IMAGININGS MAGAZINE
IM: Dragonslayers, Inc.: 0th Level is your tenth publication, and also a fantasy novel with a throwback feel. You’ve written in the fantasy genre before; how is this one different?
Campbell: I’ve written superhero fantasy before, but Dragonslayers is classic fantasy, LitRPG, to be precise.
IM: Okay, hit me with the elevator pitch.
Campbell: What floor?
IM: We don’t need to method act the interview…
Campbell: What. Floor?
IM: Um, okay, third.
Campbell: (presses twenty) Dragonslayers, Inc.: 0th Level- A Twenty-Sided Adventure is Dungeons & Dragons, specifically the cartoon from the ’80s, meets The Hunger Games with a little Hitchhiker’s Guide thrown in for humorous flavor.
IM: I like all those things. Hit me.
Campbell: In the fantasy world of Seventhia, wars are forbidden; instead, heroes from each of the nations compete in Quests ordained by the Gods. Avery is a young man (15) from Earth who wakes up in Seventhia only to find out that this world is all too similar to a game he played with his friends and father for years.
IM: I see the LitRPG angle in there. Are you a gamer? What games influenced this book?
Campbell: The world and many of the jokes come from playing Basic Dungeons and Dragons as a kid, and Old School Essentials (a modern reproduction) recently. I think people who’ve loved or hated those games will get more from the story, but being in on the Easter eggs is not essential to the enjoyment.
IM: So, Avery, the main character, enters the Quests?
Campbell: Without a second thought! He starts as a level zero hero. Dang! I should have named the book that!
IM: Is it too late?
Campbell: Kinda. Live and learn.
IM: What are some gaming tropes that you address/make fun of?
Campbell: I put a spin on a couple of classic races from fantasy lit; Hobereau and Umbrox are inspired by Halflings (Hobbits) and Dwarves, but with some high fantasy distinctions. Hobereau are short people with normal-sized feet who have been typecast as thieves, but Bronn, one of the main characters, is actually quite aggressive and more than a little jacked! Umbrox are stout and spend a lot of time underground, but they are actually made of living stone. I started with the names of their races: “Halfling” and “Dwarf” are quite derogatory and suggest being “lesser” than humans, who are called “Mortals.”
IM: How are Mortals different than humans?
Campbell: They always avoid spoilers.
IM: -Ahem-. Noted. What other races are there?
Campbell: My own versions of elves and /or orcs are there, plus a couple of new ones, but I don’t want to spoil the discovery for the reader.
IM: What was your favorite D&D character class?
Campbell: In theory, a Magic User was always going to be the most fun, but only if you survived the first five levels. I would go with an Elf because they could fight almost as well as a fighter and cast spells like a magic-user. Get yourself plate mail armor and a sword, and cast magic missile or read magic once in a while, and you’ve got yourself a playable character.
IM: I see we’ve reached my floor (After going to 20 then back down to 3). Before I leave, who will enjoy this book?
Campbell: Anyone with high school reading skills, good taste, and an extra 2.99.
IM: …
Campbell: Just kidding! If you’ve read more than a few fantasy novels and/or played Dungeons and Dragons, and you enjoy some good-natured, sometimes PG-13 humor, Dragonslayers Inc.: 0th Level-A Twenty-Sided Adventure is for you!
IM: Wait, why is it called Dragonslayers Inc. if they’re 0th level?
Campbell: *mumbles* damn it, I forgot to explain that.
IM: I know, “Read the book and find out!”
Campbell: You said it!
Dragonslayers Inc. is available for preorder now! Preorders are only $2.99!
Jan-Ives Campbell 