Author Chat: H.D. Scott, Writer of “Glik’s Fables”

This is B.C. Johnson, your Boblin the Goblin-ish author, and today we’re sitting down with H.D. Scott, author of the “Glik’s Fables” series.

About the Author

I am H.D. Scott, and I write fantasy from a goblin’s point of view! Raised in the middle of nowhere (Midwest) and now a SoCal local; I’ve always been interested in all things fantasy and sci-fi. If I’m not writing, you’ll usually find me gaming, reading manga, going to Ren Fair, playing TTRPG’s, you name it. I occasionally surf (badly) and spend a lot of time with the family.

The Questions

1. Do you have a writer you idolize?

Not sure about idolize, but there are a few that have definitely inspired me:

Naomi Novik. She’s the only author I’ve read where I didn’t care about the story, and still couldn’t put the book down because it flowed so well. I try to emulate her ability to smoothly transition ideas and scenes together with everything I write. That flow makes a book easy to binge and lose yourself in.

R.A. Salvatore and Ed Greenwood. Big world builders, epic battle writing, and yet they rarely dragged on. Pacing while building was amazing, and in fantasy worlds I loved and relate to.

George R. R. Martin and Patrick Rothfuss. Motivation to finish the damn series.

I also draw a lot from individual stories. Shout out to FIGHT CLUB, WORLD WAR Z, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, DEATH NOTE, ATTACK ON TITAN, ARCANE, ALICE: THE MADNESS RETURNS, and many others. Each one has a unique perspective, which helps immensely when I try to view the world with open possibilities instead of social norms.

2. What are you reading right now, and how is it?

Honestly, I struggle to read anything while I’m in the editing phase of my own books. I can’t get my mind out of edit mode, which ruins the fun of a good story. That said, the last book I read was a re-read of HOMELAND by R.A. Salvatore. It’s different after 10+ years on the shelf, but there’s something about the Underdark and Drow that sticks with you through the years. And that feathered edge edition feels so right when you hold it.

(Editor’s Note: B.C. here, also a longtime Salvatore and drow fan, and I was ecstatic to receive this “Legend of Drizzt” visual dictionary for Christmas.)

3. Why does a goblin make for a great protagonist?

Humor, mischief, and stumbling through society’s expectations. So many of us can relate to not knowing what to do, when to do it, or understanding why the rules are what they are; then blundering through it anyway.

And few of us have hero-like characteristics. We aren’t super strong, ninja-fast, or hardened warriors. Most of us would run at the first sign of life-threatening danger, just like Glik does!

Even though it’s not as apparent in book 1, throughout the series he’s often treated like an outsider, an easy target, or an evil monster to be shot on sight; something most of us have felt at some point.

Maybe we have more in common with goblins than we think… though not too many of us are as evil and cruel as Glik’s “family” back in the goblin caves.

4. You made a map for your story, which makes you a great person. What’s your top fantasy story map?

HA! Maps are hard. I have great appreciation for all the cartographers out there (as does my poor artist who had a lot of struggles with both the island map in the book and the city map I often use with promotions and websites).

As for my favorite, that’s a rough choice. Sooo many good options. It is very difficult to not pick Tolkien’s masterpiece, but it takes a special kind of map to inspire the intro to one of the biggest fantasy productions in HBO history. Martin takes the win for “A Song of Ice and Fire.“

5. What does your editing process look like? Has it changed over time?

I’ve tried a few different variations, but I keep coming back to the one that works the best for me:

1. Make a basic outline and check it with my dev editor and brainstorming buddies:
2. I word vomit onto the page, kicking out as much as I can, as fast as possible.
3. That rough draft rarely makes coherent sense or follows common English, so any time I finish a chapter or scene, I go back and edit it right away to make it functional before moving on.
4. After I finish that first draft all the way through, I then go back and check timing, voices, clarity of thought, etc.
5. The second draft then goes to my editor. She usually has some big feedback that I have to fix and she has to check.
6. Once that’s up, my third draft goes to the beta readers. I incorporate their feedback and get the editor to check it.
7. Fourth draft usually gets formatted and sent for final grammar/punctuation and formatting checks to 2 editors (the one who’s been working it the entire time, plus an outside editor that hasn’t read it at all yet.)
8. Then off to publish.

6. If Glik’s Fables gets turned into a movie, who’s the perfect director?

Ha, haha, hahahaha. Don’t curse Glik with that kind of horrifying prospect. It’s so exceedingly rare that a book adaptation does a book justice, that I’ve started using that as my curse for people that I particularly loathe. “May your favorite book be adapted into a terrible movie.”

(Editor’s Note: Not making a choice means you’ll be assigned Paul W.S. Anderson, I’m so sorry. I don’t make the rules.)

7. Do you write with or without music?

Frisson. That’s the hair-raising, over-emotional response some of us get when listening to just the right song. I get it a lot, and can’t imagine writing without music. Now, what I listen to goes all over the place. I often have playlists for specific characters or scene types.

Lately, my playlists have had a bunch of epics like Hanz Zimmer and Jo Blankeburg for those giant amazement scenes and a lot of the ARCANE soundtrack for those intense emotion moments (on top of my usual playlists riddled with metal, anime, jpop, emo, singing cats, Metallica played on cellos, etc.)

8. Has a character or plot twist you’ve written ever surprised you? 

That’s the beauty of being a pantser/sorcerer. I’m here for the ride just as much as the reader.

For example (minor spoiler alert) in book 1, Serah was supposed to be a single mention, minor part of the story. Not one of the most important characters in the book. It’s amazing how the plot builds around what the character would likely do, and how the characters develop the more I write them. They rarely stay the way I intended when I first conceptualized them.

8. Are there other genres you’d like to explore writing?

Anything is fair game. Though, I will likely stick with fantasy and sci-fi or sci-fantasy for the majority. It’s the sweet spot I enjoy the most and have the easiest time relating to.

What Can Readers Check Out?

Book 2 is hot and heavy in the editing process. If all goes well, it’ll be ready to release next year.
I’ve also got book 3 outlined and started. I’d love to get it out about 6 months after book 2, but that may be optimistic thinking.

As for who would like Glik’s Fables:

Glik is humorous adventure fantasy from a goblin’s POV. Any reader that likes high fantasy, D&D gaming, swords and magic style worlds, quirky goblin humor, or rat sidekicks will be all over this. With 100,000+ words, Glik’s Fables Vol 1 is not short, but I’ve had readers get through it in less than a weekend. It’s that fast-paced, and there’s zero romance, so it doesn’t match the market’s current trend of Sanderson style epic page lengths and Romantasy genres right now.

(And before you ask, yes, I’ve had multiple requests for goblin romance/spice. No yucking anyone’s yum, but it may be awhile before I go down that rabbit hole.)

I’m also planning to be more active in book fairs and events this year. Sign up for the newsletter at hdscott.com to get the full list as I finalize where I’ll be.

On the backburner:

1. I’d love to do audiobooks of Glik once the series is complete (there are 6 planned, so it may be awhile.) I know who I’d like to do it too, but I’m betting I won’t have the funding for Alan Tudyk.
2. I’ve got more and more brainstorming sending me down the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fantasy genre. I wouldn’t be surprised if something in that territory shows up after Glik.
3. There’s also an interesting concept developing for some short story collections. Cat lovers will be all over that one.
4. And of course, the grimdark series that started it all for me is lurking in the background. Not sure that masterpiece will ever be finished, but it’s there; waiting for me to face the horrors that I’ll have to live to put the story onto the page. I don’t think my mental health, or the state of the world is ready for that one right now.

Where to Find the Author

I’m most active on Threads, but I’m on all of the following:

TikTok, Instagram, and Threads: @hdscottcreations
Facebook: facebook.com/GliksFables
BlueSky: @hdscottcreations.bsky.social
Website: hdscott.com

---

More Author Chats

This is B.C. again, thanks for stopping by. Want to read more author chats? Check out the archive here, or you can subscribe to my blog to get updates as they arrive. Or follow me on Threads or Bluesky where I’ll be posting them as well.

Looking to be Interviewed?

If you’re an author interested in being featured on the blog, contact me here:

Excelsior!