Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Bones of the Past
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: Ottawa
STATE:
COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY:
http://thebonesofthepast.wixsite.com/craigmunro * https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-bones-of-the-past * https://geeks.media/interview-with-craig-munro-author-of-the-bones-of-the-past
RESEARCHER NOTES:
Not found in LOC
PERSONAL
Male.
EDUCATION:Attended University of Nice medical school; University of Ottawa, B.Sc.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author; also works for Canadian government. Formerly worked in language instruction, tech blogging, and construction.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Craig A. Munro made his debut as an author with The Bones of the Past, a fantasy epic that pits a small band against demonic and godly forces that threaten to tear their world apart. “Massive armies clash,” explained a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “while demons and killers stalk the streets of beleaguered cities.” One of these cities, Sacral, has newly reappeared in the middle of a deserted area; another, Bialta, “is a city littered with criminals,” declared Melissa Lockaby in the Seattle Book Review, “but protected by the Night Guard, who roam the streets to kill the monsters that devour souls.” The ravaging monsters are largely the creation of the master sorcerer Carver, who has created an entire army of monsters to lay waste to the enemies of his associate, the tyrant of Tolrahk Esal. Munro examines these events through the eyes of three citizens of the two cities: Maura, a resident of Sacral, Salt, a sailor recruited into Bialta’s Night Guard; and young Nial, who has been given an escape from her father’s alcohol-fueled abuse. “When a mysterious new friend arrives and offers her power beyond her imagination,” stated a contributor to the Convergence Book Reviews website, “she takes it. But the power may be darker than Nial understood.” Nial ends up merging her identity with that of a succubus—a female demon that preys on men.
Munro, who works for the Canadian government, came to be a novelist after an initial interest in biology and science. “I have always had a need to learn and understand how things work,” Munro said in an interview appearing in Geeks. “Living creatures and their evolution have always been particularly fascinating to me, which led me to my choice of studies. Unfortunately, after my first taste of lab work, I realized that as much as I loved the study of molecular biology (and life sciences as a whole), the pace and repetitive nature of research just wasn’t for me. From there, I changed fields and even countries, sometimes choosing the next destination because of a job, and other times choosing purely because of the destination.”
In general, critics appreciated Munro’s debut novel. “How much did I enjoy this book? I read it in one sitting,” enthused Benoit Chartier in the Ottawa Review of Books. “I am very much looking forward to … every other book that Munro comes out with after that.” “A simply riveting read from cover to cover,” wrote a Midwest Book Review contributor, “The Bones of the Past reveals author Craig Munro as a master of the fantasy action/adventure genre.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, April 24, 2017, review of The Bones of the Past, p. 73.
ONLINE
Convergence Book Reviews, http://convergencebookreviews.com/ (August 15, 2017), review of The Bones of the Past.
Geeks, https://geeks.media/ (January 17, 2018), “Interview with Craig Munro, Author of ‘The Bones of the Past.'”
Midwest Book Review, http://www.midwestbookreview.com/ (August, 2017), review of The Bones of the Past.
Ottawa Review of Books, https://www.ottawareviewofbooks.com/ (November 5, 2017), Benoit Chartier, review of The Bones of the Past.
Seattle Book Review, https://seattlebookreview.com/ (May 30, 2017), Melissa Lockaby, review of The Bones of the Past.
Craig A. Munro has worked in a variety of fields, including government, language instruction, tech blogging, and construction—all while completing a couple of years of med school at the University of Nice and eventually earning a BSc from the University of Ottawa (yes, in that order). He has lived in countries across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East and has recently returned to Ottawa, Canada, where he pushes paper for the federal government. The Bones of the Past is his first novel.
Explore
Geeks
JoinSign InCreate Story
HomeMovieListReviewPop CultureComicsCelebritiesTvSuperheroesEntertainmentVintageCosplayFact Or FictionHow ToZombies
All Tags
Interview with Craig Munro, Author of 'The Bones of the Past'
by GEEKS STAFF 7 months ago in INTERVIEW / FEATURE / TRAVEL
When inspiration strikes, Craig A. Munro writes story fragments and weaves narrative only after the fact; such is to be expected from a debut novelist who flourishes in the face of the unknown.
"Many fantasy tropes were slain and harmed in the making of this book." This is just one of the early accolades extended to author Craig A. Munro in anticipation of his debut novel The Bones of the Past, the first in his epic fantasy series "The Books of Dust and Bone." In fact, the slaying and harming of convention is par for the course for jack-of-all trades Munro, who's residences have spanned everywhere from his hometown of Ottawa, Canada to Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East, and who's vocations are just as varied. Among a number of other fields, the newly-minted novelist has work experience in government, construction and molecular biology under his belt.
The Bones of the Past tells of Sacral, a city that vanished long ago and has reappeared just as suddenly. The event sets off global warfare, as its inhabits–some human, some not–try and navigate their new world order, complete with sinister demons, omnipotent deities and ravaging armies.
In an interview with Geeks, Munro reflected on the inspiration for his novel, his piecemeal writing habits and how his experiences have shaped his worldview, both real-life and the one transmitted–by hand, mind you–from pen to paper.
Geeks: How did The Bones of the Past come to be, and what inspired you to write it now?
Craig Munro: I knew I wanted to write something REALLY EPIC. I sat there and thought for a couple minutes, and then a song came on shuffle called "The Forever People" by My Dying Bride. Something about that title sparked my imagination and I just started to write. It was raw and chaotic. I wrote about legends for my world, gods, wars and events. I wrote about the founding of a mythical city and its fall. I just kept writing and moving forward in time or backing up to fill in offshoots or to develop other peoples or cities during the same periods, all while scrawling a rough map as I came to understand the shape of the continents and the evolving nations that were involved.
I had been writing daily for a couple of years (almost always on this first project though I did dabble in other things) when I felt I had a great starting point for a novel. I’m very fond of all this early content, if not overly happy with the form and quality of the writing. But everything that came before gave me a rich background for the world and those who lived in it…And so, I started writing The Bones of the Past and about the return of Sacral.
In one sentence, what is your novel about?
Life twisting magic, demonic possession and immortals who have outlived many of the gods themselves, crashing together in world-shattering events.
Walk us through your writing process.
The first step of any writing for me is just putting pen to paper–literally. I jot down story fragments, bits of dialogue or entire scenes in frenzies that often don’t allow me to decide who the characters I’m writing about are or where exactly the events are taking place. The handwriting is essential for me because typing doesn’t give me the immediate freedom of scrawling diagrams or symbols on the page or in the margins.
In a second phase, I transcribe and clean up my jumbled notes and organize them into Scrivener. Usually when I’m re-reading them, I realize just who the characters are and how the fragment fits in with the story as a whole. Other times they just go into a pile of semi-organized snippets and wait for the time when they’re needed–those times sometimes strike me like little epiphanies where I see how the pieces of the puzzle fit together and I’m usually sent scrambling for a piece of paper to jot down the connection before I forget it.
Only after all this is done and the story has started to take shape am I able to focus on big picture planning. I use a role-game campaign planning program called Masterplan to play with story elements and plot lines. Once I get them into a configuration I like, I finally start filling in the blanks and writing all the in-between parts of the story.
It’s a chaotic process, but I can’t imagine doing it any other way!
You’ve worked in government, language instruction, construction, tech blogging, and have a degree in molecular biology. Were these various career changes a matter of indecision, or did you always envision yourself being involved in a range of fields?
I have always had a need to learn and understand how things work. Living creatures and their evolution have always been particularly fascinating to me, which led me to my choice of studies. Unfortunately, after my first taste of lab work, I realized that as much as I loved the study of molecular biology (and life sciences as a whole), the pace and repetitive nature of research just wasn’t for me. From there, I changed fields and even countries, sometimes choosing the next destination because of a job, and other times choosing purely because of the destination and found whatever work I could. There are always new places to see and new things to learn!
As a debut fantasy author, what did you find challenging about world-building?
My biggest challenge was in writing out all the necessary detail. I can imagine most of my world so vividly that I sometimes forget that things aren’t always obvious to others, and I need to give my readers a chance to acclimate.
From where–or who–did you derive inspiration for your characters, setting, and plot in The Bones of the Past?
My characters sometimes borrow traits from people I know or have met. At other times, they’re an amalgamation of several people or even inspired by characters from D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) or Shadowrun campaigns from back in my Secondary School and University days.
The places….Well I’ve been inspired by a lot of different places. I absolutely love traveling and I’ve never been anywhere new that hasn’t led to a flurry of fresh ideas. The final form for Sacral (the city at the center of the story) came to me when I was sitting outside some ruins in Cambodia, and the grand temple was inspired by a place in South Korea. Changes in environment work wonders, though the locations often aren’t clearly related to the ideas I get from them!
Once I have characters and locations in place, the plot generally creates itself based on the wants and needs of those characters and cultures, and how they all fit together.
What was the best advice you’ve ever received?
You can’t please everyone–No matter what you write or who you are, some people are going to like it and others aren’t. Focus on those who like what you do, and try to keep improving.
What’s next for you?
I’m hard at work on The Tide of Madness–the sequel to The Bones of the Past. There will be one more book in the series with the possibility of a second trilogy set in a different time period. I’ve also toyed with the idea of exploring the background of some of the secondary characters a little more and perhaps devoting a novella to a couple of my favorites.
How many hours of sleep do you get on a typical night?
I suffer from insomnia. I’d dearly love to get 8 hours, but I’m lucky if I get 5 or 6 hours of actual sleep. Getting up and writing for a half hour is one of my more effective methods for getting back to sleep when I’m having a bad night.
Sana’a, Yemen
Favorite city in the world?
If I had to pick just one: Sana’a, Yemen. I was fortunate enough to visit Yemen during a period of peace and was totally floored by how unique and beautiful it is–the landscapes and the architecture, not to mention the local clothing and culture are really something else. The people were also among the friendliest I’ve met anywhere. My short stay inspired a slew of new characters and places for my books.
Any plans to extend into other genres and if so, which would you choose for your next book?
I think I’m ‘reality averse' in my writing–I have toyed with Sci-Fi, Apocalyptic or even my own brand of Urban Fantasy, but anything I write is sure to be firmly under the Speculative Fiction umbrella. None of these ideas have been developed enough for a book yet–Epic Fantasy is where I’m staying at least for the next 2 books.
Without any spoilers, which character in your book is most similar to you, and why?
Carver–He has the thirst for knowledge and the deep interest in the workings of living creatures. I may have left the field of molecular biology, but I continue to read on the subject and have even taken a few online courses when I’ve managed to find the time.
The Bones of the Past by Craig A. Munro
product thumbnail
The Bones of the Past (Books of Dust and Bone)
Via: amazon.com
More Info
Who’s your all-time favorite author?
Steven Erikson–His world building and epic stories are a large part of what reawakened the desire to write in me. The foreword he wrote in Gardens of the Moon was part of what made me actually sit down and do it (the other part being my amazing wife, who supplied the necessary kick in the butt once I admitted how I felt to her).
As someone from Ottawa, what’s an underrated travel spot in Canada that our readers should visit?
The Mer Bleue Conservation Area on the east side of Ottawa is an incredibly underrated spot. Most of the people living in the area have never heard of it. Its ecosystem is more typical of the Arctic and yet it’s literally just outside the city–a great way to experience a taste of the far North without the 3,000-kilometer trip!
Connect with Craig Munro on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads
Learn more at The Bones of the Past website
INTERVIEWFEATURETRAVEL
Tweet
Share
Geeks Staff
Geeks Staff
The biggest bunch of geeks gathered in one 12,000 sqft warehouse in Northern New Jersey who spend their whole day just being geeks.
All posts by Geeks →
Batman vs Superman's R-Rating: Are Warner Bros. Simply Jumping On The 'Deadpool' Bandwagon?
Tom Bacon
a month ago in
If there's one thing you can say for certain about Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, it's that the film has stirred up a lot of controversy! The latest is over the revelation that the movie's 'Ulti...
Should Superhero Movies Become More R-Rated?
Tom Bacon
a month ago in
Right now, the superhero world stands in shock. In spite of an R-rating, Deadpool is sweeping through the box office. Although logic suggests an R-rating reduces the number of potential viewers, Deadp...
A bit of an odd spin here.
Tom Bacon
a month ago in
First off, you've painted a singularly rosy picture of the post-Civil War comics landscape; you're ignoring the fact that the superheroes spent an inordinate amount of time chasing after one another. ...
Should Warner Bros. Be Worried About Batman vs Superman?
Tom Bacon
a month ago in
The final trailer is out! Warner Bros. are betting $410 million on Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice being what it takes to springboard them into Justice League, but people in the know are starting ...
2016 is the Year of the Superhero - So Which Superhero Movie Will Triumph?
Tom Bacon
a month ago in
Let's face it, 2016 is the year every superhero fan has been waiting for. We have not one but three studios - Marvel, Fox, and Warner Bros. - competing to take the year for their respective superhero ...
Jessica Jones Season 2: It's a Go!
Tom Bacon
a month ago in
When #Daredevil Season 1 aired on Netflix, within just eleven days we'd had confirmation that there'd be a Season 2. For Jessica Jones, which released November 30th last year, we've had a much more te...
Now Reading
Interview with Craig Munro, Author of 'The Bones of the Past'
Tweet
Share
Launch Shop
ExploreSite MapContactPrivacy PolicyTerms of UseSupport
Powered by Jerrick Media © 2017 Jerrick Ventures LLC. All Rights Reserved.
12/17/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1513533732716 1/1
Print Marked Items
The Bones of the Past
Publishers Weekly.
264.17 (Apr. 24, 2017): p73.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Bones of the Past
Craig A. Munro. Inkshares, $16.99 trade paper
(450p) ISBN 978-1-942645-33-7
In this ambitious yet underwhelming epic fantasy debut, massive armies clash while demons and killers
stalk the streets of beleaguered cities, and everyday people struggle to survive amid the chaos. On the
surface, this sprawling story has it all: a mysterious city returned after 1,000 years of self-imposed exile, a
sailor who joins an elite group sworn to defend humankind against evil, a young girl who merges with a
succubus, and so on. Obligatory fantasy elements include warfare on a monumental scale, magically crafted
monsters, and mystic weapons that can do great damage in the wrong hands. And yet, for all of the myriad
plot threads and story lines in motion, there's no sense of cohesion or core narrative, no big picture. Despite
some intriguing concepts and compelling protagonists, the story is bogged down by clumsy writing, stiff
dialogue, and an unclear passage of time as events unfold. This laudable but inconsistent debut regrettably
ends on a cliffhanger, resolving very few of the primary concerns. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Bones of the Past." Publishers Weekly, 24 Apr. 2017, p. 73. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A491250827/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=982ac4c2.
Accessed 17 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491250827
The Bones of the Past by Craig Munro
November 5, 2017
Reviewed by Benoit Chartier
Beren and Maura are citizens of Sacral, a city that has only just reappeared from its secret place after a thousand years, only to become the target of foul plots. As a master runesmith, Beren must use his knowledge to help the defense of the city by injecting magic into weapons and implements. Maura will be tested in other ways.
Salt is a sailor who became the unwitting victim of a witch and was saved by the Night Guard, the elite soldiers of the city of Bialta. After a night of celebration, Salt finds himself a new member of that group, and must train hard to become a worthy soldier.
Nial is a young girl who’s lost her mother, and her father, a smith, is wasting all their money on drink in the lower city. Every night he comes home and unleashes his ire upon the girl. One day, however, a young demoness from another dimension comes to her aid, and from that point forth, they become fused as one.
There are many more characters, and many more stories to be told in this world, and Munro brings them all to the fore in a logical and methodical way. The reader progresses at a natural pace, even though, once the book is considered as a whole, there is a lot to remember. The world-building is flawless, and every character knows his or her place, jostling for supremacy in this wild environment.
Each city-state was constructed with care, and has unique characteristics. One feels the size and the girth of constructions while reading, and once again, it is effortless. I think the thing I enjoyed the most was the feeling of being there, along with the myriad characters, as a bird over their shoulder might, following each story.
How much did I enjoy this book? I read it in one sitting. I am very much looking forward to the second in the series, and every other book that Munro comes out with after that.
The Bones of the Past is published by Inkshares.
The Bones of the Past by Craig A. Munro
The Bones of the Past
The Bones of the Past by Craig A. Munro
Series: The Books of Dust and Bone, Book 1
Published by: Inkshares on May 30, 2017
Rating: 3 stars (★★★☆☆)
There are threats to the people in the kingdom of Bialta that one cannot always see. And even when they can be seen, they are not easy to defeat. The Night Guard, an elite and specially trained force, are responsible for rooting out these threats and eliminating them. Salt never expected that he would find himself among their ranks, yet here he is.
Nial hasn’t had the greatest childhood. Her father is not the most attentive, and he’s quite fond of the drink. So when a mysterious new friend arrives and offers her power beyond her imagination, she takes it. But the power may be darker than Nial understood, and there’s a chance this power may also be beyond her control.
Add to this the mysterious reappearance of a long-lost city and the rise of a vicious tyrant, and the relatively quiet lives of the people of Bialta–and the world–are about to be changed in unexpected ways.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I picked this book up. Yes, I read the blurb, as I always do. But I guess I hadn’t expected just the sheer amount of people and places that the reader is introduced to here. That said, the author does an excellent job of keeping everything clearly defined for readers to follow. Their motivations aren’t always entirely clear, but that’s part of the mystery that I anticipate will be revealed in future installments. I am looking forward to seeing where this story goes.
[Disclaimer: This review is based on an advance reading copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.]
This entry was posted in Reviews and tagged author: craig a. munro, genre: fantasy, published: 2017-05, publisher: inkshares, rating: three-stars, title: the bones of the past on August 15, 2017.
The Bones of the Past
We rated this book:
$9.99
An army created from dark magic is on the move and ready to destroy anything that gets in its way. Bialta is a city littered with criminals but protected by the Night Guard, who roam the streets to kill the monsters that devour souls. Maura, a quiet housewife, is thrown into a battle to save the city of Sacral and ultimately finds herself leading a band of mages and fighters against ruthless invaders. Jenus and his Warchosen soldiers are held captive by an ancient race thought to be long extinct. A young girl possessed by a hungry demon haunts the alleys and becomes more powerful with each passing day. Humans, mages, warlocks, and demons fight to rule this dark, magical world in Bones of the Past, the first book in Craig Munro’s Books of Dust and Bone series.
Riding on the popularity of George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones and Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicle, this recent entry into the fantasy genre isn’t quite able to pull the separate storylines together. Perhaps the second installment will provide the links between characters and plots that seem to be lacking in this complicated yet promising new series.
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Reviewed By: Melissa Lockaby
Author: Craig Munro
Star Count: 3/5
Format: Trade
Page Count:
Publisher: Inkshares
Publish Date: 2017-May-30
ISBN: 9781942645344
Amazon: Buy this Book
Issue: August 2017
Category: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Share:
The Bones of the Past
Craig A. Munro
Inkshares
99 Linden Street, Oakland, CA 94607
www.inkshares.com
9781942645337, $16.99, PB, 450pp, www.amazon.com
The Night Guard walk the streets of the old kingdom of Bialta seeking out threats that are beyond the abilities of the common soldier. Nial is one such threat -- a girl changed into something "other" and on the hunt for human souls. Salt, a sailor recently rescued by the Night Guard, has been inducted into their ranks. He's a quick study, but as new threats multiply all around them, will he have what it takes to survive?
Bialta is not alone in its woes. Sacral, a city that vanished in the distant past, has reappeared where it once stood at the heart of the Wastes. Like many of Sacral's people, Maura is content living a quiet life, ignoring the outside world. But she finds herself desperately fighting to save her home as war comes to the city returned.
Meanwhile, across the Great Desert, creatures are stirring. Carver, the last living master of the magic known as flesh carving, has won the support of the tyrant of Tolrahk Esal. Together they will unleash his twisted creations to sweep across the land and forever disrupt the balance of power.
Critique: "The Bones of the Past" is an epic saga wherein armies march, demons feed, and deities unleash their powers on a world that will never be the same. A simply riveting read from cover to cover, "The Bones of the Past" reveals author Craig Munro as a master of the fantasy action/adventure genre. While very highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library fantasy fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Bones of the Past" is also available in a digital book format ($9.99).