ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Morgan Stang lives in the humid part of Texas. He graduated from the University of Houston with a BBA. By day he works in accounting and by night he sleeps, and sometime in between he writes in a wide variety of fantasy genres, ranging from dark fantasy (The Bartram's Maw series) to gaslamp murder mystery (The Lamplight Murder Mysteries) to cozy fantasy (The Bookshop and the Barbarian). He is a fan of all things nerdy, and lives with an immortal ball python.
Looking back to when you entered SPFBO, did you ever imagine your book would take the top spot? What made you take the plunge and submit?
Not at all. I took the plunge because the first two times I submitted were fun. Spindle Manor was my third attempt. My first two attempts had good reviews and were received well, but didn't make anyone's finals. Still though! It's just a fun experience all around I think, and that's all I was expecting from it. If Spindle Manor didn't win, I probably would have submitted a fourth book the next time, and so on!
How has life changed since winning SPFBO? More book sales? Wild parties? Paparazzi at your grocery store?
I keep posting pictures I take of random cats and sub-par food in the SPFBO9 finalist discord bunker. I don't know why I do it but it's just a compulsion, and I never would have got here were it not for SPFBO. But aside from that, yes, a lot more eyes on the book and the series in general is a great effect of winning, and I'll always appreciate it.
Many champions talk about the pressure of following up a winning book. Did you feel that? How did it shape your next projects (if at all)?
I do think there is some pressure there, or if not that, then at least a nagging feeling that the next thing you write won't be good. But I think that's there for all authors. I was actually writing book 3 in the series during the contest itself, which was an experience. And then it published shortly after I won, so there was no time for the win to actually shape the next project.
There are nearly 3,000 SPFBO entries out there. What, in your opinion, helped your book climb to the top?
Philip Chase. Hah! Cause he picked it. But in a broader sense, blind luck. But in an even broader sense, I really don't know. I know the goal of the book was FUN, as in the concept of being fun, that was the driving force for me writing it, the focus, so maybe that sense of fun made it stand out.
Imagine your main character finds out they’re competing in the Champions' League. Are they thrilled? Terrified? Confused? Demanding a rewrite?
Isabeau Agarwal would scoff and call it all a foolish waste of time. Then she would immediately go and read all her competition in the privacy of her flat and never tell a soul.
Every author has that “this is never going to work” moment. Did you? How did you push through and keep writing?
That would be the beginning of every book. I think a lot of writers feel that way, you have an idea, a plan, an outline, and then you start writing, and those first two chapters feel so inadequate and fake, and you have doubts. It's not until you get deeper in, or finish the thing, take a step back, and realize hey, yeah, this is actually a legit book, and I'm not a crazy person having a hallucination.
Apart from your own novel, is there a past SPFBO book (any year, any entry – doesn’t have to be a winner or a finalist) you’d hype up to readers - maybe one you loved or thought deserved more of the spotlight?
Of the finalists, I've read The Lost War and Sword of Kaigen, and they were both great, so I recommend those.
Aside from that, every SPFBO year 9 runner up, obviously. :P Hills of Heather and Bone almost tied with me, and The Fall is All There Is has exploding horses.
What’s the project currently on your desk - and is it behaving, or making you question all your life choices?
It's a standalone fantasy/sci-fi book that I am actually almost close to publishing. There were times I questioned my life choices, but I'm happy with it now. Readers of Spindle Manor will recall a random young woman who teleported into and out of the manor. This new book is starring her as the main character, and you actually get to see that happen from her point of view!
After that I'm starting book 4 for Lamplight Murder Mysteries. So it'll be a while before that one comes out.
What’s one piece of writing advice you completely ignore - and one you swear by?
I don't know how common it is, but some people give the advice of not using “said” a lot, and they come up with all kinds of other words. I am massively against that. I love “said”. “Said” is the king of the land. It keeps me warm at night. You might say I'm in love with “said”.
The writing advice I swear by is first, writing is different for everyone, so some things work for people and some things don't. But for me, I learned early on that a written outline is required. Doesn't have to be super long. But my first book was written without an outline, and my later books had an outline, and there is a vast difference in quality, pacing, even tone and voice. Outlines keep your pacing sharp and on track. No outlines lead to meandering.
Win or lose, your book’s in the top 10 of nearly 3,000. But personally, what would be your proudest writing achievement - published or still locked away on your hard drive?
It's a bit cliché and jerky to say “my most current work”, but honestly, my current book. The one I'm now finishing up. It was the hardest book to write, and my strongest, I believe. It's my tenth book, and it's a standalone, but it's also the book that bridges together every other book I've written, because they're all technically in the same universe, but on different planets. The cosmic beans get spilled, big time. It's just neat, and required a lot of foresight years in advance. Years ago, I wrote scenes involving the main character that were included in published books like Spindle Manor, and they have to play out exactly the same now in this new book and still make sense, which is a feat. Almost experimental, maybe? The main character is also my favorite character of mine. Her hobbies include being a hermit, collecting snails and rocks, smoking corncob pipes while fishing, and excelling at a collectible card game. I wish I had a friend like her, but these people are all off hiding in a comfortable hole somewhere.
3:00 AM | 
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