The Rayden Valkyrie TV Pilot began as a crowd-funding project via Kickstarter. Once funded production began and the pilot grew into a project which is now finding position within the current television market to gain traction to be built into a full production of a serial. This interview goes behind the scenes – where two of the pilot’s actors share their takeaways with being a part of the pilot and where the film-maker behind creating ‘Rayden Valkyrie’ (the character based on his novels) shares a few secrets with his readers, his future audience and those of us who have followed his publishing endeavours (via Seventh Star Press and their authorly collective) in the book blogosphere.

Seventh Star Press is one of the first publishers I started to host for during the Autumn of 2013 shortly after I launched Jorie Loves A Story. This interview was conceived to shine a light on the pilot which is the secondary focus of this lovely blog tour which illuminates the series which launched the pilot.

Follow the Journey of Rayden Valkyrie the tv adaptation | Tweet your Support

Read Stephen Zimmer’s blog post about why he wanted to produce the pilot

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I can well imagine what you might be thinking – why is Jorie showcasing a Sword & Sorcery story-line involving Heroic Bloodshed and steeped in Viking History? Not quite her typical cuppa is what is most likely coming to your mind, eh? And, in this regard – you would be right! It’s a series of stories penned by an author I appreciated finding when I first read Chronicles of Ave (in 2013) entitled the Dark Sun Trilogy. Except for the Vikings – as I first had an introduction into Anglo-Saxon early histories & the presence of the Vikings through my readings of Avelynn (of which I will be re-exploring this Autumn as I read the sequel!). Add to the random things which become introduced to you as you explore Literature and Ancestral passageways, I recently started seeing the Vikings threading into my own ancestral past – something I’ll touch on as I read Edge of Faith!

You might remember seeing Seventh Star Press titles pop up now and again on Jorie Loves A Story, as this is one of the first Indie Publishers I started to host for as a book blogger whilst finding myself readily engaging with their eclectic offerings across Science Fiction, Cosy Horror (smirks) and Fantasy – including Urban Fantasy (where I found out I love cheeky fey humour); anthologies of the Fantastical and Horrific (this side of Cosy, of course!), Altered Historical time-lines, a dash of Superhero Fiction and a pinch of Space Opera! However, if was the DRAGONS and Murkens (shifters) who stole my heart the most!

When this tv pilot originated on Kickstarter, I took stock and interest of it’s journey towards production – not only because I have been following the career of the writer behind the pilot – but also due to my personal passion for film-making (with an eye on Indies) which led me to cheer from afar for this little project would not only find traction with a (potential) audience but it would gain the backing it needed to go into production. Kentucky is one of those states which is known for film-making but hasn’t quite captured awareness of being one of the better states to conduct film business inside; a bit of a surprise to myself, as the film world isn’t as big as one would perceive – there are certain regions where film-making has legs to grow and develop in a viable economy prime to allow for said growth to reshape the active market. Kentucky thus stands on the fringes of being more of a forerunner rather than a secondary option! This is another reason why I wanted to highlight this pilot – as it allows others to start to take notice of how film and television are continuously shifting how they are being utilised in our backyards.

I continued to oversee the journey when videos popped up on YouTube – both for promotion of the pilot being filmed and for the process of taking it into production. There isn’t a lot I missed between the conception of the idea and the birth of the pilot – all of which, I have happily cheered on Mr Zimmer and his lovely cast and crew – seeing how they were shaping his vision for this story to take flight and to be brought to a visual audience who likes well-written stories with fierce historical roots and a well produced production to boot!

Finding out a bit more about Kentucky in the process – from location shoots to how the natural elements were broached into the background of the pilot itself was quite enjoyable, too! I love how you can find elements of our world set within the otherworlds of Fantasy – as it not only helps root you into the story but it offers a beautiful gap between the fantastical fictional realms and our living realities. Getting a chance to converse with two of the actors attached to this pilot was heartwarming as I truly loved how they approached my questions – they gave me answers which I feel helped bring a rounded introduction of the pilot to my readers and to those visitors on the blog tour itself – as it’s a step outside what might have been expected to be found! I love surprising my readers – it is a joy unlike all others! Also, I wanted to anchour their replies to Mr Zimmer’s – giving the presence of three different perspectives on the same subject – thereby, giving you an up close and personal definition of who Rayden Valkyrie is and why the pilot is such an important project.

So you see – sometimes I might surprise you – some stories interest me even if perhaps on the surface you might think it wouldn’t be something I’d be akin to liking! Besides – of all the cross-related tv series Mr Zimmer mentioned as being ‘one’ of a similar feather to Rayden Valkyrie – there is one from my own past which I admit, I did enjoy watching: Xena: Warrior Princess! Come now – who didn’t like watching Xena? Lucy Lawless played her to perfection!

Grab your favourite cuppa and sit back for a conversation in 3-parts!

Read More