Author Interview: Christopher D. Abbott

My name is Christopher D. Abbott and I live in Connecticut, USA. I’ve been in the USA for 6 years–I emigrated from the UK. I’m an author of cross-genre mystery, horror, and fantasy. Hobbies include music (playing and recording), cooking, charity works.

1) When did you first discover your love for writing?

When I was about twelve or thirteen I used to write little stories and staple them into books. My friend and I spent days making a small library of these books for our class mates to read. We had an entire series. Of course they were terrible, but I think I can trace my desire to write back to there.

2) Do you have a favourite place to write?

I’ve travelled around a lot, so I’m quite used to writing wherever I can set-up my desktop. Oddly, I never quite got the hang of or used to a laptop. My most creative time is late at night.

3) Do you have a writing routine or process that you adhere to?

I prefer solitude and usually listen to music on headphones whilst I write. A fellow author friend of mine, John Templeton Smith, suggested I do this – I thought it was absurd at the time, but the score and tempo of certain music can seriously influence the scene you are writing. I always have my trusty writer’s handbook nearby, and my ever expanding library of plot ideas and notes. Other than that it’s fingers to the keys!

4) Are there any authors or specific books you aspire to?

In every genre there are well established authors whose success you obviously want to aspire to and emulate – my book Sir Laurence Dies has been compared to Agatha Christie in style which of course is flattering – and that’s important when you’re establishing yourself in the genre. I’m known for mystery stories so starting out in fantasy is fresh and new. I’m influenced by a number of fantastic writers, Tolkien being number one, but there isn’t a specific author or book I aspire to.

5) What inspired you to write Songs of the Osirian

Songs of the Osirian started life as a short story entitled Songs of Beast. It was published by Media Bitch Literary Agency and Productions in April 2016. When I first started writing for this allegorical world, I had no idea that it would end up becoming the monster it did.

6) Can you tell us a little about your book?

The story depicts a catastrophic event that wipes out most of mankind. But this event has a science-fiction twist. I envisioned beings from another universe that were so far evolved they were godlike in powers. Over millennia these beings (known as the Ardunadine) developed a transcendent idiolect of symphonic communication – referred to as the Power of Song. This phonological power allowed them to create and weave patterns in the universe, brought to vision by Arrandori–for want of a better reference the “Father of All”–and thus created the universe we live in. The character of Beast is a fallen Ardunadine banished to Earth for unspeakable crimes. As the story unfolds, we discover Beast wove an escape plan into his banishment and although he is cut off from the Celestial Temple of Song, his darkness taints the world in such a way, that what we now understand as evil seeps into its fabric and slowly manifests in all life throughout the planet’s evolution.

Jump forward millions of years and Beast now has an army of dark creatures born of his own dreadful being. Terrible behemoths known as Faulgoth rampage and lay waste to our world with neither compassion nor remorse.

That’s when the Ardunadine, who are forbidden to directly interfere, send the people of Earth teachers known as the Osirian. These beings are equally godlike to man, but lessor in power than their Ardunadine masters, who the Osirian themselves consider divine. The Osirian, led by Osiris, having no direct contact with Man’s enemy, imbue Kings and Queens of the world with the Power of Song, thus enabling them to fight on equal terms.

7) Do you have a favourite amongst all your characters?

The Warrior Goddess Neith and the Osirian Akhet are particular favourites. The character of Doctor Mary Wilson has human connection and I’m fond of her evolution. On the side of darkness, there is Sam, Prince of Darkness and Shadows. Some incidental characters that sprung out of the story were developed beyond their intial conception due to the fact that I fell in love with them. There’s Lethor the half-man half-jackal Guardian of the Prison of Song, and Melrah – originally a stray dog – tainted by the living evil that spews from beneath the Earth, he goes on to become much more …

8) Does your book contain a message for readers to consider?

This review gives a good idea of the message within the book.

Reviewed By Ray Simmons for Readers’ Favorite

Songs of the Osirian by Christopher D. Abbott is an epic tale of good and evil. It is a tale of the enduring power of light in a world where darkness is relentless. I like the idea of a force for good quietly teaching men a better way through age after age of the rise and then fall of civilizations. There is a great foreword by Chase Masterson, and I think Songs of the Osirian will reach a lot of eager fans. If a great novel and a great foreword are not enough for you, then there is a bonus short story at the end of the book. The Last of Us by Rob James is a great tale too. Some great Christian allegory here.

What struck a chord for me as a reader was the almost biblical, end of days tones the writing in Song of the Osirian evoked. Christopher D. Abbott knows how to add a sense of drama and high consequence to his clashes between Beasts and the Osirian. The sense of the fall of great civilizations was very strong, but more importantly, the sense that goodness endures was always present too. Complex characters and a plot leading to an epic battle between Good and Evil will make Songs of the Osirian a must-read for fans of epic fantasy everywhere. I especially liked the conversations and scenes where Beast gives his side of the story. He is a little more than just evil incarnate and feels wronged by God and the forces of good.

9) Would you be interested in sharing a teaser?

Absolutely!

‘Poor thing, lost in shadow,’ a voice hissed from around him.
Sam froze.
He searched for the source in his mind, finding nothing but void. He held out his sword, but his reaction was of little use, as he was not sure in which direction he should point it.
Loud cackles reverberated around the cavern.
‘Lost and senseless, that’s just how I like them.’
A different high-pitched voice said, ‘Is it juicy, sister? Will it be sweet?’
Then the first voice said, ‘It is much stronger than a man, I can feel that. It smells sweet. Perhaps it will taste that way, too? I suspect it’s not quite as putrid as the babbling things we caught last night.’
High-Pitch hissed. ‘Shall we not try it, and find out?’
Sam cleared his throat and in a steady voice said, ‘I am neither sweet nor wholesome, vile creatures of rancid odour. You would not want to eat me, for if you were somehow able, Underblade would render you ash before you were able to swallow.’
‘Ah, it speaks.’
‘Very sure of itself it is, too,’ High-Pitch remarked.
The first voice asked, ‘What is Underblade?’
Sam put his back to the wall.
‘You’ll know its sting soon enough. Tell me, what are you?’
‘What are you?’ An indignant voice responded.
‘My apologies,’ Sam said, and meant it. ‘I am the Prince of Shadow, wielder of Underblade bestowed upon me by Beast, lord of all things dark. Brother and servant to Arnold, King of Darkness. I am your destruction, and you shall fear me.’
They laughed.
‘That was a very nice introduction, truly, and such wonderful accolades and titles, Sam of Lies. But I will tell you, since you mention it so, that I know nothing of any beast ruling my darkness, teller of fantasy. Come now, if you are all you say, why do you not see us?’
‘Yes … stand before us, if you can, Prince of Blindness.’ High-Pitch hissed a cackle.
Sam was thoughtful. ‘Oh Mighty Ones, I dare not stand before your grace, for then our eyes would meet, and my Lord was most insistent I bring back the head of anything seen. You seem violent and foul, and I do not wish to appear rude by chopping off your heads, so I choose to keep my sight to myself.’
They hooted and gurgled in delight.
‘You have a good tongue, young one. It flaps like a banner in the wind. It’s a long time since anything caught was so courteous. I like the cut of you, and I shall enjoy eating you enormously.’
High-Pitch said, ‘You say Prince of Shadow? You need no eyes to perceive us, foolish thing.’
‘Well,’ Sam continued, ‘I spent time on my introduction maybe you would grace me with yours?’

There was a dreadful unnerving silence. Odd feelings rose up from the pit of his stomach, into his mouth as bile. Sam spat out the bitter taste. Fear had now frozen him to the spot and he could no longer function. He remained still, his back firm against the wall. Although his courage was gone the ability to reason was still intact, and he fought a hard battle over his mind.
Sam considered possibilities. If he were to exit in failure, having fought hard in attempt, his master might be merciful. But if he were to flee in terror and come before that same master, what might be his response? Sam knew there would be no mercy, for King would deal torment upon him, the likes of which Sam couldn’t conceive of, and that was a far more terrifying thing to fear.
It helped. The shame of weakness boiled into anger, like fire in a cold boiler. Slow, at first to warm, it cascaded through frozen veins melting fears, allowing limbs to move. It didn’t stop there. A chain-reaction within sent strange sensations throughout; they made the skin of his entire body tingle. Fear of unknown voices in darkness no longer held him. The strange warmth of his anger spread through nerves until it reached into his head, stabbing hard behind his eyes.
Sam took a sharp intake of breath. Instinct forced his hand to rub away the pain, and when he removed it, the cavern immerged into focus as new sight filled him with courage once again.
He could see them now; their truth visible in hideous terror. He was deep inside a cavern littered with centuries of waste and filth. The things he saw made him–almost–wish his sight had not been returned. The dread he felt before was nothing compared to the horror now standing in front him: Two giant spider-like creatures with rows of black eyes and sharp teeth. Both as large as houses, they sat on plump bellies. …

10) What would you say has been your biggest challenge and achievement in writing Songs of the Osirian?

Getting the pace of the book right was a challenge. I’m one of those people who struggle with the introduction phase of a book, so I made a conscious effort to try and tighten and get to the action as soon as I could. I think I got the balance right. A lot of my beta readers were very positive about it. My biggest achievement for this one is creating a brand new world that’s all mine.

11) What have you learned about yourself as a writer through writing Songs of the Osirian?

That I can write fantasy fiction far quicker than I can mystery! This story told itself, it amazed me. When I write mystery (especially whodunit style) the preparation and planning, the character twists and developments, the intricate red herrings … all this takes weeks and months to flesh out before I can start telling the story. But with this story, once I’d developed the world and its characters, it went very fast indeed.

12) Do you have any advice for other aspiring authors?

Read, read, and read some more … that’s what I was told by my mentor and it’s true. Also, when the moment takes you, write something, anything. Even if you don’t use it, store it in an archive for use later. Don’t throw anything away, ever!

13) Anything else you would like to say?

I was very fortunate and humbled to have a delightful foreword written by actress Chase Masterson, who has most recently been seen guest starring on CW’s The Flash, which won the People’s Choice Award for “Favorite New Drama.” Chase best known for her break-out role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one of the highest-rated syndicated shows of all time, Chase is loved by millions of fans worldwide.

14) And finally, do you have any future works planned?

I’m currently working on book 2 of the Songs of the Osirian, and book 3 of the “Dies” Trilogy. I’m also working on concepts for a project with Chase for her charity, the Pop Culture Hero Coalition – “The 1st-ever 501c3 organization to use stories & celebs from TV, film & comics to make a stand for real-life heroism over bullying, racism, misogyny, cyber-bullying, LGBT-bullying, and other forms of hate at Comic-Cons, and in schools & communities” – so I’m pretty busy right now!

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