Welcome to Joe Bonadonna and Vadreo. Hope everyone enjoys the questions and check out this new release.

Character Questions

Who are you?

My name is Vadreo. I am a Gluriahan warrior, a Warhand of Thoon Wolf. My blood is the blood of the Dragon Eaters of old.

Where are you from? (Tell us about it)

I was born in the Bloodland of K’Thoon Morai. This is the land to which my people, the Gluriah, fled hundreds of years ago when the Vuladraakoi, the Mountain Dragons, destroyed our ancestral homeland of K’Shar Wovay. The realm of my people is rich in forests and farmland, fresh water, hills, mountains, and to the south-east, a vast and barren desert. We are farmers and fishermen, craftsmen, artisans, and hunters. But first and above all, we are warriors.

Tell us about dragons in your world.

The last dragon was slain nearly five centuries ago. According to legend, they demanded tribute from my people — not in gold, silver or jewels, but in human flesh, the taste of which they craved. They spat fire and ruled the skies for thousands of years before the Dragon Eaters tracked their queen to her lair and destroyed her. But the servants of the great dragons still live — the Draakonim . . . vile, manlike creatures bred by the last dragon queen before the Dragon Eaters slew her and ate her flesh. Over the centuries the Draaks have multiplied and now pose a constant threat to our way of life. There is an old saying among the warriors K’Thoon Morai: “To know one’s enemy, one must eat one’s enemy.” Thus, we are now the Draak Eaters.

What is the technology level of your world?

In my youth, twenty years ago, I journeyed my homeland to see the world, to fight with the Wandering Swords and the Rogue Blades, fabled bands of mercenaries. I have seen such weapons as the catapult used in battle, and have even personally used a crossbow. But my people do not use such weapons yet. The sword, the spear, the axe, and the longbow are our preferred weapons. The Draakonim use weapons made of bone and flint, wood and crystal and stone, although some will use weapons ripped from the hands of our dead.

Are there other such monsters in your world?

In my youth I did much traveling, and I have seen many kinds of monsters. But the worst monster of them all is Man.

Author Questions

Who are you?

Joe Bonadonna, retired labourer and former musician. Now I write and edit.

How do you define a hero?

A hero, to me, works and fights for a cause greater than him or her. Heroes do all they can to protect and nurture, to provide and care for their family and friends; without regard for their own lives, they serve their country. Heroes fight for those who cannot defend themselves; they stand as the shield that protects us, preserving our freedoms and our lives. The cemeteries are filled with heroes.

Why did you choose this world/era to write in?

I chose to write a story set my alternate world of Tanyime, which is very much an extension to the world we live in. This is the world of my legacy character, Dorgo the Dowser. It’s a world I began to explore over 40 years ago, and it’s more familiar to me than the real world. My story, “The Dragon’s Horde,” is set in another part of Dorgo’s world, east of where he operates. While my tales of Dorgo the Dowser are closer to Heroic Fantasy in nature, his world of Tanyime can be a very dark and cruel environment. Heroika 1: Dragon Eaters is heroic fiction that contains many of the tropes of dark fantasy, and is a serious, adult collection of tales. I don’t usually write dark fantasy, although my stories of Dorgo the Dowser are rooted in film noir. That being said, there are still many parts of his world that I haven’t yet explored in stories, and I thought the dark places of Tanyime to be perfectly suitable for a tale of heroic fantasy that dealt with Dragon Eaters.

Have you written for anthologies before? How does it differ from writing a novel?

Yes, I’ve written for several anthologies. The difference between writing a novel and writing short stories or novellas for anthologies are many: length, theme, style, etc. When writing a novel, you are writing according to the rules of your own universe. But when you write for anthologies, especially those with a shared-theme or shared-universe, you must abide by whatever rules have been laid out beforehand. It can be a difficult challenge, and at the same time a lot of fun. It’s also very rewarding when you succeed. Usually, but not always, I first work on my idea, doing whatever research is needed for my plot. Next I work on the setting, the “world-building,” and then I start in on my characters. When I’m doing outlines and sparse, rough drafts, I call it “designing” my story. When I begin the actual process of writing, I call that “building” the story. Getting from the starting gate to the finish line differs for each story, of course: sometimes, but not always, a story will write itself; other times, there are several steps I go through before I type “The End.” While I prefer writing character-oriented, as opposed to plot-oriented stories, each story has its own needs and requirements, and often the story dictates the way I work on it.

What other novels/short stories have you written?

What other novels/short stories have you written? I have written three novels: Mad Shadows: The Weird Tales of Dorgo the Dowser (heroic fantasy); Three Against the Stars (space opera); and a sword and sorcery pirate novel, Waters of Darkness (with veteran fantasy author David C. Smith.) I have written “Blood of the Lion” for Milton Davis’ and Charles Saunders’ Griots: Sisters of the Spear; “The Book of Echoes,” for Christopher Heath’s Azieran Presents: Artifacts and Relics — Extreme Sword and Sorcery; “Sinbad and the Golden Fleece,” for Airship 27 Production’s Sinbad: The New Voyages, Vol 4; and I have two stories for Poets in Hell, volume 17 in the Heroes in Hell series, created and edited by author Janet Morris: “We the Furious” and “Undertaker’s Holiday” (with Shebat Legion.) I also have a story appearing in Janet Morris’ forthcoming Doctors in Hell, called “Hell on a Technicality.”

Author website/blog:

The Dowser’s Delusions: http://www.dorgoland.blogspot.com

Facebook:

Joe Bonadonna: https://www.facebook.com/pulpfictionrules

Bonadonna’s Bookshelf: https://www.facebook.com/BonadonnasBookshelf?ref=hl

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5464289-joe-bonadonna

Amazon page:

http://www.amazon.com/Joe-Bonadonna/e/B009I1KYIK