Sadir is the author of The Crew, a humorous fantasy novel where Pulp Fiction meets Dark Fantasy, flavoured with Arabian spices. SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains minor spoilers.
Hi Sadir! Thank you for taking some time out of your schedule to join me for a quick round of questions, much obliged!
While The Crew consists of several individuals, arguably Varcade is like the main hero (as witnessed by the fact he’s dominating the cover as well!). He’s an Educator who traveled from his cold homelands to the desert in search of a new life. You on the other hand were born in the Middle East and then started a new life in chilly Sweden. Does that make Varcade kind of a reverse Sadir? Is he the opposite of you?
What a keen observation! He is indeed the opposite of me when it comes to moving around geographically.
Varcade has white hair and was trained by an exclusive cult since he was a young boy. Not only did they train him, they also altered his body with magic. If I replace magic with potions, I’m immediately reminded of The Witcher. Was Geralt a possible role model for Varcade?
When you point out the similarities I can definitely understand why you’d ask that, but I’ve honestly never read the books, played the games or watched the Netflix show. For the white hair specifically, I would probably go with Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII as the main inspiration. He was most likely the first character I came across in my youth with that look that really made an impact on me. I’ve always had a thing for characters with white hair since then, it just looks cool. 😁
For the altered body part and gaining new abilities, I would definitely say the Weapon X Program from Marvel Comics was the main source.
If we’re talking Weapon X, then I’ll probably go with Deadpool as Varcade’s inspiration rather than Wolverine, seeing all the craziness there.
I also love the fresh take on fantasy you bring to the table, but snorting the bone dust of dead gods has got to be the most craziest thing I’ve come across in a long time (also I think it’s a health hazard, don’t do this at home!). Where did this particular idea stem from?
Thank you! The first novel I ever wrote (unpublished) also had a magic “system” related to the bones of dead gods, but in that book a person would surgically insert a piece of bone into their own flesh to unlock magical abilities. Snorting the bones felt more fitting when I wrote The Crew, being in line with all the other craziness. That was actually one of the first indications to me that I was writing a humorous book, and it happened organically in the heat of the moment as I was writing the first scene.
At first I thought that Varcade might not be the most stable person in the head, but he’s downright sane when compared with Zuba (let’s just say baby arm, enough said). Will we be seeing more of Zuba (and less of his mother) in the next book?
Haha, I love this question. We will definitely be seeing more of Zuba in book two. I don’t think he’ll willingly ever leave Varcade’s side again.
(Spoiler) And when will you bring back the Biter? His demise didn’t seem final, far from it, but he hasn’t returned in any way as far as I can tell.
The Biter needs to find a new host body before we can see him again, but I’m sure that’ll happen sooner rather than later. He’s out there somewhere hunting…
That is a somewhat frightening vision! Last but not least, and on a more pleasing note – what is your favourite drink or cocktail? I hope it’s not something demonic!
I wish I had a funnier or more interesting answer, but I’m not a big drinker at all! However, when I do order a drink it’s almost always a Gin & Tonic. Maybe I’d drink more if they had a more demonic selection available?
I’ll see if I can come up with a demonic concoction involving Gin! And with that promise, thank you so much for your time!
Gin Basil Smash
This drink is not really demonic (unless you’re using a gin from hell), BUT it at least looks like that – the drink will have a really cool, green color! You’ll need:
- 6 cl gin (i. e. Bombay Sapphire)
- 2cl lemon juice
- 2 cl sugar sirup
- 15 basil leaves
- Ice cubes
You need a shaker for this. Break up the basil by folding the leaves once, put them in the shaker with lemon juice. Use a bar pestle to smash it. Add sirup, gin and ice and give it a real good shaking. It should have a great, green color!
There’s also a version for lazy people like me which is akin to a Gin & Tonic, but involves the use of a basil lemonade instead of tonic water – IF you can get your hands on such a lemonade. In that case, simply mix the basil lemonade with some gin, and Bob’s your uncle.
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