Some Thoughts with ... Yuval Kordov

1.- What made you choose self-publishing?
I did all the research on traditional vs self-published, and I did send out a handful of queries. Who wouldn’t want a famous imprint on their book? But at the end of the day, I have a startup mentality–I’ve only ever worked for startup companies in my professional career. I was ready to go and didn’t want to wait years to navigate through all the middlemen and gatekeepers. 

2.- Which ones were the main inspirations to create the world of Dark Legacies?
I created the original Dark Legacies world back in 2004, with the release of two d20 System gaming books that I wrote and published (that are still on Amazon!) Back then it was a fantasy world, but still based on post-apocalyptic Earth. I always wanted to reboot it into more of a contemporary sci-fi setting, so finally started the process about four years ago.

3.- If I’m not wrong, Dark Legacies was firstly a TTRPG. Could you tell us a little bit more about it?
I have a long history of RPG gaming and also creative writing. When the d20 System/OGL opened up in the early 2000s, I went for it. I had a vision of a dark, low-magic, monotheistic fantasy world based on post-apocalyptic Earth. I had the pleasure of working with famed artist Adrian Smith for much of the art, so it was a passion project for sure. Ultimately, I didn’t continue producing new books for it because of time and money constraints.

4.- I have to admit the Esther prologue is quite impacting, was that your intention with it?
Glad you thought so! Something that really drives my new writing is my experience as a parent, plus all the existential questions around purpose and faith and mortality that come with aging (not to mention my body falling apart!). The characters of Esther and her sister are deeply influenced by my two girls, which made that part extremely difficult to write for reasons you’ll know having read it by now.
From a narrative perspective, it was important for me to write a book with characters that are as realistic as possible, given how otherworldly the setting is. That means everyone has legitimate motivations and beliefs that make them the protagonist in their eyes. It’s important for the reader to understand the heart and mind of Esther as a central figure in the overarching story.

5.- From the writing process, which parts would you say have been more challenging for you?
Worldbuilding for sure. I have pages upon pages of world notes that will never appear on page but are necessary for a coherent narrative. Ensuring each POV (there are 8) has a unique voice and compelling reason for existing. Managing the timeline of events was also challenging, since there’s a lot of non-linearity in the first book. I had a significant timeline/plot hole that made it through to the first manuscript that caused much grief, but ultimately led to a much better overall story.

6.- Which other hobbies does Yuval Kordov has apart from writing?
I build custom LEGO which you can see at http://instagram.com/gothbricks2000/ I started doing my own mech designs 4+ years ago (another long story) which is actually what led into me building my rebooted narrative.

7.- The cover is also quite impacting, could you tell us more about its design?
The mech on the cover is one of my own designs. I collaborated with an awesome abstract artist Luke Martin https://www.instagram.com/lukemartinart a while back to create a set of illustrations/paintovers of my work and the cover design was done by an immensely talented coworker of mine, Victor Platon Jr. Pictured is one of Cathedral’s God-engines, an ancient weapon of war powered by the “uniquely” talented children of the Revenant Sisterhood. Their story is actually quite tragic. I wanted to impart the power but also the underlying darkness of both the machine and the makers.

8.- What can we expect from Yuval Kordov in the future?
Currently heads down on book 2!