Author Spotlight: Davis Ashura
Memories of Prophecies is the much-anticipated upcoming novel from American author Davis Ashura, and the follow-up to his incredible 2020 release A Testament of Steel. The latest instalment in his gripping Instrument of Omens series, Memories of Prophecies follows the trials and tribulations of his heroic protagonist Cinder Shade.
Ahead of its publication by Heroic Books on March 25th, we sat down with Davis himself to explore his inspiration, his writing process, and what readers can expect from Memories of Prophecies.
Heroic Books: First off, how would you summarise the plot of Memories of Prophecies, given only one sentence?
Davis Ashura: This is hard, but I’ll give it a go! A hero with no past must decipher his dreams and learn to accept his adversaries, because a true enemy threatens from the north…
HB: We’re hooked already! For readers who are already familiar with your Instrument of Omens series, does your new book pick up right where A Testament of Steel left off?
DA: Yes, Memories of Prophecies is a direct sequel. So for those who haven’t read A Testament of Steel (yet!) it won’t make an awful lot of sense, despite there being a synopsis at the beginning. But for those brave enough to tackle it, good luck!
HB: For those who haven’t encountered your writing yet, what can they expect from Memories of Prophecies?
DA: It’s an epic fantasy novel, inspired by two of the greats — Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series and, of course, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. So it won’t come as a surprise to readers that my writing features an expansive world. One with a deep past meant to feel as real as our own; histories that continue to warp and cause waves in the present; and larger than life characters who become inspiring heroes.
There are also prophecies, and no-one can tell if they are true or false. Evil gods strive against the world, as well as against one another. And there are looming dangers, epic battles, magic and mystery. Those are the tropes of the genre… and I shamelessly use every one of them!
HB: It’s interesting you say that, because those elements are what bring readers of epic fantasy back to their favourite novels time and again — and they’re deployed with a sense of newness and originality in your writing, alongside a kind of tenderness.
DA: I think when you’re ultimately writing for yourself, you have to include what you love. And one thing I have always loved is the very notion of love. To me, there’s something endlessly compelling about those close bonds that make life worth living.
But it isn’t just romantic love that I touch on in my work — although that is a key element in all my stories — but other kinds of love, too. The love of children for their parents, which is hardly ever as great as the love of parents for their children. The brotherly and sisterly bonds that are built between families and close friends. So in and amongst all the monsters, mayhem and magic of my work sits a whole lot of love…
“My writing features an expansive world. One with a deep past meant to feel as real as our own; histories that continue to warp and cause waves in the present; and larger than life characters who become inspiring heroes.”
HB: Were there particular themes that you set out to explore or deal with in your new novel?
DA: Ultimately, I’m not a philosopher. I’m a fiction writer, and I want to entertain folks with the stories I tell and the worlds I build. But, that being said, I have certain ideas of how I wish the world could be, or how our heroes could be, and I try to incorporate this into my writing.
I play with the notions of empathy and acceptance — and this isn’t framed as simply understanding and accepting those who look different, but those who think differently.
I think a lot about the notion of certainty vs curiosity, too. So many of us have faith in what we’re taught, be that scientific or moral. But what if we’re wrong? How can we say someone has ‘wrong thoughts’ when we’re not willing to examine our own? How do we challenge our own certainties without curiosity?
It seems as though, without that intrinsic doubt, there can’t be much room for acceptance. And from acceptance stems forgiveness, which is another element that sits at the heart of my writing.
HB: Speaking of which, tell us a little about your writing process. Where do you begin when you’re getting stuck into a new novel?
DA: It’s really not that mysterious, I promise! I open up a blank Scrivener document and I slowly begin to outline the story. I usually try to get to the halfway mark, and then I’ll go back over it and start fleshing out those scenes.
At first, I’m usually setting the mood and figuring out what hinders my characters from achieving their goals. Then as I progress, the scenes grow in depth. I’ll set the stage with descriptions of place and actions, adding dialogue, trying to build tension.
Somewhere in there, the writing takes off. Then I have to go back and fully flesh out the opening scenes. The outline is expanded, and by now it doesn’t bear any resemblance to what I started with — and on I go!
HB: As an author of epic fantasy, who are your biggest inspirations? And are there any particular novels that have stuck with you, and which you model your own work on?
DA: There are so many! Obviously J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert Jordan have both been huge influences on my writing. But also Roger Zelazny, Stephen Donaldson, Anne McCaffrey, Jacqueline Carey, Janny Wurts.
Those are only a few, I could carry on all day. But in terms of the inspiration for Instrument of Omens as a series, it isn’t so much modelled on Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time as it is an homage — something to honour those writers and the incredible worlds they built and which have stood the test of time.
Davis Ashura’s new novel Memories of Prophecies is the latest in his Instrument of Omens series and will be published by Heroic Books on March 25th.
You can pre-order Memories of Prophecies here and make sure to follow Davis Ashura on Twitter and Facebook for writing updates and more.
