Please introduce yourself and tell us about your background as a writer.
Hello, I’m Frank Sawielijew and my writing background goes all the way back into my childhood. Throughout my school years, I drew comics of varying quality, starting with stick figures and eventually evolving into a style that reminds somewhat of medieval miniatures. Back then, I put little thought into the structure of my stories, but the seed was planted.

In 2004, after my English teacher gave us the assignment to write an ending to an open-ended story from our coursebook, I became inspired to write prose alongside the comics I’d been doing since elementary school. I don’t even remember what the story was about, but my teacher liked it. Based on an offhanded joke he made in class, I later wrote a short crime action story called “The Rubbish Robbers.” It was penned by hand, ink on paper, and has been lost to the ravages of time.

From that point onward, I kept dabbling in prose. I mostly wrote in German back then (English is my second language) and amassed a sizeable collection of first chapters for novels that went nowhere. They still lie abandoned on an old hard drive, but I doubt I will ever revisit the failed experiments of my early years.

The real beginning came in 2014, when I had my own Edgar Rice Burroughs moment. I read through a cheap sci-fi anthology by a small indie publisher and thought: hey, I can do that too!

The first story I submitted was “Demise of the Star Queen,” and it was immediately picked up by a publisher. It’s a simple tale of space pirates walking into an ambush. The plot is pretty basic and the prose, frankly, terrible, but the successful sale proved that my hunch was correct. Short stories quickly turned into my favorite format.

From these early years, the only story worth checking out is “Angelblood,” printed in Deluge: Stories of Survival & Tragedy in the Great Flood by Garden Gnome Publications (2015). It was only my second sale, but already anticipated my later style: novelette-length, with a slow buildup of mystery and tension followed by an explosive climax.

While my early stories were complete standalones, their worlds one-off creations unlikely to be revisited any time soon, I recently developed a sword & sorcery meets sci-fi setting called The World of Arath, where sinister magic and long-lost technology coexist. Two stories set in Arath have been published so far (“The Flesh of Man,” in Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy: Volume 4 by Parallel Universe Publications, and “The Coral Crown” in Fall Into Fantasy: 2022 Edition by Cloaked Press, both 2022) and three more are forthcoming. A novel is in the works and hopefully ready for publication before the end of the year.

What are the most prominent influences on your writing? How do you incorporate those influences without being derivative?
I take inspiration from many different sources. When it comes to the genres of SF/F and adventure fiction, I’m partial towards the pulp classics. My favorite author of the era is Clark Ashton Smith, the greatest of the big three Weird Tales giants. No other can compare with his mastery of language and imaginative worldcrafting.

There is also some influence from the German pulps, particularly Sun-Koh: Der Erbe von Atlantis and Jan Mayen: Der Herr der Atomkraft, both written by Paul Alfred Müller between 1933 and 1938. The history of German pulp (which still exists to this day!) is a fascinating topic, but way too big to elaborate on here. Suffice it to say that we had our own versions of Doc Savage, and they were no less entertaining!

The writer that inspires me the most, however, has only recently entered the field of pulp fantasy and is better known for his lyrics and vocals in the best metal band of all time: Byron A. Roberts of Bal-Sagoth fame! Their music often plays on my speakers when I write. The most obvious product of that is my short story “Beyond the Spires,” published in 2020. You might notice a few parallels between Xul-Natath Beyond the Spires and mighty Kor-Avul-Thaa if you read closely!

Another source of inspiration is classical literature and history, from the Mesopotamian bronze age to the age of sail and gunpowder. I studied history and archaeology in Frankfurt am Main and find the stories of the past to be veritable wellsprings of great ideas and everlasting themes. Even after thousands of years, stories like Gilgamesh and The Odyssey lost none of their luster.

But the most powerful fuel for new ideas is found in the visual arts. From neoclassical and romanticist painters of the 19th century (William Godward, Evelyn De Morgan, Edmund Blair Leighton) to the masters of fantasy art (Frank Frazetta, Clyde Caldwell, Michael Whelan), I can spend hours getting lost in imaginative vistas and scenes captured on canvas.

Add to that inspiration from other sources like computer games (particularly The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Thief: The Dark Project) and French comic books (Alejandro Jodorowsky’s works are a favorite of mine), and it becomes hard to be derivative. I like to mix up different elements and surprise the reader with the unexpected. Fantasy and adventure are genres of limitless possibilities and I don’t concur with the claim that “every story has already been told.”

With self-publishing easier than ever, there are tons of books being released every day. What makes your work stand out from the crowd? What can readers get out of your work that they can’t from anyone else?
I like to think that my wide range of influences and perspective as a foreign writer provides a different flavor from American and British authors. American pulp is an exotic genre to me, because America itself is exotic. German pulp writers have always been fascinated by America as a source of inspiration, even back in the ‘30s – I’m picking up a local tradition, in a way.

My short stories tend towards the longer side of the format, with a lot of buildup towards an explosive climax and plenty of action in-between. Sometimes, there may even be a dash of romance sprinkled in for good measure. Set these stories in worlds that seamlessly combine elements of sci-fi and fantasy and you get unique tales of sword, sorcery & technology that feel fresh and traditional at the same time.

Many authors say marketing is one of their biggest challenges. What tactics have you found to be most effective for getting your name out there?
I feel like I’m still too new on the block to think about that. I have plenty of short stories in various anthologies and magazines by now, but haven’t released a standalone collection or novel yet. Up to now, I left the marketing to the publishers. It seems to work – I didn’t expect an interview request from DMR, but here I am!

I have a Facebook page where I post links to the anthologies I’m featured in, but don’t use it for much else as I’m not a fan of how the website works. On Twitter, I engage with fellow authors and the pulp community, which helps in forging networks and making friends. I feel like promoting the work of other authors is important, as we all write the kinds of stories we want to read more of.

You can check out my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FrankSWriter and my Twitter handle is @FrankPulpwriter. I also make sure that my isfdb page is kept up to date with the latest releases: https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?240679

How much do your audience’s expectations factor in to what you write? Does this ever cause you to hold back from experimenting?
I write mostly for myself and am not afraid to switch up genres if I feel like experimenting, or discover an intriguing call for submissions.

Most of my stories focus on adventure and work towards a satisfying finale with plenty of action. Whether that adventure takes place in a classic sword & sorcery land, outer space, ancient history, or a fantasy-infused modern world – the important part is to make it fun and deliver a satisfying conclusion.

Have you had any new stories published recently? Are you currently working on any?
My most recent short story is “Souldrinker,” a contemporary fantasy mystery set in rural Bavaria, published in Bryce Beattie’s Sidearm & Sorcery Volume 2.

I have an upcoming story in Cirsova’s summer issue, called “Curse of the Iron Moon.” It was the first story I wrote in the World of Arath, but not the first published. It leans heavily on the setting’s sci-fi elements. A more traditional sword & sorcery tale set in the same world will appear in Lyndon Perry’s upcoming Swords & Heroes anthology.

I’m also working on a novel set in the World of Arath, following a young woman’s quest for ancient high technology to help liberate her city from a merciless warlord and his armies of savage pterodactyl-riders. It features pirates, sea monsters, cannibal tribes, sinister magic and space-age technology. I hope it’s going to be a fun ride when it’s finished!

Last but not least, I am part of Ardenfall’s writing team, a computer RPG developed by a small team of enthusiasts striving to push the genre to the next level. It is heavily inspired by Morrowind and Fallout: New Vegas and attempts to do what big mainstream developers have long failed to: create a fascinating exotic fantasy world with an open, player-driven storyline that invites to explore, free from modern handholding design that turns games into barely interactive movies.

Name one newer and one older book you have read and enjoyed recently. (“Newer” meaning from the past year or so, and “older” meaning written before 1980.)
Schuyler Hernstrom’s Thune’s Vision was the most excellent collection of sword & sorcery shorts I’ve read last year. As for classics, I’ve been reading my way through Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer novels. Hard boiled noir is my favorite genre outside of sci-fi and fantasy, and Mike Hammer is one of its toughest heroes.

Any final words?
Thank you for the interview! It came as a pleasant surprise. With only a handful of short stories out there, I didn’t expect you were interested in having me on your excellent blog. DMR’s catalog is a treasure hoard of high quality adventure fiction, and I feel honored to be featured on its blog.