Meet our SFF Indie author of the Month, L.R. Schulz.He is a self confessed fantasy addict born in Melbourne, Australia. Despite an early passion for storytelling, he obtained a teaching degree and embarked on a career as a primary school teacher. When he is not reading and writing, Luke enjoys spending time with his Golden Retriever named Gem, gaming, and surfing.
- To begin with, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?
Of course! My name is Luke Schulz. I am 32 years old and was born in Melbourne, Australia. I was born into a family of teachers and ‘coincidentally’ became a teacher myself after graduating from Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School. I have a multitude of passions including sports such as Australian Rules Football, tennis and surfing (when I find the time for it). On the other side of the coin, I am also an eager gamer, a dedicated book gremlin, and of course my most expensive yet rewarding passion, which is creating relatable characters and unique worlds for others to explore (I write books).
2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?
When I was twelve you could find me out in the wild climbing trees and breaking limbs (my own). I was also a little football fanatic and could be seen running around on weekends kicking an oval shaped ball around the park.
At eighteen I had reigned in that energetic side a little and while I still enjoyed the outdoors, I started to become more of a home body. At this age I was hard at work finishing VCE, as well as working to become a primary school teacher.
By thirty the transition was complete, and the energetic little kid had transformed into an educator. I still enjoy my sports, but these days I much prefer to spend my time reading a good book, or using all of my pent up creative energy to create one.
3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now?
I used to think that the best solution was hiding from all your problems. I’ve definitely since learned that it’s best to instead face them head on. It builds character to face things that are difficult.
4. What were three works of art – book or painting or piece of music, etc – you can now say had a great effect on you and influenced your own development as a writer?
Well the first would be the Lord of the Rings movies. They’re what brought about my passion for fantasy in general. I must have watched those movies a hundred times with my siblings and even used to collect miniature figurines of the characters that I still have fond memories about today.
The second and third would be a tie between Magician by Raymond E. Feist, Eragon by Christopher Paolini and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. These are the three books that got me hooked on fantasy, and also the three authors who shaped my own style of writing.
5. Considering the innumerable artistic avenues open to you, why did you choose to write a novel?
Well, I can’t sing or play an instrument, already tried and failed at that… I can’t draw to save my life… but other than that, writing was just the best way to express myself creatively and to release all of the pent up thoughts swirling around in my head.
6. Please tell us about your novel, Soul Cage.
Ah… I always find it hard to pitch my novel, but basically, think Green Lantern meets Lightbringer (Brent Weeks) meets Dark Souls…
It’s a dark fantasy in a world where killing another person makes you stronger. I wanted to create a world that was as messed up as possible, and then see whether or not humans as a race would be able to overcome that adversity. So what better way to make it tough on them than by having murder gift someone with magical powers? Sounds confusing? Well, it’s not too complicated really. Basically, every human has a soul, and every soul contains a single scrap of magic. If you kill another, their soul and all others trapped inside transfer over to you, granting you more magical power.
This kind of a system allows for a range of dynamic outcomes, and I try to experiment with all of them in the different parts of my world where each ‘country’ or section of the world has a different way of dealing with it. Some go full on bad guy, where only the strongest survive. Others find a way to contain such a power through a strict set of rules and religion.
Added to the magic system, Soul Cage also contains unique and relatable characters. Will is neurodivergent. He is the ‘coming of age’ type hero who struggles with social interaction. Myddrin is your ‘overpowered’ type character who has an addiction problem. Then there is Tvora, who is your typical ‘badass assassin’ prototype, though she also has some serious mental and health complications which you pretty much have to read about to understand.
7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?
I think the main reason I wrote this book is to have people ‘question’ their morals. I wanted to show the darkest parts of humanity, to show what I think we are capable of if we don’t keep ourselves in check. Then past that, I wanted to show people that despite this darkness, there is a path to push forward. There is light. And there are good people, even in a world this dark.
8. Whom do you most admire in the realm of writing and why?
Honestly there are so many people I couldn’t possibly name them all. Throughout self-publishing I’ve had the pleasure of talking to dozens, even hundreds of other authors, and each offer a different perspective and all have been such a great help to me and my writing development.
9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?
I do have clear goals. I want to have 8 books out in the world by the time I hit 35. I have daily/weekly writing goals. I also have eventual paths to success goals that I am hopeful for. But above all of these I would place simply to enjoy myself. I remember I think it was Brandon Sanderson who said that when going into publishing, you need to ask yourself: if even after 10 years of struggling for success but not finding it, would you still look back and say it was all worth it?
I think as long as I enjoy the process, then I will be happy. I will certainly strive for success, and will do everything in my power to sell my books as best I can, but in the end, I have to be content with what I have already accomplished, and just be glad to have put myself out there in what can sometimes be a gruelling process.
10. What advice do you give aspiring writers?
Don’t give up. Practice, practice, and practice some more. Study. Learn from other authors. Write every day or at least every week. Have a notebook handy for those inspired ideas. But most of all, enjoy the process.
Thank you for playing, Luke!
Soul Cage
Murder Breeds Magic
All power comes with a price. In a world where magic is transferred by the act of killing another, Myddrin stands above the rest. Having accidentally killed the most powerful mage in all of existence, Myddrin now lives a peaceful life in isolation. But there is no such thing as peace in the land of Otor. War calls. The voices of the dead haunt him, and there is nowhere to hide.
Cursed with the deathly taint of magic, young Will must seek acceptance among the Knights of Aen. There, he must learn to touch the otherside, control his abilities, and decide for himself what is right, and what is wrong.
Tvora’s soul is broken. The price of vengeance was her sanity. Her companions help her keep a tenuous grasp on herself, but with the urgent need to absorb enough magic to sustain them, she is pushed to choose a side in the upcoming war. The question remains, will she choose the right one?
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