Quincy J. Allen

National Bestselling Author Quincy J. Allen, one of four founders of The Eldros Legacy, is a cross-genre author with a growing number of published novels under his belt. He has published Seeds of Dominion in the Eldros Legacy and will be releasing its sequel, Demons of Veynkal, in the spring of 2023.

His media tie-in novel Colt the Outlander: Shadow of Ruin was a Scribe Award finalist in 2019, and his noir novel Chemical Burn was a Colorado Gold Award finalist in 2010. Blood Oath, book 3 of his Blood War Chronicles series, debuted in February of 2019, and he is working on the fourth book in that six-book fantasy steampunk series, entitled Blood World.

He co-authored the fantasy series Way of Legend with Marc Alan Edelheit, including  Reclaiming Honor and Forging Destiny and Paladin’s Light, to critical acclaim. In November of 2019, he and Kevin Ikenberry published the novel Enforcer, which is set in the Four Horsemen Universe and is part of Ikenberry’s Peacemaker series. He is currently working on a novel for Kevin Steverson’s Salvage Title universe based upon the short story “Vorwhol Dishonor” and has completed the novel Cradle and All set in Jamie Ibson’s universe and based upon a short story of the same name.

His short story publications are numerous, including a pro sale appearing in Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter: Files from Baen, published in October of 2017 entitled “Sons of the Father,” as well as several novelettes appearing in Chris Kennedy Publishing’s mil-sci-fi anthologies in and out of the Four Horsemen Universe. He also has two short story collections in his Out Through the Attic series, and he continues to add to his short-story credits with each passing year.

He works out of his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, and hopes to one day be a New York Times bestselling author.

You can find him at:

Personal FB Page:  facebook.com/Quincy.Allen.Author

Professional FB Page: facebook.com/QJABooks

Professional Blog: QuincyAllen.com

Digging Deeper

Quincy has actively pursued his writing career for over a decade now, and what a long, strange trip it’s been. Getting laid off from an IT career sent him down this down this particular path, and he hasn’t looked back. From the outset, he wrote what he’s always referred to as cross-genre fiction—the mixing of genres to achieve an end that is not unlike a musical artist doing rap songs country style or blending heavy metal with classical music.

As a kid, he read the old Jupiter Jones mysteries as voraciously as he could. There were others of course: James and the Giant Peach and Danny the Champion of the World, are still favorites. Back then, he was generally reading fiction, with a smattering of dinosaur books thrown in for good measure. For the most part, however, he sought escapist literature. The reason for that was simple: he was escaping some very specific things that have no place in a bio. Suffice it to say that fiction was a place to go, as much as his trusted bicycle was a means of getting away every chance he got. Anyplace but here was the motto in many respects.

His reading changed dramatically in the late 70s, when his brother handed him a copy of The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, probably the1974 edition. Between those pages, he discovered that he could get further and go faster than anything he’d ever read before. From that moment on, science fiction, with a smattering of fantasy, was the staple. The Book Rack became the one place he wanted to go with his father, and it was in those hallowed halls that he discovered names like Asimov, Clarke, Laumer, Heinlein, Saberhagen, Zelazny, Harrison, May, Chalker… the list goes on, but you get the idea.

Most of those greats wrote in one genre or another. The publishing industry especially then and even now, tried to box authors into one of the vertical markets because it was easier to sell books that way. The exceptions are the ones that had the most impact for Quincy, however. Three in particular made it clear that the delineation between genres was wholly manufactured by industry, and mixing them frequently created a canvass that was much more appealing to that young writer-wanabe (and yes, he contemplated being a writer as early as the 4^th grade).

Julian May wrote The Many Colored Land series, Zelazny had The Chronicles of Amber, and Chalker had his Four Lords of the Diamond. In all three cases, the lines between science fiction and fantasy are virtually nonexistent, and it was in those stories that Quincy took many of his cues.

Whenever asked on panels, his reasoning for becoming a cross-genre author are two-fold. The first is the simple fact that getting stuck in one genre is just that… getting stuck in something. Certain stories beg for one type of setting or another. Some stories can fit anywhere. The freedom to choose what and when suits his very strong sense of freedom. The second reason is more practical… the monotony of writing in only one genre would drive him crazy, especially with all of those squirrels out there distracting him. It’s no secret that there’s a bit of ADHD to his personality, and being able to move from one genre to another on a whim keeps things interesting. Writing is a job, and if he had to write just science fiction or just fantasy or just mystery or just horror or just steampunk (which is a crossed genre all by itself), the fun of writing would very quickly become a dreary job. The whole point of not going back to IT (or Corporate America in general) was to avoid the feeling of “job” every single day.

In his current circumstances, however, he couldn’t be farther from that. These days, Quincy lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife Vicki. She’s the bread winner, and he does his best to balance between keeping the writing life going and not taking her for granted, not that it’s a chore. He considers himself one of the luckiest people alive, and in no small part because of his circumstances and the lady who was willing to share her life with him. Without her, his would be a very different existence.

Even his writing space is an extension of that relationship. Generally, writers need a way to close themselves off in order to put words down. In Quincy’s case, the space is a 10’ x 20’ two-story workshop in the back yard that is part office, part sewing room, and part actual workshop. It’s here that most of his creating takes place. There’s the writing, of course, and he says with a good deal of pride that he has one of the most kick-ass workstations around, including a three-monitor setup that would be the envy of any writer, IT professional, or even gamer.

It’s a creative space surrounded by all the tools he uses to create, be that creation fiction, woodworking, leather working, or just general handyman repair necessary for maintaining a home. It’s a mancave, but it’s shared with a she-shed and workshop. Tidy? Not so much. Functional? Better than average.

No matter what he’s working on, there’s always—always—music playing. Of course, the task at hand dictates the music playing. Outlining and writing generally get electronica like Tangerine Dream. However, certain scenes or chapters sometimes require jazz, classical, hard rock, blues, even Mongolian heavy metal…. The only types of music that won’t be heard coming out of the shop are country, rap, and disco (and ELO doesn’t count as disco).

When asked what his superpower is, he can pretty much come up with only one thing: parking karma. It sounds strange, but everyone who has ever gone to a store with him can attest that 98% of the time he’s driving, there’s an open space right up near or at the front. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s something quite a few people have remarked upon over the years. It’s literally uncanny.

In writing, there are a few things that he does excel at. The first is writing fight scenes. With years of various martial arts training under his belt (and a lot of cheesy kung fu movies to boot), he’s capable of cranking out fast-action, hard-hitting, believable fight scenes, regardless of unarmed, bladed, or firearms combat. He also really enjoys the process of world building. In fact, there ar times when creating the world (continent, planet, or galaxy), and all its races and cultures, is more fun than writing the novels and short stories. As a sidenote, it’s not uncommon to find at least one severed head in his writing. There’s no real “why” to it, it’s just a distinct image that works well, if there’s a good reason for it to be there.

There is one other thing that’s been remarked upon by people other than his family. When reading his prose, more than one person has said it’s like watching a movie… the visuals are distinct and immersive. He does take some pride in that. However, those comments, while satisfying, aren’t the best he’s received. The most gratifying commentary he’s ever received came from two separate individuals about the same character: Tovak. The first was from a young man who had been profoundly affected by the portrayal of Tovak’s faith, and he’d found both solace and strength in that. There is nothing quite like connecting with a reader in such a fashion. The second was when a member of the Catholic clergy actually reached out and said he was very interested in talking about how Quincy engendered the Dvergr faith in Thulla. He was intrigued by the process, and from a writer’s perspective, that’s some of the highest praise possible. Engagement is the opiate for writers, and when they make connections and get feedback… well, there’s nothing like it.

Novels

Short Stories