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For those who don’t know: I’ve been a full-time professional writer for 30 years now. Authored computer games, tabletop games, novels, comics, and have been working hard at breaking out into feature film and TV. I’ve been a part of furry fandom since 1986, and wrote the first furry novels written from within the fandom: “MUS OF KERBRIDGE”, “FANGS OF K’AATH”, and “A WHISPER OF WINGS”.

 - And I’m still writing!

1. Tell us about your most recent project (written or published). What inspired it?

Well – I’ve just finished writing the first book in a new series called “Spirit Hunters”

- “SPIRIT HUNTERS Book 1: The way of the Fox”.

This is a novellisation taken from a huge ‘furry’ television series I have written. The stories are wonderful ‘Samurai Ghostbusters’ tales set in a sort of magical medieval Japanese otherwhen. The starring character is a wonderfully lackadaisical, devious, charismatic fox priestess. We follow her story as she battles monsters and unravels intrigues – somehow flitting along the path to wisdom. These are delightful tales that all link together into a great, sweeping story arc full of adventure, love and action.

I’m releasing this book in the next few weeks. I wanted create something the furries would love. Hopefully it will be a big hit amongst the furry community.

Previous to that, I have just finished a titanic 4 book series called  ‘Effectuators’ – deliciously ormolu tales set in London in 1869. Ancient mysteries and weird creatures – and a deliciously bewitching main character.

I’m also now just finishing up a new furry roleplaying game. So far, it looks gorgeous!

2. What’s your writing process like? Are you a “pantser,” an outliner, or something in between?

For me, writing is a calling – not a job. I do it because I have to. It’s what I do.

I tend to spend a while fretting and taxing myself to come up with ideas – covering the room with notes, scribbles and drawings. I push hard – often too hard – adding to ideas bit by bit, until one starts to gel. I then sit down and start to flesh that idea out into a full project.

A lot of what I write comes from very extensive research. This can be physical experience, or deep research. So – research is all a part of the development. I make a story plan, but it is very generalised: the story will write itself in its own way. Once I have the feel properly set in my head, I start writing and just let it flow.

I find the writing stage to be full of fun. I research as I write, and let the piece try to find its voice. But it is a very hard grind: 12 hours a day for months and months.

I am extremely disciplined and driven. I forge forward diligently to the end of a project, and utterly exhaust myself. The trouble is, when I’m not writing and creating, I become horribly restless and depressed. So I have to fling myself straight into another idea.

I’ve been doing it for 30 years, working all that time as a full-time professional writer. I’ve never earned a dime doing any other work.

3. What’s your favorite kind of story to write?

I’m a romantic. I love stories filled with cunning and cleverness, heroic deeds and adventure. Love and friendship. Stories with heart. Stories with humour. Stories that entertain.

I do love to write good action scenes – fights grounded in the real.

And I love to make a visual world – something full of colour and vista. Something the readers can close their eyes and see. 

One thing I take pride and delight in doing is in creating strong female characters. Many of my books star a female lead character. I’ve always felt that genre fiction does a terrible disservice to female characters. I take a great joy in trying to redress the balance.

4. Which character from your work do you most identify with, and why?

Wow. Hmmm – I love them all.

I have utterly loved Kitsune Sura, the main character from SPIRIT HUNTERS. Having written 53  TV movie scripts starring her, I guess I live in her head and she in mine. She embodies the foxly ‘virtues’ so beautifully. Fiercely loyal to her friends – scornful of authority, derisive of pretension, reveling in the beauty and the motion of the world – a weird branch of Taoism all of her own. She’s a delight.

Brilliana Stetham from the EFFECTUATORS novels is another favorite character of mine. Prolix and stylish and wonderfully devious. A total delight to write! She has that terrible parade of esoteric knowledge and weird ghoulishness that I’ve always adored.

The ones I love most are extremely ‘human’ – strong and passionate, and made all the more beautiful because of their unique flaws.

5. Which authors or books have most influenced your work?

Hmmmmm -

Jack Vance’s work. Jack’s beauty of expression, his use of vocabulary – the delicious, seductive way he painted his visual and sensual landscape. Those are just unparalleled.

Bernard Cornwell’s work taught me a great deal about how to write action sequences.

And Patrick O’Brian! His delicious narratives and his skill for turning the golden phrase are such an utter joy. The way his characters reveal themselves through their dialogue (and in the prose surrounding that dialogue) is simply marvellous.

Oddly enough: Sven Hassel! Sven’s ability to spin a yard – to just tell a rollicking good tale of larceny and engaging roguish characters was a very early lesson in how to tell a good story.

6. What’s the last book you read that you really loved?

Hmmm – I always re read my old favourites.

For absolute pure love: Mary Renault’s “THE LAST OF THE WINE”. This is just an absolutely riveting, haunting, passionate novel. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is an utter masterpiece. Elevating, ennobling – and it will definitely make you cry.

7. Besides writing, how do you like to spend your free time?

I’m a manic, dedicated wargamer and role playing gamer. We do tabletop RPG’s every weekend (and I’ve been doing that since the 1970’s!). I paint lead figures. I’m a history fanatic, and constantly read military histories, social histories, books on uniforms and equipment. I utterly adore it. One of my most enduring loves is armour – I’ve been an armour historian  since I was about 9!

Travel. I utterly love to travel – to wander. I’ve been so very, very poor this last decade that I haven’t gotten to wander the way I normally love to. Got to Rome last year, though, due to bizarre luck!  Just wandered ancient sites in Italy with my bag over my shoulder and my Akubra on my head…

I’m a senior student with the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu (“Transmitted directly from Heaven, Katori Shinto Shine Style”), studying with the Sugino dojo. I’ve been a dedicated student there for about 11 years, doing Japanese sword, naginata, staff and spear. Katori is the oldest of the Japanese schools, teaching medieval fencing styles.

I run, do weights, ride my bike.

Oh – and I’m a costumer! I make costumes and fursuits for the sheer joy of it!

I am also extremely kind to bugs. I adore little creatures. I usually keep an eye on local mantises and little insects, lizards (and given where i live – the Bandicoots). I’ve sometimes raised dragonfly larvae in little ponds.

8. Advice for other writers?

If you’re going to do it, then DO IT.

- Be ready to embrace poverty. Doing this properly is a full-time job.

- Do not expect reward. Do not court awards. Do not judge your worth by the paycheck. Write because it is a joy. Write because you want people to see the stories and be entertained.

-And enjoy the fandom. Be a part of it! It will always be there for you when things are darkest.

9. Where can readers find your work?

I’ve taken to self publishing my books. Far, far more satisfying than eternally crawling up to publishers.

My books are all out on Kindle as e-books, and on Lulu for print-on-demand.

My Dungeons and Dragons novels, Gammaworld Novel, etc are all available via Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast, and can be found in games stores and on amazon.com.

You can find all my schtuff linked at:
http://paulkidd.net/kitsune-press/

10. What’s your favorite thing about the furry fandom?

Furry fandom is a creative fandom! Other fandoms just ‘appreciate’ – but we build. All furries are creators – whether we write books, paint artwork, or just imagine amazing characters and fursonas. It engages us all in an active creative environment. I love that.

Being with furries is always buoyant and joyous.

Furries are not broken – they’re just gently fractured!  ^_^

Seriously – furry fandom is the family I choose to have. They ‘get’ me – i get them.

I love furry fandom. I will always be there for the fandom. These are my people.

 

Check out Paul Kidd’s member bio here!

 

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Author: Sonious What would happen if Sonic the Hedgehog and Sparkster from the the Sega Genesis game Rocket Knight Adventures had a love child? Well, apparently it would produce a purple dragon. Most people would point out that this makes absolutely no biological sense. They would be right. I was talking metaphorically about game mechanics. […]

Ok, this is an amazing work of virtual costuming and I can’t wait to be able to do this live with a webcam in 5 or so years.

Fingerprint racoon notebooks… Ummm why the hell not?

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Author: tmattlatrans The Tennessee Moonshiners defeated the Edmonton Totems in five games at the conclusion of the 2014 FBA Finals, giving the Eastern Conference club their first title in franchise history. The team’s four-year point guard Aragon Fisher (Otter, G) won 2014 Finals MVP. The contest made history by being the first FBA Finals series […]

Author: Fred These are the first two volumes of T.R. Brown’s Reflections series. Amazon.com has a special subcategory for them: Genetic Engineering Science Fiction. They should be required reading for every furry author who plans to write human-into-anthropomorphized-animal fiction. They are also good reading for everyone else. The two are narrated by the protagonist, Todd […]

Hey there, anyone want to show all their original art? im interested to see how your design is. Thanks! Also no yiff please

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Hello, Papabear! 

First off I want to thank you so much for reading this, and so many others letters and helping them, serious or not. 

I have always been fascinated by Anthros, but before, during my Spring Break of this year, I'd had the same misinformation about Furries as many did. The reason this died was because we went to MegaCon in Orlando as a small thing on an FBLA [Future Business Leaders of America] competition trip, and I met a couple of furries, and soon I learned that not all of them were into pornographic material and many just like anthropomorphic creatures, just like me. 

But fast forward to now, and I've learned so much about the fandom and I'm saving up to make a Partial suit of my Kangaroo fursona, and I realize I have to tell my parents about this or else how can I explain why I suddenly need upholstery foam and faux fur? I told a few of my more con-going friends, but they seen very misinformed about furries, which sucks as I want to try and go to MegaPlex next year when I’ll be 13, meaning I don't have to have one of my parents with me.

My question is: how do I go about this? My family is very island-based, so stuff like this doesn't happen often. Plus, my dad has seen thatTosh.0 episode with Furries (and the Brony episode too, but as a still young-ish girl I don't have to worry to much). Thank you for reading this novel. I tend to go on a lot.

Avian Zoroark (age 12)

* * *

Dear Avian,

Welcome to the fandom and I do hope you enjoy your furriness with the community. Yes, it is most definitely possible to have a wonderful time in the fandom that is family-friendly. And, as you’ve discovered, the furry fandom is unique from other con-type groups, such as those who go to Comic-con or Star Trek conventions, so it isn’t surprising that your friends who go to cons, but not furcons, are confused about what it’s really like.

Before I continue, I want to be sure you understand something (and that I do, too!) because it sounds like you wish to go to Megaplex by yourself at the age of 13. If that’s what you believe, then you’re mistaken. As the Megaplex site clearly states: Anyone between 13 and 17 years of age, excluding anyone between 16 and 17 with ID, will require a parent or legal guardian (“parent”) present at registration on site. Parents must have a valid ID, and will be responsible for anyone in their care. (You must have your own parent or legal guardian with you to receive your badge.) So, you will need one or more parents to go with you. But that is actually okay! This is your chance to show them what furry is about—and that you want them to know you like it and that it is great fun—by asking them to take you to Megaplex. Most mundanes who actually attend a furcon realize it is totally harmless. I don’t know how much you know about furcons, but, in a number of ways, they are like other cons. There is a dealer’s den, and guest speakers, and there is usually a fursuit parade. Now, at the dealer’s den and artists’ alley, furcons will always clearly indicate adult material and will not allow minors to look at that stuff. To quote from the Megaplex site again: In accordance with state law, we must require that no adult material be displayed openly; for example, for art/print artists we request, where applicable, that two separate binders ("general", "mature") be kept. Additionally, any "naughty" parts of must be covered in some fashion (Post-It notes work well for this). This satisfies State and Local requirements about underage viewing and is discreet for purchasers.

Artists are responsible for keeping unsuitable material out of the hands of minors in the Dealers' Room. Minors will be clearly identifiable; more information on how to identify them will be available nearer to the convention. Just as your parents wouldn’t allow you to see an X-rated film, so you can show them that they have the same control here. Parents feel more comfortable if they feel they can supervise their children and have some say over the situation. Once you have taken care of that, then go to the next level and get that partial suit (by the way, good idea on your part to get a partial, since you are still growing!)

Remember, just because they are a bit isolated from the world (I assume that is your meaning when you say they are “very island-based”) doesn’t mean they will be fearful of furries. They should understand there is a big BIG difference between television and the real world. Show them the real world of the fandom and you should be okay.

Hugs,

Papabear

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Author: Fred This is a beautiful but chaotic collection of full-color paintings of Felix the Cat, by Don Oriolo. There are at least five title pages and subtitles, all different, plus a foreword by Craig Yoe and short essays or tributes by comic book and animation experts, historians and, in the book’s term, aficionados Mark […]

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Hey all, Was enjoying some of RQ(LapFox)'s music the other day and thought to myself why haven't i heard of anyone else creating music like this? (For those of you that do not know) RQ creates a bunch of music in varying genres accompanied by a sona. Each of the sonas have their own feel. Some of my favs are Klippa, Truxton, The queenstones, Renard, F.I.A.B. and The Quick Brown Fox. If anybody knows of other artists that work in this style it'd be you all! I absolutely love the personality that the music gives the sonas and would love to find a similar artist. Thanks in advance for everyone's help!

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