Daniel Potter is a biologist, who writes about creatures, which are considered improbable. From talking cats to flying reptiles created from living metal, or people who sprout foot long talons when annoyed. He is the author of two series, Freelance Familiars, which is a unique take on urban fantasy from the perspective of the familiars and Rise Of The Horned Serpent.

If you want to know more about Daniel Potter and his works:

https://twitter.com/FallenKittenPro

https://www.facebook.com/FallenKittenProductions

https://danielpotterauthor.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Off-Leash-Freelance-Familiars-Book-ebook/dp/B011J9L5JA

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B63DYGF/

The interview

1. You book is released on November 17, today. Can you tell me about it?

Magic, wizards and talking animals. Those would all be totally cool with Thomas except he woke up as a talking cougar! Now he's viewing the magical world from the bottom up, and everyone's telling him he better roll over if he knows what's good for him. Or else!

Thomas runs for "else" as fast as he can on four legs, surprising the entire magical community as they scrambled to keep up. In this three book series, can Thomas keep a collar off his neck and claw out a place for himself in a high stakes game of magic where every bet could mean his life? He'll find steadfast friends in a squirrel with an explosive habit and a fire magus who simply cannot catch a break. Together they'll face off against wizards, werewolves and Thomas's own lack of thumbs in these non-stop adventures.

Pride Fall is the fifth in the Freelance Familiar Series. After finally fending off and disrupting the Talking Animal Union Thomas and the crew look forward to sitting back and relaxing... at some future date because there is no time to rest.  They have to find a certain dead bird before he comes alive again and ithere delicate politicking to be done if Thomas wants the both of the government and the roof over his head to stay stable.  But when a ill timed romantic interlude lands both THomas and O'Meara smack in the middle of a civil war, hard decisions must be made.  

2. Do you have a favourite genre to read and write? Why that?

I love urban fantasy or any fantasy that has connections to our own world.  I love that you can directly use the language of modern life and twist it to your end.  That shared world gives you the ability to launch the story immediately, the foundations are already understood.  As the author you merely have to show the readers the exceptions to the expectations.  Character concerns and conflicts are immediately graspable too, no matter how complex because thats our lives, our world and our concerns. 

3. You create interesting and unique creatures. Do you, or your family members also have pets, which you use as an inspiration?

I have two cats.  They're pretty far from mythical beasts.  Aggie is a pretty mythical lump, she's very good at it.  Einstein is a bit of a goof ball. At fourteen he's mostly a fuzzy lump that snores very loudly.

4. As someone, who loves fantasy and animals, I love the idea of Freelance Familiars. How the idea of this book came to your mind?

Off Leash was total lark.  I was stuck on the science fiction manuscript I had been noodling with when nanowrimo came up.  I figured I’d give myself a break and write something silly about a guy who became a cougar, because I love them and they don't get nearly enough press.  And before I knew it, I won nanowrimo (writing 50k during the month of November) and I had completed novel by the end of december. My first finished novel.  So I’m like what the heck. I’ll publish it.  And it did pretty dang well.  So I decided to write another…  

5. Creating a book with many unique creatures takes time. Usually how long, until you write a story?

While I was working full time it took me about a year to write a book.  This is my first year doing it full time and it still taken me four to five months.  Hoping to write faster than that next year but it is what it is.  I don't find any part of writing particularly easy or fast.  If the book needs revisions, I do the revisions.  Pride Fall got rewritten twice.

6. If you could be one of your creations, what creature would you be and why?

You actually want me to choose? Thomas has a lot of me in him but I wouldn't want to be him, despite the feline excellence, he lives a very stressful life, getting zapped at by wizards, nearly eaten by demonic entities and mediating between an ever growing assortment of chosen family.  I'd be the first cougar with a stress ulcer. If I had to choose, I go do my Rise of the Horned Serpent series. Yaz'noth, the antagonist is an iron dragon who's about ten stories tall.  If I got stuck in our world I could probably make a fortune in Hollywood.  Think of all the money they'd save in special effects with a real dragon on the lot. I'd buy a few scrap yards to take care of my food supply.  Maybe run for political office.  Probably wouldn't be so afraid of public speaking if everyone were the size of my toe nails.    

7. There are lots of cliches also in popular characters. Which creature do you find the most cliche? What do you think about the overused creatures, and abilities?

I can't say any creature are cliche by default.  It's all about how you use them and the lore surrounding them.  Take vampires. Vampires are one of the most common supernatural elements in an urban fantasy setting but beyond drinking blood you really don't know how they work when you pick up a new vampire book.  Every author can give them their own unique set of rules and abilities. Hopefully they can give them a unique twist or flavor that is interesting for those of us who have already seen a bunch of variations already, but it's not a requirement.  In terms of cliches I don't like, I always roll my eyes a bit when every supernatural is ridiculously, pants wettingly hot.  I have this headcannon that all vampires send the folks they are considering turning to some sort of fat camp where they have a vampire drill sergeant yelling, "IS THIS THE BODY YOU WANT FOR ALL ETERNITY?! NO?! DROP AND GIVE ME PUSH UPS UNTIL YOU GROW A SIX PACK OF ABS SON!"  Ah-hem. No? Probably just me then.

8. You are the author of two series. Next to these do you have any other project?

I am currently planning out my third series, Emergency Magic.  About the perils of being a paramedic as magic floods back into the world.  

9. If you should choose, which is your personal favourite legendary creature?

If its feline its probably been my favorite for half a second or more.  Partial to Sphinxes at the moment, probably one will show up in Emergency Magic.  We'll see.   

10. If you could live anywhere and be anything, what would you be? Why?

I think I'd take the big iron dragon from above, salt with a bit of shapeshifting so I could sneak away from the hoards of dragon fans (without stepping on anyone) and we'd be good.  

Thank you for your answers! And you, dear Reader, what would you ask from Daniel Potter? 🙃