortunately, watercolor is world’s apart from the stylized type of animation I do for my characters. Learning to draw them in a digestible style that was quick and easy to reproduce to meet the demands of social media’s “Post! Post! Post!” mentality was a feat. I experimented with a lot of different approaches over the months, but I think I finally found one I’m happy with. 

Do you have any must-read SFF books to recommend to Orbit readers? 

Much like a majority of the literary world, I read and fell in love with The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig. It’s evocative, and beautiful, and funny, and ticked all the boxes for me. I was also fortunate enough to read How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days and found Jessie Sylva’s writing style so incredibly addictive. I’m excited to see what comes next from them. 

I’d be remiss not to mention some of my favorite indie authors as well. Hayley Reese Chow’s Odriel’s Heirs has a special place in my heart, and E.P. Stavs’s A Forest of Grimm Desires is so absurdly funny (and spicy!). It’s truly impossible to choose just one favorite.

As a previously self-published author, what has it been like to work on your book with a traditional publisher? 

Given that this is my first time with a traditional publisher, I’m hesitant to paint my experience as universal, but so far? Amazing. There are countless preconceived notions about traditional publishing in the indie space, and I can only speak about my personal collaborative efforts so far, but many of those assumptions have been incorrect. I was led to believe I’d have no say in my cover (Orbit involved me in every step, even including the usage of my own character art). I was told trad publishers would try to “change my voice”, but my editor, Jenni, has only aided in amplifying it. I was told “trad publishing doesn’t want unique stories because they’re too much of a risk”, and like … anyone who has read Hopeless Necromantic must know it’s nothing if not original, eccentric, weird, etc. I signed the contract with cautious optimism and am happy to report my concerns were unfounded. 

What’s your favorite D&D class? 

I know they get a lot of flack, but I LOVE human fighters. Everyone says they’re “boring”, but that’s half the fun for me. The challenge of taking a dull, tedious, tiresome trope and turning it into something exciting and interesting is such an indescribable thrill. I also have a tendency to romanticize “the indomitable human spirit”. Watching a Plain Jane human take up a sword alongside fantastical creatures with natural resistances and insanely long life spans satisfies something in me that I can’t quite explain. 

What’s Toggones’ favorite recipe to make, and his favorite to eat? 

I don’t know if he has a favorite; he’s just very excited about novelties like sugar. There weren’t many sweet treats in Chthonia. And by “weren’t many”, I mean none. He bakes his fair share of desserts in book 2, but more than he enjoys eating them, he delights in making them for Viina, Helspira, and Sikras. We love our wholesome, 7 foot tall, flour-crusted king.  

Order Hopeless Necromantic by Shiloh Briar via the Orbit Store and use code NECROMANTIC20 for 20% off at checkout.