Sci-fi author inspires aspiring writers

Guests foregoing the Oregon Ducks game or the World Series for Ken Scholes' book talk last Saturday at Paulina Springs Books were treated to a musical performance by the affable sci-fi/fantasy author.

Scholes, an award-winning speculative fiction writer from St. Helens, Oregon, entertained a small group with guitar and rack harmonica prior to his reading, belting out a soulful rendition of "Who'll Stop the Rain" and a slow cover of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline."

"I don't usually have a guitar but I thought, why not give people a little extra," he said.

His new novel, "Antiphon," is the third book of "The Psalms of Isaak" saga, a hard-edged blend of science fiction, fantasy and mystery published by Tor Fantasy. It's a fully realized world where traditional fantasy storytelling blends into the realm of epic science fiction with its hardware-based tales.

"Lamentation," the first book in the series was published in 2009, and won an American Library Association Award for Best Fantasy Novel. He's been churning out short stories for ten years and was tempted into writing his debut novel on a dare by his wife, Jen, based on characters previously created in his first short story, "Of Metal Men And Scarlet Thread And Dancing With The Sunrise." Book 3 is titled "Canticle."

"I wrote 'Lamentation' in seven weeks back in the Fall of 2006. It was a very different transition from short stories," he recalled. "I didn't think it was good enough and struggled with self-doubt, but it landed me an agent and a five-book contract with Tor. That was exciting. The series is marketed as epic fantasy but I consider it post-apocalyptic fiction."

All Scholes' novels have titles that takes their names from terms in sacred music, reflecting his life as a musician and former minister.

Scholes grew up in a small logging town at the foot of Mount Rainier in Washington, steeped in the adventure fiction of Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs and the great sci-fi master, Ray Bradbury. He's been writing since high school and tries to provide his characters with the choice of moral decisions in a climate of desperate times, a theme he continues to develop in the "Psalms of Isaak" novels.

"It would be a shame to come to a bookstore and spend the whole time singing," he laughed, packing up his guitar and opening his computer.

Instead of reading from "Antiphon," a series most would not have followed, Scholes opted to read one of his published short stories.

"Since it's almost that most wonderful time of the year, I'm going to read a Christmas story called "What Child is This, I Asked A Midnight Clear." I don't get to read a lot anymore since we have 15-month-old twin baby girls at home. It's tough to do much of anything," he kidded.

The story, a post-apocalyptic tale featuring a gunslinging Santa delivering gifts with justice and grace to a war-torn world left in a perpetual nuclear winter, elicited a warm round of applause for its imagery and style.

"I get to play a little more with the short stories, as you can see," Scholes said.

This was Scholes' first visit to Sisters, although his wife has spent many vacations here and loves its charm and simplicity.

"I'm so happy to come up here and share my work," he said. "We get to spend some time in a beautiful place and my high school choir teacher, who was very instrumental in my life, lives in Bend and it gives me a chance to reconnect with her."

When asked about advice to aspiring writers, Scholes sat back and smiled wryly. "First thing, no one wants to hear about a novel that isn't finished, so keep writing no matter what, keep generating material and building your skills.

"My idea of writing is you put your characters in a tree and throw rocks at them until they catch and throw them back or you knock them out of the tree," Scholes joked, tinkering with his netbook. "I try to create a history that feels real and avoid going into too much detail and be true to the characters that inhabit that world."

He's currently working on the fourth book in the series, "Requiem," and trying to stay sane with his twin daughters.

For more information on Ken Scholes and his books, visit http://www.kenscholes.com.