RA: You go by Crystalwizard. Share with us the story behind that name.
CW: Many years ago before the moon was created...well maybe not that long, but back in 1980, I needed a name to sign onto a BBS with. There's never been a word that actually meant me, even though my mom hung one on me when I was born. What means 'me' is sort of a mixture of a sound and a feeling. Crystal was the closest I could get to the sound and wizard came as close to the feeling as I could get. I've been CW or Wiz, since.
RA: You're a writer, an artist, an editor. What other creative hats do you wear?
CW: Name something and I probably wear it. I'm a photographer, I fix computers for a living, I publish Flashing Swords and run Cyberwizard Productions and if I list everything, you'll be out of space ;)
RA: How long have you been writing, and what's your favorite genre?
CW: I've been telling stories since I could form words and push my toys around on the floor. I've been putting them on paper since high school, when I decided that there wasn't anything being published that I wanted to read...so I'd write it, then I'd have it to read. I don't have a favorite genre, that depends on my mood.
RA: Tell us about Flashing Swords and what you do there. Any major projects in the works?
CW: Flashing Swords is a quarterly magazine that publishes both a print (for sale) and electronic (free download on our website) edition. We publish fiction, poetry and non-fiction articles or essays with the following themes:
+ Sword and Sorcery
+ Sword and Planet
+ Heroic Fantasy
+ Epic/High Fantasy
+ Swashbuckling Adventures
+ Historical Adventure
CW: I'm the managing editor of Flashing Swords. That means I pay the bills and I have final say on what goes into each issue. We are working on an anthology which is due out in March of 2008. Jason Waltz is the editor in charge of that and you can find out all about The Return of the Sword here.
RA: BTW, what medium do you use to create your art?
CW: I use the computer. Now. It's all digital. Poser and Bryce are the two 3d graphic programs I use; Paintshop Pro is the 2d art program I use. I can also paint and sketch, and have done watercolors, acrylics and oils, but that's messy and costly. So I mostly stick to the computer, these days.
RA: Where can fans find your fiction and graphic arts?
CW: Go to google and search for crystalwizard and 99% of all the hits will be me. There are a couple of hits that aren't me and a couple that belong to some company that's definitely not me ;) Search Amazon for crystalwizard and you'll find all my books. Or visit the Cyberwizard Productions home page.
RA: Thanks CW for carving some time out from your hectic life to give us a picture of the person behind the artist. Best wishes in all your endeavors.
