An exclusive interview with Gary Kloster. Originally published in our Aug. 2024 magazine
Few authors understand the challenges and travails of modern publishing like Gary Kloster. He cut his teeth in some of the most prestigious publications, bounced back from personal tragedy, and has just written the biggest book of his career.
Those who follow him know success has been a longtime coming for the former librarian. His new novel “Skaventide”, part of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar’s new batch of novels, represents another high point in his career.
“Whenever you’re working on this kind of project there’s generally a very tight deadline because all this stuff is coming out at once. I had to keep in mind that it couldn’t be late or slow. That was the main struggle,” said Kloster.
It wouldn’t be the first or anywhere near the biggest challenge the author’s faced in recent years. Struggle, in fact, is something the author knows a lot about.
“About a month into writing “Skaventide” my wife told me she had ovarian cancer. She’s doing great now but during that period about a year ago I was with her through it all: going to the hospital, chemotherapy, being there for whatever she needed,” Kloster said.
It speaks to Kloster’s professionalism that he was able to meet his deadline despite the odds. The author remains reflective about the experience.
“It was kind of this strange analogy. Here I am writing about these hostile things attacking in Skaventide and there my wife was fighting back against an attack by hostiles,” he said.
He’s come a long way from his first major appearance on the speculative scene. That came in 2012 with “From their Paws, We Shall Inherit” in Clarkesworld. A debut novel, “Firesoul”, would follow a few years later.
“Perseverance,” Kloster said was the main key to his success. “I think that’s something all writers need because you are going to get that pile of rejections, I certainly got mine.”
Writers, he believes, tend to struggle with egos and low self-esteem. MC Frontalot, according to Kloster, describes it best in “A Little Bit Broad”.
“You’re out there competing with these really big names, trying to get into these really big places, so you kind of have to have this belief that you can do it but at the same time there’s that self-doubt,” Kloster said.
Case in point is the journey of some of his shorter work. The pair published in Clarkesworld were snapped up immediately while others were rejected up to 30 times.
He credits luck with bringing him to the Black Library. An editor there happened to read a story of Kloster’s in Apex Magazine and asked about the possibility of collaborating.
“Unfortunately, it happened right when my wife was in the ICU after suffering a brain aneurysm,” Kloster said. “They were super kind and understanding. It took about six months but once my wife was better, I was able to reach back out and they were happy to work with me.”
It wasn’t long before Kloster was writing stories across the Black Library’s many Warhammer-related settings. That includes Necromunda, Age of Sigmar, and the Horus Heresy.
“It can be intimidating,” Kloster said, “But there is such background on everything. You do your research and often frequently have miniatures to reference. Someone still might have a different picture in their head so there is that tension. You just have to accept that it won’t be perfect for everyone and hope it works for most people.”
Kloster has been aided by a penchant for making complex characters accessible. It’s helped him claim a place among the likes of Dan Abnett and Mike Brooks.
“You want to ground them in humanity and make people realize why their problems matter. It may sound odd because people see these as big action books but you also need an element that causes readers to feel bad for what is happening to the characters,” Kloster explained.
One area many science fiction and fantasy writers struggle in is juggling world-building and characters. To Kloster, the solution lies in achieving balance. That can mean reaching out to readers that aren’t as familiar with genre fiction. For years, Kloster’s go to person was his wife, whose feedback helped shape his style.
“The other big point related to that is the importance of revising your work. It sounds silly but when I started I didn’t know that. You’re supposed to take the junk you start with and polish it into something better.”
Writers also need to finish what they start. It’s easy to move on to the next thing but that inevitably results in multiple unfinished projects.
“If you have 50 different stories in various states of completion, you have 50 pieces of something but nothing you can actually polish, finish, and send out,” Kloster said. “If you never finish you have nothing to work on or nothing to turn in.”
Readers need only check out any of his several novels to see how far Kloster’s advice might take them. If his work is any indication, it’ll likely take them just as far on their careers.
Ismael David Mujahid, Executive Editor