Interview with Stephen Zimmer

I've had the privilage to interview Stephen Zimmer for his Rayden Valkyrie Blog Tour, where he tell  us about the Dark Sun Dawn Saga and he shares the trailer for his Rayden Valkyrie Saga of a Lionheart TV Pilot.

*Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a storyteller who loves to write and also loves visual storytelling such as movies and television series. I currently have 12 books in print and am working on a new TV Pilot that is centered around my Rayden Valkyrie character I am the founder of the Imaginarium Convention, which is an event all about creative writing. I enjoy lots of activities and things, including martial arts, music, movies, bourbon, traveling, guitar, and spending time with our family cat, Dubious!

*Could you tell us in short what the Dark Sun Dawn saga is about?

The Dark Sun Dawn books contain one of Rayden Valkyrie's most challenging adventures. It all begins with Rayden seeking to return to her adopted homelands after completing a very grueling task in lands far to the south of the Kartajen Empire. The journey takes some sharp twists and turns along the way, but soon she finds herself confronting a fast-rising power, the Teveren Empire, whose shadow is growing across many lands and kingdoms. The story reveals more and more about what is behind the growing threat, including supernatural elements and sorcery. Readers follow along with Rayden as she discovers the nature of these adversaries and seeks ways to overcome them. The story is told over the course of three books, comprising the Dark Sun Dawn Trilogy!

*Where did the inspiration for the Dark Sun Dawn saga come from? Where do you generally draw your inspiration from?

I draw inspiration from a number of areas, from very vivid dreams, to history, to the current world and individuals within it. It is a real mix for me, but the Rayden Valkyrie tales really grow from the character herself. These are tales that follow just her story, and once I begin writing them, they unfold and grow through the eyes of Rayden. I may get creature ideas, other character ideas, and visions of lands through dreams and experiences in my own life, but Rayden definitely guides the main narrative.

*What research did you do for this series?

I do a lot of historical research when working on fantasy or sword and sorcery tales. For this trilogy, I focused on things such as ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, ancient Carthage, and other cultures from that general time period.

I did additional research on several kinds of animals, from lions, to wolves, to hyenas, and what I gleaned from that factors into these books in some very interesting ways. Weapons and fighting styles are also a deep interest of mine, and I regularly study these areas and work to have my battle scenes and fights have a solid, organic feel to them.

*You are also working on the Rayden Valkyrie: Saga of a Lionheart Production. Could you tell us a little more about this?

This production is an independent TV Pilot that we are using to demonstrate a full series concept. It is not an adaptation of any previous book, but instead an original storyline.

We began developing the project well more than a year ago, leading to production in June of this year. It is a wilderness adventure, very action-driven, and stars Sol Geirsdottir as Rayden Valkyrie and Brock O'Hurn as the warrior Ragnar Stormbringer. It was shot on location in Kentucky, in the United States.

We are looking to find a great network to help us grow it into a full series! Those interested can follow this project on Facebook at www.facebook.com/raydenvalkyrie or at our show site at www.raydenvalkyrie.com

*Do you have any writing quirks?

I write on a computer that is not connected to the internet, and it is in a room other than my office. I also listen to music when writing. Both help me keep my full focus on my writing session without distractions from anything else.

 

*What do you do when you’re not writing?

I like to workout, especially with Kettlebells and martial arts training these days. I love to travel when possible, and I always enjoy a good glass of bourbon! I love music and wish I had more time to play guitar. I also love watching a good movie in the evening.

*Are you a reader? If so what are you reading at the moment?

I am a reader and at the moment I'm reading Gods and Generals, by Jeff Shaara, a very fascinating historical novel about the Civil War in the United States that tells its story through multiple viewpoints.

*Could you tell us in one sentence why we should read the Dark Sun Dawn saga?

It is a celebration of courage, self-determination, and the willpower to make a difference, no matter the odds.

*Is there anything you would like to add?

Thank you very much for interviewing me! I definitely love to hear from my readers and invite new ones to join me for some great adventures along my writing path!

About the author:  
Stephen Zimmer is an award-winning author and filmmaker based out of Lexington Kentucky. His works include the Rayden Valkyrie novels (Sword and Sorcery), the Rising Dawn Saga (Cross Genre), the Fires in Eden Series (Epic Fantasy), the Hellscapes short story collections (Horror), the Chronicles of Ave short story collections (Fantasy), and the Harvey and Solomon Tales (Steampunk).

Stephen’s visual work includes the feature film Shadows Light, shorts films such as The Sirens and Swordbearer, and the forthcoming Rayden Valkyrie: Saga of a Lionheart TV Pilot.

Stephen is a proud Kentucky Colonel who also enjoys the realms of music, martial arts, good bourbons, and spending time with family.

Book Synopsis for Thunder Horizon:  A deadly menace stalks the shadows of the lands to the north, stirring the winds of war. Farther south, the power of the Teveren Empire spreads with every passing day, empowered by dark sorcery. Formidable legions bent on conquest are on the march, slavery and subjugation following in their wake.

Within the rising maelstrom, Rayden Valkyrie has returned to the Gessa, to stand with the tribe that once took her into their care as a child. No amount of jewels or coin can sway her, nor can the great power of her adversaries intimidate her.

With a sword blade in her right hand and axe in her left, Rayden confronts foes both supernatural and of flesh and blood. Horrific revelations and tremendous risks loom; some that will see Rayden's survival in the gravest of peril.
Even if Rayden and the Gessa survive the trials plaguing their lands, the thunder of an even darker storm booms across the far horizon.

Thunder Horizon is the second book in the Dark Sun Dawn Trilogy.

Book Synopsis for Heart of a Lion: Rayden Valkyrie. She walks alone, serving no king, emperor, or master. Forged in the fires of tragedy, she has no place she truly calls home.

A deadly warrior wielding both blade and axe, Rayden is the bane of the wicked and corrupt. To many others, she is the most loyal and dedicated of friends, an ally who is unyielding in the most dangerous of circumstances.

The people of the far southern lands she has just aided claim that she has the
heart of a lion. For Rayden, a long journey to the lands of the far northern tribes who adopted her as a child beckons, with an ocean lying in between.

Her path will lead her once more into the center of a maelstrom, one involving a rising empire that is said to be making use of the darkest kinds of sorcery to grow its power. Making new friends and discoveries amid tremendous peril, Rayden makes her way to the north.

Monstrous beasts, supernatural powers, and the bloody specter of war have been a part of her world for a long time and this journey will be no different. Rayden chooses the battles that she will fight, whether she takes up the cause of one individual or an entire people.

Both friends and enemies alike will swiftly learn that the people of the far southern lands spoke truly. Rayden Valkyrie has the heart of a lion.

Heart of a Lion is Book One of the Dark Sun Dawn Trilogy.

Teaser Trailer Link for Rayden Valkyrie: Saga of a Lionheart TV Pilot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7w_UI_RCg4&t=34s

Embed Code for Teaser Trailer of Rayden Valkyrie Saga of a Lionheart TV Pilot

Author Links:

Twitter:  @SGZimmer